The Steps to Divine Promotion - Pastor Stacey Shiflett
- Pastor Shiflett
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
The Steps to Divine Promotion
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Introduction: God does not promote the proud — He resists them.
But He lifts up the humble.
The world tells you to promote yourself.
Politics, networking, “getting your name out there”,
Telling you, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”
But God operates on an entirely different system.
With God, the way up is down, and the way down is up.
· Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Jesus taught it like this:
· Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
· Matthew 23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
The path upward in the kingdom of God always runs downward first.
James 4:10 is not a suggestion — it is a sequence.
Humility first. Promotion second.
You do not get the second without the first.
Every man and woman God has ever elevated walked the same road; the road of humility before honour, surrender before significance, and faithfulness before favour.
· Matthew 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
And God is looking for people willing to take them.
We will do a quick glance at seven key Bible characters that discovered THE STEPS TO DIVINE PROMOTION.
I. Separated from Sinful - Moses
Hebrews 11:24-27 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
The first step toward divine promotion is humbling yourself enough to walk away from what the world is offering you.
Moses had a palace, a name, and a future in Egypt.
He had it made in the shade; a life that very few could even imagine.
But he humbled himself before God's call and refused it all.
Moses refused a title that was not his true identity.
He chose the reproach of Christ over the riches of Egypt.
He esteemed the invisible above the visible.
He valued the future treasures over the fleshly pleasures.
God lifts those up who are willing to let go of what the world calls success.
What is God asking you to walk away from before He can lift you up?
Do you realize that what you’re holding on to might be what’s holding you back?
II. Sanctified in the Suffering - Joseph
Genesis 41
41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
The second step is humbling yourself under the hand of God even when that hand seems to be pressing you down.
Joseph did not demand an explanation from God in the dungeon.
He did not grow bitter, rebellious, or resentful.
He didn’t compromise his standards and convictions when surrounded by sin.
He didn’t capitulate to the level of his surroundings.
He stayed true to God in spite of the years of difficulties and suffering.
Your response to suffering reveals your readiness for promotion.
God lifts those who stay faithful when they have every reason to quit.
Bitterness disqualifies; humility under pressure positions you for a raise.
The dungeon was not Joseph's destination; it was just a temporary holding cell until his promotion.
Joseph went from prison to palace in a day — but what got him there was forged over years.
Can God trust you to stay true, even under difficult circumstances?
If not, He cannot trust you with a promotion.
He’s looking for character and integrity; not compromise and conformity.
III. Supportive in the Shadows - Joshua
Joshua 4:14 On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.
The third step is humbling yourself under the authority God has placed over you.
Joshua never promoted himself.
He served in the shadows without complaining, without competition, and without campaigning for recognition.
And God, not Joshua, magnified him before all Israel when the time came.
Divine promotion is always God's doing in response to a humble, submitted spirit.
God promotes those who humble themselves under authority.
True greatness is never seized; it is bestowed by God.
Submission to leadership is not weakness; it is a biblical, required step before DIVINE PROMOTION.
Honour the man God has placed above you and trust God to lift you in due time.
Joshua was magnified because he was faithful to serve before he was called to lead.
God lifts those who learn to walk faithfully and loyally under the people He has placed over them.
IV. Steadfast in the Struggle - Gideon
Judges 6:11-12 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
The fourth step is humbling yourself to keep working when everything in you wants to stop.
God doesn’t recruit quitters.
Gideon was hidden, afraid, and working in impossible conditions.
He had no platform, no position, and no prospects. But he kept serving.
And God saw him — not as the world saw him, but as He had made him.
God lifts those who keep going in obscurity.
God calls you in the middle of your difficulty, not after it
Obscurity is not insignificance — it is the place where God sees what no one else can
The willingness to keep serving when it is hard is itself an act of humility
God does not wait for your circumstances to change.
God sees what you are doing in the hard place, and He will lift you in His time.
V. Serving in the Shadows - David
1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
The fifth step is humbling yourself enough to stay where God put you, even after He has shown you where you are going.
David was anointed king and then went right back to tending the sheep.
He did not demand the throne.
He did not flaunt his anointing for advancement.
He went back to his lowly post and was steadfast to do his job where nobody could even see him.
The anointing is not an opportunity to self-promotion; it is an obligation to deeper humility.
God anoints in private and appoints in public IN HIS OWN TIME.
Faithfulness in your current place is the step that leads to the next place.
Do not despise or abandon where you are serving until God DIVINELY PROMOTES you to the next place.
David was anointed but not yet appointed.
If God has shown you something great, go back to your field, stay faithful, and let Him do the moving.
VI. Supplicating in the Shame - Nehemiah
Nehemiah 1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.
Nehemiah 2:4-5 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
The sixth step is humbling yourself before God in prayer before you ever stand before any man.
Nehemiah did not run to the king when he heard that the walls were destroyed and gates were burned.
He ran to God. He wept, fasted, and prayed.
He didn’t make excuses.
He didn’t pass the blame.
He didn’t deny the truth.
He owned it; and he begged God for mercy.
And when he finally stood before the king and was asked what he wanted — he prayed again, right in that moment, before he opened his mouth.
And God gave him extraordinary favour.
Prayer is the position of humility before God that get’s His attention.
You are never more ready for promotion than when you have just been on your knees.
Nehemiah knelt before God before he stood before the king.
The favour he received in the palace was born in the place of prayer.
Humble yourself before God in secret — and He will lift you up before men.
VII. Surrendered to the Service - Isaiah
Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
The seventh and final step is the ultimate act of humility — complete surrender to the will of God.
Isaiah stood before the throne of God.
He saw God’s glory and he saw his own unworthiness.
Yet – he made himself fully available.
He did not negotiate. He did not present conditions.
He simply said — Here am I; send me.
That moment of surrender was his moment of promotion.
Surrender is not the end of your ambition — it is the beginning of God's.
Availability to God outweighs any ability before man.
God does not promote the talented; He promotes the yielded.
He promotes the surrendered and the willing; because so few really are.
The greatest thing you can offer God is not your gifts; it is yourself.
Isaiah's promotion began not with a résumé but with a surrender.
Isaiah didn’t say “Here is my stuff.” Or “Here is my money.”
He said “Here am I.”
God is still asking the same question — Who will go?
The question is – who is willing?
Conclusion: There is one key truth in the 7 men preached about tonight.
Not a single example one of them SOUGHT PROMOTION.
Promotion is not manufactured; it is granted.
It is not the result of desperate hunger; it is the result of a Divine Hand.
And God grants it to the humble.
Every step we discovered in this message is a step downward.
Every step of humility is a step toward God's lifting.
You cannot climb your way to divine promotion.
You can only bow your way there.
Stop positioning yourself. Stop lobbying for recognition.
Stop campaigning for a place.
Humble yourself - genuinely, privately, consistently, in the sight of the Lord.
And He will do what only He can do. He will lift you up.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.