Private unction before public display

He answered, “The Father is the one who sets the fixed dates and the times of their fulfilment. You are not permitted to know the timing of all that he has prepared by his own authority. But I promise you this—the Holy Spirit will come upon you and you will be filled with power. And you will be my messengers to Jerusalem, throughout Judea, the distant provinces even to the remotest places on earth!” Acts 1:7-8 TPT

God is such an awesome and good Father who doesn’t raise microwave leaders. He loves us too much to see us fail because He wants glory out of our lives. He usually develops and encounters us in our secret place to unction us for transformation and empowerment by His Spirit for our leadership assignment. When He publicly displays us, it presents an opportunity for people around us to receive all that He has deposited in us. God does not desire His children to rush into public ministry when He hasn’t anointed them to handle the pressures that come with it.

How it happened in the Bible

The Bible is filled with so many instances of God privately encountering people before publicly announcing them. Moses was born to deliver the children of Israel from the Pharaoh of Egypt, and instead of allowing God to take him through that process of deliverance; he rushed to deliver an Israelite who was being abused by an Egyptian when God hadn’t given him that assignment, and so he ended up as a murderer and a vagabond. For forty years, he was away from his place of power and away from the place he had always called home. He was ready to take on his role as a deliverer when he finally encountered God and accepted his assignment.

We also know of Joseph, who had dreams about his destiny; he was filled with so much excitement, and as a young boy, he thought it wise to share with his brothers who will not be pleased to hear the details of his dreams. This resulted in him serving as a slave and prisoner in Egypt until the set time when he was elevated as a prime minister. The main lesson and truth in this for me is that not every dream has to be shared. The people around you do not have to hear every idea or thought God has placed in your heart.

I have recently been captivated by Saul’s story in 1 Samuel, and my attention was drawn to just a single act of Saul in chapter 10. The backdrop to this was that Saul was a young man from a rich family sent by his dad to look for their missing donkeys; little did he know that God had set him up to anoint him as the first King of Israel. The prophet Samuel exhibited such wisdom that before he anointed Saul, he asked that Saul’s servant be sent ahead of them so that the servant doesn’t hear what God had to say to Saul. Saul also had an inquisitive uncle, Abner, who showed interest in what had transpired between him and Prophet Samuel. Here in verse 13, we find Saul giving his uncle an incredible reply that birthed this message.

When Saul was done prophesying, he returned home. His uncle asked him and his servant, “So where have you two been all this time?” “Out looking for the donkeys. We looked and looked and couldn’t find them. And then we found Samuel!” “So,” said Saul’s uncle, “what did Samuel tell you?” Saul said, “He told us not to worry—the donkeys had been found.” But Saul didn’t breathe a word to his uncle of what Samuel said about the king business. 1 Samuel 10:14-16 MSG

Inside the cocoon 

God may be developing you just like a caterpillar waiting to be let loose as a butterfly. The caterpillar hasn’t got a choice but to stay in the cocoon; any attempt to open it will kill it because the external environment is not conducive to its development. It only thrives when it is left alone in the cocoon to be developed properly before its wings grow and crack out of the cocoon. Everything the caterpillar needs to be a beautiful butterfly relies on its complete life stages in the cocoon. Just because other butterflies are flying around doesn’t mean that the caterpillar has to fly too. Likewise, a baby is developed in the belly for about nine months so that every part of their body is fully formed before they are brought into the world.

God wants to build your foundation so that the pressures of this world do not toss you about. He wants to equip you with power and wisdom to carry out the assignment in your life. His Spirit is available to you to impart everything you need for your ministry, which will require you to stay under His feet as He works on you. When your time is up, God will release you to be everything He has destined for you to be to the world. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay, Habakkuk 2:3.

This is what the world does

The world around us makes us feel like we are missing out when you are gifted, and there is pressure to show what you’ve got. For a worship leader who is not producing content, it is easy to feel like you are missing out and a need to release a sound because there is so much on YouTube and social media right now. But you don’t have to be like everybody else. You have to be true to yourself. You are very powerful in God’s eyes, and He is working on you privately, so don’t fall into this temptation of not being humble and waiting on Him to give you the green light of publicity, thereby sabotaging your own future. Worship is not about displaying yourself, but it’s a personal, intimate experience that draws people to God as you worship, and so it only fits to allow God to lead and direct your ministry. When you have spent time with the Father, any ministration seems like an awe and wonder as people see the snapshot of your intimate moments with God.

Many people find themselves frustrated because they are not acknowledged for their endeavours. Some live in daily disappointment by comparing themselves to other people who seem to have gotten it easy and handed the platform they desperately want. We have seen people crushed by fame because they were not matured enough to handle the responsibilities and pressures that come with being publicly known. The question I want to ask is, do you really believe that you are ready for the public pressure that comes with public ministry? You might think that you are ready, but your Father, who knows you more than you know yourself, knows what you can and cannot handle. In this season, God may be taking you through different processes and experiences that require you to be silent about what He is saying and doing with you right now. The world is not ready to receive what God has deposited inside you and when you are ready, no one can take what God has designed and purposed for you.

God is at work

Things may be hard, and you may not be where you want to be, but I want to remind you that we are all on different journeys, and you have to be content with where you are currently because God is working on you now. So ask yourself this, has God said something to you about your life and your future that you want others to hear all about it, and you can’t wait to see it manifest? Is there an area of your life you are striving and working so hard on to see what God had said happen now? We know that God fulfilled everything Prophet Samuel told Saul. I also know of people who have received heavenly directions from God, and everything has happened as God said. So if God hasn’t given you the directions to make His plans for you public, be content to let it stay in your heart as you pray and meditate on it. We know that’s what Mary did when she heard all the prophetic words about her son Jesus.  And all those who heard it marvelled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart, Luke 2:18-19.

I pray your desire will be for you to be so filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit before seeking out the position or the platform. Allow God to mould and nurture you in all the broken places. A quality time spent in His presence will spare you years of misery of dealing with situations you were never prepared for. Your Father knows your capacity and capability, and He is the only one who knows when you are ready to take up your stand. Launching yourself into an ill-prepared position will only lead to pain and disappointments. Your father in heaven loves you so much, and He wants to get you all prepared and ready before He launches you in to your position of authority and power.

I want you to genuinely believe that the world is the Lord’s and its fullness thereof, Psalm 24:1. Be at rest in your spirit and stay in your own race when you see other people going ahead of you. The power is in God’s hands to give you what is due you and when your set time for promotion is up, my dear, nothing will stop it. God knows how to set everything up for you. We have seen Him take us through seasons of silence and release, and it has been a blessing looking back to see how He caused everything for our good. So I encourage you to be content with whatever stage of life you are in. I believe that when the time is right for your public display, God will give you the strength, the wisdom and the power to overcome and be successful.

May you be filled with the Fullness of God and the Power of His Love!