WHAT MAKES PROMOTION FEASIBLE

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him.
The Church today is replete with miracle seekers who do not want to hear anything about hard work. Thanks to uncurbed religious racketeering and spiritual charlatanry, which has birthed in Church of today a growing number of egotistic, narrow-minded spiritual pewees who would gladly opt to reap where they did not sow; ignoring the fact that nothing good comes on a platter of gold. They are taught promotion is gained based on “receive it by fire,” and consequently they want to be successful without attitude. They think lasting good things really come to us based on “I claim it by faith.” But no man thrives on the wings of mere wishes and claims. Even faith without works is as dead as a lath.
Those living in that world of self-deceit know very well the cost—stagnation with false hope of rescue. Religious racketeers and spiritual charlatans, indeed phony characters in neatly sown garments have helped to dampen their already dampened eyes.
Scattered all over the Holy Writ are compelling evidences showing the operations of the Principle of sowing and reaping as a major force behind every human activities on this side of the divide, yet sheer ignorance has kept miracle seekers from perceiving this truth. The man who wants promotion and desires to attract to himself the good things that life has to offer must give heed to and practice the eternal principles governing our dealings in this world.
Promotion as a reward from God does not come by chance. You must work for it if you so want it. Some people think only those with the education and charisma get promoted, while others feel that employers promote people based on friendships or special connections. But the Bible says something completely different:
Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him, Daniel 6:3. The young Hebrew champ, Daniel, along with his three friends and fellow countrymen received promotion in their work because they applied the touch of excellence in everything they did, thus the ever rewarding principle of sowing and reaping made sure they reaped the fruit of their labour. They didn’t claim it by fire, did they?
As pointed out earlier, there are laid down principles governing what we do on this side of the divide, and the man who has turned a blind eye to this wisdom is as good as a buffoon, for he may spend all his time on earth chasing the wind, and blaming God for his woes. In the course of my service in the Lord’s Vineyard, I have seen and encountered a lot of wind chasers and grasshopper hunters who have turned themselves into prayer machines, daily praying their tongues and hearts out just to get promotion in the work of their hands. On giving such people a close watch, I often found out, they don’t practice honesty in their dealings with others, let alone doing things with fineness. They haven’t nobility of character. I have also encountered those whose hands are as tightfisted as anything you could ever think of. Such people, it seems, loathe the act of giving as the ISIS members loathe the Christian faith, yet they seek increase in their finances. People of this nature think and use religion as a means of escape from reality. Little wonder in their flight they end up as meat in the canine teeth of ferocious Tigers spotting suites made for the Lambs.
Promotion comes from God, yes! Yet God doesn’t promote persons with mischievous characters. If you feel like you're working a cul-de-sac job, you’re putting in so much efforts, but lack the spirit of excellence and honesty in you, you might think it's God's fault you’re locked in a place. I hate to burst your bubble, but God isn’t behind your woes. No! Not Daddy! He doesn't promote slippery persons. Agreed, Father God is the One who exalts, but there's more to it than that. It's about what's inside you. It's about your heart's attitude. Promotion is partly up to you.
The Word gives us a great example of godly promotion. The book of Daniel shows us how Daniel and his three Hebrew friends gained promotion in an evil, ungodly society. That sounds like our society today, isn’t it? Though the lads arrived in Babylon as slaves, they grew in favor and influence with four different kings in two different world systems and became trusted advisors and rulers under each. How was this possible? How could four men experience so much favor under such adverse circumstances? Daniel 6:3 gives us the answer: Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him.

Daniel, a captive from Israel, was preferred above rulers and princes! He and his three friends were promoted because they each had an excellent spirit. That's awesome! The supernatural favor they had didn't hit them out of the blue. They didn’t ‘claim it’, either. It didn’t come from their external circumstances; it came from the inside. It was something intangible, something like attitude. I bet you attitude is everything.

Sadly, many Christians are lacking in good attitude. They believe God for everything good but lack the attitude to attract it. They shoot at everything and hit it at nothing each time. But heroes of faith like Daniel, Joseph, Moses, and David show us a different approach. They believed God for something more, and because of their attitude of faithfulness-their excellent spirits-they were promoted. If we want to experience the results they had, we have to start doing the things they did. We have to start cultivating a good attitude while aiming at our target.
This is good news because circumstances are often outside our control, but a good attitude stabilizes us on the path of peace and promotion. Remember, attitude is a matter of the heart. An excellent spirit is faithful. It's consistent. It has a moral foundation that doesn't fluctuate or compromise. It causes a person to do what's right even when no one is watching.
An excellent spirit will promote you in business, in ministry, or at home with your family. It will promote you with your neighbors, in your school, at meetings, in fact anywhere. God delights in excellence, and excellence begins in the heart.
Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he" (brackets added). No kind of Change manifests externally which did not first start from the heart. The attitude of your heart could be what has been hindering you from attaining your promotion and living out God’s best.
If you are tucked in a place and not being promoted, or if it seems like everyone else is prospering while you struggle to make ends meet, check well the situation on the inside. Do you have an excellent spirit? God bless you!
Br. Kenneth Chigozie Alamezie, BSS