Most of us would not mind being in a higher position on our jobs. We will even go to training and workshops in order to be ready for the position, right? Have you ever thought about being positioned for elevation spiritually as well as naturally? What does this look like? What does it feel like? There are times in our walk with the Father when he will take us from one level to the next, and we have to understand how he works within us and how to stay in sync with his plan.
To be elevated means to be increased or raised higher (status, position, society, etc.). A position is a place where someone or something has been put or arranged. Spiritually, being positioned means that we have been put in place by God to be ready for another level, or to be upgraded in the spirit. Now let’s talk about what that looks like. As children, we could not wait to get grown so that we could do what we wanted to do, not understanding that being grown means that we have to be ready for more responsibility and sacrifices. So it is in the spirit. Being ready for elevation is not about God throwing blessings out of the sky, nor is it about us boasting because we have moved from being a greeter at church to being an apostle. At the point of elevation, we have matured more, and that simply means that we can handle more. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be sober (well-balanced and self-disciplined). This means that our hearts have to be positioned correctly knowing that the new level or elevation, whether in economic status, society, or in the spirit, should not move us to a place of elitism or pride. This also means that we should have certain structures in place. I know…this is not always easy, but why would God give us a big house when we don’t keep our apartments clean? Why would he trust us with millions in the bank when we squander every dime we have now? Those are hard examples, but you get the point.
Just as we would not give a three-year old $100, God will reserve certain things for us until we are ready for it and have the character to handle it. Through his infinite wisdom, the Father knows how to develop character and endurance in us. Most of the time, elevation takes place inwardly before we receive anything in the natural. Oftentimes, this process does not feel good. Romans 5: 3-4 states, “...but with joy let us exult (show triumph or jubilation) in our hardships, knowing that our hardship produces patient endurance; and endurance, proven character (spiritual maturity)...(AMP Bible).” No, not everything that we go through is ordained by God, but he will use those things to produce character and build strength for the journey that he takes us through. Greater endurance means greater capacity; greater capacity means greater strength. Sometimes we have to submit to what is called the Refiner’s Fire. In this process, old wineskins (us) can become new so that new wine can be poured in us (Mark 2:22, Matthew 9:17, Luke 5:38). We have to develop character and temperance if we are going to go higher in the spirit or in natural life.
There are times when we have to ask, “Lord, what are you doing in me?” He is shifting our mindsets and perfecting us even the more, especially as it pertains to where he wants to take us. We have to remember to “be not weary in well-doing” (Galatians 6:9) and keep pushing in those times when we feel tired of pushing. We have to also submit to his directions, his plans, and follow his GPS: God’s Positioning System.