BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

6 : B V O V of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?" A lot of ministries in our day have fallen. Preachers of the gospel have fallen. Church people have fallen. But I'll tell you something, you can continue to stand, and not fall. You can be a powerful force in the earth as a believer walking by faith. But to do it, you must be honorable. God is faithful to honor you when you act honorably. That's because you are acting in something that originated in Him! He is honorable. When you operate in Him, you operate in honor. Man's defi nition of honor, however, is quite di erent from God's. It is a derivative of the honor of God, but it is light and shallow⎯it is a false honor that deceives men. Honor in the world comes from men and is given to men⎯what I call the honor game. In the honor game, everything is done to gain the prestige, power and authority that other men can give. It's temporal, short-lived and dishonorable in view of what some men will do to get it. Take what happens at times in the military, for example. One man is honored by rank. He is given honor because he has proven to be a leader of men. The longer and better he does his job, the more promotions to higher rank he receives. Finally, he is promoted to general. Rank has privilege. It has honor. This man has come to his high position honorably. Men stand in awe of this o cer, and they should. However, some men who wear the marks of a high rank get them dishonorably⎯by scheming, begging or doing favors to gain approval. The only reason they want rank is so they can walk in money and pride and throw their weight around. That is not honor; it is dishonor. These schemers have the same rank, the same "honor," the same privilege, as those who deserve them⎯but they did not come by them honorably. They achieved man's honor⎯man's way. God's honor takes seriously the responsibility of representing Christ to the unbeliever. Peter exhorted believers to have "your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:12). As a young man I understood this kind of honor. My father raised me that way. I grew up observing the kind of honor the psalmist wrote about, the honor of a man who "sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not" (Psalm 15:4). I understood and respected the kind of person who did the right thing regardless the cost⎯who stood his ground no matter how tough the battle or how great the temptation. When I was in my teens, my dad had an opportunity to choose to act in the honor that comes from God⎯or not to. I've never forgotten the decisions he made. A fellow hired my dad to work in an insurance business. Dad was very successful and soon made district manager. Then he went on to be supervisor of the entire state of Texas operations. The man who hired him had been planning to start his own company. He had built up a very large amount of fi nancial reserves while working with my dad for the big company. Eventually, with the money and backing in place, the man announced that he was going to start his own company. He made my dad an o er to come work for him. He o ered my dad a lot of money and a big chunk of the new company. By o ering my dad this job and enticing him to leave the company, he violated his contract. So the big company fi led suit against him for all those reserves he had coming. My dad became a key witness in their case. Their case hinged on my dad's answer to one question. I remember watching as Dad took the stand. I wondered what he was going to do. There was a lot of money at stake for him. I remember how calm he looked. Schedule is subject to change without notice. 2024 California Victory Campaign Nov. 14-16 | Costa Mesa, Calif. Join FlashPoint LIVE New Orleans, La. Oct. 10-11 Bedford, Texas Oct. 24 Learn more and register at 2024flashpoint.live events Join us!

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