By Pastor Layi Bamidele

It takes grace for you to come from the back to overtake the person in front. In a short while from now I’ll be showing you one or two people in the bible that came from behind to take the front seat. In the days of King Ahasuerus in the book of Esther chapter one, the bible recorded that he made feast in the third year of his reign. On the seventh day of this feast in verse 9 of the book of Esther the bible says “Also Vashti’ the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to King Ahasuerus.

And in Verse 11 the King ordered that Vashti the queen be brought before the King with the crown royal, to show the people and the princes her beauty, for she was fair to look on” Take note in verse 12″ Queen Vashti refused to come at the King’s commandment, by his chamberlains, therefore was the king angry, and his anger burned in him.

Pastor Bamidele

When you refuse the instruction of a king, you are heading for a ditch. In verse 19 of the same chapter, Vashti lost her royal estate to a better person. When you think there is no one like you or there is no one who can take up your job or your position, God has a way of raising an unqualified person and make the person more qualified than yourself.

If you not careful, the person you least expected will come and take over your position and perform better than you. Whatever a man does not value will be lost to another person that values it. In the book of Esther chapter 2 verse 5 & 6, the bible recorded talks of a certain Jewish man whose name was Mordecai, a Benjamite. He was taken away from Jerusalem as a captive.

Mordecai brought his uncle’s daughter called Hadassah (Esther), who is an orphan. Esther was a maid and Mordecai took her for his own daughter. In verse 15 the bible recorded that Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her. One principal thing that makes a footman to overtake the chariot man is grace and favour from God. When favour is in place, failure will be displaced. It was grace and favour that made Esther who was a maid to displace Vashti the queen. One major question I do ask people is that will God still be your God when you get that thing you are looking for, or will you become god when he gives you that position you are looking for.

What people fail to realize is that the same way and capacity God used in taking you up is the same way He will use in bringing you down when you become gods God. When you disobey the instruction of an earthly king you will pay dearly for it, how much more the heavenly king. Esther took over as a foot woman; she overtook the position of Vashti. In the same scripture i.e. the book of Esther chapter 3 from verse one (1) Hamman was promoted and he rose to become the head of all princes that were with King Ahasuarus.

When a man is set for destruction he will be imperious to corrections, Hamman forgot that you cannot fight who God loves. The Jews hardly lost a battle. The same way with you if you stand on God’s side, you cannot lose any battle. If you happen to lose the battle, check yourself, you must have missed God somewhere. The lesson I want people to learn is that you cannot fight God’s elect and win.

Another lesson is that in every position a man finds himself in life never allow PRIDE to get inside of you, as it will eventually destroy you. Everyone you find yourself as a privilege and not a right. The third lesson is to be good to all, though there is no way you can please everybody, but as much as you can be polite to many. Don’t ever plan evil against your fellow being because if care is not taken you may end up in that same gallow. Always seek wise counsel, Hamman did not seek a wise counsel from wise men, he died mysteriously.

When you carry the aura of favour you become unstoppable in life. When favour is upon you, people will not be able to sleep or rest because of you; until they do whatever God has instructed them to do in your life. When the enemy is after you whom God sees as His loved one, He will go to any length not only to stop your enemies but also to prove His faithfulness in your life and ways.

Esther took a great risk to rescue her people from being killed and destroyed by his enemies.That is why I often say that “it is risky not to take risk”. Nothing moves without a move. Hamman was afraid that with Esther’s connection Modecai will end up in the palace in future. Finally look at the story of Saul too. After he got to the peak of his career he forgot and disobeyed the God that brought him out from nothing, after his disobedience to God and his prophet, he thought he was still in charge, while God has given his crown to a footman in the bush rearing his father’s sheep, and God found him worthy and graced him.

David was a footman, his heart of obedience to his father’s instruction made God to single him out for his next level. David was small in the eyes of Saul, but he was a great man even greater than Saul before God. He took over from Saul. May I say this in closing this message, that humility is the hallmark of a great and colourful destiny. Pride does not set up, he brings a man down. The bible says “Pride goes before a fall”. Whichever position you find yourself don’t see it as a right but see it as a privilege. May we not end up like Vashti, Hamman and Saul.

*Bamidele is General Overseer, Christ Glorious Endtime Evangelical Church, Lagos. [email protected]