My spiritual father told us in a meeting years ago; “If you have one and I have half, but you refuse to listen to me because I have half. I will listen to you and collect your one to make me have one and a half. I would be better off than you in the long run.” From that moment, I made up my mind to listen more than I talk.
Friend, always remember that you don’t know it all. God is the only one who is omniscient. All of us are taking only a bite of His infinite knowledge and wisdom (Romans 11:33). This is why we would always need God and one another. There are things that God will not reveal to you. He would reveal to someone around you. This is to keep you humble and engender interdependence (Acts 9:8-18).
The kingdom is not that of independence. It is that of interdependence. No matter how much you grow, you will always need someone (Isaiah 41:7, Romans 12:3-11). You can only grow from dependence to interdependence, not independence. There is a portion of divine wisdom and help packaged in people for you (Deuteronomy 34:9). When you ignore those people, you are simply shortchanging yourself.
Why do people submit to professors on campuses to teach them and help them develop in their fields of study, but they find it difficult to submit to spiritual leaders? When it comes to church or the things of the Spirit, you would often hear people say that they don’t need anyone to teach them. Just as you did not graduate from college on your own, you cannot make progress in the kingdom on your own (Ecclesiastes 10:10, 15).
We must recognise and tap into people’s unique graces (Galatians 2:9). If you won’t argue with your doctor or lawyer, why would you argue with your trainer in the kingdom? The fact that you have the Nigerian constitution does not make you a lawyer. You need the expertise of a lawyer. Despite that I am very sound in mathematics, I still have a mathematics teacher for my children.
What you know you already know. But there are lots of things you don’t know yet (1 Corinthians 8:1-2). Most times, it is your ignorance that the devil exploits (2 Corinthians 2:11). It is the same area of ignorance that is the bane of your progress. Like Apollos, you can be passionate with incomplete knowledge (Acts 18:24-28). You need an Aquilla and a Priscilla in your life.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria