The bible tells us to honor those who are due honor. It tells us that Elders who rule well are worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. It also says that the laborer is worthy of his reward (1Tim 5:17). This means to not treat leaders with low regard, like they are common. But, we don’t honor them simply because their profession is preaching. There are many men and women whose profession is preaching and they are full of the devil and they are not worthy of any honor.
But God’s leaders have dedicated their lives, sanctified their lives, and are given to a greater level of commitment than most. They have done what was necessary and required of them to receive the anointing and truth that they walk in. They are gifts to the Body of Christ to lead and usher us into our God given destinies. We are to always esteem them and others higher than we esteem ourselves. We honor God’s leaders by respecting them, by being obedient to their instructions, and sowing into their lives.
Honor: High respects, as for worth, merit, or rank; to be held in honor.
We are warned not to be a stumbling block to others. Leaders are always to remind themselves and others that their faith and trust must be in God and not in man or their gifts. We must encourage God’s people to grow into maturity; to rely on the word and their personal relationship with God. We become stumbling blocks when we praise men instead of God. We must learn how to commend others for their good works without giving them idolatrous praise. We should carefully choose the proper words when we are ascribing honor to others, lest they get thee big head. Sometimes leaders need to be reminded just exactly who’s in charge.
We can learn a wonderful lesson from Noah and his family. The entire region was corrupted with sin and the only righteous people that remained were Noah and his surviving family. We must take the attitude that Noah and his family took; that we will remain righteous no matter who falls. It is possible not to fall so don’t let the enemy deceive you into believing that it is not. With the right attitude and heart God knows how to keep us from falling. He knows how to rescue us from sinful environments so that we are not infected or tempted. With God all things are possible to those who believe.
Satan wants God’s leaders to fall. He knows that pride goes before a fall. The moment you get in pride, Satan begins to devise your downfall. Satan will use people to praise you to help you get in pride. That is why we must discern the motives of people. When we recognize the enemy we should handle it appropriately and other times when people attempt to commend you by praising you, always respond with, “Praise the Lord”. Praise the Lord is not a simple gesture or something cute to say. When you respond with “Praise the Lord”, you are giving them an instruction.
Satan hopes to cause us to despair with situations and circumstances and lose sight of the vision God has given us, but thank God for His grace toward us who turns things around and gives us the victory that is won by our faith. Where sin does abound, Grace does abound much more. The key to prevent from falling is to grow in grace. If you continue to grow in grace you will make your calling and election sure, allowing God to develop you, equip you, confirm you or authenticate you. If you stop growing in grace, a fall is sure to come. God is perfectly capable of keeping us from falling (Jude 24). But how do we grow in grace?
“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge, And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall (2 Pet 1:5-10).
If a person stops developing in faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity they are prone to falling. We must always be conscious that we are actively developing in these. We must not allow sin to go unchecked; sin will bring our development to a standstill. Men should always pray that God would keep them from falling, (Ps 56:13).