“Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh”
Genesis 41:14
This verse is indicative of the special protocol required of Joseph to appear before Pharaoh. Prior to this moment when the Pharaoh summoned him in, there was a whole lot of spiritual dynamics that had taken place in the life of Joseph. There was a spiritual compass behind this one big moment in his life, everything that he had been through had all culminated into this one point where he will appear before Pharaoh. All of heaven was standing with him.
Firstly, scriptures highlights the fact that he was a man on assignment
“As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people”.
Gen 50:20
Secondly, this was a Kairos Moment in the life of Jacob. Beyond the natural narrative, God had sent the Word of deliverance ahead of him. The Bible made us understand that it was the Word of the Lord that set him free and broke his shackles; it was not just the will of men, He came to that place of destiny by the orchestration of the Word of God.
“They bruised his feet with shackles and placed his neck in irons, until his prediction came true and the word of the LORD proved him right. The king sent and released “him the ruler of peoples set him free”. Psalm 105:18-20
At that time when Joseph was summoned by the Pharaoh, it was not just a case of Joseph having a random experience, it was a spiritual breakthrough going on. The Word of the Lord was trying him, the power of the Lord was bringing him out of the chains, the shackles, the prison house, the dungeon and then he stood at this pivotal moment and the bible said that pharaoh sent for him. This was a moment of favour, a moment of remarkable opportunity, a moment of miracle
At this point, Joseph was vertically aligned – the heaven was touching the earth in his favour. However, he had to be horizontally aligned. He had to carefully observe the right protocol for appearing before the Pharaoh; otherwise he could waste all the spiritual investment which God had put in place to prepare the way for this moment in his life. Watch what was required of Joseph;
When the King called for him, he had to first shave himself, and then change his garment, he had to clean up himself; then he was cleared to appear before the Pharaoh. The Egyptians found facial hair offensive and his prison garment would not have been suitable to appear before the Pharaoh. God has to prepare you for what He has prepared for you. Heaven was working to prepare the ground for him and He on the earth realm had to align himself with the protocol that was required to maximize the opportunity that God was giving him.
Imagine all the work that God had done and all the sufferings that Joseph had gone through, with all the investment of God to prepare him for that one window of opportunity, it would all come down to that one window of one hour when Joseph’s destiny would be determined. If Joseph was not prepared for what God had prepared for him, all that investment would go to waste. Lack of preparedness especially in the cultivation of the right protocol can hinder the expression of destiny even at a God-ordained moment.
Everything that God will do in your life in this season requires that you are trained to reign, because as God brings you into the season of opportunity you have to understand the protocol of that distinct opportunity. Every door you need to access has a protocol; those are specific rules of engagement. The ability to understand and properly maneuver these rules of engagement is what separates great men from the average.
Many think that everything that God Is going to do in them, is only about their spirituality, so they focus more on their spirit and ignore real training, they ignore learning the protocol for greatness, and suddenly the door is open and such a person is not ready. Your anointing and the protocol is the context. Every opportunity that opens up to you for which you are not ready will be wasted. Wisdom is the ability to recognize differences. For you to hit the top and eat at the King’s table, you must be cultivated for the protocol of royalty and adapt to that level of protocol.
The higher you go the stricter the protocol, that’s why the office of the Mayor is strict, but not as strict as the office of the Governor and in that order, the office of the Governor is not as strict as the office of the President and then, the office of the President is not even as strict as the office of the Queen of England who is the head of the Commonwealth of many Nations. The protocol for standing before the Queen of England is so strict that even President Obama made a blunder on one of his visits to the Queen. Protocol is harder and tougher as you go higher. Many ask God to take them to the top but they do not understand the nitty-gritty of the protocol that is required at that level.
Draw a distinction between the life of Peter and Paul. Peter was a fisherman who grew up on the streets and was not cultivated in the protocol of high society. Paul on the other hand was well cultivated to deal with complex protocols of different aspects of the society. So when Paul accepted the Gospel, he became a mighty instrument in the hand of God and the influence of his ministry had no limitations. Due to his high level of cultivation, Paul wrote two-thirds of the entire New Testament. Paul’s influence was widespread; he travelled the world, stood before kings and governors to defend the faith, he understood and managed intercultural ministries; dealing with people from Ephesus, Corinth, Galatia etc because he had vast knowledge and he was eloquent and cultivated.
So what is the key to navigate the protocol of greatness? The answer lies in one Word, Cultivation. It is a little different from mainstream Education. While education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university, Cultivation is the process of trying to acquire or develop a quality or skill. It also means refinement. Cultivation trains and prepares you for the unique calling on your life and the protocol of that calling.
In Daniel Chapter 1, the scripture tells the story of how Daniel and his friends were brought into Babylon and the King had them trained in the culture and the protocol of royalty in Babylon. They were told what to wear, how to eat, they even changed their names to fit the protocol of Babylon. Also in Esther the Bible says that the virgins who were appointed from the entire kingdom for the beauty contest in hope of becoming Queen were all cultivated for one year. They were given all kinds of treatment for their skin, their hair, their nails, they were taught the etiquette of royalty; how to walk before the King, all the gesticulations that they needed to have. These young girls prepared for an entire year just to appear before the King for just 3–5 minutes and whoever the King chose he retained as the Queen. Before the favour of God can fall before any candidate like it fell on Esther, that candidate needs to prepare themselves as an excellent candidate. God does not bless the mess.
God is calling you into your next level and you cannot walk into this level without being trained to reign.
“Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father”.
Galatians 4 vs 1-2
The heir is the next in line to the throne but if he is still immature, he’s not different from the servant so that child cannot fulfil the full capacity of his mandate as long as he remains uncultured or uncultivated. This amazing scripture brings light to this truth. God will do his part and the part that God will do is to supply you with the anointing, favour, open doors but you have to do your part.
I want to share with you 7 etiquettes that will help you get cultivated for your next level;
1. Master The Power of Your Tongue
It’s either you are in control of your tongue or your tongue is in control of you. It does not matter what discipline you have mastered if you have not mastered your tongue, you have mastered nothing. The tongue is the ultimate weapon, the highest rule of engagement. It literally holds the power of life and death. “Those who love it will eat its fruit” Pro. 18:21
The stakes are really high with your tongue. Everything rises and falls on your ability to maneuver this tiny weapon. You have to know what to say, when to say it, how to say it, when to be silent. If a child of God can maneuver their tongue in the right way, it will make them excellent in ministry. Your power is in your tongue. Those who speak too loosely or too easily won’t amount to much in ministry. Those who just speak things as they feel and the ones who hear things and just speculate it, do not go far in life. Those who hear somebody’s story and go tell somebody else because it’s convenient or because they want to sound cool to people; they do not go far in ministry. Those who cannot be trusted with people’s confidentiality will not go far in their assignment. The top is for those who can manage their tongue. The test of your spirituality is how you manage your tongue. A leader must be sober minded, and this does not mean you do not have joy, it means you are able to have fellowship within yourself.
2. Develop Power Habits
Power habits are the structures of positive behavioural patterns that are geared towards personal development, fulfilling your goals and maximising your limited time. Your power habits must embrace a level of kingdom discipline that creates excellence and compel you to go beyond the average. For instance; create a time when you get out of bed every morning. Waking up early puts you ahead of the world. You must constantly detox your spirit of venomous energy. You can’t start your day offended. Start your day forgiving, not revengeful. Great leaders start their day strong. We must come out fresh every morning believing the joy of the Lord is our strength. Start the day forgiving yourself from yesterday’s mistake. Anything that always reminds you of the past mistake is not from God, it is from the devil; the accuser of brethren, because God is forgiving. This is the protocol of greatness.
You can also put other items such as personal time of prayer and reading a book monthly. To make your power habits effective, you have to be consistent and not just do this occasionally. Make it a lifestyle, it is one of the secrets of exceptional leaders. The Bible mentioned that Daniel would get up early to pray as it was his custom. Many times it is not just about longevity but consistency. This is a protocol of greatness. When God is calling you to the top your power habit will keep you going.
3. Learn the Law of Differences
You must understand that people are different, days are different, environments are different, times are different. Put in the effort to decipher the distinction with the people you are dealing with as a trail blazer. Failure to identify differences makes people take their friends as enemies and their enemies as their friends. Recognize the people that should be in your inner circle and those who are more fit for the outside courts. Recognize the people that will go with you in the long run, recognize the people that carry the wrong spirit and the people that carry the right spirit. Recognize the weak ones and try to help them up. Recognize what to eat and what not to eat. A great leader must have a spirit of discernment. The wise man knows the difference.
4. Be Appropriately Dressed
Joseph had to wear the right outfit to speak to the King because there is a dress code for everything. A great leader must always be appropriately dressed. Your dressing can take value away from your message. God told the Israelites to make a special cloth for the priests, He told them to dress in a special regalia.
5. Stay in the Light
Once you step out of the light you have stepped out of divine covering. Always be in the light.
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5 vs 22
Sometimes it is not the intentions that get people into trouble, it’s the ignorance. People mean well but are sometimes unaware of the danger of lurking around grey areas. Avoid saying or or doing things that you would require to explain yourself. Stay clear off of compromising situations. It might not necessarily be what you are doing, sometimes it’s about what it looks like. For the average person it’s only about what they do but for a Kingdom Trailblazer, it is also about what it looks like. You operate on a higher standard. As a God-chaser you are not just living for yourself and what makes you happy, but you are a mark that points people to Christ.
