A Sermon
Delivered on Wednesday Evening, July 23rd 2025, by
Evangelist PAUL ACQUAH,
Live on MZ Radio London, London UK.
Have you ever wondered what it really takes to rise to the next level in life? In a world constantly striving for recognition, where the climb to the top often feels like an endless race, the idea of promotion can seem entirely dependent on human effort and earthly connections.
We’re told to network, hustle, and build our own empires. But what if there’s a different path to elevation? You see, the Bible reveals a divine truth: God is the ultimate promoter. And to understand promotion in life as God sees it is to recognise that it is not earned, manipulated, or granted by human hand, but gifted by the sovereign Lord. In today’s message titled “Positioned for Promotion,” Evangelist Paul Acquah explores a powerful, often overlooked truth from the very heart of scripture. A truth that challenges our conventional understanding of success and invites us into a deeper relationship with the ultimate source of all authority.
Be blessed as you listen!
“For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.[7] But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Psalms 75:6-7). The passage is telling us that promotion will not come from the east or the west or the south, it comes from God. A child of God mustn’t seek the favour of powerful people in an attempt to selfishly advance their own careers or positions. We need to understand that true advancement and position do not originate from human efforts or earthly powers, but are determined by God. No matter how powerful or influential one might be, or from where their influence may seem to originate, ultimate promotion and authority rest with God. He has the authority to humble those who are arrogant and to promote the humble. All authority, promotion and advancement are ultimately from God. “But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another”.
We are to work “as to the Lord and not to men” and leave the outcome of our lives in His hands. God will reward and promote you. “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23). “Heartily” means from the heart. The New International Readers Version translates this verse as “Work at everything you do with all your heart. Work as if you were working for the Lord, not for human masters. “Employees, be obedient to them that are your employers according to the flesh with fear and trembling in singleness of your heart as onto Christ. Not with eyeservice as men pleasers but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart with good will. Doing service as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth the same shall he receive of the Lord whether he be bond or free” (Ephesians 6:5- 8).
This text of scripture is encouraging employees to approach their work with respect, sincerity, and a heart dedicated to serving God through their labour, just as they would serve Christ.
Let’s relate this to your work place. Do you take long breaks than expected of you? Do you go to work late? Do you leave earlier than required? Do you take things from your workplace? Employees are to serve their employers genuinely from the heart. Not with eyeservice, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; We should not only do what’s right or expected when our supervisors or managers are watching but also do just as well when no one is watching. Failure to do so means we are man-pleasers. Our work should be unto Christ and not unto man (Ephesians 6:7}
We need to understand the importance of working diligently and with integrity, not just for the approval of employers, but as an act of worship and obedience to God, with the understanding that God will reward our efforts and promote us. Those who have two standards, or two speeds of work (one for when they are being watched and one for other times), are liars and thieves. They are stealing from their employers and intentionally giving a false impression. That is not somebody with a spirit of excellence and I’m telling you this is one of the very reasons that you aren’t being promoted because going back again to Psalms chapter 75, promotion doesn’t just come from your employer it comes from the Lord. God is the one that puts up one and sets down another.
Serve with sincerity and wholehearted dedication, avoiding mere outward show or “eyes-service” to please others. Give your employer your very best work. Don’t just work hard when he or she is around but do your work as unto Christ. The ultimate motivation for this wholehearted dedication is to honour God, performing our duties as if serving Christ directly. God is looking for such people to promote them. Remember, whatever good thing you do, God will repay you, he will promote you. And employers, treat your employees right, for we all have the same Master in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
I am NOT going to promote people who aren’t doing service as to the Lord and they’re just doing things only when they are being looked at.Somebody says well, how would you know? I don’t know how to completely explain this, but you know how people work for you. You notice when people go the extra mile. You notice when people give more than what they’re asked for. You can tell the attitude, you can see the spirit of excellence and in contrast to that, you can see a slothful spirit in people. When you have an excellent spirit, it’s just like taking a cork to the bottom of the lake. I guarantee that it will rise again, it’s like cream, it’ll rise to the top . When you have an excellent spirit, whether your immediate boss, or your manager is not noticing you, I guarantee you God notices you and God will find a way to promote you.
So, really the key isn’t looking at the colour of your skin, gender, education level or whatever it is that you say is keeping you from being promoted. If you get this excellent spirit, I can guarantee you, God will see to it that some way or another regardless of what the limitations are on you, he will promote you. You need to have an excellent spirit, you need to do things as unto the Lord and not unto men. Take the limits off God, quit limiting him by saying ‘but you don’t understand, I’m in a dead-end job’. God can get you beyond that, God can open doors for you. God can do things that no man would do. If you do good will and you do it as to the Lord and not unto man, God will promote you.
Whether you’re the CEO or the lowest paid employee on the shop floor, God is your source. Make God your source and do whatever God has given you to do with your whole heart. Do it with an excellent spirit and I guarantee you promotion will come. The reason why Daniel and his three friends were promoted was because they had an excellent spirit. We all need the right attitude to life. We all need an excellent spirit. What’s an excellent Spirit? Here is a definition of excellent from the Oxford Dictionary: it means extremely good, outstanding.
From the American Heritage Dictionary it means being of the highest, finest quality, exceptionally good, superb. And then the archaic meaning which is what was used primarily in the King James Bible: it means surpassing our superior.
Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, rose to a position of influence in the midst of ungodly dictators. Before Nebuchadnezzar was finally humbled by the Lord, he even built a huge golden statue to himself and demanded that everybody worshiped him. As bad as things are in our world today, people aren’t quite that blatant and open with their self-promotion. This was a time of dictators, they killed any person that they wanted to. They killed any person who disagreed with them. It was an ungodly system that makes any problems that we have today look good in comparison and yet in those bad situations, Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego all rose to the top. They were in positions of leadership and why? Because they had an excellent spirit.
