The second basic requirement of a deputy authority is to deny himself. Before one is clear about God’s will, he should not open his mouth and should not exercise any authority. God’s deputy authority must not only know His authority on the positive side, but must learn to deny himself on the negative side. Please remember that neither God nor the brothers and sisters treasure your opinion. I am afraid that the only one who treasures your opinion in the whole world is yourself. If you think your opinion is the best, that God treasures your opinion, and that the brothers and sisters honor your idea, you are living in a dream. Do not be so foolish as to unilaterally impose your opinion upon others. We are afraid of those with much opinion, and we are also afraid of those with many ideas, those who like to be others’ counselors. We are afraid of men who are too subjective. Many people are very subjective, and they like to be counselors to others. They make proposals and plans for others in everything. The minute they are given the opportunity, they put forward their proposals. These ones can never be a president, a chairman, or a policeman. However, even though they may not be in certain positions, they think they know what those in such positions should do. They like to propose for others. As soon as they are given the chance, they open their mouth to express their ideas and air their opinions before others. Even if they are not given the chance, they still try to barge in for a word or two. If they cannot find an opportunity to speak in front of others, they will try to do it behind others. Please remember that God would never appoint anyone with a great deal of opinions, proposals, and views to be His deputy authority. We would not ask a person who loves to spend money to manage our bank account, because we do not want to suffer loss. In the same way, God does not ask a person who loves to express his opinion to be His deputy authority, because He does not want to suffer loss either.
The Lord must first thoroughly break our self before we can become His deputy authority. According to my personal observation, I have never seen God choose an opinionated person to be His deputy authority. Such a one must first go through God’s breaking and give up his interest in meddling in others’ affairs and acting as others’ counselors. God wants us to represent His authority, not replace His authority. It is true that we are like God in many ways. But He remains the sovereign One in His Godhead and position. His will belongs to Him alone; it is supreme and sovereign above everything else. He never seeks counsel from us, and He never wants us to be His counselor. This is why God’s deputy authority must not be subjective. Of course, in order to conduct business, there is the need for decisions and judgments. It does not mean that God will only use those who have no ideas, opinions, or judgments in anything. It means that we must be genuinely broken, our wisdom must be destroyed, and our opinions and proposals must be crushed before God can use us. The basic problem with many people is that by nature they are active in their mind; they speak a great deal and make many proposals. They are naturally clever and like to be others’ counselors. Such ones have to pray for mercy from God. They need a basic dealing and a basic breaking. This is not an empty slogan, a teaching, or a kind of imitation. A man must receive a fundamental dealing and breaking, and there must be an open wound; his own wisdom, opinion, and ideas must be crushed and broken. Such a person spontaneously will be free of his own thoughts and ideas. A man who has passed through God’s chastisement is one who lives in fear before the Lord. He will no longer dare speak carelessly. He will always be afraid of making mistakes. As long as God’s wound remains in a man, he will feel the pain the minute he moves, and no one will need to remind him of his wound.
If a man only knows the teaching of brokenness and is only putting on a performance by imitating others in keeping his mouth shut, his true nature will be exposed sooner or later. Some people are by nature talkative and opinionated. It is difficult to see them shut their mouth and not express their opinion. Such ones may pick up some teachings on brokenness and realize that they should not talk so much or make so many proposals. If they begin to imitate others and follow their example, their fig leaves soon will dry up (Gen. 3:7), and their underlying condition will be exposed. We cannot control ourselves with our will. If we try to control ourselves with our will, our true self will be exposed as soon as we are engaged in a heated discussion, and we will find ourselves confessing our sins to God again. We need nothing less than the killing of our self by God’s light. God has to allow us to bump against the wall until our skull is cracked and our bones come apart. We must go through an experience like that of Balaam in Numbers 22:25. God needs to inflict a wound on us so that as soon as we move again, we will feel the hurt and not dare make any more proposals. When a man is wounded, there is no need for others to exhort him to walk slowly; he spontaneously will slow his pace. This is the only way that will deliver us from our self. This is why I have often said that we need wounds. Others must find open wounds in us. There is no other way to go on except through a thorough confession and dealing before God.
Those who are the deputy authorities must learn not to propose any opinion of their own or express their own ideas. They must not have an addiction for meddling in others’ affairs. Some people think that they are the supreme justices; they think they know how to manage everything, whether it is things in the world, things in the church, or anything at all. They think that they know everything, and that they have an idea and a solution for everything. When others come to them, they gladly give away their advice. If others do not come to them, they still give away their advice freely like spreading the gospel. Such opinionated ones have never been disciplined; they have never gone through any severe dealings. They may have experienced some minor and superficial dealings, but their opinions, ideas, and methods still abound. They seem to be omnipotent and omniscient. Their opinions are like open merchandise in a department store. Such ones can never be an authority. Every deputy authority of God must have one basic qualification-they must not have an inclination for careless opinions or criticism. They should not even have murmuring opinions or unexpressed proposals in their heart. Only those whose self has been dealt with in such a way are qualified to be God’s deputy authority.
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