Speak for the Lord

2 Kings 5:2-3 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife.  And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.

God works powerfully in this story to heal Naaman, captain of the host of Syria, of his leprosy and to make him a believer in the God is Israel.  We can only imagine how his belief in God influenced others in Syria and within his influence.

What brought about this great conversion?  the words of a little maid!  She was a captive and servant to Naaman’s wife.  She knew the true and living God.  She respected God’s prophet.  She boldly shared about his power.

God used those few words spoken by a little maid to change Naaman’s life.  God is looking for someone he can use today.  You do not have to be super intelligent or talented; all you need to do is be willing to speak a word for the Lord.  Who knows how God may use your witness?

Are we so in love with Jesus and so in awe of His power that we cannot help but speak for Him?

Get Your Pots Ready

2 Kings 4:6 “And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.”

We learn a very important truth in this passage about faith and God’s provision. In the story, a widow of a prophet owes some money and the creditors are going to take her two sons away to pay for her debts. Elisha tells the woman to go borrow a bunch of empty pots from her neighbours. He then told her to go into her house and begin to pour out oil into those vessels.

She went into her house and began to pour. When she came to the last vessel, the oil stopped. She then went and sold the oil and paid her debts.

What can we learn from this passage:

1. God can take care of us in miraculous ways. Doing miracles like this is very easy for the Lord. Nothing is too hard for Him, and it should not surprise us when He does miracles for us.
2. God’s ability is always much greater than our faith. I don’t know how many pots the lady borrowed, but God was able to fill each one with oil.
3. God’s knows how much faith we have in Him by how much we expect Him to do. The faith of this lady was evidenced by how many pots she borrowed. If she borrowed 10 pots, then she thought God could fill 10. If she borrowed 100, then she thought God could fill 100.

Today, we are taking up our faith promise commitment cards. This is an opportunity for you to demonstrate how much faith you have in God. You may be thinking: I cannot afford to give to faith promise. You may think: I will only give what I know I can do. Remember, God can do exceeding, abundantly above all that we could ask or think!

This lesson can be applied to how many chairs you set out for church, how many tracts you pass out, how many churches you phone on deputation, how many prayers you say – all of these things indicate how big a God you believe you serve.

Let me challenge you to do what William Carey said, “Attempt great things for God; expect great things from God.”

Don’t Boast Until the Fighting Is Over

1 Kings 20:11 “Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast as he that putteth it off.”

In this passage of Scripture, the king of Syria is boasting about what he is going to do to the king of Israel.  The king of Israel responds by saying, “Don’t boast as loudly as the man who is done fighting when you are just getting ready to fight.”

Sometimes, we have a tendency to run our mouth and brag about what we are going to do.  We criticize those who are currently in the work and say that we could do things a whole lot better than them.

We need to learn a lesson from this verse.  Instead of boasting and telling what we are going to do; let us learn to behave ourself wisely like David, to walk humbly with God, and see what the Lord will do for us.

We should brag on what God can do, but be quiet about what we think we can do.

Pick Up the Mantle

2 Kings 1:13 “He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan.”

Elijah has just been taken up to the Lord in a whirlwind and a chariot of fire.  Elisha is watching him go and sees the mantle of Elijah fall to the ground.

The mantle represents the calling of God and power of God on Elijah’s life.  As the mantle fell, Elisha took it up.  He returned to the Jordan River and smote the waters with the mantle just as Elijah did and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?”  From that time forth, God greatly used Elisha, and he did twice as many miracles as Elijah!

We are in a very critical time.  We need young men who will pick up the fallen mantles of the older men of God.  The mantles are lying there, and no one will pick them up.

God is looking for a man who will step up and be willing to fill the gap.  Will you be that man?

You Are Not the Only One

1 Kings 19:18 “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”

One of Satan’s methods is “Divide and Conquer.” He isolates a believer, tells him he is all alone, and tries to defeat him that way. Elijah was subject to this kind of attack. He began to feel like he was the only one who was serving God, the only one who had not bowed the knee to Baal.  This started in 1 Kings 18:22 when he said, “I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord.”

Now, after the victory on Mount Carmel, he has run from Jezebel and is hiding in a cave. He is feeling all alone and afraid. He is discouraged and thinks that no one cares. God comes to him in a still small voice and says “I have seven thousand” men who are still doing what is right.

The lessons for us are:

1. We are not alone. There may be many and the majority who are not concerned with serving God, but there will always be a remnant who are living for God and doing right.
2. We need to keep our eyes on the Lord. Elijah was looking to himself as the only one. He was looking to others who had bowed the knee to Baal. His faith wavered. He got discouraged because he stopped looking to the Lord.
3. We need to get around God’s people for encouragement. One of the reasons God wants us to go to church and to not “forsake the assembling of ourselves together” is so that we can provoke one another to love and good works. We need to constantly be meeting with God’s people, so we remember that we are not alone and can receive encouragement.

How Long Halt Ye Between Two Opinions?

1 Kings “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”

Elijah is God’s prophet. He is challenging the people about living for God. They are not serving God with their whole heart. They are dabbling in sin and worship of Baal. He asked them a very probing question: “How long halt ye between two opinions?”

I wonder today how many of us are halted between two opinions. We know what God wants us to do, what we should do, but we are halted between what He wants and what we want.

How long will we stay that way? Most of us know who is the real God and what the truth is but we still remain frozen and don’t make a decision, thinking we have lots of time.

Let us not halt any longer. If the Lord is God, let us follow Him. Let us know not remain silent and motionless; let us forsake all and follow Him.

God’s Faithful Feeding

1 KIngs 17:4 “And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the book; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.”

God is so good to us. God takes care of us every day. Even when the whole land was without rain and struggling to find food, God took care of His man.

As a child of God, God watches over us and takes care of us. I want to challenge you today to thank the Lord for His provision. Every day he brought Elijah food, and every day He takes care of us.

David said in Psalm 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”

God has been so faithful to me. Every day He loads me with blessings. Every day, He watches over me. Even in a world that is starving and has nothing lasting to satisfy a hungry soul, God still takes care of His children.

Let me challenge you today to just revel in His love and goodness today. Thank Him for all He has done!

Great Victory Before Grave Sin

2 Samuel 10:18 “And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there.”

David is at a very triumphant and successful time in his life.  He is king of all Israel.  He has a very large and prosperous family.  He and his army are winning battle after battle.  God is blessing them, however, the verse above is only 4 verses before David commits adultery with Bathsheba.

The warning for us is: be careful in times of victory because those are prime opportunities for the attacks of Satan and indulgences of the flesh.

What happened that caused David to go from great victory to grave sin?  I am not sure of everything, but we do notice the following things:

1. David already had an underlying sin problem that he was not dealing with properly.  David had one wife Michal that was given to him by Saul (1 Samuel 18:27).  David, however, was not content with one wife.  He wanted more than one, so he also married Abigail (1 Samuel 25:42), Ahinoam (1 Samuel 27:3), Maachah (2 Samuel 3:3), Haggith (2 Samuel 3:4), Abital (2 Samuel 3:4), and Eglah (2 Samuel 3:5).  Clearly, even though God was using David, he was a man that had a lust problem that was not in control. 
2. David got comfortable and complacent.   2 Samuel 11:1 says that David tarried still at Jerusalem at the time that kings go forth to battle.  For some reason, David was not where he was supposed to be.  Maybe he got prideful and thought I don’t need to go out and lead my people.  Whatever caused it, David was not where he should have been.  He willingly stepped outside the boundaries of his position.  He was alone.  He had no accountability in his life.  No doubt, his walk with the Lord was suffering.  He was just taking it easy and asking for trouble.
3. David sinned greatly.  He saw, he looked, he took, and he brought great damage to him, his family, the entire kingdom, and most importantly the name of his God.

Let me warn myself and warn you.  Never get away from the basics of reading your Bible, confessing sin, being accountable, and walking with God daily.  Be especially wary in times of blessing and prosperity to not let your love for the Lord cool off.  Remember 1 Peter 5:8:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

Tell It Not In Gath

2 Samuel 1:20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

Saul, king of Israel, has just been killed by the Philistines.  A man comes and tells David, thinking David will be happy about this because it would clear the way for him to be king.  When David hears the news, he is heartbroken, not happy!  I want you to notice a couple of things from this passage.

1.  David had many reasons to be happy Saul had died.  Sauls death meant that the enemy that had been pursuing him for years was now dead.  Saul’s death meant David could now take the throne which God had promised him.  It meant Saul “got what he deserved” for treating David so unfairly all those years: chasing after him, trying to kill him,, giving his wife to another man, using him and then abusing him. 

2.  David had greater reasons to be sad.  Even though Saul treated him badly, he was still on the same team as David.  They were both Israelites; they both were part of God’s chosen people; they both claimed to serve the same God; and they both were fighting against the enemies of Israel.  A defeat for Saul was a defeat for God’s people, and a defeat for God’s people was a defeat for David.  David was very upset because he knew that this would reflect badly on the Lord’s name, and the glory of God was bigger to David than his own personal grievances.

3. David did not want his brother’s failures to be broadcast.  He told them, “Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon.”  Gath and Askelon were Philistine cities.  David did not want the Philistines to find out so they would not rejoice and think they had won over God’s people. 

Often times, we Christians forget that we are on the same team.  We begin fight against one another.  We may even rejoice when we hear of another church, preacher, or Christian failing because we “think” this will make us look better.  The truth is: any failure of a Christian is a our failure, any defeat of another Christian is our defeat, and any victory of our brother is our victory.  We should rejoice when they rejoice and mourn when they mourn.  If we love our brother, we will not exalt their failures and sins;  we will cover them. 

1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

How have we been doing?  Are we inwardly happy when another brother stumbles?  Do we magnify the faults of others or do we, in love, cover them so that sinners will not rejoice at another Christian who has failed?

Has the Almighty Dealt Bitterly with Us?

Ruth 1:19-21 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?  And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.  I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

When Naomi and Ruth returned from Moab to Bethlehem, the people could not believe the difference in Naomi’s countenance and appearance.  They said, “Is this Naomi?”  Naomi’s name meant “pleasant.”  They were saying, “Is this Naomi, the lady who was always so pleasant?!”  Naomi replied, “Don’t call me Naomi (pleasant); call me Mara (“bitter”) because God has deal very bitterly with me.”  She said that she went out full and returned empty and that the Lord had afflicted her.

What caused Naomi, a previously pleasant lady, to be so bitter?  Here is what happened.  Her husband left Bethlehem in a time of famine to go to the country of Moab.  Bethlehem was the place of bread; it was the place that God had given to him and his family.  In a time of trouble, however, they left and went to Moab, a heathen land.  Instead of trusting in God to take care of them in the tough times, they decided to take matters into their own hands.  This would be a mistake that would bring them much heartache.

After some time in Moab, Elimelech died.  The two boys Mahlon and Chilion married Moabite women (which they were not suppossed to do, according to God’s law).  The two boys died as well.  Finally, after much pain and suffering, Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem.  Ruth, her daughter-in-law chooses to go with her.

Everything has changed for Naomi.  Once she was happy.  She had her husband and two sons.  Once she was in the house of bread.  Now, her husband and sons are dead.  Now she is bitter against the Lord and blames Him for what has happened. 

Maybe you can identify with Naomi.  Maybe you feel like God has given you a raw deal, like He has dealt very bitterly with you.  Maybe you feel like God has taken what you have and robbed you of everything good and joyful in your life.

I want to suggest that God did not deal bitterly with Naomi or with you.  Here are some things to think about:

1. Elimelech left the place of God’s will for their life.  At the very least, the death of Naomi’s husband and sons could have been the chastening hand of God upon them for not trusting in Him. 
2. Death is going to come to all of us and to all of our family, if the Lord tarries His coming.  No one will live forever.  Death is a part of life.  Even though it hurts, it should not surprise us when it happens.  Death is not God’s fault.  Death is our fault.  We sin, so we die.  God actually has made a way for us to have eternal life.
3. God was still good to Naomi despite the death of her family. 
   • God gave her one daughter-in-law who was very committed to her (Ruth 1:14-18) and had dealt very kindly with her (Ruth 2:11-12). 
   • God has spared her life and allowed her to return home (Ruth 1:22).
   • God gave her a kinsman (Boaz) who was very wealthy and took care of her and Ruth (Ruth 2:1-3, 3:17, 4:9-10).
   • God allowed her family to be in the line of the ancesters of King David and Jesus Christ (Ruth 4:17)!

The next time we begin to feel like God has dealt bitterly with us, let us stop and ask ourself the following questions:

• Have I done anything to bring these problems on myself? (1 Peter 4:15)
• Am I sinning or charging God foolishly in this situation? (Job 1:22)
• What blessings am I overlooking by my anger and bitterness?
• Am I willing to just trust God and believe that He has a purpose for everything and will work all things together for good? (Romans 8:28)