Elisha

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Remember that Elisha received a double portion from Elijah when the Lord took him up. 2 Kings records some amazing miracles. A barren woman conceived and had a son. Later he died. When Elisha laid his mouth on his mouth, eyes on his eyes, and hands on his hands, the flesh of the child grew warm. He did it again and the child sneezed 7 times and opened his eyes.
 
He purified a pot of poison stew, multiplied food, a leper was cleansed as he dipped in the Jordan 7 times, an axe head floated, the Syrian army was blinded. You can read the stories in chapters 5 and 6.
 
Chapter 6 teaches us to look beyond the obvious. Elisha’s servant was afraid when he saw the Syrian army surrounding the city with its horses and chariots. In verse 16 Elisha told him not to fear because there were more with them than against them.
 
Verse 17 says, “And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
 
Elisha saw beyond where the Lord was at work. Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.” Psalm 32:7 says, “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 5:12 says that His favor surrounds us like a shield.
 
Ephesians 1:18 is a great verse for us to pray. It says, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” The Amplified says flooded with light.
 
Psalm 119:130 says, “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” His word enlightens our heart’s understanding of our situation through His wisdom.
 
Praying Scripture when we feel alone, overwhelmed by our circumstances, or needing comfort or strength is a key in seeing beyond the obvious. It takes our eyes off the present to help us laser-focus on the Lord’s Presence.
 
The Lord is always at work around us. May we have eyes to see what He is doing and join Him. That is where the fruit will be that glorifies Him.
 

Elijah Part Two

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In the midst of Elijah’s depression, the Lord assured him that he was not alone. Then He gave him three more very important assignments. One was to anoint Elisha to take his place. Imagine this scene. Elijah and Elisha are walking together. 2 Kings 2:11 says, “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”

In verse 13 Elisha took up Elijah’s mantel. In verse 14 he struck the water with it and it parted. In verses 19-22 he healed bad water. Then we come to chapter 4. I love this story of empty vessels being filled supernaturally.

A widow’s two sons were going to become slaves of her creditors. Elisha asked her ‘what is in your house?’ She had nothing but a jar of oil.

Verse 3 says, “…Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few.” She poured out her one jar of oil into all the empty vessels until there were no more empty vessels.

Verse 7 says, “…Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

What is in your house? What do you have that the Lord wants to multiply? He multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed a vast multitude. He changed the water into wine. He caused the barren to conceive.

In what part of your spiritual walk do you feel empty? The Lord desires to fill you with Himself. Psalm 107:9 says, “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”

The Navigator ministry had the slogan: to know Christ, and to make Him known. The Lord desires to display Himself through us earthen vessels. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”

Elijah the Prophet

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Elijah the Prophet

1 Kings 17 is the entrance of Elijah at the time that Ahab was the 7th king of Israel. 1 Kings 16:33 says, “…Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”

In 17:1 Elijah declared to Ahab that there would be no rain, “…except at my word.” The Lord told Elijah to hide by a brook. Verse 4 says, “And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

The ravens brought him bread and meat until the brook dried up. Then the Lord commanded a widow to provide for him (verse 9). When he arrived at her house, she was preparing her last meal. She only had a little flour and a little oil.

Verse 14 says, “For thus says the Lord God of Israel: The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.”

Fast forward to James 5. We get a broader view of this prophet. Verses 17-18 says, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”

Keep this in your mind–Elijah had a nature like ours. Elijah confronted and killed the 450 prophets of Baal. You can read the whole story in 1 Kings 18. After that huge victory, Jezebel’s words sent him fleeing for his life. 19:4 Elijah said, “…It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life…”

Elijah was so discouraged he wanted the Lord to take him home. Yet the Lord was not finished with him. In 19:7 an angel of the Lord said, “…Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

We often feel overwhelmed with our circumstances. David did. In 1 Samuel 30 his men were talking about stoning him. Verse 6 says, “…But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”

Whatever the Lord allows in our lives, there is a special recourse for endurance that we need to unpack. It is to be still before Him. In the stillness He restores our heart with new trust. It was the ‘still small voice’ that broke through Elijah’s depression (1 Kings 19:11-18). Praise the Lord! He is Ever Present in each and every one of our circumstances.

Hold Fast

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Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who has promised is faithful.”
 
1 Kings 13 is a very sad chapter for me. Every time I read it my heart is affected. The Lord sent a man, who is unnamed, to cry out against the altar that Jeroboam set up.
 
Jeroboam stretched out his hand to have him arrested. The Lord withered it. He asked the man of God to pray that his hand would be restored (verse 6). When the Lord restored it he invited the man of God to his home.
 
Verse 8-9 says that he declined because the Lord had told him to not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return the same way he came.
 
There was an old prophet who dwelt in Bethel. He invited him to his home. The man of God told him that the Lord told him not to. Verse 18 says, “He said to him, I too am a prophet as you are , and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord saying, Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water. (He was lying to him).”
 
The man of God turned aside and it cost him his life. You can continue to read the rest of the story for yourself.
 
We must hold fast to the word the Lord has spoken to us without wavering. It reminds me of satan’s words to Eve. He said ‘Has God indeed said…’ He put doubt in Eve’s mind.
 
Abraham is a great example for us. Romans 4:20 says, “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.” The Amplified says, “…he grew strong and was empowered by faith AS he gave praise and glory to God.”
 
We hold fast, cling to the Lord and His word AS we give Him praise and glory for who He is at all times. Our circumstances may seemingly contradict what the Lord has spoken, but we must remember that He is above all and over all Faithful.
 
Psalm 63:8 Amplified says, “My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me.” As we cling to Him with refusal to let go, He will undergird us with His steel cables of strength to hold fast to His word without wavering.

Stored Up Wisdom

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Within each trial is the wisdom we need to navigate through. I love to think about how it is set aside just for us. Proverbs 2:7 says “He stores up wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly.”

The profile of the upright is described in verses 1-6. The upright receives God’s word and treasures it. They incline their ear to wisdom and apply their heart to understand. They cry out for discernment and lift up their voice for understanding. They seek wisdom as one seeks silver, and search like for a hidden treasure.

Proverbs 3:15 says, “She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.” Trials have a way of removing the peripheral. Trials are like an essential oil. As the herbs are boiled down into an essence, so is our faith tried.

It is the rich insights, the wisdom, the enlightenment gleaned from our trials that become the essence that benefits others. 2 Corinthians 1:4 says, “Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Trials develop character. They remove the dross that would tarnish our ability to reflect the Lord. Hebrews 4:15 says that the Lord sympathizes with us. Trials give us a depth of empathy that comes in no other way. As we share our ‘essential oil’ with those who are hurting, they know that we know. They experience that coming along side of compassion and true caring.

I take great comfort in Hebrews 12:11. It says, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

There is a purpose to all our trials. Inside that trial, we are given the privilege of unpacking His stored up wisdom. It is like seeking a hidden treasure. It takes diligent perseverance to reach the afterwards–the succulent fruit others can freely eat and receive nourishment for their trials.

Consequences

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The consequences to David’s deceit were relayed from the Lord through Nathan. You can read it for yourself in 2 Samuel 12:10-12. I hate reading chapter 13. One of David’s sons set up a deceitful plan and raped his sister. Then one of his sons set up a deceitful plot and killed that brother.
 
We do not often reap in the same season that we sow in. Absalsom didn’t kill Amon until two years later. It was several years after that that Absalom’s treason took place and verse 12 was fulfilled.
 
Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
 
I willfully disobeyed the Lord in 1975. I reaped that disobedience 10 years! The path of obedience is strewn with grace, but the path of disobedience is a mire, a swamp, or a treacherous path of calamity.
 
Jeremiah 17:10 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Fortunately the Lord knows everything. Nothing is hidden from Him!
 
I love John 3:21 which says, “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
 
Authentic followers of Jesus walk in the light. They want the Lord to be glorified in all that they do. They want His name to be praised. They want to make Him known through their walk of righteousness.
 
Proverbs 4:18 says, “But the path of the just is like a shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” John 1:4-5 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness…” We are to let our light so shine before all men. We can’t do that if we are walking in dark deceit.
 

Healthy Bones

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There is an amazing picture of healthy bones in Job 21:24. The Amplified says, “His pails are full of milk (his veins are filled with nourishment), and the marrow of his bones is fresh and moist.”
 
Psalm 63:5 says, “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.” The literal is fat abundance.
 
Fretting causes us to lose bone mass. Psalm 37:8 says, “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret–it only causes harm.” Fret means to gradually wear away something by rubbing or gnawing. Do you have gnawing anxiety? Philippians 4:6 Amplified says, “Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything…”
 
Here is a new song that helps us understand God’s way to having healthy bones.
 
Rejoicing Bones
 
When I thought about my circumstances I became gloomy inside. My heart was getting heavy and my peace destroyed. Then in Your Word You revealed the secret of health. My bones are affected when my heart is in despair.
 
You said renew your mind. Rejoice in Me. I change not. There’s no shadow in Me. No matter what happens I remain the same.
 
So I turned my gaze from what was dragging me down. I looked to You my victorious One. My heart began to rise like yeast in dough and my mouth opened in song.
 
In You I can rejoice. For You are my strength. I look away from sin to the spotless Lamb. All my sins are cleansed in Your precious blood. My heart sings through a rush of love. Yes my heart is filled with joy in You that nothing can destroy. I rejoice in You my eternal strength. My joy is full when I look to You.

Who We Are

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We are made in the image of the One who is eternal (Genesis 1:26). We are chosen by God to be holy and blameless before Him (Ephesians 1:4). We are born by the will of God and not of man (John 1:13).
 
Why are we here? We are created for His glory (Isaiah 43:7). We are called with a holy calling to represent Him (2 Timothy 1:9). He has good works for us to walk in (Ephesians 2:10).
 
Now here is a new song to encourage you to be all that He has created you to be:
 
Celebrate Your Uniqueness
 
My hands have made you and fashioned you in My image. There is no one else like you. Don’t try to copy others. Influence them through who you are. Be you in the design of My making.
 
Creativity is freedom from sameness. It all begins in your thoughts. Be free to explore and develop the passions I’ve given you. Thoughts can box you in or free your spirit. Accepting who you are will cause you to thrive in every aspect of your life.
 
All things work together for good to those who are called according to My purpose. Nothing is in vain. I will redeem it all. The things you have been through have given you eyes to see and ears to hear and compassion to minister to others. I want you to celebrate you as I celebrate you. You are created for My glory.

Purposeful Thoughts

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All our actions are preceded by our thoughts. Therefore our thoughts need to be purposeful.
 
In my reading about David and Saul in 1 Samuel, there is a scene that is very purposeful in my mind. David’s thoughts were backed by his governor-value.
 
Twice he could have killed Saul. Once in the cave (24:3-7), and again when Saul and his army were asleep (26:7-12). What was his governor? He would not put his hand against the Lord’s anointed.
 
He could have avenged himself. He explained this to Abishai and then said in 1 Samuel 26:10, “…As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish.”
 
We too have governing verses about forgiveness. Ephesians 4:30 and Colossians 3:13. They both say that we are to forgive as we are forgiven. If these are imbedded in our hearts, they will rise up to stop us from avenging ourselves.
 
Enter Barnabas. Acts 11:23 says, “When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.”
 
The Strong’s for purpose is: a deliberate plan, an advance plan, an intention, a design. Our salvation was planned before the foundation of the world. Our walk with the Lord is all set forth through His word.
 
Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s food. That purpose was set before he was in the situation.
 
We can purpose now in our heart before anything happens. That sets the standard in place to not bury any offenses, to forgive in the moment of the hurt or slight, and to extend grace. Then when the offense comes, and Jesus said they would come, our hearts are preset to forgive on the spot.

Heart Forgiveness

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God’s word is clear cut when it comes to heart forgiveness. We are to forgive as we are forgiven. It is not a partial obedience option.
 
Forgiveness is the solid core foundation of all interpersonal relationships. Conflicts, arguments, or demanding of rights are rooted in unresolved issues.
 
An unforgiving heart is willful disobedience. It is a manifestation of not keeping His commandments. We may not think about it in those terms but it is true.
 
1 Corinthians 13:5 Amplified says of love, “…Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of evil done to it (it pays no attention to a suffered wrong.”
 
It is the mental record of wrongs that keeps popping up when we least expect it. That is why Proverbs 4:23 is so relevant. It says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
 
Intrinsic in the word diligence is conscientious hard work. It requires alertness, and discernment of our heart-thoughts when we are wronged. Walking continually in the freedom of forgiveness requires mindfulness.
 
We dare not be slack in this. The enemy seeks to destroy and devour relationships. He hates us because we are made in the image of God for relationship. Galatians 5:15 says, “But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another.” We demonstrate God’s love in us to those who don’t know Him by our love for one another.
 
Paul’s epistles are full of ‘one another’ verses. That is the power of living in heart-unity, looking out for others. It is the opposite of selfishness. Heart forgiveness is full obedience that is ongoing. The moment we feel slighted, that is the moment to forgive. It frees us. Unforgiveness binds us to the one who hurt us. It creates tension where God calls for peace.
 
Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Here is one of my heart-governor verses taped on my cupboard door. Titus 3:2 says, “To speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.”