Strange Methods, Future Glories

II Kings 5:1-14

1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

Verse 10 tells us that Elisha sent a messenger and instructed Naaman to go and wash in the Jordan River. Naaman got mad at the method chosen for him because Jordan was muddy and he was considered a great man. Naaman replied, “Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?” But in verse 14, we find that when Naaman submitted himself to the method, the Bible says that his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

We all endure trials and suffer affliction regardless of our status in life. Trees must be pruned in order to become more fruitful and when God prunes us, we should realize that there will be a gain coming from it. Romans 8:18 tells us that our present suffering worketh toward future glories which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for good to them that love God and who are called according to his purpose.

Like Naaman, we may not always like the method. In fact, more times than not, this will be the case. But if we will stay the course, and submit to His will, we will see the work of God in our lives come to fruition. He makes no mistakes. Naaman was instructed to wash seven times, the number seven representing perfection in God’s order of things. If Naaman had stopped short, his leprosy would have remained.

Everything in life has a process. Take for example the simple baking of a cake. There are certain ingredients that must be used and each ingredient is different, but all are necessary to achieve the desired end result. Each ingredient must be properly measured, put into the right container and cooked at the right temperature for the right amount of time. And the most important part of the process is the chef, for it is he or she who controls all of this.

God is the Master Chef. He looks at the desired end result in our lives and he mixes in those things that we need. Sometimes sunshine, sometimes the dark clouds of discouragement, tragedy, or suffering. Sometimes we are on the mountain and sometimes in the valley. Sometimes we feel the gentle rain of refreshing in our soul and other times we feel the harshness of a cold winter’s blast. But all are needful for us.

Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that for everything there is a purpose and a season and that He makes everything beautiful in His time. If you are struggling today and you have asked God, Why? Be content in knowing that there is a why and that God is working things out in you. Don’t lose hope in your trial. Don’t question the process. Only submit. Place your life in His will and see what He will do.

Isaiah 55:8-9: My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

by K. B. Nichols

Be Born In Me

Have you ever tried something that was beyond your ability? "I’m afraid. I don’t feel qualified. How can I do this when no one has really taught me? I don’t know anyone else that does this. What if people don’t believe in me? What if I fail?" So many questions can arise when you start out on a new task, job, calling, or ministry.

My mind goes to a young lady in the Bible who found herself pregnant long before she ever thought she would be. We don’t know much about her upbringing; just that she was young, unmarried, and engaged to a good man. I don’t know what life experience she may have had managing a household; whether she came from a large family where she had younger siblings she helped care for. But regardless, motherhood was thrust upon her ahead of "her" time.

Why were she and her fiancé chosen to carry out such an important task? Good question…and I don't have an answer. But I would think it had something to do with this: they were obedient and they had faith. The Bible tells us they both believed the news from the angel and followed in obedience. Mary received and agreed to carry the promise in her mortal body and Joseph agreed to accept responsibility for Mary and the future of this child that was to be born. 

Mary could have shied away from it all. "Why me? And why now? I'm not ready for this. Surely there are other women who are more prepared for motherhood (much less THIS motherhood) and who will be supported rather than slandered. Joseph won’t get it. My friends and neighbors won’t get it. This doesn’t make sense. I can’t do it." But she stepped forward and accepted the call..."be it unto me according to thy word." Faith, trust, obedience. And because of it she had the priceless privilege of bringing the King of Kings and Lord of Lords into the world. (Often times the greatest blessings show up on our doorstep wrapped in "inconvenience" and "this doesn't make sense.")

Think about Joseph; ending the engagement would have been the kindest approach most Jewish men would have taken if they had found out their betrothed was pregnant by another. Many others would have let Mary suffer the customary penalty for adultery – death by stoning. But like Mary, Joseph displayed faith, trust, and obedience. And oh, was he glad he did! 

On top of all the uncertainty the pregnancy brought and the doubt and criticism of neighbors and friends, their journey was complicated by travel near the time of their baby’s arrival – forcing them to endure extreme discomfort to bring this child safely into the world. I’m sure at times they felt the weight of their decisions to take on this promise and had their share of doubts and fears. (It’s been said, if there is no risk of failing, then what you are doing isn’t significant.) Could they have failed? Most certainly! But by following the law to be censused, taking their son to the Temple to be dedicated, and naming him Jesus, they walked in obedience to the laws and religious customs of their day and most importantly to God’s Spirit. And as a result, their lives were enriched beyond words. 

I don't know who you are, where you live, or what you do. And I don’t know what God has planned for you. But I know this: If you will follow Mary and Joseph's lead and have faith, trust God, and obey…you too will bring to pass the promises of God that will unlock the spectacular story He’s written for you.

by Ruth Clark 

Hearts and Water

Photo Credit: Holly Biata

You’ve just finished your morning run, just Zumba’d your socks off, just chased the dog around the neighborhood, just walked off the basketball court. You’re exhausted. You’re out of breath. You are ready to lie down and die. And then…water. (Ah.) Few things in life are as wonderful and refreshing as a tall glass of fresh, clean water; it’s the drink of life. By the same token, few things are as grotesque and repulsive as a tall glass of stagnant, stinky, dirty water; it…is the drink of death.

Our heart can be compared to a glass of water. There is nothing quite like a pure, fresh, clean heart. It’s beautiful and wonderful and full of love; it’s a heart of life. On the other hand, a stagnant heart…a heart that has been left unattended and become toxic due to lack of time spent in prayer and neglect of His Word…is a heart of death. The word “stagnant” is defined as having no current or flow and often having an unpleasant smell as a consequence. If His Spirit isn’t flowing through us daily, rather than the love of God filling us, we can be filled with bitterness, jealousy, envy, negativity, and the like…causing our heart to stink.

Stagnation is a result of the water absorbing toxins in the air that surrounds it. What's to be learned from this? The places we go and the people we surround ourselves with determine whether we’re filled with life or death. If we walk with Him daily and surround ourselves with pureness and positivity, we can expect to have a heart of life and His love to flow through us. But if we neglect our relationship with Him and instead surround ourselves with filthiness and negativity, we can expect to become stagnant and His Spirit and love to be stifled within us. 

Two things to keep in mind:

1. Anytime you see pests near water, it’s a sign the water is stagnant.

Take inventory of your life; if you discover that there are human pests (pessimistic/rebellious/death-speaking folks) surrounding you, it’s probably a sign that your heart has become stagnant and could use a cleansing. 

2. If water ever has a bitter taste to it, the only way to fix it is to get a fresh/clean glass of water.

Jesus said, “But the words you speak come from the heart…” (Matthew 15:18 NLT). If ever we find the love of God absent in us and instead negative and bitter words coming out of us, it’s time for a heart cleanse.

Proverbs says, “God loves the pure-hearted” (22:11 MSG). So, how do we get there? The more we connect with God the purer our hearts become. So we talk to Him. We read His Word. We go to church to hear His Word preached.  We surround ourselves with pure people who love God. And if ever we feel our heart becoming stagnant, we take inventory and refocus on the aforementioned things.

If you take a water hose and let the flow of fresh water pour into a glass of stagnant water, as the water level starts to rise and pour over the top of the glass the microbes and toxins begin to dilute and eventually dissipate...resulting in a glass that is filled with fresh, clean, pure water. And so it is in a spiritual sense – as we refocus and His Spirit begins to freshly flow through us, the stale and bitter emotions fade and His love again refills us. 

"...God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” (1 John 4:16 GW)

If His Spirit is flowing in us, His love will be flowing out of us. How’s your heart? If you feel a little stagnant, take some time today to refocus so that you can be refilled and refreshed anew.

by Brandi Burton

Four Questions to Ask Yourself When Going Through a Storm

Storms in Paradise -®2013 Carl Milner No_12

You're going to go through a storm...

There is no way around it. At some point in your life, you are going to go through a storm. It doesn't matter if you're doing everything right or if you make your living causing trouble. 

In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. - Matthew 5:45 

Since we know that storms are going to come, we must decide now how we are going to handle the storms when they come. If we wait until we are in the middle of the storm before we start thinking about how we are going to handle the storm, we'll be in trouble because that's too late. I'm certain that pilots think about storms and are trained on how to handle them before they ever take off in an airplane.

That being said, here are some questions you should ask yourself when entering a storm.

1. Who placed me in this storm?

In other words, you need to answer the question, am I Peter or am I Jonah? If I'm Peter, and this is a situation like Mark 4, then I am in this storm because Jesus commanded me to get on a boat and cross a sea. I'm in this storm because I'm following the will of God and for some reason (that we will address later) He needs us to go through this storm.

If I'm Jonah, then I am there because I am running from God's will. Jonah's sin wasn't just that he wouldn't preach what God told him to preach; it was that he was not a good steward of what God gave him. When we mishandle what God has given us (time, finances, talents, etc), then a storm is sure to come and the only way to get through it is through a course correction.

2. Where is Jesus?

This probably should be the first question we ask ourselves. Is He asleep on the ship (Mark 4)? Is He walking on the water (Matthew 14)? In Mark 4:36 NLT the Bible says that "other boats followed" them across the sea. I often wonder what happened to those ships that didn't have Jesus aboard. The point is, when a storm arises, we must find Jesus! The Devil would like you to think that there are times when Jesus is nowhere to be found but that is a lie. You can always find Jesus in prayer, in His word, in worship, and in His preached word.

3. What is the purpose of the storm?

Jesus never allows anything to happen without a purpose. (And He will always get the glory in the end.) What's the purpose of your storm? What is God trying to teach you? In order to find the most basic reason for a storm I invite you to look at the first storm God ever sent in the days of Noah.

And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. - Genesis 6:17

Yes, you read that correctly. Jesus sent the first storm for the same reason He sends every storm -- to destroy all flesh. Jonah ran from God and the storm came to destroy his flesh. Jesus told the disciples after He calmed the storm that they were fearful and had no faith (see Mark 4:40). Fear and doubt are products of our faith and the storm was sent to destroy those parts of the disciples.

God told Noah that "every thing that is in the earth shall die." This is why we must strive to live and walk by faith and separate ourselves from the earth. The more of us that is in the earth, the more of us that'll have to die in the storm.

4. What is on the other side of the storm?

The final question and its answer is what gives us the strength to go through the storms of life. For Noah, the end of the storm brought a new world full of faithful people and a promise in the form of a rainbow. For Job, the end of the storm brought restoration. For Jonah, the end of the storm brought fulfillment of his purpose in this world and a city ready to repent.

In Mark chapter 4 the storm ends and so does the chapter. However, it only ends because that is where the folks who put together the Bible decided it would end. When Mark penned those words the story just continues into Mark 5.

And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him. - Mark 5:1-6 KJV

When the storm ended, a man received his deliverance. If they had turned back...if they had never set out on that journey...if they had never faced their storm...this man might have never received his deliverance.

I know storms are hard and I understand that nobody ever asks for God to send them into a storm. However, by asking and answering these four questions, I hope we can learn that every storm has a reason, a savior, a purpose, and an end that brings an answer. Sometimes that answer is for us; and yet other times that answer is for somebody else.

Either way, as long as I can answer that second question, I know I'm going to be ok.

by Brett Clark

Nameless

We don’t even know his name. We know the name of the gate at which he sat. It was called Beautiful. But the man? Well, he remains nameless. We know that he was lame from birth and that he was carried to the gate daily to ask for alms. He was alive during the time that Jesus walked the earth and yet he didn’t encounter Him. He remained lame.

When Peter and John walked to the Gate Beautiful at the opening of Acts 3, that nameless man looked at them. He was expecting something. A coin. A coat. A piece of bread. But when Peter reached out his hand toward the man, it was empty. However, Peter’s words were full of faith. “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have…” What Peter had to share had no monetary value. Yet a miracle was about to take place.

Did the nameless man hesitate when Peter took his hand?  The Bible doesn’t say.  But if he had, could you blame him?  He had been lame from birth and Peter was telling him to get up and walk! Peter didn’t hesitate. He declared the miracle and pulled the man to his feet. And the man walked into a new life.

I don’t know why the Bible doesn’t mention the man’s name. I think maybe it’s possible Jesus was trying to tell us something: He cares about us, even if we feel nameless.

Sometimes it’s easy to feel nameless when troubles come. We wonder if anyone really cares. We wonder if God even remembers our name. And in low moments, it’s easy to become resigned to the fact that these troubles are permanent. Even when Jesus is near.

The nameless man had been lame from birth. Healing? He expected nothing more than a handout. What is your dilemma? Loneliness? Depression? Fear? Worry? Divorce? Bankruptcy? Does it have you feeling nameless? Raise your expectations. Today could be the day you miraculously walk into a new life. Jesus knows where you're at, and He knows your name. 

by Brandi Burton 

Why Did They Stay?

Acts 16:25-27

25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

Paul was a unique character, indeed.  He was devout.  He called himself a “...Pharisee as concerns the law,” and he proved constantly that he was sincere and earnest in pursuit of acceptance under the law.  He was also steadfast in his faith.  When others sometimes wavered in faith, Paul never did.  Paul was tenacious.  Even with a “thorn in his flesh” he continued the work of the Lord.  There was no room for quit in his ministry, and he had no patience with quitters in his churches.  Beyond these, Paul was also genuine and passionate toward the work of God.  In Galatians 2 he recounts the story of withstanding Peter, to his face, for being what we would consider today as fake.  It was his integrity, and genuine passion, that carried him through sickness, hunger, strife, persecution, suffering, prison, and his eventual death.  He remained constant throughout it all.

So, Paul was devout, steadfast, tenacious, genuine, and passionate about the God he served and the work he committed to God.  These are all good and healthy attributes for someone striving to be Christian, however, many of those attributes can also become crutches for not obtaining a higher calling.  See, Paul used those attributes to become Christian, as compared to assuming those attributes somehow made him Christian.  There is a difference.

We all know the goal of Jesus Christ. To seek and to save that which was lost.  Sis. Gwen Porche’ told me something very interesting regarding that scripture.  She said it was not “those who” were lost, but “that which” was lost.  What was lost in the garden was relationship between God and man.  Jesus came to restore that relationship, which was lost. 

If we are not active in restoration of relationship, then, we are not becoming Christian.  If our attributes of devotion, tenacity, and passion are not putting us in the practice of helping others find a lost relationship, then they are merely crutches that we use to excuse ourselves from actually being Christians. If our main goal is to argue and debate about rules and regulations, or show our devotion by tearing down brothers and sisters who do not, in our opinion, make the grade; then we are letting positive, Godly attributes excuse us from fulfilling the purpose of our existence.  Perhaps we are assuming our attributes make us Christian.  They don't.

Paul proved this in prison.  With all of the suffering he had already endured, and all the devotion and tenacity that his ministry rightly represented, he still ended up in prison.  But, he prayed.  When he and Silas began to pray, the chains were removed, and they were free to leave.  However, something greater than freedom was beckoning, and Paul was listening.  Verse 27 tells us that the guard would have killed himself, “...supposing that the prisoners had been fled,” but Paul and Silas stayed put.

Because they stayed, Acts 16:29-34 tells the story of the guard, and his entire household, being saved.  Paul and Silas were not so consumed with their Godly attributes that they forgot their Godly purpose.  They were not so set in deserving freedom, that they forgot the purpose of prison.  Before they demanded liberty for their good, faithful behavior, they took a look around and determined the value and cost of that freedom.  Their freedom, in their assessment, was not worth a single lost soul.  And, as a result, they saw an entire family come to God. 

So, would you, would I, stay in prison to save a guard?  Our Christianity depends upon it.

by J. Fields Trahan

Handcuffed to a Curse

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

From the beginning of time, God designed a ‘perfect’ will for all of us.  For Adam and Eve, it was to multiply and harvest.  It is the same for the church, right?  But, we all know the story well enough:  the serpent, the fruit, the fall, and the banishment from the garden.  This is where sin takes us away from the atmosphere in which God’s will is comfortable.  As a result of sin, curses were distributed.

In Genesis 3:16, God multiplied the sorrow and pain in conception.  Notice that this is a direct tie to God’s will, as the command from Genesis 1 was to “...Be fruitful and multiply...”  Likewise, in Genesis 3:17-19, the ground was cursed, and the man was now forced to sweat and toil in order to make provision for himself and his family.  This was also directly tied to God’s original command when He said, “...replenish the earth, and subdue it.”

So, sin did not change God’s will for our lives, but it changed our nature and our atmosphere.  Now, instead of God’s will being associated with comfort and glee, it is often associated with pain and toil.  This is not because God is unkind or cruel, rather it is because His will is unchanging, regardless of our state of being.  To fulfill God’s will in my life, I must be prepared to encounter some sorrow, some pain, some sweat, and some tears. 

This is where our enemy talks his way into our thinking, though.  He would suggest, as would most simple human thinking, that, if something is painful, it must be incorrect.   So, his suggestion, and his only power is suggestion, is to stop whatever is causing us pain.  But, this is advice that comes from an entity that knows no end to his current scenario.  See, his curse, in Genesis 3:14-15, is forever.  There is no relief for him.  From that point of view, he cannot understand how we would continue in pain.  So, he constantly suggests we quit. 

Our point of view, however, must be vastly different.  In God’s incredible grace, even the curse is temporal.  In childbirth, there is pain, and sorrow, and tears, but, oh, the joy a new baby brings.  And, in the work of the harvest, there is sweat, and blood, and suffering, but, oh, the strength that fruit brings.  This is what we must remember.  Our curse is temporal, Satan’s is eternal.  We cannot allow his suggestions to become our behavior.

Consider the story of the ostrich in Job 39:

13 Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? 14 Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, 15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. 16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear; 17 Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding. 18 What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.

This is the sad example of how Satan can handcuff us to his curse.  The mother ostrich leaves her eggs, and forgets about them “...as though they aren’t even hers.”  She becomes hardened against her very own children, and her labour is in vain.  Is that where some of us are?  Yes, God’s will in our life is laborious, but we can’t just walk away from it like it doesn’t exist.  We cannot ignore the responsibility of what God intends to birth in us simply because we don’t like the pain and suffering of the work.  The work is the curse, but the joy is only on the other side of the curse. 

Verse 18 tells us that, when the ostrich decides to, she can scorn the horse and rider.  She lives below her potential because she lacks the wisdom and understanding of what curse belongs to her and what curse belongs to Satan.  We don’t lack that understanding.  It is his curse, not ours that is eternal.  There is no tie between the two.  In order to be successful, our enemy must access our mind.  He must make us believe that our fate is somehow tied to his fate, and allow for that to motivate our behavior. 

My prayer, today, is that I can accept the “fellowship of suffering” because I know the harvest is coming, and joy is coming with it.

by J. Fields Trahan