Who’s Got Your Back

2nd Kings 6:16~ He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Have you ever felt alone or outnumbered? I have never been in combat and I give credit to those who have. I have felt alone in certain circumstances but never because someone was going to get me. I have felt outnumbered but that would be just in a basketball game or soccer game but never in battle. Here Elisha and his servant are being surrounded by the ruthless Syrian army. But Elisha tells his servant do not be afraid, why, because there was a better, more powerful army that was surrounding them. It was God’s army. And they were ready to protect Elisha and his servant.

It is the spiritual fight that we really should be concerned about and not necissarily the physical. Ephesians 6:12 tells us, “For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.” This is what will really drag us down.

There is a spiritual battle going on and we may not see it but it is over our soul. But the crazy thing is that I know I was purchased at a high price and no matter how crazy the battle goes, I am never alone or outnumbered because of what Jesus did for me on the cross. With this we know that we can face those spiritual oppositions only through Christ. He has my back, and his word tells me that He will never leave me nor forsake me. Have comfort in Christ even through those tuff time spiritually. Have comfort to know that you were bought at a price that you can never repay or need to for that matter.

PJ

Have Faith!

I would not miss this for the world

2nd Kings 2:2, 4, 6~ As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.

Three times Elisha says this to Elijah, the prophet whom he left everything to follow and learn from. As we read the text of 2nd Kings ch. 2 we see that Elijah and Elisha both were aware of what was going to happen, that God was going to take him away. Even other prophets were sharing with Elisha that today was the day that the Lord was going to take him. They did not say die, they knew God was going to be supernaturally taking Elijah away. But he stuck with Elijah through the tough times and the good times. He got the see the prophet at work. But this was going to be something spectacular, he did not want to miss this.

How is it when you walk with the Lord you do get to see some amazing stuff. You get to see how God faithfully takes care of his children, you get to see God work through his servants and share the Gospel, you get to see people whom you would never think receive the Gospel and turn from their old lives and they are a new creation.

Looking back from the time I started serving the Lord, I would not trade it for anything, I have had a wonderful experience but more than anything I get to see the Lord work in the lives of people. I would not want to miss that for the world. I am reminded of Isaiah, when the Lord was saying, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us? Isaiah said, “Here am I! Send me.” I know he would not want to miss this opportunity to be used by the Lord.

May you be blessed and desire serving the Lord more than any other opportunity in this life.

PJ

Quiet! Hear the Whisper

1st Kings 19: 12! And after the fire the sound of a low whisper…

Here we see our hero Elijah who was just used by God to show the prophets of Baal who is God. Then the Lord sends rain in the land of Israel after a 3 year drought. But, Elijah runs from Queen Jezebel because she threatened to kill him. God first comforted Elijah by sending him food underneath a broom tree and told him to go to Herob, the Mt. of God. At this cave that he came to live in God told him to go to the mouth of the cave because he would speak to him. First it was the great strong wind that came by, then it was a mighty earthquake, and then fire but God was not in either of those to talk to Elijah, it was the still small whisper that he wanted to speak to Elijah.

How comforting is it to know that our heavenly father has compassion on us when we run in fear. He could have grabbed Elijah’s attention and said, “You fool, I am with you, did you not just see fire come down from heaven?” “Did you not just pray and it rained?” “Why are you afraid?” Instead we see him taking care of his prophet with food and then he spoke to him with a still small voice.

Lord, I am afraid and you want me to be used by you to this world which even Jesus said we are sheep among wolves. You comfort me in my running away, but sometimes I do not hear that still small voice because I expect the wind or the earthquake or fire to get my attention. I drown out everything around me with noise and not think God has that still small voice to grab my attention. Sometimes we need the mighty stuff to grab our attention, and sometimes we just need the whisper of God to comfort us and remind us that we have salvation in Christ our Savior and King. We are going to make it even when we do not think it is possible.

PJ

1st Kings 14:7~ Because I exaleted you from among the people and made you a leader over my people Israel…vs9 but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made yourself images, provoking me to anger and have cast me behind your back, vs 10-therefore I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam.

Here we see the sad change of events for Israel. Solomon turned away from the Lord which resulted in the kingdom being split. Now there was the king of Judah and the king of Israel. Judah had king Rehoboam and Israel had King Jeroboam.

In chapter 14 we see that a prophet was telling Jereboam’s wife what the Lord has said. I exalted you and now I am casting you down. Why, because you have rebelled from the Lord.

I am reminded of the struggles with this life and with sin-

I just got off the phone with a distraught parent about dealing with a rebellious child. I think this is something that I may hear weekly from different parents wanting to know how to deal with their rebellious son or daughter. I share with them that I may lack in the parenting aspect but God’s word is my authority and should be theirs. But I also remind them that their child is a little sinner or big depending on age but that it is a struggle with this life. But I remind them that they may be rebelling against them but it goes beyond that, they are sinning against God.

Jereboam caused God to anger because of his full on rebellion against God. Children rebel against God, people rebel against God.

As children of God we need to have the attitude that we hate sin. In Psalm 36:1–3 we see what a person who is against God and what they do. vs 1-An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin . 3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good.

May we desire to kill the sin in our life and desire to love others for their sin to be dead as well.

The World will Say Blessed Be the Lord Your God.

1st Samuel 10:9~ Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has mad you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.

Through the slow study of Solomon we see that he had a great fear of the Lord. I know it will change as we continue through 1st Kings. The Queen of Sheba came and visited Solomon because she heard of his fame in the name of the Lord. Nothing is really known about the queen other than she heard of what the God of Israel was doing in the kings life. When you read chapter 10 we see that she came with hard questions for the king and he answered them.

Instead of her saying, Solomon is great and wise she says blessed be the Lord your God. The glory of the wisdom was not Solomon but God who gave it to him.

How great it is when we can say the world is drawn to the glory of God through what God is doing in us. When the world can say Blessed be the Lord your God. There is truly a God and through Jesus Christ he is the only way.

May we live so the world can hear of amazing salvation of our Lord and they can say, “Blessed be the Lord your God.”

PJ