But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ - II Kings 5:11   REFERENCE II Kings 5:1-15.   Up until the point when Prophet Elisha sent a message to Naaman to go wash in the Jordan seven times for him to be cleansed of leprosy, Naaman did everything right in anticipation of getting his miracle. However his outburst at Elisha’s message put a little...

Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. II Kings 5:5   REFERENCE II Kings 5:1-15.   Someone once said that salvation is free but you still need to buy a bible. In other words, there are sacrifices one needs to make to see that anticipated or expected change in their situations. To get something better, we must be willing to let go of what is in our...

Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.” ~ II Kings 5:3-4   REFERENCE II Kings 5:1-5   Expectation is a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future. “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on” This quote by Abraham Lincoln speaks of the need to always keep hope alive. God may yet have a surprise for you. Expectation begets...

Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. - II Kings 5:1   REFERENCE II Kings 5:1-15.   Many of us are becoming tired of trying, praying and waiting for God to show up. It gets so bad you often contemplate quitting. However, I have come to let you know that, “There is no greater failure in life than the man who has stopped...

“Moreover. those who were near to them…were bringing food on donkeys and camels, on mules and oxen—provisions of flour and cakes of figs and cakes of raisins, wine and oil and oxen and sheep abundantly, for there was joy in Israel.” ~ I Chronicles 12:40   REFERENCE I Chronicles 12:38-40   Every vision needs provision to execute it. When a vision is starved of provision, it suffers malnutrition and in some cases, it is altogether abandoned. Many dreamers have remained just that, dreamers, because they lacked the resources to execute their dreams. It will shock you to know the number...

Of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command. I Chronicles 12:32 REFERENCE I Chronicles 12:23&32 David indeed was a blessed man. This becomes more evident as we look at the quality of men that came to him. The tribe of Issachar contributed something remarkable – an understanding of the times. Life happens in cycles and seasons, and there is a right time for all that pertains to a man’s life and purpose. Missing the ‘right time’ for...

“Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: “We are yours, O David; we are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers!” – I Chronicles 12:18   REFERENCE I Chronicles 12:4, 16-22 & 35   For someone to be a true partner in purpose, their loyalty must not be in question. It is good to know that you have people you can depend on, who are truly on your side and would not stab you while your back is turned to them. David had to ask the people that came to him if they were loyal...

“Of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh…one hundred and twenty thousand armed for battle with every kind of weapon of war.” - I Chronicles 12:37   REFERENCE I Chronicles 12:8-15 & 37 A close look at the quality of men that God brought to David as his partners in purpose (to help his progress from being a fugitive to a crowned king) reveals unique gifts. Interestingly, they came from the different tribes of Israel to partner with David – it didn’t matter that he was from the tribe of Judah. True helpers don’t get caught up in your nativity...

“Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war.” – I Chronicles 12:1   REFERENCE I Chronicles 12:1-40   David was a man after God’s heart, the shepherd boy who killed a lion and a bear, who by unconventional means, killed a mountain of a man – Goliath of Gath. At this point in his life, he had been anointed by God to reign as king over Israel, he had a vision and a mission,...

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work…”  Exodus 20:9-10   REFERENCE Exodus 20:8-11   We hear our topic today and our minds quickly go to the 10 commandments – the law of Moses. However, within it is a wisdom that God has packaged for man’s benefit for as long as he exists on the earth. Remember the Sabbath! Remember? I believe we are asked to remember because it is very easy to forget it and the purpose for which God...