"So, Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil." ~ II Kings 4:1 REFERENCE: II Kings 4:1-10 Imagine with me the extremities the prophet's widow has been plunged into by the so much debt her husband left her with. Things got so bad that she was left with just a bottle of oil in her house, and her sons were about to be taken as payment for her 'inherited' debt. How were they...
"A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant, my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves." ~ II Kings 4:1 REFERENCE: II Kings 4:1-10 Widowhood is an experience you would not wish for anyone. I was talking to a widow in my family recently, and I was quietly repenting under my breath. Why? Because I realized that no one understands the depth of pain, fear, insecurity, helplessness, etc., they...
"A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant, my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves." ~ II Kings 4:1 REFERENCE: II Kings 4:1-10 A prophet is an inspired teacher who declares the will of God and utters divinely inspired revelations. He makes predictions, foretelling future events; he is gifted with spiritual insight and is seen as God's spokesman. One would expect such a one to order his life...
"So, Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant." ~ I Kings 19:21 REFERENCE: I Kings 19:19-21 Fire unmastered is a destroyer; anything exposed to fire is burnt beyond recovery and turned to ashes. If you set anything on fire, you are saying it's over for that thing; you do not need it again and are willing to live without it. In a...
“Do as God does. After all, you are His dear children” ~ Ephesians 5:1 (CEV) REFERENCE Ephesians 5:1-10 (CEV) You must have heard someone termed as 'a chip off the old block.' It simply means they are like their parent in either looks or behavior. Some cases are so striking that if you have seen a son, you have seen his father; similar character and qualities. Some little girls wear mummy’s shoes and lipstick, etc., because they want to be like them when they grow. The call to do as God does is to prove your sonship to God...
“And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus, they plundered the Egyptians.” ~ Exodus 12:36 REFERENCE: Exodus 12:21-25 and 35-36 The odd and unlikely happened on the day enslaved Israelites found favor with the Egyptians, their slave masters. It was unheard of that a slave, leaving against the wish of his master, would go to him and ask for his precious possessions, and the master would give him. That is what to expect when the favor of God is upon a man; the unusual and astonishing...
"Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea." ~ Isaiah 48:18 REFERENCE: Isaiah 48:16-19 Aren't you tired? Aren't you tired of the back and forth with your husband, holding on to the hurt of the breakup, and going from one prayer house to another? Aren't you tired of sitting daily at a man's office, waiting for him to introduce you to someone who will introduce you to another person? Aren't you tired of doing things your way and always falling flat on...
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." – John 10:27 REFERENCE: John 10:27-30 Our God is a speaking God! The Psalmist contrasted Him to idols with mouths that do not speak, eyes but do not see ears but they do not hear, noses but do not smell, and although they have throats, they do not mutter words (Psalm 115:5-8). God is ever willing to instruct and guide us. Like a good parent, He wants to speak to us about our lives, families, marriage choices, business, investments, service to Him, ministry, etc. God speaks,...
"Then he said, "I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God." ~ I Samuel 15:30 REFERENCE: I Samuel 15:17-30 Sadly, so much went wrong with Saul in this one event of his life. His failure on the mission to destroy Amalek brought out all of Saul's character flaws concealed by the trappings of his office as a king. After much rationalizing, Saul finally admitted that he was wrong, only that he needed to save his face before his...
"And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites." ~ I Samuel 15:20 REFERENCE: I Samuel 15:7-21 Our key verse shows the second time Saul told Samuel that he had performed and obeyed the command of the Lord. In verse 13, it appears that Saul is unaware of the implications of his action, but from the above, there is a tone of intentionality. By repeating that he had obeyed God,...