NOW AT THAT TIME IT WAS CALLED "SCREENING YOUR CALLS"!
Now it seems, IT IS EVEN HARDER TO REACH SOMEONE. It seems these days, you have many more steps to take in getting into contact with the person you are seeking.
Now, when I was a teenager, if you did not answer, that was it, I hung up the receiver. If I chose to call depending on the importance of information I wanted to deliver, would definitely determine if I would try dialing that number again.
But today, communication is difficult to say the least about it! Sometimes it seems no one wants to answer, not by email, the text or the phone..........if you are "important" yes, count me in, I am there, but if not, "blah,blah is not available right now.Please leave your message after the tone.......". B*E*E*P! That is screening the calls, right? I will talk with you, no I will not talk with you and so on..............
BUT WHAT IF GOD IS CALLING?
I refer to scripture found in ......2 Kings 5:1-14....
5:1 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. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman's wife. 3 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." 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, "Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel."
5 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. 6 Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. 7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me."
8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, "Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." 9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha's house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean." 11 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.' 12 "Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. NKJV
Some of our greatest steps forward in God's plan is for us to obey the instructions.
I love the servant girl in this scripture. She is from the land of Israel. She was taken from her homeland to be a servant to serve Naaman's wife. She evidently knew about the prophet Elisha and how he followed closely to God's commands.
We must remember Naaman to be the commander of the army of the king of Syria. From the mentioned above, he was great and honorable in the eyes of his master. In Naaman's leadership, the Lord had given victory over to Syria.
My thought, was Naaman becoming prideful? Was he thoroughly upset to receive a word from the servant girl. It is interesting that she has no name that we can call attention to it.
For whatever moved him to it, to go, he still had some stinky thinking going on. We see when he arrives at the prophet's door, he is expecting, by what scripture states, that " he (the prophet) is to come out, call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the place and heal leprosy."
Elisha's Instruction: "Go wash in the Jordan seven times and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean."
But Naaman became furious! He probably had some words he had to speak to protest, and he probably said some things that were not nice, BUT he finally got the instruction! How sad that he fell to recognize it was God sending and speaking through the prophet that he,Naaman would be healed. Naaman, had his own thoughts and ideas how it was to be handled in regard to the prophet's instruction of washing in a dirty river! Again, was it pride? Did this mighty commander feel he had been slighted by the young girl or the prophet?
Naaman mentions the rivers of Damascus cleaner, yes better than all the waters of Israel. But God demanded the Jordan. He wanted it done on His terms and in His way and the Jordan was part of God's plan!
Finally persuaded to go to the river, Naaman dips the seven times and he is cleansed of leprosy.
NAAMAN WAS HEALED AND NOT NAAMAN'S WAY, BUT GOD'S WAY!
Now, I love modern technology. I love the internet and all the things the computer can bring into our home. But even BETTER THAN ALL OF these new things that are made available to communicate with others, why is there still the sense of the 16th century castles, with all the draw bridges and moats? Why does it appear harder to communicate with others today?
I think of when I lived in Texas as a young child. I would go out to visit great aunts and uncles who had farms. The only phone service available of the early 60's was with the use of "the Operator"! She was the voice on the line when you picked up the phone receiver. She would say, "Number, P*l*e*a*s*e!" And that was ALL THAT WAS available at that time. As of that time, there were no dial telephones. (dial phones did not appear in our area of Texas till 1961.)
In regard to those who lived in the country, their telephone was on the "party line" and it would be designated as something like............."one long ring and two short rings". Or if you lived at the end of this line of multiple users, you could have the "two long rings". So for about 15 neighbors on the "party line", you had to contend for the opportunity to use the phone. It also became known to us each time we were out, THAT no one could use THE LINE, when " Gladys the Gossip" was on the line! It was only in an "emergency" and the dire need to mention blood, could one gain access to a line to the "outside world".
I would see an aunt or uncle pick up the receiver to call out, but alas Gladys was on "the line" again.
I have asked how to communicate better, and have had many responses to that one question. I have asked other pastors, other leaders, and those who lead in the business arena like management! But one real cut rule is "someone has to answer, either when someone texts, emails, or calls!
Some have mentioned ways like if you send email, follow up with a text! That is a great idea and I love it, but usually do not hear back from the text that was sent. Sometimes it takes days to hear back. Then I wonder, has "the Rapture happened"? and I am still here. Yikes!
I like what the pastor said at church in a Saturday night service about unmasking and not doing the religious thing. He had on his notes for us, that you cannot keep your true self hidden forever according to Luke 12:1-3.......he went on to take from scripture, that you cannot hide behind the religious mask forever, sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face is known.
Interestingly enough, the Lord had given me some two months before for the Prayer Meeting set for September 25, 2014, my daughter and I lead, that we are to walk in the Spirit. The teaching is called "the Practice of Prayer" and is according to 1 Peter 4:1-10...amplified. Verse 6 of that passage refers that......."we might live in the spirit as God does". Then the Lord took us to John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (nkjv)
Then we went to Galatians 5:16...I say then: walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
When we stay on the Word of God, and feed our spirit man, we allow God to speak to our spirit man. The greatest thing about that is, we can be led by God when our spirit man IS ascending to the highest place to hear God, see God and see the unseen! It helps us to HEAR WHEN GOD IS SPEAKING AND MOVING!
Wow!
And the next verses of 7-11 are the example of the crucified love.........it is intense and divine LOVE for others, it is, we ourselves being watchful for time in prayer FOR OURSELVES AND FOR OTHERS!.
In verse 11, the apostle addressed the two steps of service. In a commentary of this scripture it mentions those who utter the oracles of God. It does not say, the pastor, the prophet, who speak BUT ANYONE ADDRESSING WORDS TO OTHERS AS IN REGARD TO EVEN the school teacher or the hospital worker . IT REFERS THAT those who render that service "uttering oracles" ........
is for and in the regard of the reverence and holiness of who God is, His Word, His Son Jesus Christ, to the Cross of Jesus, to the Blood of Jesus AND to the Holy Spirit Who was given for our benefit. He came to comfort us!
IF our name is left off a list, do we wrestle with others? Do we spend time with the Lord to know WHEN HE SPEAKS AND HOW HE SPEAKS? DO WE KNOW HOW HE LEADS AND WHO HE SENDS TO LEAD IN CERTAIN AREAS?
Has God given the servant girl a word for the Believer............? Has the commander of the army a listening ear in THE case of who God wants to deliver a special thing to do?
I believe God is calling. I believe the word given Saturday night the 27th and the one at the Prayer Meeting (of the 25th) were optimum words. I believe the Lord will cause those to lead who hear Him distinctly and not put be off because the "messenger" has no title, Granted correction is needed from time to time, but are we all willing to be corrected? Where do we see ourselves in this passage that so clearly teaches us that God will speak and answer His way and in His time? Are we receptive to that and active to pursuing those God has placed around us?
I find in my own walk with the Lord, that a child will lead them. In the case of our grand-daughter, I listen to hear of what she mentions WHEN she wants to pray for and who she will generally pray for during those times we are with her. I take note at times that those she names in prayer time. It usually turns out to be THE very people who come up needing our valuable time in prayer for them because of the un-forseen circumstances in their lives.
So what will stop us from moving forward? What if that next text, or email is important but seems "unimportant". Will we tarry from answering? What if there is something we need to move immediately ON for God to move immediately in our lives. For truly He knows what is on our pathways and He is not surprised by anything we can say or do. But I do think that He is not pleased when we choose to follow the culture and those we "pal" around with and disregard the "next thing He wants to accomplish in our lives"!
Will we be the "doorway to His presence"? Or will we choose the 16th century castle with the moats and draw bridges when communicating with others?
Are we loving others with the God-kind of love or are we motivated by those with a "title"? Naaman could have lost out, if he would not hear her advice of him to go to see the "prophet". But even more, he needed to heed the instructions given. Are we telling God what it should look like or we saying, "yes Lord, I will do it".
Father, You are the mysterious, the mighty, the Great "I am"! Lord God, it is in Jesus' name, I pray for us to have the ability to move in revelation and understanding of Your ways and purposes. I pray that none of us would be "satisfied with just our peeps, those things on T.V. or at the movies. I pray that we would be those who cry out for the Spirit of Truth.Lord, I pray that we be those who desire to communicate, who seek to touch hearts and lives with Your Word. May we be those who continually go to the Word and stir the fire in us, to pray for others, tells others of our Savior Jesus Christ and commit to make the difference. I not only pray for myself, but any who read this, that the spirit of blindness to be broken off our lives. That together we stand to break through those parental bloodline sides, and receive YOUR light and revelation. Help us to see what we need to see. Open YOUR Word to us continually Lord and may we experience that power everyday of our lives. Help us to see when YOU are moving through a new pathway and that we will be receptive and quick to move to do "that thing YOU ask us to do!" Lord, today we repent of doing things our way. We seek the path unhindered and unencumbered. We seek to hear YOU as YOU direct through those You send on our pathway. We certainly do not want to be another "Naaman"!
Help us not to get in the pit of confusion, that according to Psalm 40:2 that is a place of "noise, uproar, tumult" as of waters, as of men and of war!
That Lord is the place of the dead who reside in graves and the place of destruction. No Lord, we pray to be out of pits and that of miry clay. We are those who have our feet upon the Rock of firm standing.
Lord, we believe us to be those who walk on solid ground and directed by YOU to the place YOU have prepared for us. As we walk with YOU, our steps are ordered. We stand firm in our trust regarding our safety. You our Redeemer have ended our sorrows and moved of us out of the "danger zone". We pass on today expecting to take firm hold of instruction and to not let go.
According to .....Proverbs 4:13-19.........that we will not choose the path of wicked and will not walk the way of evil.
We avoid it and will not travel on it. Our path is like the shining sun that shines ever brighter to full light of the perfect day. We move to Your light and expect Your peace as we move forward to be communicators for the Kingdom of God that has come. Amen.
You can also visit my Youtube Channel "The Voice of Prayer" for more teaching of God's Word at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV
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