The Honour which God Bestows (Sent 27/01/2011) Dearest folks... Elisha the prophet had just given up his business, sowed a portion of it to the people and went into the ministry full-time serving Elijah... his dedication to his master was so complete that when it was time for Elijah to be raptured (Elijah went the same way Jesus did, and it was generally known this would happen among the company of prophets); in chapter 2 and verse 2 of 2nd Kings, Elijah told him to wait at Gilgal because the Lord has sent him to their ministry centre in Bethel... Elisha’s response... “...as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you...”. At Bethel the sons of the prophets came to Elisha and mentioned to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take your master away from you today?” In others words, the party is over for you... its the end of your ministry sonny boy... but Elisha brushed them off with the words, “Yes I know it; hold your peace”... in other words shut up... close your mouth before it causes you to sin... Elijah then tells him the same thing to wait at Bethel because the Lord has sent him to their ministry centre in Jericho... Elisha’s response was the same... “As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you”...so they came to Jericho and Elisha faced the same ridicule from the sons of the prophets... it can be quite disheartening when those who should understand better become tools of the enemy to try and pull you down... It is quite notable though that even here it was well known that Elijah was about to be raptured... Elisha brushed them off with the same response, close your mouth... they both travelled on to the Jordan and Elijah performed the same miracle Moses did by the Anointing at the Red Sea, and then Joshua at the river Jordan approximately 700years before, when they were coming in from Egypt to possess the land... he parted the Jordan river and they both crossed on dry ground...
Elijah then speaks to Elisha and tells him to ask what shall be done for him before he is taken up... he could have asked for more money than Ahab... he could have asked for the restoration of his business a hundred fold... no... he is a wise man... he asks for a double portion of the Anointing that was on Elijah to come on him... this is a man who understands the proper priority of things... this is a man who has respect for the Blessing... this is a man who is not money crazed and covetous, thinking it is his security, but knows God is the Source of all
The Blessing even in the single portion on Elijah’s life was powerful enough to pray down rain, and restore the financial fortunes of a whole nation... get them things, and
out of a severe deficit... he asks for a double portion of that same Anointing ... well, he is about to lose his master he can as well be compensated handsomely for it... Elijah then tells him “You have asked a hard thing. However, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you—but if not, it shall not be so”....here’s a real test of what has been in Elisha’s heart all along... has he been following his master for filthy lucre’s sake... for prominence amongst the company of prophets sake... or because he sees and is captivated by the same vision his master sees and is captivated by... they both continue to talk and suddenly the Lord’s Chariot of
fire and horses of fire parted the two of them and Elijah was taken up and Elisha saw it and cried out “My father, my father! The chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” and he saw him no more... burning all bridges back to his past, he tears his own clothes in pieces, took up the mantle of his father that fell from him while he was being taken up, went back and stood by the Jordan and said “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” struck the
miracles, signs and wonders are not flukes... or freak acts of nature... they can be done at will if you know how... it is in your relationship with the Master that He will teach you how... the waters of the Jordan parted and he walked over on dry ground again back waters and did the same miracle again... you see...
into mainland Israel...
When Elijah and Elisha had crossed originally, fifty men of the sons of the prophets had gone and stood to watch afar off... those same fifty men saw Elisha come back over in the same miraculous way and they said “The Spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha”, and they came and bowed themselves to the ground before him... they then pressured him to command them to seek Elijah his master for 3 days, it may be the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley (It is clear how little was known about the Holy Spirit back then), and Elisha said not to but they insisted and searched for 3 days but did not find him... Elijah was way up in the paradise of Abraham’s bosom basking in the glory and enjoying all the divine riches of the Master’s Person along with Moses and all the saints from the beginning of time... and waiting on Messiah to be sent and this church age to be wrapped up... waiting for us to join them...
Elisha then performs yet another miracle by the Spirit of the Lord and heals the city of Jericho’s water springs which were bad... he then backtracks to their ministry centre in Bethel where some young men came out of Bethel and began to mock him... saying to him go up in a whirlwind too, you bald head... go up you bald head... Elisha called a curse on them and swift judgement, two she-bears came out of the woods and tore up 42 of them... meaning there had been more than this and the ring leaders were most probably the ones torn up... Rather harsh we may say... but I will explain exactly what their sin was as the Lord explained it to me...
First of all, it is quite notable that it was generally known in Bethel as well as Jericho that Elijah was about to be raptured in a whirlwind... and these young men obviously didn’t believe this had just taken place, and were demonstrating that unbelief in the mockery of Elisha that he too should be taken up in a whirlwind calling him bald head... it is also quite notable that when the tribe of Judah split from Israel under Rehoboam grandson of David because of Solomon’s sins, Bethel was one of the cities Jeroboam son of Nebat (who became king of the eleven other tribes of Israel) had consecrated for idolatrous worship... Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin so heinously against the Lord in forging idols in saying “these be the gods that brought you out of Egypt”, provoking the Lord to anger and consecrating anyone that would into the priesthood, a political move to stop
the people of Israel going up to Jerusalem originating from fear that they would return to the king of Judah... these young men were from families consecrated into this false priesthood and thus saw themselves as in competition for the hearts of the Israelites... and they had heard that Elijah was going to be raptured in a whirlwind up into heaven and obviously did not believe, deciding it was a religious con to pull a number on their religious party and win church members from them... it was not enough that they had this sin of unbelief counting against them, in the manner of young men, they allowed what was obviously commonly versed in their various households to be outspoken before the prophet of the Lord... they began to mock the prophet openly with the mockery that was commonly used in their various households... unbelief... open mockery of the prophet of the Lord... Elisha on his part had been deep in meditation... the tasks before him were great... dealing with the witchcraft of Jezebel Ahab’s controlling wife, and all the political upheavals of that time... he had a heavy heart for the loss of his master whom he had a relationship with and loved... consoled that at least the God of his father was with him... then all of a sudden so many young men came out of the city, encircled him and began to mock and curse at him... mocking the integrity of his father... ridiculing their ministry which had brought hope to the hearts of so many precious others faithful to the Lord in Israel... his spirit within him was provoked... he also felt threatened by the potential for physical harm from these young men... the Lord took it personally, and the Anointing moved on his tongue, and the word was released... it was too late... the fate was sealed for 42 young men... the moral of the story, be careful who you ridicule and speak against... remember God’s promise to Abraham and his Seed... He will curse those who curse or use insolent language towards them... you can feel like the Blessed of the Lord, and speak insolently about another Blessed man or woman of God and the curse would jump on you like no man’s business... the enemy has been looking for this very opportunity and opening you just handed him on a platter... but thank God for the most precious Blood of Christ Jesus which blots away our sins... in those days, sin was very expensive business financially for all the lambs without blemish you had to buy and sacrifice ... in all reality not the least expensive in our days... we would never really know the true damage of sin to the human spirit until we come into contact with the pure grace of God... please be really careful of who you speak against... it might be the wrong person... like the Queen of Great Britain and the Royal family... their polite gestures and wise use of the God-given blessing of speech originated from the Word of God... They are Blessed and honoured of God and He loves them whether they even realise it... He is bound in covenant to them forever, and this might explain why those who verbally attack them don’t fare well economically... because they failed to give honour to whom honour is due... the Royal family’s fore-fathers gave us the first officially endorsed, linguistically expressed and compiled Bible by any rulership anywhere in the world, the King James Bible... and the Lord is thankful for this... you didn’t know the Lord can be thankful to a human being yeah... He would not require of you anything He doesn’t do Himself... He is humble... lowly and meek of heart, yet full of Majesty and Power Personified... God’s thanks are expressed in effortless net-worth, honour and influence...
In the same vein, this same control care of the tongue and bestowed honour thereof, extends to all authorities (Jude 8 – 10)... yes... even that nasty manager... leave him... God will judge him Himself... all authorities and in actual fact every human being on the face of this planet, most including financially successful people in any respectable field of
endeavour... yes... even that nasty gangster rapper in your perceptions... you will never understand or empathise with another human being until you sit where they’ve sat... until you’ve experienced what they have in life... plus, this is a heart matter, and you don’t know where anyone is God-ward but them, so I’d advise it’s safer to just relegate and reserve all judgement to Jesus...
Times of political upheaval in Israel... Ahab is dead... and his son Joram begins to reign over the 11 tribes in his stead... meanwhile, Mesha the king of Moab had been subservient to Ahab and had thus been paying tribute to him... a 100,000 lambs and a 100,000 rams every year with the wool... if you’ve ever wondered how things would work if God’s promise in His Word available to everybody is you shall be the head and not the tail, and you shall lend to nations and you shall not borrow, here’s your answer right here... it is the lot of the rebellious to God’s covenant to dwell in a parched land...
“...God places the solitary in families and gives the desolate a home in which to dwell; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a parched land...” – Psalm 68:6 AMP
It is their lot to be indebted and economically subservient to the righteous... to always be indebted and not able to pay back and thus be unable to exert any economic power whatsoever over any facet of humanity, because any soul cut off from the Lord is a tool in the enemy’s hands, available for wickedness... it doesn’t matter how nice we might think someone who is not born again is, the fact of the matter explicitly laid out by the Apostle Paul and which we understand more and more fully as we walk in the Lord is that every unredeemed man or woman is dead... dead in their trespasses... they are under the control, influence and dominion of satan and his devils and cannot control all of their actions because they are blocked from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them... they are blocked from the Zoe of God... eternal life... this may sound rather crass or impolite to your polished perceptions but putting it quite simply, and in the apostle Paul’s own words, they are actually possessed... by a demonic spirit called the spirit of disobedience...
“...AND YOU [He (Christ Jesus) made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins, in which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God]...” – Ephesians 2:1 & 2 AMP
Until they say Jesus, I accept your redemption, please come into my heart and forgive me of all my sin, I forgive anyone also who has offended me and renounce my past, I make You my personal Lord and Saviour, I am now born-again, it will always be their nature to go against the purposes of God... please do not even contemplate marrying one of them with the promise of salvation afterwards... no human being can arrange salvation for any other human being... Jesus has already done that... please don’t get yourself into this mess I am pleading with you on my knees, with all of my heart... don’t give your daughter to them for marriage on any premise, or encourage your son to do the same... the Lord specifically warned of this even under the Old Covenant... many many precious saints of God have pulled themselves into a lifetime of struggle as a result of this same mistake... my father Kenneth Copeland would not even marry an unsaved person with a saved person because God’s Word on it is very clear... what fellowship does light have to do with darkness... well... if despite my pleas, you choose to go ahead with this saying you love him, you will only have to find out the hard way, and I pray for God’s mercy and grace to see you through...
Back to the point, it is indeed the lot of the rebellious to be economically subservient to the righteous, not the other way round... while righteous men lulled themselves into thinking God had respect for poverty while He hates it, evil Babylonians managed to con, swindle, cheat, lie, steal, kill and manipulate their ways to the top of the means of production... but glory to God, all that wealth they’ve piled up, we clearly see how increasingly difficult it is for them to hold on to... God is transferring that wealth back into the hands of the Just... those who have been justified by faith in the finished work of Christ Jesus’ redemption... get yourself into position through obedience with your tithes, giving and walking in love... it is coming... ultimately... He is your life... Jesus is your peace and prosperity, and He is the length of your days and joy of your heart all your days, regardless of the state of your bank account... take the advice of one of the richest men who ever lived, king David...
“...Trust not in and rely confidently not on extortion and oppression, and do not vainly hope in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them...” – Psalm 62:10 AMP
When God starts to bless you financially is not the time to get covetous and keeping it all to yourself... this is the sure fire way to lose everything friend... the purpose for this prosperity is to do the work of the ministry, to do exactly what He had originally instructed us to do from the beginning... use all the earth’s vast resources in the service of God and man...
“...So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them and said to them (God’s blessing to you is expressed in His Words which when received, guarded and held closely in your heart, is able to create everything He eloquently expresses ... Jesus said not a single jot or title which is the smallest parts of the Hebrew writ, will go unfulfilled), Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using
all its vast resources in
the service of God and man]...” (Genesis 1:28 AMP)
So then king Mesha decides to rebel some more... and refuses to continue paying tribute... and Joram, king of Israel asks Jehoshaphat , king of Judah to go out into battle with him, with a reply of solid solidarity... “...I will go; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses...”...however, they run into problems... they had made a 7-day journey circuit all around and were unable to find water for the army and animals... victories in ancient battles were not only determined by numerical superiority or sophistication of weaponry but also the battle terrain and the availability of water, especially in the middle east... in actual fact, the greater your numbers, the more mouths to feed and the less rations available to each soldier... thus, 2 Kings chapter 3 from verse 9 upwards begins to lay out what sort of a quandary they found themselves... they were at a real threat of losing, if the king of Moab came with his army freshly watered and supplied.. isn’t it interesting how we only seem to seek God when we find ourselves in trouble... He doesn’t really mind, as long as you know where to run to, but we should really always be seeking Him in or out of trouble... perhaps we would never find ourselves in some things if we seek to get to know Him more all the time and desire to understand His ways and walk in them...
The king of Judah is the only one there who has faith... imagine the striking difference in perceptions... a classic case of one person seeing a glass half empty with water and another person looking at that glass with joy and saying not too long to go now, it’s halffull... The faithless sinful son of Ahab Joram... who decided to do evil in the sight of the Lord like his fore-father Jeroboam the son of Nebat... here’re his words in the face of catastrophe, recorded in chapter 3 and verse 10 of 2 nd Kings “...Alas! The Lord has called [us] three kings together to be delivered into Moab’s hand!” It is clearly evident, how much trust he had in the Lord... nil... number one, from his words, it was clearly evident he knew Who was really God and not baal... yet, this did not spur him on to repentance and a right relationship with God but he clung to the sinful ways of his fathers... as a result of God’s design of the human spirit, he knew that judgement was in the pipeline and as such he was trying to avoid the Lord at all costs... all the time, knowing very well of the faith and respect towards God, his
we must understand folks that the world out there has already been judged and sentence has already been passed on them... God’s Words are olive branches of mercy to save us from the murk out counterpart in Judah had...
there... if we refuse these, where else are we to look for deliverance...
Now compare that, with the words of Jehoshaphat recorded in verse 11 of that same chapter... “...Is there no prophet of the Lord here by whom we may inquire of the Lord?” ...he knew where to run if he was in trouble... the reverence Jehoshaphat has for the Lord is clearly evident... we learn some more about this heart of reverence the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat had for the Lord, from the record of him in the Chronicles compiled by Ezra the prophet... we see there clearly, how that this was a man who had respect for God... he knew where to run to when he had reached the end of his rope... here’s a record of his heart-felt prayer to the Lord for help which I would highlight in blue... and the Lord’s Words in red of course , when 3 enemy nations connived and ganged up against Judah to wipe them off the face of this earth...
“...AFTER THIS, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and with them the Meunites came against Jehoshaphat to battle. It was told Jehoshaphat,
A great multitude
has come
against you from beyond the [Dead] Sea, from Edom; and behold they are in Hazazontamar, which is En-gedi. Then Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself [determinedly, as his vital need] to seek the Lord (It is quite sad that even in deep trouble, some children of God don’t know to seek Him, or even how to go about it, because they don’t believe He loves them); he proclaimed a fast in all Judah. And Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord [yearning for Him with all their desire]. And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court and said, O Lord, God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven? And do You not rule over all
In Your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand You. Did not You, O our God, drive out the kingdoms of the nations?
the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend? They dwelt in it and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your Name, saying, If evil comes upon us, the sword of judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You--for Your Name [and the symbol of Your presence] is in this house--and cry to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save (Jehoshaphat knew his Bible, or Torah at the time... these were the exact words king Solomon had used when he was dedicating the Temple in Jerusalem recorded in 1 Kings 8:23 – 53 several years before). And now behold, the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom You would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they turned from and did not destroy (he also knew history) Behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. O our God, will You not exercise judgment upon them? For we have no might to stand against this great company that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You. And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their children and their wives. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly (This man Jahaziel was not a lone
ranger prophet... he was a well connected and submitted son). He said, Hearken, all Judah, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow go down to them. Behold, they will come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the ravine before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord [Who is] with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you. (The Lord comforted them and gave them strategy... He told them what to do in very explicit detailed instructions, and notice how He said twice that they will not need to fight in this battle...
He so desperately needs us to believe in Him, even though He is completely secure in the integrity of His Word... He created the worlds by His Word! ...if you read through the gospels, our Lord is kind...
you will find it recorded how He always repeated things like “...Verily, verily... I say unto you... Truly, Truly... check this one out, when He promises us the Father will give us whatever we ask for in His Name, He said, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you... I love Him so much ... I will never doubt Him...) And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping Him (Oh blessed will be that day... when our monarch, prime minister, all parliament and the entire government will bow the knee to the Master with the whole nation and cry out for His favor...). And some Levites of the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a
very loud
voice. (They didn’t give a toss who heard them... This praise
was evidence of their faith in God’s Word... as far as the physical was concerned, the major threat to their survival was still looming on the horizon... the problem was still very evident... those nations were still sharpening their spears and swords) And they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of
Believe in the Lord your God and you shall be established; believe and remain steadfast to His prophets and you shall prosper. (These words still reverberate with an Jerusalem!
urgency towards the people of God... please don’t put your trust in your uncle, aunty, company or economic stimulus packages... there is no salvation to be found anywhere else apart from the Anointed Words of our God and of His Christ) When he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy [priestly] garments as they went out before the army, saying, Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were [self-] slaughtered;(Remember Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail cell in the book of Acts... and how their praise caused an earthquake such that their shackles as well as the shackles of all the prisoners were loosed and the jail doors burst open... God inhabits the praises of His people David said... why don’t you thank the Lord and praise Him in the midst of your trouble and circumstance and see how His might will blast that threat into oblivion and bring you into the pleasant plentousness He has planned for you all along ... you say, well Temisan that’s easy for you to say, you’re not in my mess, and I don’t feel like it... precious one... take His
Word at face value and that it means exactly what He has said... and praise Him for it, and watch Him give you a testimony that will resound through all ages ... I have been in some really hard places, and seen Him deliver me countless times...
my faith is not based on me... how hard I can hold on believing... it’s based on Him... on the fact that He is faithful... and Integrity Personified... I know He loves me... and so I believe Him... you’ve got to know He loves you... believe me, I can vouch for Him ... He really does love you completely and wants to get you out of that mess... He is mindful of you... He thinks about different ways to bless you all the time... is this hard to believe... hang in there and remain strong dear... you will come to discover more and more how precious is our loving Jesus ) For [suspecting betrayal] the men of Ammon and Moab rose sweetheart...
against those of Mount Seir, utterly destroying them. And when they had made an end of the men of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another. And when Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked at the multitude, and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and
none had escaped! When Jehoshaphat and his people
came to take the spoil, they found among them much cattle, goods, garments, and precious things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry away, so much they were three days in gathering the spoil. (Is this a wealth transfer or what... it took 3 days to gather all that wealth... and tell me, I can understand and explain away the other stuff, but what are soldiers doing carrying their wealth `precious things` with them into battle for... the Lord put this into their hearts because He was about to give this wealth over to His trusting praising kids ...) On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah. There they blessed the Lord. So the name of the place is still called the Valley of Beracah [blessing].
“...Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]...” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 AMP
Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat leading them, to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies. They
the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. (This is the very purpose for miracles... came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets to the house of the Lord. And
so that these folks will learn to respect our God, and then desire for Him to become their
God too...) So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest round about.” – 2nd Chronicles 20: 1 – 30
All this so we could just see and contrast the heart of king Jehoshaphat to Joram’s evil heart of unbelief... so here they are in the desert... in the wilderness of Edom... in a desert place without supplies and a thirsty army on the verge of destruction... they are referred to Elisha... Jehoshaphat asks... Is there not any prophet of the Lord that we may inquire by... notice he didn’t ask for a prophet of baal... also notice the tone of surprise in this question... you mean, you people think you can achieve anything and get yourself out of your mess without the Lord’s help? ...my, my you all are really something...
...and then Joram’s servant mentions Elisha... Imagine this... one of this foolish king’s own servants knew who the prophet of the Lord was... Elisha... Joram had this man working for him all that time, and it never even occurred to him to seek the Lord... the main reason friends, is pride in the heart of man...
“The wicked, through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts...” – Psalm 10:4 AMP
Check out Elisha’s response in verse 13 to this wicked one calling himself a king, I like it ... “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your [wicked] father Ahab and your [wicked] mother Jezebel...”, and this king of nothing repeated those same foolish words... defaming the Lord’s character! ...and in the very presence of God’s prophet!! ...”No, for the Lord has called [us] three kings together to be delivered into the hand of Moab...”...oh! How I enjoy Elisha’s next words to this toy king in verse 14... “...And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts lives, before Whom I stand (Elisha had the same revelation Elijah had of the Lord’s constantly abiding Presence), surely, were it not that I respect the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you...” ...at this point he knew things were getting a bit dangerous... he considered it wise to keep his mouth shut...
Notice the next events that took place... see the Lord’s heart for you precious saints... they felt they only needed the Lord for water to provide for their armies... but God knew they also needed the surety of victory... He gave them distinct instructions that were to be obeyed... “...make this dry brook bed full of trenches, for thus says the Lord: you shall not see wind or rain, yet that ravine shall be filled with water, so you, your cattle, and your beasts [of burden] may drink. This is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He will deliver the Moabites also into your hands. You shall smite every fenced city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree and stop all wells of
...God is really against wicked people having any economic power whatsoever... but this will continue as long as the children of God think money belongs to the devil... money is merely an amplifier of what is already contained within an individual’s heart... these wicked will use and have indeed been using those finances to perpetuate wickedness... funding private mercenary armies to overthrow natural resource-rich so-called third world nations’ governments and cause wars that leads to the death of millions... blood-diamonds... Oil wars... buying up satellite coverage space for streaming perverted pornography all over the world while the children of God walk around in ignorance and lack and brand God’s love for them, and desire to meet all their needs and more `that materialistic prosperity gospel`... defending poverty... thinking they are scoring points with a Father that lives in luxury and planned the same for us from the beginning... and the gospel is not preached to the whole world like it should... the arrogance of water and mar every good piece of land with stones...”
these wicked ones is indeed quite amazing... they think that this whole earth and all its vast resources is theirs... to be used to service their wicked lifestyles... their sole goal in life is power over you... they would like to believe that they own you... and that you owe your existence to their benevolences, how they perceive them to be... this is what fuels the Babylonian system of commerce without God... slaves to toil their lives away for them, while they wine, dine and recline and think of more ways to further mess up this already perverted world... thinking they are actually in charge, and not realising that they are actually captives bound for hell... just pawns in the employ of devils... some of them know in actual fact... it’s a well-known fact that, in the absence of a right relationship with God and lack of His help thereof, many influential people seek mediums, witches, wizards and devils for advice... you certainly would not want to be economically subservient to such through financial debt...
All in all, God wants to rescue them from the grips of satan, but He needs you to reveal His power to them... He needs you to show a people sitting in darkness, a great light... otherwise, there is no way out of that darkness for them... I dare say, you’ll be hard-pressed convincing a multi-billionaire sinner that your poverty, sickness and depression is good for them... his accurate reply will be... thanks but no thanks, I’m in enough turmoil as it is...
So then Mesha king of Moab decides he’s not going to pay any more tribute to Israel under the new king Joram... Joram asks Jehoshaphat to join him in battle... they run into problems and we see the distinct difference with which they both approach it like east and west... Jehoshaphat saves the day and knows who to run to for help when he is in trouble and asks for a prophet of the Lord... Joram’s own servant recommends Elisha... Jehoshaphat says in verse 12 of 2nd kings chapter 3, “...the word of the Lord is with him...”, and they then send for Elisha... Elisha gives that stellar response to Joram, and then gives them the Word of the Lord... it is obeyed to the `t` with the resultant miraculous breakthrough... the Lord confuses the Moabites and they break their lines to supposedly pursue their enemies but they are pursued back to their own city walls and slain all the way... in verse 25, it is recorded how they began to execute the Lord’s instructions against the Moabites... in the next verse it is recorded how king Mesha saw how he was losing the battle, took 700 swordsmen to try and breakthrough to the king of Edom in the thick of the battle, was unsuccessful and so took his eldest son who would have reigned in his stead and sacrificed him on the wall as a burnt offering... yep... human sacrifice... and the next words record how that worked out... the Amplified version records “...there was great indignation, wrath, and bitterness against Israel; and they [his allies Judah and Edom] withdrew from [Joram] and returned to their own land...” ...just like that... contrary to the ignorant civilized foolishness that had gone on in Europe for so long, the reality is, the potency of the demonic and the powers of witchcraft are very real... we know that in Africa... you must remember that satan and his demons are fallen angels... the Bible records that angels excel in strength (Psalm 103:20)... God made all angelic beings very powerful, and even though satan who was an arch-angel and a third of them have fallen, they still possess an element of this ability which they duly employ to oppress human beings... depression is a demon... every infirmity is demonically induced... as well as poverty, financial debt and lack... these are all caused by devils... tools to attempt to render the people of God ineffective... “Temisan, you are being too demon conscious”... don’t take my word for it, read through the gospels and see for yourself if our Lord didn’t have to confront devils at every turn... there were even devils in some church members!! ...in the synagogues of the day, that He had to cast out, while the religious sects were busy debating doctrines... but glory to God, Jesus has ALL-POWER, and this He has delegated to
every believer, even a second after making Jesus his or her Lord and Saviour has full authority over every demonic entity, we must also have the revelation knowledge to take us... and so
advantage of its full potential for victory on earth...
“...Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age...” – Matthew 28:18 – 20 AMP
Here’s John Mark’s record of some of the things the Lord told them before He was raptured...
all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race]. He who believes “...He said to them, Go into
[who adheres to and trusts in and relies on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] and is baptized will be saved [from the penalty of eternal death]; but he who does not believe [who does not adhere to and trust in and rely on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] will be condemned. And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe: in My Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; They will pick up serpents; and [even] if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well...” – Mark 16:15 – 18 AMP
Following on with Elisha’s honourable life before the Lord, it is recorded how one day he went to Shunem, a small village in the land of the tribe of Issachar, to the north of Jezreel and south of Mount Gilboa... this village still exists to this day, and it is now called Sulam... A rich and influential woman, who lived in Shunem insisted on the man of God eating a meal in her house every time he passed by... unusual behaviour for someone of means... people of this calibre would rather prefer to be sought after and ego-fanned... insight into this wealthy woman’s motivations would unfold more, as we go along...
This woman did not stop there, but see the words she spoke to her husband as recorded in 2nd kings chapter 4 and verse 9... “...Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God who passes by continually. Let us make a small chamber on the [housetop] and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then whenever he comes to us, he can go [up the outside stairs and rest] here....” ...notice two things... first of all, Elisha never asked for a meal... or a bedchamber to rest in... and second, we see clearly in this woman’s life, the presence of two traits religious Christianity has tried to sell us as being mutually exclusive, meaning they cannot occur at the same time... riches and righteousness... here is a rich and influential woman who also has spiritual perception (a rare trait) to know who is who God-ward... she clearly has a healthy reverence and love for God to actually act on this perception with `concrete` steps that cost her something financially... now, why would she do this? She is already rich and influential... she has a husband... why care about a prophet of the Lord?
Elisha then without a word, arrived at this woman’s house as usual... they didn’t have mobile phones then so she could not have been able to inform Elisha of this latest provision in any way, but the prophet of the Lord arrives and without a word turned into
this bedchamber to rest... how did he know it was for him... the Spirit of God ... now follow closely, the next thing that happens... in verse 12 of the same chapter, it is recorded how Elisha instructs his servant to call this Shunammite woman... she came and stood before the prophet of the Lord... and the prophet would not even speak directly to her, he says to Gehazi his servant in verse 13, “...Say now to her, you have been most painstakingly and reverently concerned for us; what is to be done for you? Would you like to be spoken for to the king or to the commander of the army?” ...here’s her response... “...I dwell among my own people [they are sufficient]...” ...please notice what is going on here... first of all, the prophet knew he had received his provision from the Lord, as such, he didn’t grovel before the woman as his benefactor... second, not only was this woman materially prosperous with a reverence for God, she also had a heart of humility... she could have easily become offended when the man of God sent for her like a servant in her own house... and would not even address her rich and influential self directly... thirdly, it is evidently clear from her response to him that she had no ulterior motives in what she did for the prophet... she did this not because she wanted anything, but because she loved His God... especially endearing is the reality of this, when we consider that this period was one of divided religious loyalties among the people of Israel...
Elisha knows the Lord’s nature... He is never indebted to any man... He loves to give back, and Elisha knows that this woman must receive something in return... so he insistently asks Gehazi in verse 14, still not even addressing the woman directly... “What
I would like to go into why he was not even addressing her directly... he was protecting the integrity of the Anointing in his life... preserving It from the contempt of familiarity with which Christians often transgress and rob themselves unawares... especially when financial considerations are in view, we understand how easy it would be for the enemy to get pride into then is to be done for her?” ...first of all,
this woman’s heart and thus nullify the love-gift she had just released... it is the primary reason why for over a thousand years, the Emperors of Japan were not even physically seen by a commoner... to preserve the reverence that should accompany authority...
As a believer, there is the man or woman of God you can see, but there is a Vital Force... an Energy... the Anointing on and in their lives that cannot be physically seen, but can be felt, and we see the results of it... it would be very easy to get offended at the physical man or woman of God seeing their human frailties, and not realising that this same man or woman has been entrusted with the Anointing of God to lift every burden from your life... and destroy every yoke that has limited you... be it lack, sickness, whatever it is...
as Christians, we short-change ourselves
dramatically when we allow ourselves to begin to see them as common... they are not common... they are holy... they have been consecrated to be a blessing to you.
So then Elisha is insistent on this woman receiving, and Gehazi tells his master her husband is old and she has no child... obviously learnt about that from their prior frequent visits... Elisha then summons her again, and she stood at the doorway... heart of reverence... Elisha then said as recorded in verse 16 “...At this season when the time comes around, you shall embrace a son..”, and it was so, even though her reply shows how she did not even believe this would take place... the Bible exhorts us not to be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we do not grow weary and faint... keep doing good... make it your character and you never know where the harvest will come from... I remember driving somewhere in Lagos Nigeria where I lived one day in 1999 and on the 3rd mainland bridge (which happens to be the longest bridge in Africa), I witnessed an accident on the other side... pulling up by the road and without even thinking about it, I ran across the road dodging fast moving traffic, climbed over the large kerb to help the survivors... I saw a very large woman by the side of the road with some injuries and shrieking in pain with her little boy by her side and a daughter... at that time, ambulance emergency services in Nigeria were privately run and connected to the various hospitals so she could well have bled to death before she received any help... without even thinking, I lifted this woman unto my shoulders... this was a real mama, and she had to have weighed at least 250 Kilos... beckoned to her children to follow me, ran across the road and climbed that large kerb again with her... the Lord had to have put the spirit of Might into operation for that to happen... lifted her into my car with her children and rushed them to the nearest medical centre I knew, which was on my university campus... I never saw them again after that, but sometime after that, I learned an aunt of mine had been in an accident and guess what happened... she saw 2 Nigerian policemen rushing to help and speaking in tongues rebuking the spirit of death... Nigerian policemen!! ...ask any Nigerian, they will tell you that their helping is a miracle in itself, not to mention their speaking in tongues and rebuking the devil...
This rich and influential Shunammite woman joyfully received her boy, and began to raise him... but one day tragedy struck... the boy fell sick and died... without a word, she carried the boy’s dead body up to Elisha’s chamber and laid him on Elisha’s bed, shut the door and went out... such uncharacteristic behaviour... the boy is dead and should be buried... but this woman has some things in her heart which explains why her story was recorded for us in the Bible in the first place... she knows Who to run to when there is trouble... she insistently saddles her donkey to go to the man of God, even though her husband tried to restrain her... she is approaching Mount Carmel, where Elisha saw her afar off, sends Gehazi to run to her and ask her “...Is it well with you? Well with your husband? Well with the child?”, and notice her response... “...It is well...” ...this woman had faith... she arrives Mount Carmel and clung to the prophet’s
feet in grief... hear what Elisha says when Gehazi wants to pull her off because he feels she is dishonouring his master, “...Let her alone, for her soul is bitter and vexed within her, and the Lord has hid it from me and has not told me...”...then she said, “...Did I desire a son of my lord? Did I not say, Do not deceive me?” ...to cut a beautiful story short which I would really encourage you to read and study, Elisha goes to this woman’s house, stretches himself out over the stiff dead body of her son and he was raised to life again... see... raising the dead is not a new phenomenon after all ... The tangible fruits of the Honour of the Lord... this woman’s partnership connection through her finances with an Anointed man of God, ensured that there was always help available for her in whatever form or fashion it was required. JESUS IS LORD.
“...Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ...those who honour Me I will honour, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed...” – 1 Samuel 2:30 AMP
“...Honour the Lord with your capital and sufficiency [from righteous labours] and with the firstfruits of all your income; so shall your storage places be filled with plenty, and your vats shall be over flowing with new wine...” – Proverbs 3:9 &10 AMP Your brother in Christ, Temisan
“...You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father...” – Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:13 – 16) New Living Translation