“The Lord is close to the broken hearted and
the oppressed.” Psalm 34:18
Have you ever faced something in
your life that seemed to isolate you from the rest of the world?
Did you feel like you could see the community, but you just couldn’t
participate in it, pushes you away from being able to interact
with life.
Although you may have
become unreachable to society, Jesus can meet you right at your pain.
That’s what He does best. He steps beyond the boundaries of human limitations
to walk into your hell and raise you to life again. What an awesome God we
serve! He will go through the trials over again just to help you through it.
All you have to do is ask and trust that he is Lord of your life!
Lord, bind up my brokenness and take
away the pain crushes my heart. Lord bring me back to the reality of who
I am in You. Show me that my brokenness and pain is not the end.
“My
God, My God why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping me, and
from the words of my groaning?” Psalm 22:1
Do you feel alone, disfigured, and
dishonored in your pain? Is life and joy draining from your personality?
Welcome to Gehazi’s hell, the neighborhood where dying is actually easier than
living.
That is what leprosy does. It
isolates, disfigures, and destroys you. Not only do you die, but you die alone.
And you die a disfiguring and painful death.
With each passing day, the disabling
effects of neuropathy (death of the nerves) continue to aggressively advance
from the extremities of the toes and fingers toward the heart.
The curse of numbness robs its
victims of freedom, independence, and the ability to interact with the world
around them. We even see this curse attacking the souls of our Prozac society,
inducing a paralyzing, and crippling numbness of spirit-producing an unfeeling,
uncaring, numb nation.
This leprosy attitude seems to be
spreading. We feel all alone, pushed in a corner, like no one understands, when
maybe God is pulling us away from people to be closer to Him. He hasn’t
forsaken you - maybe you just refuse to let loneliness be a good thing.
“For
I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is
none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things
that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do
all My pleasure,”Isaiah 46:9-10
Learn from the mistakes
of others. It is never okay to resist God. He is sovereign. If you decide to
deliberately go against Him, the consequences may extend beyond you. It can
affect those you love. Obey and honor God at all costs, He will meet you where
you are.
Lord, help me to obey
Your word and Your will. Keep my heart pure so that my family and I will be
pleasing to You and blessed by You. You are the true God. I will obey
You! Amen
Every great mystery has an “AHA!”
moment after the climax. God’s “AHA!” moment for you is simply the
knowledge that God can provide new beginnings to the “dead ends” you encounter
in life. This is where you find your greatest comeback. This is the
season of seeing dreams come true.
Sometimes you have to apply
unprecedented effort to preserve what God has given you. That truth often just doesn't
register with some people who get blessed or have something restored to them by
God.
Do you wish to receive a miracle
from God? Are you willing to step out of your situation and “come— back” to
your first love?
God has a miracle in store for you.
It is a father's nature to give sacrificially to his son and daughter. God is
no different! He wants to bless you exceedingly and abundantly more than you
can even imagine. Once you receive your miracle, however, it is up to you to
preserve it and protect it.
I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until You restore me?-
Psalms 6:3
Lord, You're never going to give up
on me. I am thankful that I will always have Your support. I believe that if
You restored Gehazi after the things that he did, that You can do the same for
me ! Amen
I have some good news
for you. I believe there can be a “fullness of time” for you! I believe that
God is going to fulfill every good word spoken over you. I believe your
promises are pregnant and about to give birth!
Lord,
I believe in You and Your promises. I know that in Your time You will fulfill
the promises You have made in my life. Forgive me for forgetting the blessings
and the promises that You have already fulfilled in my life. I look forward to
receiving all You have for me!
The due date for the delivery of
God's promise came when Gehazi mysteriously resurfaced from the depths
of leprosy with new life and fresh favor. Somehow this man went from serving
the prophet to serving the King. We know that much, but there are at least
seven years of shrouded mystery to unravel before we can connect the two
points.
Something happened that was powerful
enough to transport Gehazi from hobbling with lepers in earthly hell to
hobnobbing with a King in the royal palace of Israel ! Somehow, sometime during
those dark days and years of hell on earth, God set the stage for Gehazi's
miracle comeback. And this one looks like an ultimate turnaround of true biblical
proportions. How did God do it?
This reminds me of another time and
another mystery. On this occasion, everyone involved in the story was confident
the condemned man was down for the count. He could never come back—all of the
“i's” were dotted , all of the “t's” crossed.
The Pharisees, lawyers, and scribes
knew their stuff—this man had been convicted of blasphemy and turned over to
the Roman executioners. His fate was sealed—and for good measure, they sealed
his tomb too.
Everything that could be done had
been done. Their greatest enemy was now their greatest trophy. His body was
wrapped in the grave, and all hope of His kingdom coming was over. Then it
happened.
Hell's broken gates and death's
shattered grip announced an escape! And Heaven announced, “He's back!” No one
knew how it happened or how He did it. But Hell knew the party was over. Jesus
was alive again! He's back!
The words, “He's back!” sum up what
we know about Gehazi. This begs the question, “How did he get ‘back'?” How did
he make such an ultimate and unlikely comeback? Is this kind of miracle
turnaround available for everybody? Can you turn such a bad night into a good
day?
The answer is Yes!
God provided an ultimate comeback
for both Gehazi and His own Son, Jesus! If you have accepted Jesus, you are now
in His family. What does that mean? It means that we are now sons and daughters
of creation's Father. In God, we are joint heirs with Jesus! Did you get that?
We don't just get the leftovers or the hand-me-downs of Jesus; we get the same
exact quality as He does!
God has already planned your
comeback. If God provided a way for His Son to come back from the grave, God
has made a way for you, His child, to turn back to an abundant life in Him.
God, I thank You for
being my father. I know that it is Your desire to see me succeed, even when I
have given up. You are the one who lifts my head when I'm feeling down. I pray
that You will be my guide as I walk through this journey of life. I trust that
You have planned a way for me to escape from the mess that I have put myself
in. Amen
“O Lord, no one but You can help the powerless against the mighty!
Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You alone. It is in Your name that we
have come against this vast horde. O Lord, You are our God; do not let mere men
prevail against You!”- 2 Chronicles 14:11
Lord, reveal to me that I have the
power to overcome anything that comes against me. Teach me Your ways. When
temptations come, give me the feet of a righteous man so I will walk in the
direction of You. Thank You for strengthening me when I thought I was too weak.
Amen
On that night… no
one in the Palace could sleep. Not a single person. Esther tossed and turned,
alternating between prayers of desperation and unsuccessful attempts at sleep
while Haman happily engineered the demise of Mordecai. Meanwhile, the Bible
tells us, “On that night could not the King sleep.”
Perhaps due to divine
insomnia, the King asked for someone to read the court records. As the servant
droned on and on, something of great significance interested the King. His
attention was suddenly jarred by a paragraph describing the deeds of a royal
scribe named Mordecai. This man had learned of a plot, hatched by two of his
own bodyguards, to assassinate the King.
The King asked, “What
honor and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this?” When he learned that
nothing had been done, the King acted immediately.
What an interesting
discovery! What do kings do when they can't sleep? They check the records.
You may be enduring a
bad night or perhaps a bad week, my friend, but take heart. Just because you
are enduring a sleepless season, that doesn't mean we have a snoring King. The
Bible says, “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”
When you face a “that night” crisis that robs you of sleep, remember that your
King is fully awake as well.
And what do kings do
when they cannot sleep? They check the records. Reward delayed is not reward
denied.
While Esther tossed and
turned, her King checked the records and discovered Mordecai's good deed. The
next thing we know, the King was no longer checking the records; he had shifted
his focus to planning Mordecai's reward!
Do you toss and turn at
the possibility of the impending doom of your tomorrows?
After it's been
“one of those nights” and you're left with little hope of improvement, God has
stayed up all night to devise your victory! Always remember that the plans made
in secret will be revealed in public.
Lord, our God, You know our problems
better than we know them ourselves. You know how easily we worry ourselves with
untimely and self-made cares. God, I pray that You be the one to guide us
through our situations. Turn my worry into faith— a never-ending faith in Your
power! Amen
You are still here.
Satan may have tried to take you out. You may be in a weakened
condition, but you're still here!
God, Thank You for keeping me safe
through the storms. I realize that I always need Your guidance. Often, after
the storms of life pass, the problem still remains. I pray that You help me with
the issues in my life with which I continually struggle. You are my God. You
are My Provider. I trust You Lord!
Father, You are my
friend. You are my Counselor. You are my Savior. There is nothing that You
can’t do! I pray that in controversial times in my life, You will draw me
close to You. I am not cursed by this world. I am free in You
because of Jesus Christ! I promise to live for You because You died for
me...My closest Friend, I thank you! Amen
