When you are righteous and The LORD has blessed you, be sure not to turn back or turn away from The LORD. A look at the life of king Asa, a king of Judah in 2 Chronicles 14,15 and 16 , starkly reminds us of this.
“For the eyes of The LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to HIM. You have done a foolish thing and from now on you will be at war.”
These words were said by Hanani the seer, to King Asa. These words enraged the king and landed Hanani the seer in prison. All Hanani had done was deliver a message from the KING of kings to a king. You would have thought, King Asa would have listened and repented and asked for leniency from The LORD like Cain, but alas he didn’t. So, our prophet Hanani did time.
King Asa is listed as a good king. He did what is right in the eyes of The LORD at least in the beginning. He even deposed his own grandmother for making a repulsive idolatrous image. He started very well after the death of his father Abijah. 2 Chronicles 15 records the SPIRIT of GOD coming on Azariah and he communicated to King Asa a message of direction, hope and encouragement ending with the words “... But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded...”. From these words, King Asa went ahead zealously for The LORD and the land was at rest, until the last five to six years of his reign.
Then, the king of Israel rose up against Judah. Apparently, Asa lost it, took wealth from the treasury of The LORD and his own palace and gave it to the King of Aram to entice him to stop supporting the king of Israel so that the king of Israel would leave him alone. This worked but The LORD was displeased because king Asa had sought help from man, hence HE dispatched Hanani with a message to Asa. As said earlier, off went Hanani to prison and around that time the scripture records that Asa began oppressing the people. Asa also became sick, but sought help from doctors and not The LORD. Then Asa died and was buried like a king.
What happens to us that we start well and finish terribly? This problem was not Asa’s alone. Galatians 3:3-4.” Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the SPIRIT, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain – if it really was in vain? “.
What went wrong with Asa? What are the signs that we are getting off the right path? What should we watch out for after we have experienced the LORD and HIS goodness and mercies?
i.) When we trust in ourselves instead of The LORD. We attribute what The LORD has done in us and through us as belonging to us or due to us. We are in danger of not finishing well.
ii.) When we trust in fellowmen we are attracting a curse on ourselves. Cursed is the man who places his trust in man the scripture says so. Asa trusted the king of Aram and doctors. The bible says his illness was severe but he did not seek The LORD. And soon his end came. Beloved, let us always put our trust in The LORD in whatever circumstances. Let us seek HIS face and HIS will in our circumstances.
iii.) We forget the unseen and start following the seen. Asa saw and used the gold and wealth to cut a deal, he forgot the great victory which The LORD has wrought for him in 2Chronicles 14:9. It is not uncommon for when the LORD has blessed us, for us to start trusting and depending on the visual blessing instead of the unseen BLESSOR. When we do this, we are leaving the SPIRIT and journeying towards the flesh.
iv.) We get too comfortable. Affliction and trouble have their role in keeping us dependent on The LORD. A righteous man falls seven times but The LORD raises him up. Asa was comfortable for a long time, 35 years, and when trouble came again, Asa seems to have forgotten where his strength came from and not only did he think he could do it by himself but he went ahead and did it.
v.) Pride. Too proud to beg, was part of Asa’s problem, also sometimes our problem. Lack of humility before The LORD. And we know the adage, pride comes before a fall. "Why should I pray?, HE is GOD , HE knows my problem" Such thoughts should be dealt with sooner rather than later. beloved, humble yourself before the LORD.
To answer you, you should pray because HE said pray without ceasing and HE is The LORD. The scripture says The MOST HIGH resists the proud. See the case of one lucifer.
vi.) We are used to people praising us, speaking well to us and we cannot handle being rebuked. We react based on people’s reactions, comments and flattery. We develop an unteachable spirit. Azariah spoke encouragement to Asa, Asa could take it, Hanani spoke rebuke and judgment to Asa and Asa flipped. Let us watch out for this, how do we take criticism and rebuke? If we take it negatively, perhaps w e are well on the way to the flesh.
vii.) We have itching ears to hear only what sounds good to us. Very common in this generation. A sure indicator on the path to the flesh.
viii.) Family trouble. His own family was into idolatry. If the grandmother could brazenly make the idol one wonders who were on her side secretly. Brethren, Joshua says that for him and his house, they shall serve The LORD. What are your family members serving? Have you, being in a position of authority, commanded them to serve The LORD? This may be difficult but you must make an effort towards evangelizing your family otherwise they will be a snare to you. We know that families are very complex units and when a person is sick, the family usually take responsibility for treatment and this can sometimes result in a debacle with all sorts of suggestions running here and there. Could it be that some members of his family were supporting him in his treatment choice?
ix.) Asa did not remove the high places from Israel. 2 Chronicles 15:17. In a nutshell, sin has to be dealt with totally or else it becomes a snare and before we know it, we are headed back to the flesh.
x.) We find it difficult to repent. Asa could have apologized like David but he didn’t. And we are like that too.
xi.) We start publicly shaming and harassing the men of GOD. Beloved, when you find yourself smirking or reacting negatively to Christian leaders whether inwardly or outwardly. That is a sign of a problem. If you have a problem with someone within the faith, there is a mechanism to handle this. Forgiveness is one way. 1 Corinthians 6: 1-9 another. And yet another, involving the discussion with the brother in the presence of other brethren and the final option abandoning the offender to satan. Asa threw the servant of GOD in jail, little chance that the other servants of GOD would dare minister to him. And thus he continued on his path to the flesh. Beloved, among the Christian ranks let us handle our dirt privately and not in handing out anti-Christian rhetoric to satans children. Enough of bringing our leaders down in public, let us look for ways of addressing this through Christian forums. This pastor bashing, lack of respect and irreverence towards the LORD and the church must stop. Christians must stop making and laughing at jokes and memes targeted at the faith, our LORD and related matters. No wonder we are taken less and less seriously as the days proceed. let the heathen do that, but you child of GOD stay away from this irreverence.
xii.) We start oppressing others. When you notice that you are making the lives of others difficult, be careful that you are not on the way back to the flesh. Asa at the end of his reign began oppressing his people and before long HE was not seeking The LORD .
Beloved, backsliding is a sad reality among Christians. The scripture warns us to look out for this and be careful not to end up in the way of the flesh. This could result in your name being expunged from the LAMB’s Book of Life, and this for sure is a tragedy.
Beloved, the scripture informs us, "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:15.
Do you want to know JESUS as your personal Lord and Savior? Your eternity is at stake! JESUS has opened the door of salvation to every person. But there is coming a day when the door will be closed. Today is the day of salvation. Choose to be in the family of GOD. JESUS died so that we can spend eternity in Heaven with HIM. Don't delay! And if you want to begin a relationship with GOD or resume a broken one, say this: O GOD, I come to YOU today. I know I am a sinner. I believe that JESUS died on the cross to save me and HE resurrected on the third day. I repent of my sins and forsake them. I confess JESUS as my LORD and SAVIOR . I invite JESUS into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank YOU JESUS for saving me and making me a child of GOD. Amen.
