Go beyond your comfortable zone
Genesis 22:5”Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you."
Abraham had to leave behind the donkey, servants and go further with his only beloved son Isaac because now they were going to have an intimate one to one talk with God. You cant take donkeys with you and your servants who have a slave mentality, you now are going to the next dimension with God. Anybody hearing me? People with slave mentality would say,” he is crazy to hear some voice and go now to offer his son’, ‘ she is crazy to resign her job and join ministry’ yes…..these are slave-talks, now God wants you to have a SON-mentality who can call Him Abba Father. Clap hands for God, will you? Leave behind your girl friend, your boy friend, your other relatives who cannot understand your calling, leave behind your mobile and other silly things that is coming between you and your God. Leave! Get closer to fast and pray!
Abraham put the wood on Isaac’s back, because he was teaching him how to carry the weight, Heavenly Father put all the sins of the world on the back of his son Jesus Christ so that through Him the world will get redemption. Are you understanding the bigger picture of God in your life? The few hours that Abraham and Isaac spent after walking away from other stuff none will know, because the only audience was God. Wow! What happened from the sixth hour to the ninth hour when there was utter darkness over the land, none will know except Jesus and His Father.( Mathew 27:45)What happened inside the emergency room, operation room none will know except you and God…none will understand your pain and agony…It was in the emergency room as I was pleading with God during my second delivery that I made a covenant with God that I will resign and join full time ministry. Click Link to read my full testimony:
https://worshipjesusministriestrust.org/aboutus.php
Some deep commitments are made during the utter dark period in our life. Stay calm as you walk through the valley of death, God has not left your side, His rod and His staff will comfort you.(Psalm 23:4)
GO BEYOND AND STRETCH:
2 King 4:3”Then he said, "Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few.4 Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside."
When you shut the door behind yourself for an intimate meeting with God, I assure you “the windows of heaven will open for you and God would pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”(Malachi 3:10)Isn’t that exciting?
Jesus clearly points out the benefits we receive when we shut the door for prayer:
Mathew 6:6 “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your
Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Have you ever been in a situation which looked absolutely hopeless? Situations in your life look so grim that you feel that there is no way out. Are you there? I want to tell you today that God would make a way for you! Amen. The above passage tells of Elisha’s instructions to the widow of a prophet who comes crying to him, because her late husband had left behind huge debts and the creditors were claiming for her two children in exchange for the money. Elisha looked at her and said, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" The widow replied that she has nothing except a jar of oil. Elisha gave her a set of instructions for the grieving lady and nothing else.
GO OUTSIDE AND BORROW VESSELS:
Elisha told her: a) go outside b) borrow vessels from all the neighbors (not just a few) c)empty vessels and d) then shut the door along with her two sons e) pour the oil into the vessels. The widow and her sons now had to ‘go beyond and stretch’ in order to have a miracle in their life. Well, the most outstanding instruction was “shut the door behind yourself and the two sons!” They had suffered much and had been humiliated much, now it was God’s time to bless them much. Most of us want miracles to happen in our life but we never want to shut ourselves with God.
When Pastor Paul Yonggi Cho was a young minister with several thousand members in his church, he felt greatly blessed and actually drifted into complacency in his ministry. Then God allowed the perplexity of physical weakness in his body. He developed a case of nervous exhaustion and some problems with his heart. He had difficulty to simply carry out even his daily tasks. During that period, God drew him close to Him and showed many changes that needed to take place in his life. (From Pastor Paul Yonggi Cho’s book “Solving Life’s Problems”) Sometimes through sickness God shuts the door to be close with Him.
Elisha did not say, let me see how much money I have in my bank account, instead he gives her instructions to ‘GO OUTSIDE ‘ from her comfortable zone and also use ‘her own resources’. This was no spectacular modus operandi for a super flow miracle. It was the most weird plan. The widow takes a remarkable step which was the reason for the whole miracle! Verse 5 says, “So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her.” That’s fantastic faith! The important key to blessings is obedience! She did not linger behind to question the authenticity of the instructions, ‘she just obeyed.’ When she shut the door with a giant faith with her two sons to pour the oil into the empty cans, God stepped in to fill the cans. Hallelujah! In fact, both her sons were involved in carrying the jars. The empty jars filled up, but the jar she was pouring from did not run dry. She kept pouring and pouring! Amazing! Many times we pray for the situation to change. We desperately want God to deliver us from the situation but we are not willing to do as God says. Through the Word, we receive certain instructions - some things we need to do or change, but we are unwilling to obey and therefore fail to experience the miracle that God has planned for us. Are you listening?
The boys had the tough task of visiting all the neighbors and asking them for empty vessels. This is GOING BEYOND! They did not ridicule Elisha for this absurd instruction because they believed the word of the prophet. From where did the oil come? From heaven! Can we give a shout of praise! If you really want God’s miracles then you must get alone with God. Shut the door! The boys must have been awed when they saw the oil flowing into the empty vessels. God did not say go borrow money, rice or dhal but he said, ‘just go get the empty cans’, the woman stepped out in faith and experienced an amazing provision in her life. Elisha tells her, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest." He is surely a God of abundance! It all started with her faith in shutting the door which enabled God to open His Hands! When we are at the end of our road, we should turn to Him, listen to Him and take the step of faith and walk on. Don’t try to reason out God’s ways and plans, just obey! Let us remember what the Lord says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 55:8)
The prophet Elisha had God’s purpose in his mind, when he instructed the widow to ‘Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors’, the boys might have initially felt humiliated to visit all the neighbors and collect empty vessels, however, God not only gave them abundance through His provision, but also changed their humiliation to joy. Since they had visited the entire neighborhood for empty vessels, after the miracle, the entire town came to know of it. God’s name was thereby glorified! God changed their shame to fame! When I was brought home in a stretcher from the hospital, the people in the entire street came to see me; I felt ashamed, hopeless and helpless, to be carried by strangers, however, God later healed me, gave me a beautiful baby boy, I rejoined work and went in my scooter to office; God lifted my head in the same place where I felt miserable. Psalm 3:3’But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.’
I like prophet Elisha’s bold confidence when he says in advance, “when one is full, set it aside” My, that’s faith! He knew God would pour down His blessing behind the closed door! That’s fantastic! This is what it means by saying, ‘walk the talk!’ Are you listening?
