Sunday January 9, 2022  Teaser

Kill them with kindness:  to cause discomfort to someone by treating him or her in a way that is extremely kind or helpful Instead of returning the insult, you might try killing her with kindness. The phrase originated as the expression “kill with kindness as fond apes do their young,” referring to the notion that such animals sometimes crushed their offspring by hugging them too hard.

Faith forces you Forward

Elisha Defeats the Plans of the Syrians 
(2 Kings 6:8-14)

8 Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.” 9 The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” 

Note: It would be great if some men and woman of God would arise in 2022 that actually become the word so they could give a word. I mean we were so saturated in the word that it oozed from our pores. Whenever someone needed a word, Impact Church would rise to the occasion. Let 2022 be the year where we cling to a word from God in Heaven before we entertain a word from man on the earth

10 So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. 11 This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”

Note: The Israelites remembered Elisha as an extraordinary man of God. Elisha committed his life to bringing the Israelite leaders and people back to their covenant with God. He served the Northern kingdom of Israel during Jehu’s bloody revolution against the house of Ahab and Baal worship (2 Kings 9-10). 

Israel was so weakened by internal turmoil that Syria (Aram) began making raids into Israelite territory. Elisha remained at the center of events swirling around his nation.

 Each time the Syrians would make a raid into Israel, their plans were ruined through the revelation given by God to Elisha. Elisha would inform the king of Israel who would then take precautions against their invasions. This naturally ticked off of the king of Aram (Syria) who first thought that he had an informer among his troops (vs. 11). He was then told of Elisha’s ability as a prophet to tell the King of Israel his plans, even while he spoke of them in secret (vs. 12).

The king of Aram knew that if his plans were to be successful, he would have to do away with Elisha. This meant the prophet became the object of his attack. The king inquired of Elisha’s location, who was at that time staying in Dothan. Upon learning of this, he immediately sent an entire army to surround the city and take the prophet with the obvious intention of putting him to death.

 This story also gives us a good illustration of the omniscience of God who knows the plans of the enemy and who has provided special revelation for us that we might be informed to protect ourselves from Satan’s attacks through the full armor that comes to us in Christ.

 (Eph. 6:10-18). The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

12 “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.” 13 “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” 14 Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. 15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

Note: Have you felt surrounded in 2021 like there was no way out, no hope? Like your fear was bigger than your faith! 

We need to give our faith something to look forward to in 22!

Have you ever shouted Lions, Tigers and Bears O MY!!!

13 “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” 

Remember I said, If you never met the devil face to face, you’re going in the same direction!

Expect opposition when you are moving forward and not looking back.

I know the size of my calling based on the size of my problem. The larger the problem, the greater the persecution. But fear not! My promise is in my problem!

Deut 31:8 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

There is an important message here: Don’t take your enemy too seriously. It is important to recall that the “enemy” in this story is not the devil or demons. It is just other human beings who do not understand what serving God is really all about.

Controversial Statement: Quite often the battle you created is in your brain because you are not thinking with the mind of Christ but the mind of man! You then blame the situation you created on the devil and your friends rather than taking responsibility yourself! 

The Israelite king was eager to rid himself of the Syrians who had so easily fallen into his grasp. That would be our normal reaction. But Elisha responded with compassion. Because of this, the Syrians would stop raiding the Israelites. For a time. Soon they would be back to their old tricks. Elisha probably knew they would return and cause more grief. Yet he spared them. 

One of the real tests of being Christian comes when you have the opportunity to nail your enemy, and don’t. We will never be in Elisha’s circumstances. Yet, we will face the same issue in milder forms. 

There is no better example of a compassionate response to enemies than Jesus’ words from the cross: “Father, forgive them for they do not understand what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34). But Jesus understood. And he forgave them.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby says, “When we just talk about things with people, we’re limited to our own thoughts. We circle the drain of human thinking. But when we pray, God can give us new thoughts, new insights. He can burst into our thoughts and show us new ways.”

Let me Pause right here; what is our response? Knowing that your faith will force you forward, that prayer produces peace not panic

REPEAT! FORWARD MARCH

The way of faith forces you forward

SHOUT with me! I’m looking forward! I’m not looking back

I’m looking forward to what God has for me in 2022

Remember? Faith for the Future is found when you focus on the face of the Father.

You can’t look back! You can no longer cry over spilled milk. So, what if someone stole your cookies. GO make some more!

This is the year that you will begin to see with your spirit what you can’t see with your senses. Many of our battles would have been won if we responded to what God was saying on the inside rather than reacting to what the devil is accusing you of on the outside.

Progressive Revelation=While God never changes, our understanding of Him unfolds over time. In other words, it is defined as a surprising fact or event that makes you look at things in a new way. An example of a revelation is when your friend who has always had three dogs suddenly reveals he is a cat person. … An example of a revelation is when you learn a fact that changes the way you look at the world around you.

Revelation that has been concealed will be revealed. You get concepts in the book Matthew about end time events that is revealed deeper in Revelation. As you become a student of the word rather than a reader of the word, those concepts will be revealed so you don’t become a victim of every wind of doctrine.

I would like for us to become students in 2022. We are going to see things as students in 2022 that we only saw a shadow of in our previous seasons of life. It will be from that place that God’s presence will be revealed more clearly.

Progressive revelation means God wants to show you who he really is, not what you think he is or what your perception is. He wants to reveal himself to you- not to you, through me! The Gospel of the Kingdom will be clearer than the gospel of this world.

Let me say this, some of our minds in 2021 were buried in concepts we had no business investigating. Your physical problems were those you created. You ran to the god of panic rather than the God of peace.

Bubbles, boosters and boundaries bombarded our brains in 2021. I believe 2022 will be the year of the breakthrough where we experience a breakout of Holy Ghost baptisms randomly bursting from our belly. 

We have to be very diligent where our source will be in the 2022 season. It can’t be CNN, FB, FOX, CBS, CDC, ABC, NBC, CBC or the BBC.

If we are believing God for a breakthrough and a breakout of his glory in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia we must be careful where our brains go!

You don’t have to post it to prove it. People will see your results more than your intentions.

2022 could very well be the year that the believer would have insider information on what’s happening before it happens. Maybe insider trading. I’m trading my sorrows.

The one who created you knows how to counsel you, correct you and set you on the right course.

Romans 12. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind! He will instruct you in this year to not respond to everyone else’s opinion on social media. Your opinion really doesn’t matter as much as you think and neither does anyone elses. If you are looking for validation, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram creates a false sense of identity. Battles are not won on social media. They are created!  

If you have not figured it out already, God will not give you the strength to fight a battle He didn’t call you to. This year will be the year that you mind your own business and let God finish his business for you!

There is nothing for you to prove or defend. God is your defender

Watch what Elisha says

 16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.18 As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.

Elisha’s assistant,who was understandably upset when he awoke and found the Israelite city surrounded, cried out: 

“Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” This is a question most of us have asked, or will ask, at some point in our lives. We probably will ask it more than once! There is nothing wrong with asking such a question in the face of overwhelming opposition. 

The answer is important for us, though.

When you look at your circumstances today, what do you see? You may be overwhelmed by debt, discouraged by demands you can’t seem to fulfill, or facing an impossible situation.

Whatever your circumstances may be, the prophet, Elisha, had a servant who could relate to what you’re feeling. The servant woke up early one morning and, when he went outside, he looked up and saw an enemy army with horses and chariots surrounding him, and he cried out to Elisha in response, “Oh no! What shall we do?” 

But while the servant was panicking, Elisha found peace in his prayers, despite facing the exact same imminent threat.

When faced with opposition to our ideas, our programs, our efforts to be involved, our attempts to minister or serve God, our first instinct is to fight back. We want to do something. Of course, there are circumstances where we must take action. However, when our first reaction is to strike back, we probably need to stop and evaluate our motives carefully

Elisha’s answer is not a call to fight but a calm response of “Don’t worry.” It is a profound faith that understands the resources that God can bring to bear in our lives as we face opposition and crisis.

Prayer is our means of access to our all-sufficient Savior. As Paul wrote from prison (Phil. 4:6-7), “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

SUPPORT VERSES:

1 Chronicles 28:20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it

1 Kings 8:57 May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us

Proverbs 1:20-33 tells us that if we neglect to get wisdom during calm times, we will not have it when calamity strikes.