THE LORD’S ATTITUDE TO THE WEAK

Isaiah 35:3 says strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.

After Elijah had executed 450 prophets of Baal, Jezebel arose and sent dead threats to him. Immediately Elijah received this in 1 Kings 19:1-8, he began to run for his life. The mighty man of God who had just called down fire from heaven was threatened by a woman and He began to shake –his faith in God grew weak. He ran to God and began to complain. He began to boast to God how he had been faithful and all that. He prayed that the Lord should kill him. Instead of killing Elijah, He sent him food. It was shocking that Elijah who had been praying for death saw food and ate – one will expect him to reject the food but he didn’t. After He ate and drank, He slept. The Lord sent an angel again to wake him up and eat and the prophet ate and drank again and strength returned. After strength returned ,by the time we get to 1 Kings 19:18 we see God pointing out to Elijah that there were at least 7,000 men who had not bowed their knees to any other God ; from that day Elijah never boasted to God about his faithfulness again. In this story, we learn of God’s attitude to the weak. When the faith of Elijah grew weak instead of rebuking him strongly or blaming him or discarding him and picking up someone else or making fun of him or get angry at him, He simply fed him. The Lord is not a user and He looks after His servants.

We need to all learn from this story. The moment of weakness is not the time to blame a person or rebuke them or make fun of them. It is not a time to point out to them why they failed. It is a time to help them back to their feet. Just as the Lord showed pity on Elijah, so also should we show pity on those who are weak or have failed not blame them for their failure. When people fail or backslide as a result of their own doing or disobedience instead telling them that serves them right, let’s first help them get back to their feet before later in a wise away advice them. When someone is low in self esteem, it is not the time to show off your own high self esteem. When a man of God makes a mistake, it is not a time to call our friends and gossip about them. It is not the time to make fun of them or begin to talk bad about them. It is a time to be sober and cry to God for mercy over their soul. Any one party to making fun of men or women of God when they fall is toying with God’s fire .James 5:19 says if anyone wanders from the truth bring him back. God was disappointed in Elijah but He did not show it to him at his weak moments. When your husband or wife makes a mistake or has a weakness or two, it is not the time to compare him to other husbands or her to other wives. It is not the time to remind him or her how she always makes the same mistake. It does not help! When our children comes back with results that are below our expectations instead of calling them names , let’s put measures into place to ensure that they will do better in the next term or semester. Another thing is He kept on feeding Elijah until He received the strength. Isaiah 35:3 says strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. It is wickedness to make a weak hands weaker and feeble knee feebler. When you see people on the path to destruction instead of wishing that God will destroy them, lets pray for them. Remember, only the merciful will obtain mercy from God- Matthew 5:7. If you have ever made fun of anyone who has fallen or made mistakes, go to God and ask Him forgiveness.

ACTION POINT: Look for someone weak today and offer them words of

LEAVE YOUR PAST

 

Tuesday 24 July                                       Bible in one year: John 18-21

Memorise: Brethren , I count not myself to have apprehended : but this one thing i do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, Philippians 3:13

Read : Proverbs 37:23-25

When God uses one of His servants to bless you, you can appreciate that servant of God but appreciate God much more. Why? God is the source of the blessing while His servant is only a vessel. Never turn a vessel into your source. If you do , both you and the vessel may get into trouble with God. It was in light of this Knowledge that Elisha, despite his devotion to Elijah did not forget the God of Elijah. He called for the God of Elijah and not for Elijah or his anointing at the River Jordan (2 Kings 2:13-14). Elisha faced a new reality after the departure of Elijah. It was a new phase for him. You need to walk in understanding that life is in phases. When one phases ends, another begins. Psalm 37:25 says:
I have been young, and now am old; yet have i not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

According to this scripture, there is the phase of being a youth and another phase of being old. A new phase had just began in the life of Elisha. The phase of Elisha the servant, who went everywhere with his master had just ended and another phase of Elisha the national prophet with several attendants had just begun. When the time for his next phase came, he refused to continue in the old phase.
You must be ready to move forward. Stop living in the past. In 1 Samuel 25:1 , after mourning the death of Samuel, David continued with his journey. Life continue irrespective of the challenges of each day, and so must you. Paul had to adopt a strategy of forgetting his past so that he could face his future ( Philippians 3:12-14). Some people have lost their future to their past because somehow, there were never able to put the past behind them. Have you lost someone you love so much? Move on from that spot! Have you lost someone who promised to help sponsor your education or help set you up in business? Move on from that spot and another helper will surface. You could also receive direct help from above.Never allow past failures hinder your success. Also, never allow past victories and successes hinder future ones. Stop dwelling in your past! As long as your remain at the bust stop of life, no new thing will come to you. Move forward! take a step into your future today!

KEY POINT:
If you don’s leave your past, it will continue to hunt you.
Open Heaves by Pastor E.A Adeboye

ARE YOU P.O.O.R

Tuesday 10 July                                    Read bible in one year: Luke 7-9

Memorise: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed , rightly dividing the word of truth . 2 Timothy 2:15

Read 2 Timothy 2 :14-16

When Elijah was parted and taken away from Elisha in 2 Kings 2:11-13 , Elisha tore away his old garment. This connotes that for you to take on a new or higher assignment , it is important to change your clothes. if you are still putting on malice,lies,anger or any work of flesh,your new assignment will not fit you. In addition to tearing his old garment, Elisha took up the mantle that fell from his departed master. This means God gave him an opportunity and he grabbed it.God will give you atleast one opportunity but it is up to you to seize the opportunity. Samson was one person who knew how to seize opportunity. When he was taken bound to the Philistines in Judges 15:14-15, the Spirit of God came upon him and he saw the jaw bone of an ass,he grabbed it and used it.The ability to take every opportunity God gives to you is a determining factor in becoming what God wants you to become. The difference between the rich and poor has to do with how they treat opportunities that came their way. Someone defined the word “poor” as Passing Over Opportunities Repeatedly. Genuinely rich people are rich today because they did not let opportunities pass them by;while a lot of the poor are poor today because they keep procrastinating and hardly ever seized an opportunity God gave to them.

You can observe this trend in christian faith . Show me a fast growing believer and i will show you a convert who did not allow opportunities for growth to pass by unutilized. Everyone that is born again has an ample opportunities for growth. The issue is : what do you do with such opportunities? 2 Timothy 2 :15 says you should study the scriptures as if you are about to sit for an examination. Bible study, faith clinic, revival services,Sunday services,workers retreat,ministers retreats,ministries conferences, monthly Holy Ghost services, Special Holy Ghost services, Conventions,Congresses,Bible College,School of Disciples, School of Missions, etc., are all avenues for growth. In addition books authored by anointed man and women of God are available for study by the one who wants to be outstanding. Are you grabbing these opportunities? The more you grab the more outstanding you become.

KEY POINT: Opportunities grabbed and utilised add to the user but opportunities ignored diminish the one to which they were sent.