2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. 2 Kings 4:2-4
In these scriptures, the prophet told the handmaid to search out vessels from all the neighbors, even if those vessels were empty. It didn’t matter in this instance if the vessels were empty, because through faith, she had a pot of oil. It was important for her to follow the steps completely. When she returned she was to come in and shut the door, as a sign of separation. Sometimes we must spend quality time focused on those things that matter the most. With her pot of oil she was to start pouring into all of the vessels, and when they became full, she was to set them aside. This continual process of filling and setting aside, continued until there was no more vessels to fill.
I can imagine that as she began to pour the oil she was excited and maybe a bit concerned about what it all meant for her and her family, but her obedience gave her a miracle of provision. She had enough to pay her debt and then, had enough to feed her family, continually.
When a vessel was full, it was set aside. In the spiritual realm, we are vessels. If a vessel is full, there are only two options available for us: Empty the vessel into someone else (invest time to disciple), or set it aside and do nothing. The consequences of doing nothing could make the difference in someone following Christ or being lost forever.
There is a difference in “doing nothing” and “being still.” Doing nothing requires no effort, no commitment, no consistency, no zeal. By not investing in prayer and supplication, or worship, you are doing nothing and the results of doing nothing costs tremendously. God forbid that we stop uniting in prayer because it doesn’t fit in with our over packed schedule. Our God is a jealous God, and he knows what we will face in the months ahead; let’s not get so busy with excuses to realize that the most important thing is to follow Christ. We are not promised tomorrow.
A prayerless church will not have strength to stand in the face of adversity. We must take up our shield of faith, and sword of the spirit, and be ready to fight for what we have in Christ.
You may say that times are changing and the things that once were not allowed in the church, could be more accepted in this 21st century church. It is a trap. As I read in my bible, God hasn’t changed. “Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” It also tells us in 2 Thessalonians:
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. (2 Thessalonians 13-15).
“Stand fast and hold the tradition which ye have been taught” What this scripture doesn’t say is when you get tired of the way things have always been, that it’s time to start dismantling the foundation. Remember that the foundation of a building is the very glue that holds it together. When we become lackadaisical in our worship or our relationship with God, the foundation that we stand on, begins to erode. Without a strong foundation, the church will fall. It may not be immediately noticeable, because it happens gradually over time as our attitudes and lifestyle moves further away from what we were first taught.
People who are new to this salvation are looking for strong leadership. On the day of the Lord’s return, they want to know without one doubt that they are ready to meet the Lord. It’s not a time to let go of biblical standards for the sake of not offending someone.
20But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
It’s better to offend and snatch someone out of “the fire,” than it is to do nothing and have them to ask, “why did you not tell me, I could have been saved?”
Our sole purpose is to fulfill the great commission, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature…” once people are reached, they must be taught how to fight the powers of darkness. The bible says to “Resist the devil and he will flee.” Do you have the strength to pull away from the jaws of death and make your way back to the place where you first met him?
Have you lost your first love? It’s time to, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). He is still on the throne. He is still in control. Let’s don’t hand over our relationship with God to the world. Let’s hold fast as in Revelation 3: 7-13:
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
8I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 9Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 10Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 12Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. 13He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Click on the link below to read this week’s Lattereign.
In the Time of the Lattereign 