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"I Won't" vs "I Can't"
Topic Started: Dec 20 2008, 12:13 PM (519 Views)
Stace
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"I Won't" vs. "I can't"


Today, the Lord spoke early about changing our attitudes towards persecution. Say "Thank you" and know our reward is great, also rejoice. Know that the times of persecution were hard, but even Paul had his statements regarding his sufferings, but he also acknowledged they were persecutions and rejoiced that he could share in the suffering cup of Jesus.

Jesus said that all those who follow Him would suffer, so it isn't really an option. Paul said, if you suffer for the wrong you've done, you suffer for naught and receive no reward and is only a result of your wrong actions. However, when you suffer for practicing righteousness in the eyes of God, and suffer persecutions, great is your reward.

The heart is the issue. To say it is "too hard" actually sets you up for receiving a seed of turning away from the Lord. The Lord promises to be our protection and knowing He will protect us gives us a forward push -- accepting an attitude of something being "not good" pushed us down into a mind set of being less than zealous to do what the Lord tell us. This small 'lack of zeal' can lead to I Kings 13 syndrome or the death of a prophet at the hands of a prophet.

Scary !!

Prophet's reply to King. Even if you gave me half ...
Same Prophet's reply to old prophet -- I cannot ... I'm not allowed.


This mindset opened the door to hear words of the demonic realm to come through the old prophet.
Before you enter into "active duty" there are things that seek to destroy you -- you must understand. This is what training periods are for. The prophet was strong toward the king to whom the message was intended -- but became -- "cannot -- not allowed" to one who represented his own ranks.


So what was in the heart of the man of God? The true prophet in active duty? Where did he go wrong?

First consider -- he did not wake up one day and just decide to be a man of God, and deliver a message to the King. This prophet had to have been schooled by the Holy Spirit in some great way for his message was to the king of Israel. The message to the king also carried proof that it was from God by the miracles: the withered hand and ashes coming out of the altar. Normally these assignments are not given to the "un-established."

The Word tells us the prophet was found under an oak tree. Sitting. We first reason that he was just taking a rest from his long, without food, without drink, journey. Seems natural. Anyone might be able to see themselves taking a brief rest under the shade of a large tree. But, by looking just a few chapters ahead to Elijah - we see him on a journey without food and drink. 40 days. Fed at the beginning of the journey by the angels of God. Consider what this might mean. God must have provided supernatural strength for this prophet too, as long as he obeyed.

Next, consider how he was found. As the word about what had happened and whom the prophet had talked to, the prophet was not so hard to find. The Lord has said he should go home another way, not the way he went to the King. In the Bible, this type of warning means "in order to avoid danger." Remember magi visiting Jesus? They too were warned to take another path, not a known path, not a predictable path. This prophet was on a different path, but it was a predictable path. Consider the old prophet's question, "Which was did he go?" so they told the old prophet. He saddled his donkey and headed out, finding the your prophet under a tree.

Step back and look at this for a minute. The old prophet carried a message of death for the younger prophet -- it would have been good if he'd never found him. Right? Since there was a message of death coming to him -- and since he could be found by someone easy enough -- and since he had been warned by the Lord concerning his path back-- because of all of this -- thereby we can see the man of God had a problem.

Well, didn't we already know that? Yes. But this also rules out the problem of the old prophet. Yes, the old prophet had a problem, but just because someone else has a problem does not mean they should be able to destroy us. Somewhere, the man of God left something inside and let his guard down.

In the conversation with the old prophet, we can see that in 3 shots he was dead.
1. He was found.
2. His first answer gave room for more conversation, (I am not allowed) is to say that the man of God no longer "owned" the Words of God as his own. He had lost the integrity of this situation. (Children don't steal candy because the will be punished. But as adults, we don't steal because we own the integrity not to steal. We are no longer controlled by "I am not allowed.")
3. He listened to another's voice. Not the Lord's.

The Lord has given us His Word, the Bible, so that we can learn and grow. As we increase in understanding of our lives and how out lives relate to our Heavenly Father, we can be better warned as to who or what our enemies are and how they work.
Our downfalls comes from within us. We let things slip up on us and knock us clear off the path. In come cases, our slip-ups can cost us our lives, or the loves we are entrusted with.

Let us examine ourselves closely with the help of the Holy Spirit and remove from ourselves anything that would separate us from our Father in Heaven and also anything in us that would prevent us from doing His will to it fullest.
Let us be these He can trust to get the job done.

stace
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