The Difference With The Acts Of Gehaxi

The Difference With The Acts Of Gehazi

II Kings 4:32-33 NKJV

[32] When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. [33] He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. 

Theres a difference between the acts of Gehazi and Elisha. The one was just drama on instructions, the other was acts with discernment. Before anything, Elisha talked the matter out with God. There lies the difference. The foundation for any Prophetic actions begins with communing with God in prayers.  Let us dig a bit deeper.

   Joan Emery from New Zealand explains how it fits with the spoken word of prayers. " A prophetic act is more than - or differs from - a spoken word of prophecy, or word of knowledge.  It’s an action, something we DO under the anointing and unction of the Holy Spirit as a step of faith, as an act of obedience to release the power, the presence and the victory of God into a situation. Yes, it can include prophecy and words of knowledge, or it can be an act that stands alone without any ‘extras’.  The Bible records many prophetic acts, but there is no set pattern to go by – the Holy Spirit never gets in a rut". 

   Prophetic actions are a  " rise in prophetic proclamations and declarations". And there are moments when our prayers take on prophetic wings. This was it. The child had to come back to life. Elisha had no Elijah around anymore to go and report like Gehazi did, that it didnt work. It had to work. Has anyone been there? Where you say, God has to answer. I have been there several times in my life.

   After the prophetic acts that followed, the child sneezed and came back to life. May every dead circumstances around you receive the Zoe of God, and come back to life. This is a foreshadow  of our resurrection in Christ Jesus. Good morning.

Opportunity For Ministry

Opportunity For Ministry 

II Kings 4:31 NKJV

[31] Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awakened.”

When you serve, watch out for the opportunities that God will provide for your ministry to grow. Here's the first opportunity for Gehazi. What an opportunity it was for him to experience the supernatural. Gehazi didn't read David Abioye's Spiritual Apprenticeship. He should have. Paul admonishes the the Phillipians, " Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put into practice." - Phil.4:9. Here was the opportunity to put into practice all the supernatural he had witnessed from the master.

   Here's an excerpt from David Abioye's observations on the matter. "We have a duty to present, protect and preserve the worth of ministry in our generation. How long we stand the challenges of our times is a function of how well we lay our foundation for ministry. It is my observation that every man designs and determines the measure of grace and anointing he receives for fulfilling his calling. Each man‟s results is traceable to his training". What happened to Gehazi raises questions about the grace he received from Elisha. I feel your mind.

In 2 Kings 5:20-27, this same Gehazi ran after Naaman to get a booty of ministry without the Master's consent. You may not be very surprised that he couldn't do what he was asked to do by the master.

    Here's a quote you may need to keep by. " Paul’s method was that of apprenticeship, that is always God’s method of training workers". —Oswald Chambers in Workmen of God. If you're experiencing being used as an apprentice, stay on. Opportunity will come someday. Good morning.

Opportunity For Ministry

Opportunity For Ministry 

II Kings 4:31 NKJV

[31] Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awakened.”

When you serve, watch out for the opportunities that God will provide for your ministry to grow. Here's the first opportunity for Gehazi. What an opportunity it was for him to experience the supernatural. Gehazi didn't read David Abioye's Spiritual Apprenticeship. He should have. Paul admonishes the the Phillipians, " Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put into practice." - Phil.4:9. Here was the opportunity to put into practice all the supernatural he had witnessed from the master.

   Here's an excerpt from David Abioye's observations on the matter. "We have a duty to present, protect and preserve the worth of ministry in our generation. How long we stand the challenges of our times is a function of how well we lay our foundation for ministry. It is my observation that every man designs and determines the measure of grace and anointing he receives for fulfilling his calling. Each man‟s results is traceable to his training". What happened to Gehazi raises questions about the grace he received from Elisha. I feel your mind.

In 2 Kings 5:20-27, this same Gehazi ran after Naaman to get a booty of ministry without the Master's consent. You may not be very surprised that he couldn't do what he was asked to do by the master.

    Here's a quote you may need to keep by. " Paul’s method was that of apprenticeship, that is always God’s method of training workers". —Oswald Chambers in Workmen of God. If you're experiencing being used as an apprentice, stay on. Opportunity will come someday. Good morning.

It Is Well

It Is Well.

II Kings 4:23-25 NKJV

[23] So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.” And she said, “It is well.” [24] Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” [25] And so she departed, and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. So it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, the Shunammite woman! 

The enemy watches to see how youll react when things happen around you. It enjoys the drama because it thinks it has scored a point. Most mature believers understand this, so they keep their feelings under check. You don't win spiritual warfare with too much demonstration of how painful the devil's attack has been. This Shunammite is a model. 

    She left the child on Elisha's bed and went to look for the prophet. Four times, she's confronted enough to have broken down and cry as a sister and a mother, but she insisted that it is well. First to the husband who raised reasons she shouldn't travel. Then to Gehazi's questions. All the answers were: It is well. Let me assure you, no matter what you're experiencing, it is well. 

    Someone says, " The enemy may want you to react in ways that are negative, such as: Frustrating you.

The enemy may try to frustrate you so that you curse them out, gossip about them, or treat them badly", or even cry and regret ever being a child of God. Don't give in. Its but a moment. Amy Blossom says, " To win battles you need to know your enemy, but more importantly, you need to know your enemy's tactics. This is especially true in a spiritual battle". 1Peter 5;8 says your enemy looks like a roaring lion. Dont fear. Dont react. Look for God. Don't forget that the devil is a liar and the father of it John 8:44.

  The only time the woman opened up was before the Prophet. Dont just open up for sympathies. It does nothing. And she wouldn't let him go until he came with her. Phew! Thank you Lord. I see your condition, and I say: It is well with you. Hold on. Good morning.

The Power Of Motherhood

The Power Of Motherhood 

II Kings 4:20-22 NKJV

[20] When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. [21] And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. [22] Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.”

Our verses today raise the questions about the role of  mothers in children development. We agreed in our previous vignette that the father failed as most would do even today. These verses turns to the mother, the Shunamite. The child is now dead. But for the mother, that is a story for the gods. 

   You can literally feel her stoic attitude concerning the matter. She was either indifferent or unaccepting of the reality. The only thing that mattered was a living child. Her faith had gone through the rafters. This is a picture of the attitude of most mothers when confronted with problems concerning their kids. At such moments, mothers can fight to their death because of the child. She was set to win. 

   She did by the end of the day. The rest of the verses are the details of how she accomplished the feats. This miracle could only be achieved by a mother. Hannah Spencer explains the role of mothers to their children. " Mothers influence their children's attachment style, emotional regulation and empathy, social skills, cognitive development, their sense of self, and a variety of other traits. The bond between a mother and her child is not only profound but also significantly influential to the child's growth and development". A detailed explanation of these words are beyond the scope of this vignette.  Someone else says, " A mother plays many roles from the mother-child relationship to teaching about the world, language, sharpening their thinking skills, supporting, taking care and many more. Nobody in the world will love you as much as your mother does. Mothers offer unconditional and self-love, care and support". It may not be said better. That the child lived, we owe entirely to the mother. Are there other kinds of mothers than this? Share with us. What was God's original intentions for mothers? As a mother, do you fit into this? Good morning.

When The Child Got Sick

When The Child Got Sick

II Kings 4:18-19 NKJV

[18] And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. [19] And he said to his father, “My head, my head!” So he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 

We don't know much about the husband of this Shunamite. We do know he behaved like a typical male in parenting. What's about a typical male? They are unable to take care of children. Here's a submission from a study done by Guardian on 5th July ,2013 by Gideon Burrows. " A little research into equal parenting reveals that the satisfying picture of men routinely sharing childcare is simply a myth. Those surveys are misleading at best. Men haven't taken on childcare in anything like the numbers we've been led to believe". The statistics get alarming as we study more from Burrows. " Figures from the National Office for Statistics reveal that at the end of 2012 there were just over 6,000 more full-time, stay-at-home dads looking after babies and toddlers than there were 10 years ago. Yet in the same period, around 44,000 women have stopped being stay-at-home mothers. The massive gap has been filled by childcare and grandparents, not fathers. Even on Aviva's figures, our children's grandmothers are twice as likely to look after them during the day than their own dads". 

   It may not be a proven fact, but many men feel it is effeminate to take care of children. But they believe it is manly to be the father. This is a family that had no child until the prophet gave a word. The child suddenly developed a headache. The father's reply was to carry him to the mother. Really? What he was doing was more important. It won't surprise you that the wife did not tell him when the child died. She had to find a solution to the problem. God help our mothers.

   It was her job to find the prophet and get the child back to life. What about the father? Rob Williams of Fatherhood Institute is quoted as saying, " Now maternity leave is so much longer than paternity leave," he says, "it has led to the woman becoming officially viewed as the child carer, which actually gives women less equality in the workplace".  How is that cultural expression in your environment? Would this be a pointer that women are more spiritual and more caring than men? Share your opinion with us in this matter. Good morning.