Stop Stealing Our Power

An open message to preachers, ministers and teachers...stop stealing our power! Stop misinterpreting scripture and foisting denominational lies upon us! Stop crippling the glorious Body of Christ! I realize that you're not doing it intentionally, but c'mon...give us all a break!

I listened to a sermon yesterday where the minister was warning the congregation that faith was not to be used to manipulate God or the universe—physical matter, or circumstances. He went on to say that this is not faith but fantasy, a delusion.

Of course, true faith does not manipulate God, nor can He be manipulated! But the Bible clearly states, in many places, that His works are finished, settled forever, and Jesus told us exactly how to access these finished works...by faith! He demonstrated how to manipulate the natural world, and then told us to do it! Doesn't anyone read this stuff?

What is Faith, Exactly?
Faith is the power that sees the unseen and speaks to mountains, trees and sick bodies and puts the will of God into motion in the earth! Faith is how you reign in life, and you're not going to reign in life unless you learn to manipulate the natural, physical world.

Hebrews 11:1 says 'Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.' The Hebrew words for assurance—hupostasis—also mean substance, that which has actual existence...a substance, real being.

The Hebrew word of conviction—elegchos—can also be translated as a proof or evidence. So we see that faith is that which sees the real substance or proof of that which is unseen. And we know from various Gospel passages that Jesus taught the way to exercise that faith to bring the unseen into the seen was by talking to physical things. He called it having faith in God! [Mark 11:22]

Now if Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who is the author of the New Testament, tell me to manipulate the natural world by my faith—seeing the unseen and speaking to things—why are all the preachers telling me not to do it? Telling me that it's not real, a delusion? Taking the power given to me as a Christian and guilting me into not using it?

What is that about? I can guess...can you?

The Deceiver
I think the Deceiver has wormed his way into doctrines over the last 2000 years to cripple us, to make us powerless and ineffective. He knows Colossians 1:11 and Ephesians 3:16...he knows that we're strengthened with all power in our inner man, that Jesus said we would do greater works than He did [John 14:12]. He knows we're one Spirit with the Lord, and that God dwells in us individually and corporately.

He's read the Book of Proverbs and knows how the system works, and he knows that Jesus taught us how to work that system. So what's a devil to do? Lie through his teeth to anyone who will listen and pollute the truth...cripple us at every turn so that we lay down our power and live as slaves, even though every shackle has been broken.

God's Will
If we really knew and understood God's will as outlined in the Bible—I mean really, really got it—we would be the powerhouse in the earth that we are destined to be, individually and as the Body of Christ.

I've got news for you...God's will is good and it is all-inclusive! Jesus said "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen GLADLY to give you the kingdom." [Luke 12:32]

He didn't give us the kingdom begrudgingly, and He's not doling it out in little crumbs so we don't have too much...

Hebrews 4 says He, the Father, has RESTED FROM HIS WORKS! Verse 3 says that His works were finished from the foundation of the world!

This is spiritual reality...when the Holy Spirit, writing 2 Corinthians 1:20, said 'For as many as are the promise of God, in Him they are yes...' He meant it! Every promise of God is YES...not 'sometimes the answer is no,' not 'we don't know why God is [fill in the tragedy]'...YES, YES, YES!

All Things
If you've been reading this blog for any time at all, you know that God is a God of All Things. Consider the following scriptures...

'And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."' [Matthew 19:26]

'And Jesus said to him, "'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes." [Mark 9:23]

'He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?' [Romans 8:32]

'For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.' [1 Corinthians 3: 21-23]

'I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.' [Philippians 4:13]

'Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.' [1 Timothy 6:17]

I think these New Covenant scriptures are pretty self-explanatory. Because we are one Spirit with the Lord, and all things were created by and for Him [Colossians 1:16] they belong to us, as well. We are truly joint or co-heirs with Jesus!

And this is not some greedy delusion...it is God's will!

'But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption...' [1 Corinthians 1:30]

Lied To...
We've been lied to about God and about Who is really is for millennia. So long, in fact, that it is almost impossible for us to truly grasp Who He is and what His will really looks like. These lies are so ingrained into our doctrines and culture that anyone who dares to say differently is immediately branded a heretic and mouthpiece for Satan.

Romans 12:2 says 'And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.'

James 1:17 says 'Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, which Whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.' Imaging that!

How about Psalm 84:11? 'For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.'

Hallelujah! This is GOOD news, people! God is a good God, and He has ALREADY given us all things richly to enjoy! This work was finished from the foundation of the world.

According to Psalm 23:5, He has prepared a table before us IN THE PRESENCE OF OUR ENEMIES...here on the earth, and our CUP OVERFLOWS! Notice He doesn't stop pouring when the cup overflows...He keeps pouring until it overflows! How very politically un-correct of Him to be so wasteful!

I think, and this is just my opinion, He doesn't think of overflowing abundance as wasteful because He doesn't think in terms of lack. Waste is only defined by lack...and if He lacks anything, He just speaks more into existence! [please, no hate mail]

One Last Thing
Although we have been redeemed from the curse of the law [Galatians 3:13], the Old Testament shows us how God thinks about things. This is an actual scripture...no, I didn't make it up out of some demonic leading to spout heresy...it's in the Book!

'So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the LORD your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. They shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.' [Deuteronomy 28:45-48]

Yes, yes, it's true. God's will is for us to enjoy, richly, all things. And we are to access His finished works by our faith. When you use your faith to access health or wealth or protection from evil, you are right smack in the center of God's will. Period.

Speaking of the Israelites inability to enter the Promised Land--God's good and perfect will for them, an abundant, wonderful place--Paul wrote 'For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.'

Faith is not manipulating God...it is the way we access what God has already prepared for us who love Him! It's His way, His plan, His MO. It is, in fact, the way He created the physical world, and it is His will that we access all that is ours by it.

So, I implore preachers and teachers...stop binding our power! Stop crippling the glorious Body of Christ! Stop telling us what we can't or don't have and start telling the truth!

I really don't need any more homilies on life, any more sermons on why God is using adversity to teach me things. I'm not going to church for a therapy session...I need to be developed and built up to all the fullness of God [Ephesians 3].

If I knew who I really was, how to access the finished works of God by faith to reign in life, which is His purpose for me, I wouldn't have any need for therapy! I wouldn't need sermons on depression...the joy of the Lord is my strength! [Nehemiah 8:10] That's a forever settled, finished work that belongs to me now, to be accessed by faith!

Make No Mistake
Adversity has one author—Satan—and one purpose—to kill, steal and destroy. [John 10:10] Make no mistake about it...by it Satan keeps us distracted, bound and powerless.

Time to put him in his place. According to Luke 10:19 we have been given authority over ALL the power of the enemy, and Colossians 2:15 says Jesus disarmed all spiritual rulers and authorities! If anyone actually knew that and knew how to enforce his defeat, the Church might actually finish the work we've been given to do!

If we weren't all sick, broke and grieving over loved ones 'taken home' prematurely, we could focus on who we really are in Christ. If someone would actually tell us what the Bible really says—speak the truth in love—we would grow up in all aspects into Him Who is the head, even Christ! [Ephesians 4:15]

Enough of these lies! Enough, enough! Enough.

The God of Hope

'Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.' [Romans 15:13]

This is a wonderful verse that shows us not only a facet of God's character but also His will for us.

In this verse, He is called the God of Hope. The Greek word Theos means the Trinity as a whole as well as each individual member: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

This is a Holy Spirit inspired prayer! He is calling Himself the God of Hope, and praying for you that He fill you--to make full, to cause to abound, to supply liberally, to make complete, to fill to the top, nothing wanting--with ALL joy and peace IN BELIEVING. Why? So that we will abound in hope by the POWER of the Holy Spirit!

The Greek word for power here is dunamis--strength, power, ability--the power for performing miracles!

This is a dynamic, powerful prayer! He is the God of Hope, Himself praying that He fill us up to the brim with ALL joy and peace in believing, so that we will abound--overflow, excel, be furnished richly so as to have abundance--in hope by the miracle-working power of the Holy Spirit.

All joy and peace in believing--the power of hope, from the God of Hope! Hallelujah!

God's Ways

If you've read the Bible at all, or even remember any of the stories you heard in Sunday School, you'll remember that the most miraculous, memorable events didn't happen by any common means.

The situations that people found themselves in were common to man, alright--death, disease, debt, war, famine, slavery--but not God's solutions.

God said it Himself in Isaiah 55...

'"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," saith the Lord.'

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."' [Isaiah 55:8,9]

Of course, these verses are usually used to explain why we can't understand why God has done something terrible, like burn down a church or kill children or let terrorists kill thousands of people.

But that's not what it means!

Wealth...The Mark of the Covenant

I can't tell you how many sermons I've heard on Deuteronomy 8:18.

'But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.' [NAS]

And every one of them was explaining that the only reason God wants to prosper Christians is so they can give to establish His covenant on the earth...and we'd better not keep too much back for ourselves!

It's a great idea—surely the New Testament encourages giving. And giving should come naturally to us, because we're the love children of a Love God Who gives us all things richly to enjoy! He gave us the kingdom...even His Son, as the sacrifice to redeem or buy us back!

But that's not what this verse means, and when it's used incorrectly, it's usually accompanied by guilt and condemnation...a sure sign of legalism!

The KJV says that God gives power to get wealth to establish His covenant. Both versions are correct: the Hebrew word quwm [pronounced 'koom'] means to establish, confirm, to make binding, to carry out, to fulfill—to prove, ratify or make valid.

In other words, the power to get or make wealth is a fulfillment of the covenant that He made with Israel's fathers...Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is a blessing that is binding upon Him to carry out, to prove or validate His covenant. It is, in reality, ratifying or proving a covenant that is already in effect.

But That Doesn't Apply to Us...
Yes, it does. Galatians 3 spells it out pretty clearly:

'Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham...So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer...Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"--in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

'And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.'

So the covenant that God made with Abraham is binding upon us as well. Romans 11 teaches that we have been grafted into Israel, and as brethren of Jesus, descendant of David, we are of the ruling tribe of Judah.

Wealth has always been a mark of God's covenant with man, from Adam to Noah to Abraham to Job to David to Solomon and beyond…right down to us. It ratifies, or confirms His covenant...it is not a cause of the covenant but an effect.

'For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.' [2 Corinthians 8:9]

We've all heard how this verse is only talking about spiritual wealth. But the first Greek word for rich, describing Jesus, is plousios, which actually means wealth, abounding in material resources. Sounds like the Son of God to me...

The Greek word for poor, ptochos, means reduced to beggary, destitute of wealth, influence, position, honor...helpless, poor, needy. That pretty much describes someone nailed to a cross!

And the second Greek word for rich, referring to us, is plouteo, meaning to be rich, to have abundance of outward possessions.

This is material wealth anyway you slice it. Wealth is a blessing...contrary to popular belief, it is not earned, but bestowed as a mark of the covenant. It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it. [Proverbs 10:22]

Yes, with our wealth we are to administer the kingdom. But that is not the only reason God desires to prosper us...it's not even the first reason He blesses us! He desires to prove what His good and perfect and acceptable will is, that in all respects we should prosper and be in good health, just as our souls prosper! [3 John 2] He desires to demonstrate His love for us, and through us to the world.

‘He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?’ [Romans 8:32]

And here’s one no one dares preach…

‘Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, for the ABUNDANCE OF ALL THINGS; therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.’ [Deuteronomy 28:47,48]

Many well-meaning preachers have credited Abraham’s great wealth to his giving a tenth of spoils to Melchizedek, but it was the blessing of the Lord that made Abram VERY RICH, before He ever changed his name to Abraham. In fact, he and his nephew had so many possessions the land couldn’t sustain them both. [Genesis 13]

And we’ve been made Abraham’s heirs—heirs of the world! [Galatians 3:9,13-14; Romans 4:13-25]

Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ! [Romans 8:14]

In fact, Proverbs 15:6 says ‘Great wealth is in the house of the righteous…’ and that’s us! Not because of anything we’ve done but because Jesus has made us the righteousness of God! And Proverbs 8:21 declares that Wisdom endows those who love her with wealth! Jesus has became to us wisdom! [1 Corinthians 1:30]

So the next time some preacher tries to talk you out of your wealth, don't pay any attention. It's the mark of the covenant!

Hallelujah!

Unbelief

Read What Are The Giants Saying to You?

In meditating on the story of the 12 spies found in Numbers, I turned to Hebrews for a New Covenant explanation of what really happened

'And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient ? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.' [Hebrews 3:18,19]

Paul, in this letter to Jewish Christians, was explaining why Israel did not enter the Promised Land upon leaving their bondage in Egypt, why they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness.

We know from the story that 10 of the 12 spies said that they could not take the land, regardless of what God had promised. And all of Israel sided with the 10, ignoring the 2 holdouts who urged them to step out in faith.

Paul calls this unbelief and disobedience. And it caused Israel to miss out on the manifested, fulfilled promise of God in their lives, individually and collectively.

God's Grace

Every Christian has heard a sermon on 2 Corinthians 12—particularly v.9—where Paul states 'And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."

In almost every instance, we are instructed that this means we are to suffer with whatever is ailing or troubling us. God obviously refused to heal Paul and told him 'sorry, kid...My grace [whatever that is] will have to be sufficient for you...you'll just have to suffer, but My grace will help you...'

In other words, hold your head high, paste on a brave smile and suffer with a song.

Remember Your People

Last Sunday we sang a song begging God to remember His people, remember His promise. It struck me how very Old Covenant those sentiments are, and how completely inappropriate for Christians to sing.

People of the Old Covenant from Noah to David, Isaiah and beyond were always asking God to remember them, remember His covenant with them, remember their sins no more, etc. Which, to be honest with you, I'd find a little obnoxious if I were God. In fact, He says so in Isaiah 49:15. "Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I WILL NOT FORGET YOU." The only thing the Word says He doesn't remember is our sin.

In the Old Covenant, God was separate, outside, 'up there.' And His people were separate from Him, bound by a cause and effect covenant. If they followed His law, they were blessed. If they disobeyed, they were cursed.

He was not in them, or part of them in anyway. They were not born of God--reward and punishment were the only things they could understand. Even the few whom He anointed as prophets, priests or kings were mere men with the anointing poured on them--smeared on, to be exact--for the appointed task.

Pulling Down Strongholds

If you've been a Christian for any time at all, you've probably heard about the weapons of warfare and the pulling down of strongholds.

'For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses [or strongholds—KJV].

'We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ...' [2 Corinthians 10:3-5]

We've all heard it...but what does it mean?

Since we don't live in ancient times, we really have no idea what a stronghold is. A stronghold is defined as a castle, stronghold, fortress; or metaphorically, anything on which one relies.

If you've see Troy, or one of the Lord of the Rings movies, you've seen examples of fortresses. They are fortified cities—walled and defended by armed soldiers. Enemies try to defeat them by siege, force or deception.

The Trojan Horse
The most famous story of conquering a stronghold by cunning is that of the Trojan Horse. For 10 years, the Greek army had tried to conquer the fortified city-state of Troy without success. Finally, a cunning Greek general decided to trick his way in and built a giant wooden horse. He filled it with soldiers, left it at the gate of the city and retreated. Tradition of the time said the defeated offered gifts to the conqueror, and human nature being what it is, the Trojans opened the door and took the horse inside the gates. The rest is history, or at least legend...at night, the soldiers climbed out and took the city!

Why is this relevant? Because Paul was writing to people who knew exactly what a fortress or stronghold was, and knew by current events how they were destroyed. So he tells them that they have weapons to destroy fortresses that are divinely powerful—God-powered, if you will.

Then he tells them what these fortresses are—speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God.

Think of the fortified city of Troy as any strongly held beliefs, assumptions or deceptions that are built up in your mind that are contrary to the true knowledge of God. A contemporary example would be the heresy that God might want to teach you something by sickness or disease. We know from scripture that by His stripes we were healed—3 John 2 says 'Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.'

Or, my personal favorite, we can't know why God does things. First, if it's killing, stealing or destroying, He didn't do it [John 10:10].

Second, 1 Corinthians 2:10, 16 tells us specifically that the role of the Holy Spirit is to reveal all things to us and that we have the Mind of Christ. 1 John 2 tells us that the anointing that we have teaches us all things, and 1 Corinthians 1:30 says that Jesus became to us wisdom. Not only can we know God and His will, He wants us to know!

These strongly held beliefs are thousands of years old, reinforced by society and religion. Even when we see the truth in the Word, it's hard to hold onto it when these speculations raise their ugly heads. Fear and doubt set in and unbelief follows. And, according to Hebrews 3 and 4, unbelief keeps us out of the Promised Land—His rest.

Divinely Powerful Weapons
What are these weapons, then, and how do we use them?

2 Corinthians 6:7 calls them '...the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left...' We know that the primary offensive weapon described in the New Testament is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God [Ephesians 6:17]. The Word is described as being '...living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword...' [Hebrews 4:12] and it comes out of the mouth of Jesus [Revelation 1:16; 2:16; 19:15,21].

Get that? The sword which we have been given is Jesus' own weapon...and IT COMES OUT OF HIS MOUTH!!!

Okay, if the Sword of the Spirit is in our right hand, what is in the left? The shield of faith, of course. Ephesians 6:16 tells us to take up '...the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.'

The shield is a defensive weapon, protecting from the attacks of the enemy. So we see we are given not only an offensive weapon, but a defensive one as well.

Then of course, we are given the FULL ARMOR OF GOD. Not just a piece of His armor, or a junior-sized version...we are given HIS armor to protect us. And guess what? If you read Ephesians 6, you'll see its all the Word! Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation—everything that is summed up in Jesus, the Word that was with God and was God from the beginning, the Word that became flesh. [John 1:1,14]

These are the weapons by which we destroy fortresses of unbelief, deception and heresy in our lives. If a thought comes against the knowledge of God as revealed in the Word, destroy it by your Divinely powerful weapons. Use the Word like a sword, use your faith like a shield. Refuse defeat and you will not be defeated.

Knowing God
Of course, you must know the true knowledge of God before you can discern anything that is contrary to Him to destroy it. If you know someone well, you can easily spot lies told against him or her.

Romans 15:14 says we are filled with all knowledge and 1 Corinthians 1:5 says '...that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge.'

Get this...2 Corinthians 2:14 tell us that we manifest the '...sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.' We smell like the knowledge of Jesus! Hallelujah!

2 Corinthians 4:6 says 'For God, Who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One Who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.' And let's not forget the Holy Spirit's prayer in Ephesians 1:17 '...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and or revelation in the knowledge of Him.'

Colossians 2:3 says that in Jesus '...are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' and we're in Him and He's in us!

So we see that knowing Him is not only possible but His will for us, and that knowledge has already been given.

2 Peter 1:2-4 sums it up beautifully.

'Grace and peace be MULTIPLIED to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him Who called us by His own Glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.'

Back to the Word! We know Him by His Word...by His precious and magnificent promises! Not by His desire to kill our children or blow down our houses, but by His precious and magnificent promises!

A Final Thought...
The Trojan Horse is a great metaphor for the Word of God. It's a gift—let it in and let it do it's job. Let it take over your life and pull down the strongholds!

That Which Has Been Will Be...

A few months ago, I came across some wild, quantum verses in Ecclesiastes...

'That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. 'Is there anything of which one might say, "See this, it is new?" Already it has existed for ages which were before us.' [Ecclesiastes 1:9,10]

'I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear [be in awe before] Him. That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.' [Ecclesiastes 3:14,15]

'Whatever exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he cannot dispute with Him who is stronger than he is.' [Ecclesiastes 6:10]

The writer, Solomon, was the wisest man on the earth in his time. Although He was not born again, He had an anointing for wisdom from God. When reading Ecclesiastes, one gets the feeling that the author sees something but can't quite explain it...like he's got it right on the tip of his tongue but can't quite get it out.

What Are The Giants Saying to You?

Read Numbers 13:1-14:38

You know the story—even non-Christians know the story! Moses sent 12 spies in to reconnoiter the Promised Land. They came back with samples of the fruit of the land, and reported that, yes, the land did indeed flow with milk and honey. God's word was true!

But 10 of the spies explained that while it was everything God said it would be, there were powerful, strong people there, living in large, fortified cities. These were the sons of Anak, part of the Nephilim, which is the Hebrew word for giants.

We know that the other 2 spies, Joshua and Caleb, held out for God. Their report was "We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it." [Numbers 13:30]

Read the response from the 10 negative spies:

"We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us...The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." [Numbers 13:31-33]

Deliverance in a Day

Read 2 Kings 6:24-7:20 first…

This is a very interesting passage.

At the time, Elisha is the sitting prophet in Israel. Samaria is under siege by the king of Aram and is in great famine. Women are boiling their children and eating them...and of course, the king blames the prophet of God. He and his royal officer visit the prophet to threaten him in person.

When they get there, however, Elisha prophesies:

'Then Elisha said, "Listen to the word of the Lord; thus says the Lord, 'Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gates of Samaria.'" [2 Kings 7:1]

The royal officer who accompanies the king is typically negative…'Behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" In other words, there's no way!

Elisha replies "Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it." Notice he didn’t pray about it, or fast, or seek the Lord. He’d just said it, and believed that what he said would happen.

So, the scene is set. Famine, siege, hopelessness, doubt and unbelief. This situation is completely desperate, from a natural point of view. How can it be turned around in a day? Impossible! But not for the man of God...

Kind of reminds me of the Red Sea deliverance of Moses and the Hebrew slaves coming out of Egypt—surrounded on all sides, completely overpowered and trapped…hmmm.

Unlikely Saviors
Cut to four lepers, sitting at the gate, outcast from society. They know if they do nothing, they'll die along with the residents of the city. So, they decide to go to the camp of the enemy—if they're killed, it's the same as if they did nothing. But if they're shown mercy, they will be saved. A sort of nothing-ventured-nothing-gained scenario.

So they decide to take the risk, and approach the enemy's camp. To their surprise, it's empty, with abundant food and riches abandoned for the taking.

I love the explanation in 2 Kings 7:6,7...

'For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, "Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us."

Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys, even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life.'

An impossible situation and a implausible solution! At first, the lepers ate their fill and hid some of the treasure for themselves. Then they realized that what they were doing was wrong, and went to inform the king of the good fortune that lay waiting for plunder.

The king, fearing it might be a trap, sends soldiers to check it out. When it turned out to be legit, the people plundered the camp. Thus it was so, the very next day, as Elisha prophesied!

But the story is not finished! Not only did Elisha's prophesies re: the end of the famine come true, so did his prophecies re: the royal official! The king appointed him keeper of the gate, and the people trampled him in their rush to plunder the enemy's camp! He saw it, alright, but never ate of it!

The Moral of the Story
There are several things we can learn from this story.

First, the prophecy of a man or woman of God will come to pass, no matter how unlikely it may seem. Since, as Christians who are full of the Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son [ref John 14] it would seem that this would apply to us as well. In Mark 11 and Matthew 17, Jesus tells us plainly to speak to the physical world it and it will obey us. Elisha's prophesying over the natural realm is a great example of this.

And don’t forget…Jesus Himself said that the least one in the kingdom of God would be greater than the greatest one born of a woman, John the Baptist! [Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28] Why? Because we are born again, of the living and enduring Word of God…one Spirit with the Lord! [1 Peter 1:23; 1 Corinthians 6:17]

But what's really instructive about this story is God's MO [modus operandi, or way of doing things]. From the natural, the situation looked hopeless and unsolvable. But the man of God gave the word, and it was up to God to perform it.

And He used society's outcasts—four lepers—to bring the prophecy to pass! He made some scary noises to drive off the enemy and led these plucky outcasts to discover the empty camp. The city was saved in a day—from hopelessness to joy in 24 hours! A seemingly impossible accomplishment, brought about in some very non-traditional, non-predictable ways.

The point? He backed Elisha's word...impossible, implausible, no-way-this-was-going-to-happen word.

Think about the Red Sea incident in Exodus 14. The Israelites couldn't see any way out. And if they could've imagined some miraculous deliverance, I'm betting splitting the Red Sea so they could pass on dry land wouldn't have even occurred to them! Not to mention the subsequent obliteration of the Egyptian army...

And the night before the Passover, God instructed them to ask of the Egyptians silver, gold and other possessions. '...thus they plundered the Egyptians.' [Exodus 12:36] Poor slaves one day, rich and delivered the next!

Not only delivered, but rich and healed [Psalm 105:37], and their enemies wiped out forever! [Exodus 14:27,28]

Don't Worry About the How
Keep an open mind. Maybe the check won't come in the mail, or in any other expected, 'normal' way. Maybe He'll get it to you via a raven or fish. [1 Kings 17:6; Matthew 17:27]

Use your faith—believe that His Word and yours will come to pass—and don't worry about the 'hows.'

It might not be how you think it will be, but He watches over His Word to perform it. [Jeremiah 1:12] And, according to Mark 11 and Matthew 17, He backs our words as well. Decree a thing, and it will be established for you. [Job 22:28]

Hallelujah!