We spoke in our previous message about asking the Lord what He tells us to ask. This requires that we listen for what the Lord is saying, and we mentioned the need to rule out the outside ‘noises’, in other words cast our worries on Jesus so that our mind can be preoccupied with Him.
It is important for the Lord to be able to act in His sovereignty. However, the fact that He only acts in response to our prayers and depends on our obedience, often hinders Him to act sovereignly. How can that be? We often put the Lord in the box of religion, tradition, theology and the ideas of other people, especially church leaders. This is how the Lord is, we think, and we should not overstep our boundaries. But if we are open to learn from the Lord Himself, He will show us from His word who He really is and that would set us free to radically do what He expects of us and accomplish His higher purposes, rather than getting involved in religion that leads to carnality and spiritual apathy.
For example some believe that because God is love, He is only meek and mild. I then ask why He killed so many people personally in the Old Testament. That was Old Testament is the answer I get, and then I want to know how about Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts. The Lord is sovereign and if He wants to make a statement, we need to listen to Him and do what He says.
I hope I tell the story relatively accurately, but I know about a pastor who used to be a boxer before he got born again. He became quite well known as a pastor and it is told that he had a woman in his congregation whose husband beat her up quite regularly. He used to spend hours of counselling with them. One night he got a phone call from the woman pleading him to come, for her husband was beating her again. When he entered their house a holy anger arose in him and he floored the man with one beat of the fist. Still angry he went to sit on the man, grabbed his shirt by the collar and challenged him with the gospel and the need to change and the man gave his heart to Jesus there and then.
It is the Lord’s Kingdom and He knows hearts very well. He knew that violence would be the language that this man would understand, so He chose the ex-boxer as His instrument. Had this pastor not been in the Spirit, but had listened to his theological training, the views of other people and so on, this man may not have found Jesus.
The king of Samaria’s soldiers acted very disrespectfully towards Elijah when they were send to call for him as recorded in 2 Kings 1:1-18. The captain approached Elijah saying: “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!’” (verse 9). Elijah could have humbly jumped up and followed, for essentially in his own strength he was rather timid as could be seen through some of his other actions, and it was the authorities that demanded it and therefore one should obey. But he heard from the Lord, who was his higher authority, and who wanted this arrogant king to get the point. “Elijah answered the captain, ‘If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!’ Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men,” (verse 10).
Do we listen for what the Lord wants to do in order to make His point in people’s lives? Just as we need to listen for what the Lord wants us to ask Him, as we have learned in the previous message, so we need to listen for what the Lord wants to do and then act accordingly. What we do and say in response may not always be popular and we may not be accepted by the status quo, but if we obey the Lord we will be in His favour and see His power.
Lord, I want to be radical together with you.
Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.
Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.
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