Life Change Intl.

Radio Excerpts:
"The Outsider Who Came In..."

We have been learning how the Bible is filled with stories of ‘outsiders’ who came into God’s kingdom by the invitation of Jesus. How amazing that Jesus always turned outsiders--the outcasts, the poor, the sick, the broken- hearted and the despised of society--into insiders.

We first learned the importance of having access by faith (you are brought near by the blood of Christ according to Ephesians 2:13-14). Then we learned about having the right attitude of faith. Faith is to be an aggressive and daily lifestyle. Then we ended with how God intervened in the life of a widow during a time of famine. When she activated faith in God’s goodness, she saw miraculous provision.

Today we will look at another outsider turned into an insider and how he learned about acquisition from faith. He was an army commander known as Naaman the Syrian. Luke 4:27 reads, "And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, & none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." NKJV

In 2 Kings 5:1, Scripture notes he was a valiant and respected man. Yet he had one great obstacle in life--leprosy. Unlike the poor widow we studied, Naaman had position, prestige and pocket money! Yet with all his assets, he could not buy freedom from the leprosy that slowly deformed and decayed his body.

Isn’t leprosy similar to how sin tries to work in lives? It slowly destroys and deforms --keeping a person from becoming what God wants them to be. It separates Christians from fellowship with God and other believers. It steals the fullness of life found in Christ and destroys the spiritual and emotional vitality God desires.

How desperately Naaman wanted freedom! When he learned through an Israelite servant girl that the prophet Elisha could cure him, he went to his house with great expectations. Instead of being acknowledged, Elisha sent his servant Gehazi to meet him.

Missing the miracle
Proud and self-reliant Naaman stood at the prophet’s door and became furious. "He will surely come out to me..." were his words. Naaman wanted special treatment!

He also had wrong expectations on how God would move in his behalf. His expectation was, "...he will stand & call on the name of the Lord & wave his hand over the place and heal the leprosy."

Naaman also was angry over where his miracle would happen. Imagine his shock when he was told to wash seven times in the muddy Jordan River instead of a clear river in Damascus. Some geographers have called the Damascus waters "the golden stream" and yet God chose "the muddy stream"! Naaman was about to miss his miracle because he refused to go to the place assigned by God.

What about you?
Are you about to miss the miracle God has appointed for you? Are you offended because your expectations have not been met? Have you been angry over mistreatment? Have you expected God to move in a certain way in your life and you feel He has disappointed you? Have you been prideful and refused to listen to what God has spoken to your heart? Maybe you say yes to one of these "have you been" questions.

The good news is you still have access by faith. As you adjust your attitude of faith, you will acquire all He has for you. Allow the Naaman miracle to take place in you!!!!