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Your Miracle Could Be Only 8ft Away

The Herald
Jul 30, 2007

Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. (2 Kings 6:1).

One day a certain man watched a flood coming and called out to God for help. An emergency crew waded to him and offered to help him to safety but he declined. As the waters rose higher, he called out to God for help and an army truck came but he declined their help, saying that God would save him and they left. The flood got higher and the man went to the first floor and opened the window to cry out to God, for help.

A boat came, but he did not go with them either saying that he trusted God would deliver him. The flood got higher again so he had to climb onto the roof of the house, prayed for God to save him and a helicopter came, hovered overhead, dropped a ladder to him but he declined their help, so they too left. The poor man drowned and went to Heaven. When he got there, he asked God, Why didn’t you save me? God replied, I did. I sent you an emergency crew, then an army truck but you did not go with them. I sent you a boat and you ignored it.

Finally, I dispatched a helicopter, but you would not climb up that ladder. Friends, sometimes we cry out for help and it is there right under our noses. It might have been there all along, possibly even before the troubles started. The answer you need for the breakthrough you have been crying for; the money you need to pay the bills; the healing for your body or deliverance from whatever it is that is backing you into a corner may be only 8 feet away!
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In 2 Kings 6 a great famine was upon the land and the enemy had Israel surrounded. Food became so scarce that a donkey’s head was worth a small fortune and a mere half a pint or so of doves dung (a small, cheap wild bulbous root) cost an arm and a leg. The situation was so grim, two women decided to eat their own children and the King heard about it. He gave all the outward signs of sorrow and mourning and as he was the King, he should have admitted his sin, confessed the idolatrous state of the nation and repented. It seems that he was the son of Jezebel, murderer of God’s prophets, so I am not surprised the nation was in trouble.

When David sinned in the incident with Bathsheba, the man of God confronted him and David readily admitted his sin, repented and received God’s pardon. Instead of taking a responsible stand before God, this fool of a man blamed God! He also blamed the man of God and plotted to kill him. That’s the stuff Adam and Eve did in the Garden. Adam blamed Eve. She blamed the devil and the devil has been working overtime since. Don’t get caught up in those things. You won’t get away with it!

Elisha was at home having a meeting with some leaders when the Spirit of the Lord revealed what was going to happen and Elisha then received a revelation on what God could do! Notice that the man of God had to declare it before it happened, which is something we need to learn, particularly as we get closer to the return of Jesus. It is not the name it and claim it, blab it and grab it doctrine people have called it, but God‘s way of doing things.

Elisha said what was going to happen. He spoke to the situation. Jesus told us to speak to our situations, or to speak to our mountains of fear, negativity, doubt, unbelief, sickness, poverty and whatever else is hold us back and expect the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Robert Carter (you too if you believe) to do what he said he would do.

He declared that within 24 hours, anyone who wanted to would be able to by a kilogram of flour for 20 cents and 2 kilos of barley for 20 cents. Cheap as! Someone heard this and mocked! He was a high ranking officer or official who had the king’s ear. I would call him one of the King’s advisors. Be careful who has input in your life. Sometimes so-called advisors or experts haven’t a clue! Elisha told him straight out, you will see it but you will not be part of it! Many professing believers fall into this category. Their speech often betrays what is in their hearts.

Here is an important spiritual principle. As soon as he word was spoken the enemy came in to steal it! Elisha received a word from the Lord and spoke it. There comes a time when a situation has run its course and people are ready to repent, receive forgiveness and receive the promises, but it requires someone to activate the thing. Elisha stated that within 24 hours, there would be so many blessings, the people would not know what to do with them. Now that the word had been spoken, it needed an instrument to activate it and in this case, it was four lepers... the most unlikely heroes you can imagine!

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Do Something!

At this point, four lepers came on the scene. Leprosy represents sin. Being lepers, they were as popular as pork chops in a synagogue! They were considered outcasts... the scum of the earth, forbidden to mix with ordinary folk because they were unclean. They were sitting at the gate (most likely forbidden inside the city) and risked being stoned to death if they ventured in. My friend, sin will keep you from the blessings of God. Sin that is not dealt with can eat you away like leprosy and prevent you from going on any further. I cannot imagine being forbidden to enter the grand ballroom or dining room at the marriage supper and be forced to stand in outer darkness watching the celebrations from a distance. These four people were forbidden to enjoy normal life with normal folk because of sin.

They had no future other than to sit there and die, or go into town and be stoned to death. Instead of sitting there and wallowing in self pity, they did something. They made a choice and acted on it!

The answers we need are often in front of us and all it takes is for us to get off our bottoms and do something. A parable of Robert states Blessed are they who expect nothing, for they will not be disappointed. There are many people in life who are well wishers, but achieve little. Their favorite words are I wish and then state what they wish for but never do anything to achieve it. The bible is full of instructions to put our faith into gear and act on it.

The disciples were in a boat, because Jesus commanded it, but a storm came. Jesus was walking on the water as if he was going to go right past them and one man only called out to him. Jesus told that man (Peter) to get out of the boat and take some steps. The miracle that followed would never have happened if Peter had sat in that boat wishing. You might be concerned about making a mistake if you take such steps. So what? My friend, the only people who never make mistakes live in cemeteries! You may ask what if it doesn't work? Well... what if it does? You'll never ever know if you never never go!

These four men weighed up their options, saying, What do we do? If we do this, that will be the outcome. If we do that, the outcome will be such and such. Jesus told us to do stuff like that. If you have a situation, do not pretend it is not there. [b]Look at it right in the eye and see where you stand and then act on what the word of God and the Spirit of God tells you.

They said, If we sit here, we will die. If we risk going into the city, we will die for sure. If we go to the Syrians we have at least a 50/50 chance, so let’s go there. It’s better than doing nothing and off they went. The only way to get there was walk, if you could call that walking. Leprosy is a horrible disease that takes on many forms. I’ve seen it and have seen the Lord heal lepers. I am mindful of people with elephant like legs and feet, swollen horribly, with grotesque disfigurement. Other kinds can lead to the victims having bits fall off their bodies. So here are four lepers shuffling painfully towards an uncertain future. Some of them might have had missing toes. Some of them might have had grotesque swellings that made movement almost impossible, but off they went. Shuffle... shuffle... shuffle ever so slowly towards the enemy encampment... in the dark!

To their surprise, the camp was empty. Proud and arrogant, well fed, well armed, highly trained and motivated men of war with a smell of victory in their nostrils, fled in terror, leaving everything behind them. They took off so fast they left a trail of belongings behind them.

Listen! The devil knows what buttons to push to get you going, so instead of reacting and shooting from the hip or panicking, grab your bible and talk to that situation and to the devil and tell him what God said about it. You will send him packing instead if you do that and he will leave a trail behind him. I like that song, I went to the enemy’s camp and took back what he stole from me. The thief shall restore seven-fold, so the longer he hangs onto my stuff, the more he has to repay. That’s shouting stuff folks.

Our four friends were amazed, going from tent to tent to partake of the luxuries that the world system had prepared for the people of God! They grabbed hold of money and treasures and hid them and came back for more and repeated doing this until they suddenly thought of God’s people back home... the people who rejected them, ridiculed them and cast them aside.

These four castaways of society struggled physically to get to their blessing, remembered that the folk back home were starving and struggled back again to share the news. Some folk cannot get off their backsides to attend a prayer meeting, or get to church on time.

When they came back to share the good news, the king did not believe them, despite what evidence they must have taken with them. Even in Jesus’ day, a miracle could happen in front of someone’s eyes and they did not believe. Interestingly, the King’s right hand man who was appointed to supervise distribution (with preferential treatment meted out to the king and his cronies), saw the stuff as the Man of God said, but was killed in the rush as people trampled him to death.

These four outcasts qualified for nothing in life, but they delivered God’s people. God used their feeble efforts and recorded their muffled, shuffling faltering footsteps and played it through his PA system so that the enemy was confounded and defeated. They moved out of the natural and into the supernatural of God. If they could do that, why can't we?

Did they fall down on the way? I think so, but they picked themselves up again and continued on their journey. Did they get tired? Most likely, but all one needs to do when tired is rest momentarily and continue instead of quitting. Did they ever wonder if what they were doing was crazy or not? I think so, but they analyzed their situation and took appropriate and positive action to do something.

Winners don’t quit! Losers do. You may fall down, but if you stay down, you are a loser. A champion gets up and continues.

Those four men may have taken an eternity to get there but they did arrive. Eight hurting, misshapen, diseased, smelly, rotten feet carried the answers that delivered a nation.

You might be in a situation whereby you are the carrier of another person’s healing, deliverance or blessing. You may be in a situation where life seems difficult; wondering if those precious promises of God will ever arrive; have more month than money although you have been sowing precious seed or prayed the prayer of faith that raises the sick and those symptoms still seem to be there. Your spouse, family, friend or workmate may still be unsaved despite your prayers for their salvation, but someone can come to them with the words of life!

Israel’s answers came through four of the most likely candidates one could imagine and your answers could come through the most unlikely situation.

It is possible to be sick, broke and a social outcast one day and be in overflow and a blessing to the church and your community the next.

Your answer may be only 8 feet away!

Be blessed
Pastors Robert & Marge Carter

Bashan Ministries
and The Church on the Mountain
P O Box 152
Mount Tamborine, QLD 4272 Australia
Phone: 61 7 55454544 Fax: 61 7 55450837 http://bashanministries.org

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May we be strengthened with the ability, willingness and capabilities to be good ambassadors of Nigeria contributing to its uplifting, rather than its detriment. - Cxsm