By Prathan L. Powell
II Kings 5:1, 8 -15 - Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
Naaman, being proud of his accomplishments and his stature, almost missed his deliverance by not following the simple instructions that the prophet Elisha gave him. He felt belittled when Elisha sent out the messenger instead of coming out himself to meet the captain. Did not Elisha know who was outside? And why go wash in the dirty waters of Jordan? Surely, he could wash himself in a cleaner body of water and be made whole. It was hard for Naaman to realize that it wasn't the water that made him whole, but his obedience of following the simple instructions given.
In case you didn't know, the Word of God is a book of information and instructions. It contains instructions on how to live and how not to live, information on how people have failed and succeeded, and information on how you can be on top and how to avoid being on the bottom. If you follow the simple instructions from Genesis to Revelation, your life will be a whole lot better, not to say there won't be some complications or trials, but it WILL be a lot better.
A penalty is a consequence or disadvantage attached to any action or condition. Instruction is defined as knowledge or information imparted. Whatever you do in life without following the right instructions brings a disadvantage or produces an action.
How many of you remember the combination locks in school on the lockers? Typically, a lock is supposed to secure what you've placed it on. Occasionally, we would not secure the lock properly, and when we return we would notice that someone has broken into our locker and stolen our valuables. All your life, the devil is trying to get the code to your lock. If he gets it, he can steal your valuables = (your soul's salvation). In our lives, John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy...", in order to do that he has to have access. Following God's simple instructions will DENY him of that.
Three Key Things to Remember:
1. When God gives instructions, if you live by them, you will be much more successful.
2. You'll NEVER miss God if you follow His simple instructions.
3. Falling short of God's simple instructions -- Hell will be your home.
Read this week's scriptures: II Kings 5:1, 8 -15, John 10:10, Romans 6:20 - 23
Prathan L. Powell, Sr. is the senior pastor of World Changes Tabernacle, Columbus, Georgia. To get more information, visit the website at www.wctministries.org or visit the church at 1241 Alta Vista Drive, Columbus, Georgia
