333-Experience God's Power in Your Weakness#
333-Experience God's Power in Your Weakness
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
2 Kings 5:1-14
1 Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. 2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. 3 She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." 4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said.
5 "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy." 7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"
8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
11 But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. 13 Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
Let us pray together.
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you! As we begin this new week, we are willing to receive your words, for your words are our help and our sustenance. Grant us strength through your words, let us turn our eyes to Jesus Christ, to all that you have prepared for us. I want to experience your great power in my weakness; please lead me to meet you in your words and timely provide for every brother and sister so that they may receive. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray, Amen!
The topic of the sharing is: Experience God's Power in Your Weakness.
If we think we are always strong, it is difficult to experience God's great power. Unless we realize our weaknesses and shortcomings in life and are willing to rely on God, we can see His great power in this aspect.
The first point of sharing: Everyone has weaknesses; when you see God's power, you will no longer be weak.
In 2 Kings 5:1, Naaman, the commander of the army of Aram, was a great man in the sight of his master.
This man, by status, was already the highest, perhaps only second to his king; he was a highly respected person. Why? Because he had military achievements, having defeated the Israelites and led his country to many victories, for the LORD had given victory to Aram through him, and he was a valiant soldier.
Brothers and sisters, is it good to have a high position in the world? Yes, it is good to have a noble position. It is also good to have abilities. But if one is sick, that is not good. Moreover, Naaman did not just have any illness; he had leprosy. If all that Naaman had were given to you, would you want it? Would you want to be as respected and great as Naaman but have leprosy? Why do you not envy him? Because this illness cannot be cured.
Many times, by comparing, we can see how God treats us. If there is no comparison, we might feel that God does not love us, as if He has not given us anything. But today, comparing with Naaman, you would rather choose your current life because you have health. Naaman, the commander of the army of Aram, was respected and great; this is how the Bible describes him. He was a person worthy of respect and was highly valued by the king. He was an Aramean, one of the enemies of Israel, but he had leprosy. But this one weakness was enough to overshadow all his past achievements. Can his noble position bring him joy with leprosy? He was a valiant soldier; can these abilities remove his leprosy?
Brothers and sisters, in this world, when pursuing status, fame, and wealth, one may lose health and contract terminal illnesses. I think at this moment, many people are like Naaman, having such status but also terminal illnesses. What to do? This weakness is enough to make him lose hope in everything in this world.
How many people with billions in assets would be willing to exchange all their wealth for health when faced with terminal illness? Why not enjoy your health now? Did Naaman seek doctors? A person so noble and wealthy must have sought countless famous doctors. But the problem remained unresolved. In today's scripture, there was a young girl in his house.
In verses 2-3, bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria!"
Brothers and sisters, this young girl is related to the rewriting of Naaman's life. This young girl, in today's terms, shared the gospel. Moreover, she was forced to share the gospel because she was captured and brought to serve her mistress. If you were captured, would you wish for Naaman to live or die? Many would say, why doesn't God save this young girl? God did not say He would not save her; He placed her in this household to do something very remarkable. Perhaps because of this young girl, Naaman was changed from then on.
So we should not say, why doesn't God save her? This has nothing to do with us; God placed her here for a purpose, and this young girl did not complain to God; she simply saw her master suffering from such an illness and said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria, he would be able to cure his leprosy."
Brothers and sisters, did this young girl know her God? Yes, she did. The young girl said to her mistress: "Mistress, why not take some time to find the prophet in Israel? The God of Israel can surely heal your leprosy." Did this young girl say to try and see? Brothers and sisters, when sharing the gospel, should we share a definite gospel or a vague one? Or when praying for others, should we say: "God has already healed you," or should we say, "Let’s see if it works?" After a doctor examines you, they might say: "Take some medicine and see how it goes." This is what humans can do, but God does not do things vaguely or with uncertainty. God’s actions yield definite results. Amen!
Many people's problems lie here; when we encounter issues, we may seek help like Naaman, but can you learn from this young girl and say, "If only my master would see the prophet in Samaria?" This sentence can be rephrased as: "Why not take some time to seek our God? He can surely solve your problems." Today, I also share this sentence with you. If you have problems in your life and have sought many people for solutions but found none, I suggest you spend more time seeking our God; He can surely solve all your problems. Why is that? God has given us promises. Let’s take a look.
Psalm 103:2-5,
2 Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Change all the second-person pronouns here to first-person pronouns: "He forgives all my sins, heals all my diseases." If you can believe that God has forgiven all your sins and has healed all your diseases, you can come before God to seek His help. He redeems your life from the pit.
Brothers and sisters, when a person faces death, there is fear, but God has a promise here that He redeems your life from death. What is there to worry about? He crowns you with love and compassion. When you seek Him, He does not give you commands or curses, but love and compassion. Amen!
In verse 5, He satisfies your desires with good things.
When you seek God, what does He give you? Our Lord, where does His love manifest? No matter what kind of person you are, when you seek Him, He is willing to bless you, as long as you are willing to seek Him. He satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The problem is that many people feel embarrassed to seek God, saying, "I have been away from church for so long; I only seek God when I have something to ask, and now I feel ashamed to meet God." Please give up these thoughts. Or some say, "I have sinned; I feel embarrassed to meet God." The more you feel this way, the more you should seek our God. Some people say, "I am particularly anxious right now, with a pile of things." Shouldn't that be the time to come before God?
I hope you seek my God; He can surely solve your problems. This is also my advice to you, because I have walked this path. There were three years when I was at a low point in my life, thinking every day about how to die, because under the law, I was afraid to commit suicide, fearing that I would go to hell. I didn't want to go to hell; I just wished for some accident to happen to me. But God gradually saved me from death, and indeed, God, with His love and compassion, has crowned me today. After I have walked this path, I also hope you will seek this God.
How did I get through those years? At that time, I had not yet understood grace; I just listened to the pastor's sermons. Except for sleeping time, I kept many pastors' sermons playing on my computer. I would switch to another pastor after finishing one. This is how I got through the most difficult moments of my life.
In fact, you are fortunate today because you at least know what grace and law are, and there are people willing to help you. At that time, the pastor told us to pray ourselves or said that our sins were too many because we were too attached to the world, and this was God's discipline. At that time, I had a wrong understanding of God, condemning myself a lot. But you can have the right faith. I want to tell you, do not feel embarrassed to seek God; even if you are weak, you can still seek Him. He will not ignore you because you are weak.
Just like Naaman, who had leprosy all over his body, God did not say, "You are covered in leprosy; you are not worthy to seek me, and you are a foreigner who has bullied my people..." As long as you are willing to seek Him, God is willing to heal you. Amen! This is our God. The young girl said, "If only you would see our God, you will surely be healed." I also tell you, no matter what problems you encounter, I hope you seek Jesus; you will surely be healed, delivered, and restored. Amen!
After hearing this, Naaman's mistress told her husband, who seemed to be a more orderly person, and he brought this matter up to his king. The king, because he cherished Naaman, wrote a letter to the king of Israel. It became a matter between nations, telling the king of Israel, "I am writing to you; I have a beloved general who has leprosy; please heal him."
If a letter like this is written between nations, the king of Israel would think it is a provocation seeking an opportunity to attack himself. Is that correct? Yes, because the king of Israel is neither a doctor nor God. After reading the letter, what was the king's reaction? Let’s take a look.
In 2 Kings 5:7, the king of Israel read the letter and tore his robes, saying, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? This man sends someone to me to be cured of his leprosy. Look at how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"
Let’s compare. There is a saying: "No comparison, no harm." The king of Israel is the ruler of this nation; his faith should be greater than that of a young girl, right? But now, with just one sentence from this young girl, "You go find our prophet, and you will surely be healed," the king of Israel went to the king. Did he go to the wrong person? Unfortunately, the king of Israel did not have that much faith. After reading the letter, he did not rely on God. Brothers and sisters, this is the weakness of the king of Israel. But when he was weak, he did not rely on God; this is his pitiable aspect.
Many people, when encountering problems, react like the king of Israel, saying, "Why has this happened to me? Why are my enemies attacking me?" He began to tear his robes and complain to God, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life?" Although you are not God, are you not God's spokesperson? Kings, priests, and prophets are all established by God, right? Regardless of which of the three, they can represent God on earth. Does the king of Israel have this authority? Yes. It shows why the king of Israel lost battles in the past and why there were so many problems in the country. The reason is that he did not rely on God.
Knowing that we have weaknesses, we should rely on God in our weaknesses, and weakness will no longer be weakness. If your weakness is always brought up and you keep falling in that weak area, you should make a firm decision to rely on God in that place, and you will completely overcome it. Amen! This leper went to the king of Israel, and when the king saw him, he thought, "No, I can't handle this." Poor king! He did not even know what kind of power the God he believed in had. Today, we can say the king of Israel is pitiable, but if you look around from ancient times to the present, over 90% of Christians do not understand how to use their authority. Many Christians, when facing problems, still sigh and complain, not knowing that God has already given them authority.
Are you princes? Then you have authority! When encountering problems, do not be like the king of Israel, saying, "Am I God? How can I do such things?" You can! Amen! Today, when you realize who you are, knowing you have weaknesses, but weakness is not scary. What is scary is not knowing how to become strong. Today, God has given you authority; you must learn to use it. Look at this scripture; you must memorize it and use it often in your life.
Mark 16:17-20,
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Is this scripture for you? Will signs accompany those who believe? Does it accompany you? If Naaman came before you, would you dare to reach out and pray for him? If you are not allowed to touch him, you would surely dare; we have practiced this many times. As long as you dare to reach out, God can heal. Do not worry about anything because it is not your ability; why be afraid? The latter part says: "In my name, they will drive out demons." You just need to use the name of Jesus. Amen!
The next part says: "They will pick up snakes; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them." This means that in the field of ministry or in life, when encountering persecution, for example, if a snake bites you, when Paul and his companions arrived on an island and were gathering firewood, did a snake bite him?
Paul immediately shook off the snake. The locals knew it was a very poisonous snake; within seconds, a person would become numb and die quickly. But they looked left and right, waiting to see when Paul would die, but he was completely fine. Why? You do not need to know how many poisonous snakes there are in the world, but you must understand this sentence: "They will pick up snakes; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them." Hallelujah!
But do not go to extremes; it does not mean you should pick up a snake and see if it will bite you. I tell you, you will definitely die; that is called testing. Understand? If you unknowingly drink some poison, you will not be harmed. Amen! When you go home, do not test with poison; that is foolish.
The latter part of that sentence you can use: "They will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." Does the Bible say you will place your hands on sick people, and they might get well? "Will get well" means definitely, surely, and certainly. Amen! What should you do? If Naaman is before you today, can you reach out and pray? Just pray; let God do the rest. Why do so many people hesitate to pray? They fear there will be no effect, fearing that after they reach out, nothing will happen. That is because they think their ability is too great. Is it your ability that does things? No, it is not your ability; it is Jesus' ability. Amen!
Remember: You cannot heal people; you are not a professional doctor; you are just using the name of Jesus. We are weak in healing, but God is strong. So when you use His name, you are strong in that area. You say, "I cannot," but He can do all things. Hallelujah! Is this not what the Lord Jesus said to us?
Verse 19 says, "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat at the right hand of God."
The Bible mentions sitting at the right hand of God; the right hand represents victory, power, authority, glory, and honor. Amen! That means Jesus has already won, has overcome death, disease, and problems, and has triumphed over them all, so He sat down. He sits down to see how you will do things. Amen! I hope you also experience His victory.
Look at verse 20, "Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them."
When you pray for others, you are not alone; the Lord works with you. Amen! The latter part says, "Confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." If you have been in our church for a long time, you will find that there are many miracles in the church, proving that the word we preach is correct. Amen! Besides that, we do not explain anything; it is not that I have more ability or that you have ability. It is to prove that the word we preach is in line with the Bible. Hallelujah! As long as you preach God's words in the Bible and act according to God's words, you will surely see miracles; it is very simple. Hallelujah! When the prophet Elisha heard about this matter, that the king of Israel had torn his robes, Elisha was also shocked and said, "Why are you worried about this? Let him come to me."
Let’s look at 2 Kings 5:8, "When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent a messenger to say to the king, 'Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.'"
Would you dare to say this? "Let that person come to our church; let him know that there is a God in this world." How many people dare to say this? If you come to our church, God will surely heal you. If you dare to say this, it shows you have already experienced God's great power. Elisha performed more miracles in his life than Elijah. Elisha said, "Why have you torn your robes? Let him come to me, and I will let him see that there is a prophet in Israel." Amen! In fact, it is not to prove how great Elisha's ability is, but to let him know that there is a God in Israel.
Do you remember how Elijah, Elisha's master, spoke when he confronted 450 false prophets in prayer? He said, "Maybe your god is asleep; pray hard, and I will let you know who the true God is." Is it the same? His disciple learned this; he said, "Let him come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." Hallelujah! I hope you think about this sentence; when you encounter problems, use this phrase. Why is it that both are believers, yet their reactions to problems are completely different? In fact, Elisha was full of faith, while the king of Israel completely did not know to rely on God. Jesus performed a miracle in front of the dead; let’s take a look.
John 11:39-40,
39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." 40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"
Did Jesus know what He was doing? He spoke to a man who had been buried for four days. The temperature in Israel is high; after four days, a person must smell. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Why was Martha so emotional? In fact, she did not know how to use God's words. Those who serve in the kitchen are often like this; I have been to many churches, and the serving staff in the church are often busy in the kitchen and do not have time to listen to sermons. In the end, these people rise up and cause trouble with the pastor. Do you know why? Because they really lack the equipping of truth; when they are made to serve, they will do things according to their own flesh. Now Martha is like this.
Jesus has already spoken; take away the stone. What do you need to do? Just take it away; is that simple? You do not need to remind Jesus; He has been in there for four days. Did Jesus not know it was four days? In the face of God's words, what do we do? Do not say, "Lord! This seems not to work." This is not something you should consider. When Jesus says, "Take away the stone," just do it; it is that simple. Martha said to Him, "But, Lord, he has been dead for four days; he must smell." Jesus said, "Did I not tell you...?" This proves it was the second reminder to her.
How many times do you need to be reminded? I have to remind you every week; once is not enough. We need to remind each other. Amen! Because I also have weak moments, you need to remind me to rely on God; when you are weak, I remind you to rely on God. This is the purpose of the church; otherwise, one sermon would be enough. How can there be such strong people? We all have weak moments. Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" Perhaps Jesus had told her this in other places; she knew that believing could see God's glory, but in this matter, she could not believe.
I tell you, God's words are universal; they can apply in this area and that area. This is Jesus' word. If you believe, you will see God's glory. I often share this sentence with those in weakness; today I share this sentence with you: If you believe, you will see God's glory, meaning God will turn you around in that weak area. Hallelujah!
The second point of sharing: God's great power is fully displayed in our weaknesses.
In 2 Kings 5:9-10,
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to Naaman, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
This is Elisha's method of healing. It seems that Elisha's attitude is quite big; now, comparing the identities of the two, who is more noble? Naaman, who is regarded as the beloved of the king, has a noble status and is a valiant soldier. In comparison, is Elisha just a scholar? But now the problem is that when a noble person arrives at Elisha's door, Elisha does not even let him in; he just says one sentence: "Go wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." He sent a messenger to face the commander of the army of Aram.
Brothers and sisters, would you say this? Think about it; if you had a terminal illness and went to find a prophet, and that prophet did not even meet you but sent a servant to say, "Go wash in my courtyard pool seven times, and you will be fine," could you believe it? It would be hard to believe because Naaman had leprosy, which is a terminal illness. In today's terms, it is like late-stage cancer, already spread throughout the body. You tell me to wash seven times, and it will be fine; how can it be that simple?
Naaman knew how serious this illness was; he had sought many doctors and seen many prophets. Isn't this just brushing him off? Moreover, he felt that the waters of the Jordan were not that great. The waters of the Jordan are not impressive; there are many rivers in the world, and perhaps the rivers of Damascus are better than the Jordan. The Jordan does not even rise much except when it rains. The message Naaman received was simply, "Go wash in that river seven times." The water there does not seem very clean compared to the famous rivers in their country. But do not forget, many miraculous events happened in this Jordan River.
Wasn't Joshua the one who crossed this Jordan River? How did they cross? They carried the Ark of the Covenant, and when the waters rose on both sides, they walked across on dry ground. Did the Israelites get baptized in this Jordan River? Did Elijah and Elisha cross this river? Elisha knew that back then, he took a piece of his garment and parted the waters of the Jordan to walk across on dry ground. This river is not just an ordinary river; do not look down on it. Today, God's blessing is here. Amen!
I want to tell you, when you come here, do not think this place is insignificant; this is God's house. Coming here is different; you can sit here and listen to the word, and that is God's anointing here. You may not get that in a magnificent palace. In fact, Elisha wanted to tell Naaman, "Do not look down on what I am saying; although the Jordan River may not seem like much, it is the river blessed by our God." Hallelujah! Now let’s look at Naaman's reaction.
In 2 Kings 5:11-12,
11 But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.
Here, there is a key phrase: "I thought." Brothers and sisters, God has given you His words; do you want to think about what is different between you and God? Now Elisha said, "Go wash in the Jordan seven times, and you will be fine." Naaman said, "I thought..." What did he think? Was it correct? "I thought he would surely come out to meet me." Why did he think Elisha would surely come out to meet him? Because of his noble status as the king's beloved, a valiant soldier, and he brought so many treasures; surely, he should come out to meet me. All the things the world envies are with him, but Elisha did not take him seriously.
I want to tell everyone, no matter what status or wealth you have in the world, when you come to our church, just be a quiet believer. In this place, if you still think your reputation is great and your power is great, you will not receive God's grace. Put down the worldly things; when you come to Elisha's door, you are just a person seeking help. What to do is not up to you; it is up to Elisha. So he said, "I thought he would surely come out to meet me." In the end, he did not meet him.
Look at the second thing he thought: "He would stand and call on the name of the LORD his God." Perhaps he had worshiped other gods before, and how did the prophets of those other gods act? They would come out to meet him, stand in front of him, and call on the name of their god, performing some rituals. Have you ever seen those kinds of shamans? They have their own set of procedures, right? But there was none. He thought the gods of the world were similar to the God of Elisha, right? Many people say, "What do we do when we go to church? Is there a ritual?" No. We say, "Bring your heart and sincerity to worship Him, and that is enough; nothing else." This is the true God, right?
If you learn the earthly procedures, what to do on the first day of the month, what to do on the fifteenth, and what to do in the temple, I tell you, it is useless. Because Naaman must have received similar training; he might have seen many doctors and knew a bit about it. He thought it would be like this, but Elisha did not do any of that, right? Moreover, Elisha's words were not believed.
"Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?" This proves that the waters of their country are better. Did he not take the prophet Elisha's words to heart? No, he angrily turned away. I also want to tell everyone, when I share some of God's words with you, do not say, "I thought..." Just stop thinking.
Just think about how to believe. Do not say, "Your method seems ineffective." This is not something you should think about. Did Jesus' words seem simple? "Be still; be quiet." He said this to the wind and waves. You cannot say, "I wonder if this will work?" That is not your concern. I say in the name of the Lord Jesus, "Your illness is healed." You say, "I think..." Do not think! Just believe it is enough. God’s actions are not something our brains can comprehend.
In the face of God's words, you need to do one thing: obey. Pride and human self-righteousness must first be dealt with. Therefore, for Naaman to be healed, God had to deal with his pride. This is why God instructed him to do something he could do but was unwilling to do. It was too simple, and people could not believe it. I tell you, believe and you will be saved. Many religions say it cannot be that easy. Is this not the thinking of the world? The thoughts of other religions suggest that when you come here, what God gives you is very simple. Many times, we do not like the way God gives us; we want healing but are unwilling to follow God's way. This is a problem.
Just like the Israelites, when God brought them out of Egypt and into Canaan, He gave them a way of life: work for six days, on the seventh day go to church to worship me, and give one-tenth of your produce to the Levites, and every time offer bulls, sheep, and doves as sacrifices... In the end, when they became wise and prosperous, they said, "Why should we support the Levites? If we do not give to them, do we not keep more for ourselves?" They no longer wanted to worship God; they wanted to do whatever they wanted. They were unwilling to follow God's way, and as a result, they lost God's blessing.
If you read the Old Testament, especially the prophetic books, you will find that the Israelites failed and lost blessings not because they did not know but precisely because they were unwilling to do so. When they came according to their own ways, God did not bless them. I have told you before, God does not accomplish things according to your words; He accomplishes them according to His words. Therefore, when your words align with God's words, God says He will accomplish for you. Amen! You just need to live according to God's promises; as for your thoughts that differ from God's, just put them down.
Is wealth the same? Just now, we talked about healing; follow God's way. God says you are healed; you just say, "I am healed." What about wealth? Many people cannot fully believe God's words; many want to prosper but are unwilling to listen to God's words. Is it not contradictory like Naaman? He came to Elisha to be healed. Did Elisha tell him the method of healing? Could he believe it? If he walked away without being healed, was it because Elisha had no ability? Where is the problem? It is because he did not believe.
So many people always ask me: "Why have I prayed for so long, and God still has not healed me? Does God not want to heal?" Do not draw that conclusion. If you have not received healing today, just keep praying. Do not say God might not heal you. There is no such conclusion. God's promise in the Bible is that He will heal all your diseases. Hallelujah!
He will satisfy your desires with good things. That is His promise. You say, "Why have I not received?" Then just keep praying; do not look for other reasons. Amen! Many people say, "I believe in God." It is not that you do not believe there is a God; I mean, can you follow God's way in every matter? Is it not simple?
If you follow God's way in this matter, you will be blessed. In the next matter, if you do not follow God's way, you will still be saved. In this matter, if you follow your own way, you will not lose your life. In the face of these revelations, I hope every brother and sister can humble themselves before God's words. Naaman almost lost the opportunity for healing. Although this person was arrogant, he had one good point: he could listen to advice. Brothers and sisters, I can allow you to be proud and self-righteous, but you must be able to listen to advice; that is also good. His servant came to him.
Let’s look at 2 Kings 5:13, "Naaman's servants went to him and said, 'My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, "Wash and be cleansed!"'"
Do you know that this is the biggest problem in people's hearts? Today, I will change the way I speak; if I were Elisha and Naaman came to my door, I would say: "Naaman, do you want to be healed?"
Naaman would say: "Of course I want to."
"First, unload the gold and silver treasures you brought into my courtyard, and then come back with two more carts. Do you know you have a terminal illness? You think you can bribe me with this little money?"
What would Naaman do? "Okay! I will listen to you." Then he would bring two more carts.
"Now go to the Jordan River and climb Mount Hermon; there is a cave up there with a bottle of medicine I have prayed over. After you drink it, you will be cleansed all over..."
Would he believe it? Yes, why would he believe it? Because this matter is too difficult; I have paid such a great price, and I should be able to find healing. This is a big deal. I call this the mindset of the law. Everyone has this mindset of the law to some extent. Moreover, this is the commander of the army of Aram; he hopes to do something remarkable before he gets healed. With such a terminal illness, he must do something remarkable to feel justified. "If the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it?" This is the mindset of the law in people. If the prophet had given him some difficult task, saying, "You must go through 81 hardships to be healed," he would surely believe it. Now, is it simple? It is too simple; he does not believe it instead. It is precisely because it is too simple that people find it hard to accept.
Just like I told you about grace, it is too simple and too easy to obtain, and people say it is unreliable. They would rather believe that illness is God's discipline, and only after being refined can they become pure gold. I tell you, you are already pure gold; you say it is a lie. How to remove the mindset of the law? You must recognize that what God gives you is a free gift. Did this servant understand?
This servant said: "If he had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you to wash?" Now, is this matter difficult? It is not difficult. When his servant said this, Naaman thought, "That makes sense! I came here to be healed; since I am here, I should listen to the pastor's words."
Brothers and sisters, when you come here, you should listen to God's words. Hallelujah! No matter what kind of proof the doctor gives you or what they say, when you come here, let us believe God's words; that is very simple! After he went down, he began to humble himself. In fact, spiritually, Naaman suddenly realized that what was said was right.
Let’s look at verse 14, "So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy."
Do you know how this ending was seen? "So Naaman went down according to what the man of God said." If you can directly reach this point, you do not need to get angry or upset. If you follow God's words, you will surely see miracles happen. Let me ask you a question: Is it simple to wash in the Jordan River seven times? That is leprosy! Does it work?
So I tell you, no matter how big or difficult the matter you encounter, rely on our God; He will surely solve your problems. If one wash does not work, what about seven washes? Do not give up. Amen! If Naaman washed six times and found his body still covered in leprosy, would he wash again? It is not that washing once reduces the leprosy a little. It is the same situation as when the Israelites marched around Jericho; they marched for seven days, and not a single crumb fell, but should they continue marching? This is what we call faith. Amen!
Many people always ask me: "Should I pray once or pray continuously?" Many people, after hearing my prayer of authority, say this is good. Later, they hear others say to pray continuously. Which one should I pray? If you have prayed once and are convinced in your heart, then you do not need to pray again. Amen!
If you have prayed seven times and still have doubts in your heart, then pray seven more times. Keep praying until you are no longer worried or anxious about this matter; then it will be settled.
Elisha said to wash seven times; even if you have washed six times, have you completed God's words? What to do? Continue until the seventh time and then see. He followed the words of the man of God, and I hope you also follow the words of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! God's promises, no matter how many there are in Christ, are yes. You must follow Christ's words; then you will see yourself differently.
In 2 Corinthians, it tells us that we look at ourselves as in a mirror; the more we look at Jesus, the more we become like Him, glory upon glory. Amen! You should look at yourself this way. You say, "Why have I not seen myself like Jesus?" You are not looking enough; look every day. When girls go out, they take out mirrors from their bags and keep looking. We should look at ourselves from the Bible; is Jesus like this? Does He have power and glory? He has everything.
When Naaman washed seven times, his flesh became clean like that of a young boy. Let me ask you a question: Does the water of the Jordan have miraculous functions? How was he healed? It was just this word, following the words of the man of God. Amen! If at that time, the man of God had told him to wash in the Red Sea, would that work? Yes, the key is not which river it is; the key is what the man of God said. Amen! So I tell you, it is not about which location; it is about whether you hear the words of Christ. If you hear the words of Christ, whether here or at home, they will be effective.
Now look at verse 15, "Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, 'Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.'"
Through this sentence, you can see that he must have sought other gods before. Those gods did not heal his illness, but unexpectedly, coming before the God of Israel, his problem was solved so simply. So he said, "Now I know." Why did he no longer say, "I thought..."?
Many people, after experiencing God's great power, say, "Now I know..."
This is a heart of worship; do you see it? That is a very humble heart, unlike at the beginning when he was arrogant, saying, "I thought you should come out to meet me."
Brothers and sisters, I hope you experience this God in your lives, and you will also say, "Now I know that God is truly a healing God; God is truly a blessing God." This is what I hope you can know. At that time, Naaman said, "There is no God in all the world except the God of Israel." I hope you can remember Naaman's words in your heart; do not seek gods outside of Christ, for there truly are none. Amen!
In Christ, everything you need has already been prepared! The life, health, and prosperity you desire are all there; just seek them in Christ. You will surely find the answers in the Bible. Many people ask me, "Does the Bible have all the answers we need?" I say yes. They say they do not believe; I say, "Okay." Because they have not reached that point yet; they still say, "I thought..." So let them think. Finally, let’s look at a passage of scripture.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10,
9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
How arrogant Paul was in the past! But now he says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Why does Paul like to boast about his weaknesses? He is not boasting about his weaknesses before people but before God. Brothers and sisters, it is good to bravely admit our shortcomings before God. Amen!
Admitting our shortcomings is not to condemn ourselves; it is to say, "I have a lack in this area, and the Lord can make up for my lack. I have a weakness in this area, and the Lord can make up for my weakness." Amen! If you have been sick for years, you can say, "Lord! My body is weak; now let your strength help me in this area." God will surely let you see miracles. Amen!
Paul said, "I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." Do not forget the latter part; many people always boast about their weaknesses, saying, "I am rebellious; I am useless; I am weak..." but do not say the latter part. In the past, I was under the law, often saying these things, "I am unworthy..." Why do you not say the latter part? "Christ's strength is upon me; Christ's grace is upon me." Hallelujah! So Paul said, "For Christ's sake." He is for the sake of Christ; he does not want to admit he is strong before God. Compared to Jesus, who is strong? Are we not the weak ones? Therefore, admitting our weakness before God is a good thing.
He delights in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties. Why? Because in the face of these problems, God's strength will fill him. Amen! You experience God's grace, usually not in times of peace but in times of weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties that you see God's greatness.
This is what David said: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." He saw God's great power. I hope everyone can remember that in times of peace, think of Him as your helper, and do not lose heart when facing difficulties. You may be weak, but God's strength can cover you. Amen! See your weaknesses, do not condemn yourself, but see that God's strength has come. Hallelujah!
Let us pray together.
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you! Thank you for helping us and providing for us through your words. Paul said, "Your grace is sufficient for me, for your power is made perfect in weakness." Lord, I have weaknesses, and I believe your power will cover me. Just like Naaman, having leprosy was his weakness; he believed in God and saw God's strength and power. In life, I see my weaknesses, but I am more willing to see that Christ is complete, that Christ is strong.
Your strength fills me; you have promises for me. I am more willing to experience your great power in my weaknesses in life. I will not lose heart because you are with me. Just like Elisha, you have given me this authority, allowing me to fully believe in your great power, letting others see God's great power through me, letting them know that Jesus is the true God. Hallelujah!
This week, please help me to bear witness to glorifying your name in my life. I believe that those who believe will have signs and wonders following them, that they will be able to pick up snakes, and that when they lay hands on the sick, they will be healed. This authority is already upon me. I am willing to live in this world like Elisha and be your beautiful witness. Thank you and praise you! All glory be to you. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen!