Resumo de A Warrior With A Weakness - Naaman

A Warrior With a Weakness ? Naaman

Naaman was a great warrior, but he had something that normally would have made him an outcast. He had leprosy; which those who had this ailment normally weren?t treated very well. However, even before he knew the Lord?Naaman had favor. He was a great warrior and just how people who have the favor of the Lord resting over their lives He often will plant someone among them who, at God?s appointed time, will speak up.

In this case, it was a young, captive maid from Israel. She told his wife??There is a man?? The wife, smart woman that she was, relayed this information to her husband. Women have to walk in the power the Lord that He has given them to relay information to their husbands that will help them out. Most likely, Naaman had grown to accept that he had leprosy, as we often become complacent about something that is in our lives that has been there for so long, (i.e. a sickness, poverty, bad habit, etc). Whatever it may be, we?ve become comfortable with it and have learned to live with it.

So Naaman, full of hope, goes to the king and asks if he could go see this man. The king grants his request and Naaman starts on his way with a letter of introduction from the king and bearing seed, oh excuse me I meant gifts ;o). Now even though he had 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold and ten sets of clothing, where God is concerned, if you don?t have all that, a pure praise from the heart is worth all that and more.

So anyway, he gets to the king and the king panics just knowing that it?s some sort of plot to cause war between them or something. But Elisha heard about the fuss and sent word to the king?don?t get in a tizzy, I got this. ;o) He told the king that he could indeed heal Naaman. He didn?t say I might be able to do it, He didn?t say I?ll see what I can do, He said I CAN HEAL HIM. When you walk in the power of God you have to KNOW you can do what He told you to do.

So Naaman and his whole entourage went to Elisha?s house and waited at the door to see the man. Sometimes you think you have to see somebody face to face to receive the answer to your prayers, but Elisha sent a messenger. The messenger told Naaman to go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River then your skin will be restored and you will be healed.

Well, Naaman was just fit to be tied. He was expecting something totally different as we often do. We never know how our healing, answer or breakthrough will come about. Often we expect the answer to be comparable to a grand fireworks display when actually the resolution is as simple as a single sparkler. Naaman wasn?t just upset, it spoke of him leaving in a rage.

He was trying to rationalize what the messenger of the man of God told him. Too many times we just can?t do that. We have to follow the instructions to the letter of what God is telling us to do. Naaman was naming off alternate rivers that he could dip in?why the Jordan? Because God said so! He could bathe all day in any other river but his breakthrough would not occur there. He would have to wash in the Jordan River, not 2 times, not 4 times, SEVEN. When God gets specific, follow it to the letter.

So, his soldiers started reasoning with Naaman stating if he were instructed to do something great he would have done it, so why not do such a simple thing. So Naaman said ok?I?ll do it. After he followed Elisha?s instructions, not only was his skin restored but beyond what he could ever hope for. His skin was compared to that of a young child. And that is how the Lord works. He restores better than what you had before.

Naaman?s life was changed, not only physically, but also spiritually by following the will of God with Elisha as the instrument. Naaman proclaimed God to be the one and only living God and renounced his old ways of worshipping idols. He did ask for a pardon when in the king?s presence he would have to bow to theking?s idol. I was a little surprised that God was ok with that, but who am I to question. ;o)

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