”Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
(Hebrews 4:1-2)NKJV
Things couldn’t have been worse in this very troubled time in Israel. The Syrian army surrounded and besieged the entire region. The resulting condition was a terrible famine that eventually leads to cannibalism. Horrific oppression and spirit of death hovered over all in the city.
In the midst of the worst of this hopeless condition, in walks God’s man, prophet Elisha. Elisha hadn’t come empty-handed, but he went with a TODAY WORD from God. He boldly walked up to the king and said: “Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’” (2 Kings 7:1)
The famine of starvation and oppression was about to turn into a feast of abundance. When Elisha finished his prophecy, releasing God’s TODAY WORD and changing the destiny of all the people there, a leader of the city made a sarcastic and mocking comment. Because of his unbelieving attitude, he disqualified himself from receiving the promise.
“So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, ‘Look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?’ And he said, ‘In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.’” (2 Kings 7:2)
Elisha said to him, “You’ll SEE IT, but you won’t EXPERIENCE IT.”
God hasn’t called you to be a spectator. He’s called you to be a possessor—someone who inherits the promises of God and experiences the kingdom of God.
God wants us to avoid the fate of this ruler who rejected the prophetic word of God. He ended up being trampled by the people as they rushed out of the oppressed city into the abundant provision of God. While he tried to keep the gate shut, he was run over by the power of God’s promise in the people’s lives.
It is always a dangerous mistake to fight against someone or something that God is blessing and doing!
The Word of God tells us, “For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.” (2 Peter 1:12)
The spiritual foundation that God wants to build up in your life is the CURRENT EMPHASIS OF GOD’S SPIRIT. It doesn’t mean that we are continually looking for “new doctrines” or “new revelations,” but instead that we recognize and receive the present emphasis of the kingdom of God in our lives.
This openness to the leading of the Holy Spirit will become the guarantee of being included in His purpose in our generation. Jesus said in John 8:31-32:
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
A disciple is a person who continues to embrace the change brought to us by God’s word. If you CONTINUE TO EMBRACE GOD’S WORD THEN, YOU QUALIFY FOR THE REWARD OF TRUTH — FREEDOM. If we remain HUNGRY and HUMBLE for the things of God, we will hear His voice bringing a TODAY WORD of freedom and destiny!
