Text: 2 Kings 5:9-12
Ezekiel 44:23 KJV
23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
I have discovered in my interactions with certain believers that their most significant challenge in following God is a lack of spiritual sensitivity borne out of spiritual immaturity. It takes a level of spiritual maturity to distinguish between the Holy and the common. To recognise a divine instruction for what it is and carry it out obediently.
Just like Naaman came to seek the counsel and help of the prophet of God in 2 Kings 5:9-12 and then reacted against instruction, I have had a similar experience as a Pastor.
2 Kings 5:9-12 KJV
9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 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.
11 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.
12 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.
Pastoring is a calling that some speak poorly of and the most attacked office by the devil. As a responsible and accountable Pastor; you carry people of God in your heart; you bring them before the Lord in prayers, and you put yourself in a state of readiness to minister to their needs, and you do these with the full awareness that you carry grace and anointing from the Lord almighty – often God will use you despite yourself for the sake of His people. Instructions will come for them, and you pass the instructions onwards. You tell them you are to do this and that in your obedience to God- and I have had interesting responses from Church members through the years and till date:
- “Okay, sir”, – but you find out the person did not carry out the instruction whilst you are ministering to them in the midst of suffering the consequences of disobedience to instruction. You pray for God’s mercy and be hopeful that they will get it right next time.
- “Okay, sir, but I disagree; this is what I think the issue is…” Some will respond in a way that leaves you wondering who came to whom for counsel? I have learnt not to argue divine instruction with any member. Especially when I am dealing with an adult. I remember the day my father in the Lord Rev Olusola Areogun brought me great peace of mind when he said “you cannot take responsibility for an adult”. I still feel it though when the repercussions of disobedience come upon any Church member.
- And occasionally, I will get those who carry out the instruction to the letter and much to my delight, great things happen for them. These are those you call a Pastor’s joy.
Not every Church member is a Pastor’s joy. But you cannot stop Pastoring people and loving them. I did not realize the weight of this statement made my spiritual father:
“I will Pastor you in joy or in pain”, until when I became a Pastor.
No matter what the people you are pastoring do you cannot be offended at them; that is to expose them to the devil; and that would just increase your work. It is not fun ministering to someone the devil has damaged – it is an intense most times continued ministration, but there is nothing impossible with God.
I am sure you have heard it said before that a Pastor must have a large heart – if you don’t, may you not die off hypertension in Jesus’ Name.
There are things that you would have in the active service as a Pastor amongst others: grey hair, love for the word of God, fearlessness of man and an awe of God, very good memory, and a large heart to love and forgive.
One of the scriptures in the Bible I pray that Church members will come into the revelation of is:
Hebrews 13:17 AMP
17 Obey your [spiritual] leaders and submit to them [recognising their authority over you], for they are keeping watch over your souls and continually guarding your spiritual welfare as those who will give an account [of their stewardship of you]. Let them do this with joy and not with grief and groans, for this would be of no benefit to you.
I implore you don’t dishonour your Pastors, don’t give them a wrong attitude, and don’t let people blame your Pastor for what you have brought upon yourself because you refused them to Pastor you in joy.
Proverbs 4:13 AMP
13 Take hold of instruction; [actively seek it, grip it firmly and] do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life.
There are certain things you may want to consider when you are given instructions as to know whether to deal with them as Holy or common:
- The person giving you the instruction – who is the person to you?
- Does the instruction contradict the word of God?
- To who’s benefit is it if you carry out the instruction?
- If you are always overthinking the instruction, stop and ask yourself why?
- If you are reacting against the instruction, is it because you are reacting against the person, or is there another spirit at work in you that wants to keep you from your breakthrough?
- What is so complicated about the instruction that you give excuses or refuse to carry it out?
The instructions from the Lord are to be obeyed – you are not smart enough to interpret them with your limited mind. It is usually in your correct obedience that interpretation will come.
Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Understand this whether born again or not, you have an adversary – it is just that you are a greater threat to the adversary Satan when you get born again.
If you allow him, he will twist simple instructions and make them complicated in your mind. God gave the most straightforward instruction to Adam and Eve – don’t eat the fruit. But the devil was able to interpret for Eve to mean more than just that, and he moved her into costly disobedience.
Ephesians 4:27 AMPC
27 Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him].
Genesis 3:1-5 KJV
3 Now, the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent; We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
If you are always trying to figure out divine instructions, you will soon give an opportunity to the devil, and you will open up yourself to demonic interpretations. And may not realise that you are already in disobedience until you find yourself suffering the consequences.
Satan is a master at utilising our disobedience to his advantage. He has used this same strategy from the beginning, moving people into disobedience so as to move them against God and out of divine protection.
Every sincere child of God can attest to the truth that God had come ahead for them with instructions to preserve them. And that the experience they had as an aftermath of that instruction was down to their obedience or disobedience.
I heard some say that the devil is a snake that has no arms because he is harmless, and he has no feet because he is defeated.
Indeed the devil is defeated, but he is not harmless. He is not the roaring lion, but he can project himself to be, as a roaring lion and for as many that permit him, he will devour them.
1 Peter 5:8 AMP
8 Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.
I want you to check out one of the blogs I wrote a while back titled: There is an adversary, and you can overcome him:
2 Corinthians 2:11 LEB
11 in order that we may not be exploited by Satan (for we are not ignorant of his schemes).
John 10:10 AMP
10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.
Satan (devil, adversary, thief…) is on a mission to kill, steal and destroy, and one of his significant schemes is to move us into disobedience to divine instructions.
The instructions from the Lord are to be obeyed – you are not smart enough to interpret them with your limited mind. It is usually in your correct obedience that interpretation will come, and the outcome of your obedience will be to your great benefit.
The Message Bearer
Cornelius Bella
corneliusbella 