Scripture: 2 Kings 5 v 10 - 12: "And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan even 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."
A little Israeli slave girl told Naaman, a Syrian who suffered from leprosy, that there was a prophet called Elisha who lived in Israel who could pray for him to be healed of his disease. So the King of Syria wrote a letter to the King of Israel, sending it by Naaman's hand to ask for Elisha to heal him.
Elisha was summoned and he told Naaman that he should wash in the Jordan river 7 times and he would be cleansed of leprosy and made whole. Stubborn, angry Naaman had thought the prophet would pronounce him healed after some prayers. He also considered the rivers in his own land superior to the Jordan.
He sounds just like anyone of us when our fondest expectations are not met. We shout and perform. We want set rituals and a religious show to ensure that God is taking notice, but our God works in mysterious ways. He does the unexpected every time. He needs to outwit the predictable things of Satan. Satan loves rituals and showiness and other attention-seeking devices.
Go dip yourself in Jordan River 7 times for healing was Elisha's word to Naaman. And, after many complaints, he obeyed and was completely healed. How many times have we missed a blessing or a miracle because the manner of it was not to our liking? Our pride and perfection become stumbling blocks to the moving of the Holy Spirit. We even project our own hidden pride upon those trying to help us, insulting them to the point of being rejected by them.
Jesus hates organised religion because it completely blocks the true spiritual anointing. He wants us to live in simplicity and to love one another in humility and trust. Miracles will flow from the hands of people who are fully submitted to the Lordship of Jesus.
Jesus wants us to be living saints who are willing to follow where He leads us. Willing to be obedient to every instruction He writes on our hearts - every day has new and different commands specifically crafted for each individual who is in a personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus always resists those who are proud and stubborn, and gives grace to humble people, through whom He works His miracles.
Think of the dead saints being prayed to in the Catholic Church. We are not permitted to communicate with the dead as this is called Spiritualism. In Catholicism, if you cause miracles to happen after your death you are declared a saint. This saint now has its own special day on which to be venerated. This canonized saint can now be prayed to for more miracles.
This is false Christianity at its very worst! It is a mockery of the true walk of faith that born again saints experience every day. There is no Christian teaching that tells us that we must expect to perform miracles after we are dead.
There are those "evangelists" alive today who lie on the graves of famous exalted ministers to "catch their anointing". If Naaman had had to wait for a dead saint to heal him he would have had a very long wait.
If you need healing of any disease you have a living Healer called Jesus Christ to whom all things are possible. He performs many miracles every day and is the only true miracle worker. This is the real mystery of Christianity that the unsaved cannot grasp - Christ in us the hope of glory.
Jesus who died on the Cross and rose from the dead joined Himself to each one of us to make a new creation that could live on Earth but be separate from the world system. When you are born again, baptised in water and the Holy Spirit you are that new creation and Jesus in you can continue the work He started when He lived on Earth. Healing, saving, delivering, preaching, honouring His Father and creating love and reconciliation in us.
Philippians 2 v 5 - 10: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;"
When we call on Jesus for healing or deliverance, we need to heed the lesson of Naaman and Elisha. Naaman wanted to be honoured, respected and have a fanfare! He didn't get it and was angry. When he eventually humbled himself and obeyed, God met his need.
Jesus HImself humbled Himself and obeyed God through a terrible death, to take the punishment for our sins, to have the victory over disease and death for every human ever born. When we become humble and obedient, God will come through for us.
It means esteeming, honouring, respecting others above yourself, even if you do not think they are better than you. That is true humility. It's not easy because today having high self-esteem, ie, pride and superiority, is a huge asset in the world.
Even in churches today there are programs running to improve your self-esteem. James 4 v 4 - 6:
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."
Many churches have become so worldly that the entertainment stage has replaced the altar. James calls it adultery or friendship with the world. God is resisting, not hearing or answering cries for help, those who are at enmity with Him. Those churches have lost their anointing and substituted it for the rush they get when manufacturing their own.
Examine your standing in case you are in a Naaman church and not an Elisha church. There are daily signs and reminders that we have reached the curtain raisers to the Tribulation period. We are seeing Antichrist behaviour in Putin's War against Ukraine, and in the realignment of nations, trade, energy, economies. The Beast is here! It is time to be very sure of your tickets to Heaven.
Prayer: Heavenly Father forgive my religious pride that makes mockery of true Christian ministry, and belittles those who have lived by faith for many years. Teach me Your perfect way and let me be humble before you. Let me not grumble and complain but let me fully understand the power of Jesus Christ within me - the hope of glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.