THE PAINS AND JOYS OF BEING A BLESSING By Pastor Bayo Adeyokunnu Jeremiah 48:11 Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed. Moab is Israel’s natural cousin but God is not interested in her because she has not been emptied. In those days there were no filters. Things were purified by pouring (emptying) them from vessel to vessel. God is interested in Jerusalem and searches her with candles: Zephaniah 1:12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil. For a child of God, the wages of sin is death. Though it might be gradual, sin leads to death, captivity, and sickness. True repentance is to quit the evil you are doing. 2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; Glory has weight. God allows certain people to go through affliction so that when the glory comes it would not crush them. Beloved, for you to be a blessing, you must go through the School of God. This is not easy. In fact, it is a very hard school to attend. There’ll be loneliness. You will go through things you never imagined you’d go through in life. This is because God will not deposit his treasure into a nonentity. God will not allow certain people to rise up beyond a certain level. MAY GOD SINGLE YOU OUT FOR A BLESSING! In the School of God, there’ll be affliction but it doesn’t last for eternity. If you’re presently going through some things perhaps God is preparing you for a glory that’ll last. When God wants to use you, he’ll take you through suffering and pain. Things will not come as easy as they do for others. But if you yield yourself, the joy will last forever. God will want to kill some character flaws in you before you are exposed. God has to train you himself so that when you represent him you will not bring shame to his name. Let us examine some characters in the Bible who went through the School of God: ABRAHAM – Though a “friend” of God didn’t have a child for a hundred years. Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy fathers house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Abraham had to be separated from his family. He had to trust God that his tomorrow would be alright. He underwent the pain of leaving his comfort zone. God may deny you some things to teach you longsuffering and forbearance. The things some people have gone through have turned them into prayer warriors. Hannah became a prayer warrior as a result of the torments from Penninah. The School of God comes with pain. If God truly wants to commit much into your hands, you must humble yourself and become a carpet. There is a level of success you can’t reach if you don’t deal with certain traits in your character. This is because God does not want you to backslide. For instance, you wouldn’t give a Rolls Royce to a 16-year-old who has just obtained his/her learner’s permit. GOD WILL NOT PROMOTE YOU UNTIL YOU HAVE PASSED HIS SCHOOL. If you are still struggling with some character traits God will keep you in his elementary class. Before you actually become a blessing you have to go through the furnace of affliction: Isaiah 48:10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. Some people have many questions. Some are thinking to themselves “I’ve been believing God for ????? but it hasn’t happened!!!” Examine yourself. Perhaps you haven’t yielded your will to God. Perhaps there are still some character traits you need to deal with. Proverbs 17:3 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts. God has to empty you COMPLETELY before he can commit much into your hands. Proverbs 27:21 As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise. Many people can’t praise God enough because they haven’t gone through anything. If you’ve gone through certain things you’ll appreciate God for everything. Malachi 3:3-4 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. Sometimes it is God Himself sitting as a refiner to purge you (and not the devil). There are things you learn in the School of God that NO ONE can teach you but God Himself. To be a blessing you have to suffer many things. In the School of God, you learn forbearance, longsuffering, humility among other things. ELIJAH THE TISHBITE – The man God told to go to the brook Cherith (a very lonely place). See 1st Kings 17:1-6 You’ve got to trust God completely. Job said “though he slays me, I will yet praise him!” In leadership, God will take you through loneliness. There’ll be situations where it’ll be YOU, GOD, AND NOBODY ELSE! Loneliness can bring mental illness and untimely death. For God to commit a lot into your hands He has to take you through His school. Philippians 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. Paul said he knew how to live in plenty as well as how to suffer. You must learn to endure and adapt to different situations. Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. In the School of God you must learn to endure. Don’t give up before your miracle comes. ELISHA – Before Elisha was anointed, he was a rich farmer but he left all and followed Elijah. God cannot commit a lot into your hands if you’re not prepared to leave all. Beloved, YOU MUST BE ABLE TO LEAVE ALL! On the day of your test, may you not fail! God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. The principle of God is leaving “ALL”. THE LEVEL OF YOUR SUCCESS IN LIFE DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU INVEST IN THE KINGDOM. Great men of god have invested a lot in God’s kingdom. Before any glory there is a story. If you pay the price, God will move on your behalf. PAUL – Paul left his prestige to do the will of God. MAY YOU BE ABLE TO LEAVE EVERYTHING AND SURRENDER “ALL” TO THE WILL OF GOD! See Philippians 3:4-8 God suffered the loss of His son so that He could have lots of children today: John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. If you’ve not passed through anything you can’t pray all night. John 10:11, 15, & 17 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 15As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 17Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. Jesus gave his life to us. There is a joy that’ll come after you’ve gone through the School of God. Abraham eventually became great. If you allow God to purge and refine you, you’ll have both physical and eternal blessings which endure forever. Obedience is painful. It is self-denial. It is having the attitude of “Others may but I cant…” 2 Kings 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Elijah had suffered loneliness. Eventually he had a unique way of going to heaven. God sent a chariot to pick him for heaven! MAY GOD COUNT US WORTHY! The pain of refining brings eternal joy. Elisha got a double portion of Elijah’s anointing. Even his bones raised the dead: 2 Kings 13:21 And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. As you yield yourself to Him, may God use you for His glory! When you have to drop things you like there will be pain. 2 Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. Paul saw heaven and his crown before his death (crown of righteousness). Beloved, the glory will come if you pay the price and yield yourself completely to God. The greatest challenge in life is to submit your will to His. Your motto should be “thy will be done…” Jesus submitted his will completely and was highly exalted. Philippians 2:9-11 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. There is exaltation if you yield yourself while in the School of God. On the last day, the devil and all his cohorts will confess that Jesus is Lord. The School of God may last three to five years depending on how fast you yield. If He loves you He (God) will not tolerate nonsense from you. MAY GOD LOVE YOU SPECIALLY! In yielding to God, people will call you stupid, fanatic, etc. There are some people in church who are not going anywhere. God does not waste time. He can drop a person like a hot potato! He wants people he can train quickly so that they’ll be a blessing. Bad company or association derail people even in the church. There are some people in church that you can’t even work with because they are not going anywhere. Song: Lord make me an instrument, an instrument of worship, I lift up my hands in your name (2ce)! For we are a symphony, a symphony of worship, we lift up our hands in your name (2ce)! PRAYER Father Lord, I’m pleading with you to use me for your glory. In your infinite mercy, use me for your glory. If you have to refine me as gold, use me for your glory. Make me into a vessel of honor sanctified and meet for your use. Help me to set aside my own agenda and plan. Help me to lay aside every weight and sin that so easily besets (Heb. 12:1). Use me, Lord, for your glory. Give me the enablement to lay aside every weight that is weighing me down. I do not want to miss it. Do not replace me with stones. I do not want to be replaced. God, you anointed David (who was faithful tending sheep in the bush) and rejected his brothers. Do not reject me. I don’t want to be an obstruction to what you want to do through me. I do not want to be a castaway. Deal with my heart. I want my heart to be right with you. Circumcise my heart. Grant me patience to endure affliction. Help me to come out as gold. I will not give up at the edge of breakthough. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray! AMEN. The Lord gave the word; great is the company of those that published it (Psalm 68:11)
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 13:16:57 +0000
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