Saturday, March 1, 2014

Changing of the Guard Part III

Gehazi’s Greed

2 Kings 5:20-27 20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” 21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, “Is all well?” 22 And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.’”

23 So Naaman said, “Please, take two talents.” And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants; and they carried them on ahead of him. 24 When he came to the citadel, he took them from their hand, and stored them away in the house; then he let the men go, and they departed. 25 Now he went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, “Where did you go, Gehazi?”

And he said, “Your servant did not go anywhere.”  26 Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants? 27 Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.” And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow.

Message

Father shared a parable this past Thursday morning which aligns with the scripture reference from 2 Kings 5:20-27. The parable centers on a person who is hired as an employee at a company and becomes part of the company’s workforce. As an employee of this company, the individual provides a service to their employer and in return receives compensation for fulfilling what is required. One day after providing a service for a client who has connections with the local professional team, the employee announces that they need a favor and would like tickets for an upcoming game.  While the employee believes there is no harm in making this request, they may not realize that by soliciting goods or services from the client is in fact wrong and against company policy. They also may not be aware that the purpose of this policy is not only for protecting the integrity of the company but also for their benefit as well.  Companies normally put policies like this in place to help safeguard all employees including management from falling prey to greed. Without the proper boundaries in place, employees could easily be enticed away by any freebie presented and lose focus thereby affecting the integrity of the company’s vision.

It’s important to note that while some client/customer freebies may be viewed as free, someone somewhere already paid the price for it to be produced. Gehazi, who served the prophet Elisha, allowed the sight of a few “freebies” to draw his focus away from his ministry assignment. Apparently he felt in some way that he was somehow entitled to these items because Elisha had of course healed Naaman. What he failed to realize is that the boundaries that were in place were not there to hinder him from accepting and enjoying the “freebies” but to protect the integrity of his and Elisha’s ministry assignment. Unfortunately for him, his short lived greed came with a very high price tag.

Prophetic Utterance

Some major leaders will be stepping down because of what has happened within their ministries as it relates to greed. Father is now exposing on a grand scale. New leaders with a heart for Him will rise up to take their place. Things are being aligned and redirected so the church can truly begin to step out of its comfort zone to become a driving force in the earth before the return of the Lord. Father desires that His people be Kingdom generated and not greed motivated. Scribed @ 7:45 AM (CST) 2/27/2014

Encouragement

Grace is available. Mercy is obtainable and God is able to heal and restore you.

Deliverance Prayer

Heavenly Father thank you for who you are. You are Sovereign and worthy of all the honor and glory. We surrender our hearts, mind and emotions to you on today. We ask that you forgive us for any trespass against you and others. Forgive us for harboring greed in any area of our lives.  Father, forgive us for not protecting the integrity of your church and our ministry assignments. We ask that you wash, cleanse, and purge us of any contamination from the world. Purify and align our hearts with your divine will that we can become the effective witnesses and agents of change you desire us to be. Thank you Heavenly Father for your amazing grace and another opportunity to serve you both in spirit and in truth. Amen