2 Kings 5:13-14 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So, he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Pastor Kyle continued that we might miss the very thing that would lead to our healing because of our pride. Sometimes, the journey of healing starts with a simple act of obedience. Most of the time, God requires our surrender first, before He moves in a situation, because most of the time we are living for our own will and desires. The egocentric heart does not turn to God by more ego-growing moments, but through humbling ourselves. Naaman needed to no get what he wanted in the manner that he wanted. If God would have healed him body but did not heal his heart to become a true Believer in the end, then what good would that have been for him and the kingdom of God? Naaman needed physical healing and spiritual healing of the heart to turn to the Lord, but that could only happen through a surrendered life.
2 Kings 5:15-17 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. Then Naaman said, “If not, please let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord.”
This is a conversion from false gods to the One True God, confessing his faith; a true transformation story. Romans 10:9-10 tells us that after the Messiah comes, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” No amount of silver and gold can pay for cleansing, healing and salvation. Naaman took his newfound faith seriously, for God stepped in His life and revealed Himself in this miraculous act. He understood that he was going to have to make godly changes in his life. We should never underestimate what God can do through a transformed heart.
Life is more about our response to what happens to us than the things that actually happen to us. We are going to have good things and bad things happen in our lives. Some people play the “blame game” for everything situation that happens in their life. let’s not downplay trauma and drama in our lives; we all have them. But, we are not defined by the traumas and dramas that happen to us. God wants us to take the traumas in our lives and turn them into opportunities to triumph through His mighty work by His great power and to His majestic glory. The healing of the heart is always the start. If we do not allow God to heal our bitterness and anger built up inside us which we are holding onto, then we are going to miss future opportunities to be used for the kingdom of Heaven and in our lives now. Let God heal your heart. Let God help you forgive the Naaman’s in your life, so you can direct them the Great Physician who heals the soul.
A transformed heart begins at the Cross. It is only through the Cross of Jesus that we can learn to extend true forgiveness and experience true healing in our hearts. Once we understand true forgiveness and receive true healing through Christ, then we can begin to proclaim the Gospel to the Naaman’s in our lives. If we are holding onto unforgiveness, then it is not benefiting you, not hurting the person that you are not forgiving and actually holding you back. But, ultimately, holding onto unforgiveness hurts God who forgave you. Forgiving is not condoning an offense that someone has done, nor allowing them to do it again, but releasing the offense to the Lord and putting it at the foot of the Cross so that God can heal your heart.
Trusting God almost never means throwing common sense out the window. God gave Elisha a plan for Naaman’s restoration, but it defied common sense. The only time that we throw common sense out of what we are doing is when God calls or tells you to do it by faith, even if there is risk involved, but this is where you need to be, but that is the exception, not the rule. In most cases though, God uses Christians that use their magnificent minds and don’t throw common sense out.
Let's conclude Pastor Kyle's message on transformation of the heart in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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