Healing Business
1Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
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.
13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
16 But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.
2 Kings 5.
The miraculous healing of Naaman through the ministry of Prophet Elisha is a well known and loved story in the Word of God. My purpose is not to focus on the actual healing account but to exegete principles in regard to the healing process revealed in this narrative. There are steps that led up to Naaman’s healing that will help those seeking healing today. Let us take a look.
The captive little maid had not forgotten her homeland nor the man of God who resided there. She was quick to recommend him in regard to the leprous captain. Today most saints like to recommend their best doctor when learning of someone’s ailment.
The king’s response was also without delay but it was misdirected. He moved horizontally from king to king. Earthly kings are not in the healing business. Neither could the currency from his treasury and the costly garments from his royal closet influence the required results.
The king of Israel recognized his powerlessness in the matter and attributed the communication from the king of Syria as a ploy to justify a war. And there stands leprous Naaman.
Cut to the prophet’s house. There is a prophet in Israel, he confidently proclaims. Send the man to me. I’ll take it from here Your Royal Highness.
Per this story, healing requires the attention of the man of God. Healing may come through a variety of ways. Here it is available through the mediation of one man, Elisha. The man of God here represents someone rich in faith, someone not impressed by position, nor intimidated by the severity of the disease.
“Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” And someone who expects to attain the desired results.
This kind may be hard to find today. Today they are usually found in small Pentecostal churches faithfully serving the Lord, fulfilling their calling. They are men and women of great faith who have learned to trust God through thick and thin and have discovered his faithfulness over the years, and that God is true to his word. Their abandonment to God has produced a rich anointing that breaks the yoke and truly lifts the burden. They are aware of their imperfections, and more aware of His perfection accompanied by grace and mercy. They stand “amazed in the presence of Je-sus the Nazarene and wonder how he could love me a sinner condemned, unclean.”
Peter explained in Acts 3:12,16:
12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
These in the healing business know that it is all in the name of Jesus. Find one of these servants. A Pastor or an Evangelist unheard of in Charisma magazine, TBN, or CBN. You probably won’t find a motivational book with their name on it at the self-improvement section of the mega bookstore. They improve you by laying hands on you and getting you straightened out in the name of Jesus.
Now, when you are in the presence of God with these servants of the Lord you will find they don’t always practice religious, traditional, or conventional methods.
Do not be offended or alarmed. Their prophetic anointing will at times manifest in unorthodox words, actions, and volume. See, Naaman almost prevented his healing because of the directions the prophet gave him. Put aside your pride and your religious expectation and cooperate with the servant of the Lord. A true man or women of God will not direct you to unrighteous actions. Sometimes though they may be as I have stated, a little out of the ordinary. Jesus used spit on one blind man. Just saying.
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.
Note: 1. Chariots and horses- Pride to impress the prophet. He sends a messenger. 2. Wash in Jordan- Unconventional means. 3. I thought- Preconceived ideas of how it should happen. 4. May I not wash in them?- No, you must do it God’s way. And 5. Went away in a rage- That action and emotion will never bring about healing.
Thank God for a cool headed servant who talked humble sense into Naaman. Naaman acquiesced.
14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
There are true men and women of God who are in the healing business. And they are not in it for the gold.
16 But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.
Be healed. In the name of Jesus. Amen. -PJF-
And now a word from our Pastor…
Tell the Next Generation
Psalm 145:3-16
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
10 All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.
11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
14 The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
I pray that in each generation there be a history of the greatness of God. In difficult times we can tell the next generation of God’s provision. In times of plenty we can tell the next generation of God’s promises and his faithfulness. In times of disease and torment we can tell the next generation of God’s steadfastness and his healing hand.
Tell the next generation who God truly is and what He has done through his only begotten son, Jesus, with the help of the Holy Spirit. They will not know unless we tell them. -SAF-
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
Author: Henry Van Dyke
1 Joyful, joyful, we adore You,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow'rs before You,
Op'ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!
2 All Your works with joy surround You,
Earth and heav'n reflect Your rays,
Stars and angels sing around You,
Center of unbroken praise;
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flow'ry meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain
Praising You eternally!
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Author: Phillips Brooks
1 O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.
4 O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin and enter in;
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels,
the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel!
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. Psalm 1:3
Little Lake Brian, Orlando, FL. Photo by PJ Flores ©2023 All rights reserved.
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Purpose! Ministries Inc.
16605 Sunrise Lakes Blvd Suite 6
Clermont, FL 34714
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Pastors PJ and Shirley Flores
Purpose! Ministries
A Praying Church - A Healing Church - A Holy Spirit Church - A Preaching Church
© 2023 Purpose! Ministries Inc. All rights reserved.
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