8 min read

Purpose! Newsletter - October 2023

Seers, Servants, and Syrians

8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. 11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? 12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. 13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. 20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? 22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. 23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. 2 Kings 6:8-23

This story reveals so much of the powerful and miraculous ministry

of the prophet/seer Elisha.

The man of God thwarted the plans of the king of Syria by advising the king of Israel where the Syrians were going to set up camp to attack Israel. We may not have a seer in our midst to guide us so, but we do have the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us pre-emptively and so deliver us from the enemy’s plots against us. The confuser gets confused when we listen to the Holy Spirit and he is unable to decipher how we are escaping his maneuvers. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to guide us by being attentive to his promptings not only in the major events in our life but also in the smaller ones where we think we have it all figured out. A misstep in the small moves can escalate to greater complications caused by unknown and unseen elements. The Holy Spirit searches the deep things. We may not understand his guidance at the moment but we trust his care for us and his ability to divert us from possible harm. Upon learning of the advantaged king of Israel, and told that there was no mole in the ranks, the king decides on a different course of action. Frustrated, the Syrian monarch sends a large contingent of military power, not to capture the opposing king, but to lay hold of the man of God who is causing him to not be able to win the battle against Israel. The spiritual force against him is greater than the opposing army. He has to get rid of the man of God. Oh that we were such men of God that we could subdue great kings and their armies. One man of God who could see beyond the natural prevented the overtake of the armies of Israel. 14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? Obviously the servant of the man of God could not see into the supernatural realm. His vision was limited to the natural dimension. On this early morning all he saw was the Syrian host of soldiers, horses, and chariots. But he turned to the one who could see beyond. Alas, my master! how shall we do? The servant was now in position, by his association with the man of God, to have his spiritual eyes opened and see the unseen. Association with those of elevated contact with the Divine will bring the not so inclined into a different element of faith and the accompanying ability to see more; the evidence of things not seen factor. Your solitude or keeping company with the earth bound will limit your spiritual perspicacity. You will not have or develop a clarity of vision, a keen ability to notice and understand things that are difficult or not obvious. The seer may seem strange at first but continuing in his environment will bring understanding and appreciation for his gift. You may even, as the servant, enter into the divine perspective. Eleven disciples acquired that in their proximity to the Master. The man of God sees differently. 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. The servant looks around. There is only two of them there. Isn’t he aware yet of prophetic insight? At the moment it is lost to him. The scenario appears insurmountable. There are too many combatants in the hills about us. And then the prophet utters a prayer. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. The Lord’s army was in place. They were safe. I think David knew this story. He declared, Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. Ps 27:3 What might you be dealing with presently that is of such a magnitude as what the Prophet encountered early one morning. I remind you, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. The angel of the Lord encamps round about those that fear him. Lo, I am with you always. I will never leave you nor forsake you. 18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. Our eyes need to be opened. The enemy’s eyes will be shut. No harm will befall us. Ah, but there is more. 20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. This is a really interesting story. So once the Syrian army was led blind to where the man of God wanted them, in Samaria, he opens their eyes. Lord, open the eyes that need to be open, and close the eyes that need to be closed. The seer Elisha had it all under control by his relationship with God. We have a better covenant. Amen. -PJF-

And now a word from our Pastor…

Three prayer requests for Purpose! Ministries:

Provision, Property, & People

You’re Never too Young to be an Example 1 Timothy 4:12, Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

You are never too young to be an example. God can use you where you, just as you are. You don't have to wait until you're an adult to be an example of believers to others. You can be an example with a smile. You can be an example and help those around you. You can be an example of a believer by giving a hug to a friend that is hurting and is in need of comfort. In doing all of those things, you are setting an example for others to follow in sharing the love of Jesus. If the opportunity arises to talk about why you do what you do, then you can tell people about Jesus. Tell them that God loved them so much that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him will have everlasting life. I believe this is a good reminder for mature believers. We can learn from each other, especially babies. You're not too young to do those things. There is no age limit in being an example for others to follow. -SAF- Prayer Requests 1. Tabitha, one of the inmates we have been ministering to the past 7 years, was released last month. She is back home adjusting to her new life in a whole new world. We are praying that the Lord will continue to lead and direct her. We pray that those around her would be good for her and her desire to fulfill her call. We pray that she will be settled and strengthened in the Word of God.

2. This is part of the group we meet with online in India every month. They are facing many financial challenges and have asked us to pray for them. They house 15 widows and 20 orphans. We speak Philippians 4:19 over them, But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.