Don't take matters into your own hands

The Lord says:
"My people shall be set free from bitterness! My people shall walk in healing and sweet waters! Even when you've been betrayed, unfairly treated, taken advantage of, or falsely accused of, do not take matters into your own hands. For I have spoken, 'Vengeance is Mine, and I shall repay'. Trust in Me and look to Me instead, and I will cause you to see your vindication in due time!"

Have you been in a situation when you've been betrayed, unfairly treated, taken advantage of, or falsely accused of something? Take heart, because the Lord knows how to vindicate you and defend you, when you look to Him. Romans 12:19 (NKJV) says, 'Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord'. Romans 12:19 (NLT) says it this way, 'Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the Lord'.

I would like to point you to someone named Absalom in the Bible. It was a tragic ending for him, but it needn't have been so. Indeed, we have much to learn not just from the success stories in the Bible, but also the tragic stories in the Bible.

Absalom has always been portrayed in a bad light in Bible studies. But the truth is he did not become bad overnight! In fact, he started off as a good boy and a good brother! It was only after his beloved sister (Tamar) was raped by his half-brother (Amnon) that he allowed bitterness to set in, and unfortunately, this bitterness in him grew! (see 2 Samuel 13:1-21)

Here, we learn bitterness (that is not dealt with) will lead to a person committing more and more wrongs. The Bible says Absalom hated Amnon because he (Amnon) had forced himself on his sister Tamar (2 Samuel 13:21). Revenge has been in his mind since then. And he waited two full years before he finally got his opportunity - by getting his servants to kill a drunk Amnon at a feast! (2 Samuel 13:23-29)

Instead of looking to the Lord and letting the Lord take over, Absalom took matters into his own hands. As a consequence, he had no choice but to flee (2 Samuel 13:37-38). Not many years after that, he rebelled against his own father (David), usurping his own father's reign as king (2 Samuel 15:1-6). The Bible says he stole the hearts of the men of Israel (2 Samuel 15:6).

Now, the big question is why did Absalom eventually conspire to topple his own father (David)? Here are the likely root causes. Maybe he felt his father had not done enough to protect his beloved sister? Or maybe he felt his father had not done enough justice as the head of the family? In other words, Absalom kept hurts against his own father. For the record, Amnon was the eldest son of King David, whereas Absalom was the third son (from a different mother). So, there's always a possibility that Absalom felt his own family had not been treated fairly, or given enough attention. In a polygamous family like David's, there're bound to be jealousies, insecurities, conspiracies, and competition among the wives and children (from the different mothers).

Beloved, maybe you too feel your own parents (or leaders, superiors, comrades, etc) have not done enough for you, or have failed you? Forgive. Let go. Don't let bitterness set in and grow any further. Look to the Lord instead, because He loves you, and He knows how to take over from here. Receive your healing waters from heaven right now.

Cut the long story short, Absalom eventually died during a battle with his own father's army (2 Samuel 18:9-15). It needn't have been so. What a tragic ending to someone who was so talented and full of charisma; someone who could have been greatly used by the Lord for His kingdom. Upon hearing the news of Absalom's death, David wept bitterly and mourned for his son (2 Samuel 18:33).

Lesson learned. Bitterness kills. It's not worth it at all to keep bitterness in our soul. One thing will lead to another, and it only leads to further misery. Be set free therefore from bitterness, and begin to walk in healing and sweet waters. Amen.

Be awakened to walk into your God-given callings!

The Lord says,
"It is a time of awakening! Be awakened to walk into your God-given callings and assignments on earth! Never doubt, for I will never leave you nor forsake you! I am in the midst of exposing the plans of the enemy that comes against My people! Look to Me, for I will fight for you, and I will defend you!"

If you look at the origin of this word 'awaken', it comes from two English words, namely 'on' and 'waken'. Indeed, this is your time to 'switch on', and not 'switch off' in fulfilling all that the Lord has called you to be on earth! And this is your time to 'be awakened', and not 'slumber'; for the Lord is in the midst of raising up His people for the greater glory that's coming!

Not just that, He has even begun exposing the plans of the enemy in ways you've never seen before! Like the days of Paul when he confronted the spirit of divination! (Acts 16:16-18) The spirit of divination is in effect a satanic spirit from the forces of darkness. It is any spirit that claims to be the truth, but is not. The word 'divination' here simply means 'to be inspired by a god (it can be any god, but not the true and living God)'.

And we are now living in a time when whatever can be shaken, will be shaken! (Hebrews 12:27) Like the days of Paul when the foundations of the prison that kept him bound were shaken to the core, and everyone's chains were loosed! (Acts 16:25-34) Indeed, nothing that originates from the enemy or from the flesh can stand this shaking time! Every 'foundation' built by the enemy shall be shaken to the core! And every man-made ways (be it in the church, or in the world) shall also be shaken to the core! So, people of God, don't just listen and be easily swayed by the voices (or ideas) of this fallen world! But instead, listen to the sound of mighty waters that has already been released in the spiritual realm! Ezekiel 43:2 says, 'And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory'.

You may ask, "How do I fulfill my part in this time of greater glory?" 

In 2 Timothy 1:6-7, Paul exhorted Timothy, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Now, how do you 'stir up' the gifts given to you? You 'stir up' the gifts given to you by beginning to use them wherever you are, and wherever He puts you! Don't wait until you are given a 'formal position' before you start using them, because that's not how the Lord worked in the early church! The early disciples were full of the Spirit and were led by the Spirit; and they were preaching, teaching and making disciples wherever the Lord put them, be it in the marketplace, or in every village, town, and city that the Lord led them to! And as they walked in it, the Lord will also know how to set up divine appointments for them. When Paul responded to a vision of a Macedonian man standing and pleading with him to come over, concluding that the Lord had called him to preach the gospel there, the Lord did His part by setting up a divine appointment through Lydia who opened her home! (see Acts 16:9-15)

By the way, the words 'stir up' here is 'anazopureo' in Greek, consisting of three words, namely 'zo' (bring to life), 'pureo' (kindle the fire), and 'ana' (up). In other words, 'bringing to life' and 'kindling the fire' (whatever the Lord has given to you) by using them! And you have nothing to fear, for God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind!

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus Himself said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." You see, in Him, you too have the highest authority and mandate, and the Lord has promised that He will be with you till the end of age! Be who God has called you to be! Amen!

He is here to turn things around for you!

We all make mistakes in life, don't we? Given a choice, nobody would want to make a mistake in whatever he/she does. But thanks be to God, because even if you thought you have 'blown it', your God can turn things around for you and do a miracle for you!

Romans 8:28 says, 'And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them'. Indeed, God will work things together for good, in spite of your mistake. He can even use your mistake and turn it into a miracle, if you look to Him and put your trust in Him! Proverbs 3:5-6 says, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths'.

In 2 Kings 6:1-5, the Scripture says,
'One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, "As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small. Let’s go down to the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs. There we can build a new place for us to meet."
"All right," he told them, "go ahead."
"Please come with us," someone suggested.
"I will," he said. So he went with them.
When they arrived at the Jordan River, they began cutting down trees. But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. "Oh, sir!" he cried. "It was a borrowed ax!"'

To begin with, let's ask this question: What is the purpose of the 'ax'? 'Ax' is used when we cut trees for the building of things (e.g. buildings, furniture, etc). 'Ax' is therefore used 'to build'. In our context here, it speaks of building what God has called you to build (be it ministry, business, vocation, etc). But in this passage, the ax head fell into the river! And once fallen, never easy to retrieve, considering it was a heavy iron ax head! Not only that, it was a borrowed ax! So the man cried!

But God! He is a God who can turn things around, and He is a God of miracles! Notice Elisha had never left nor forsaken 'those who were in the midst of building'. When someone suggested for Elisha to "Please come with us", Elisha said, "I will", and he went with them. You know what it means here? 'Elisha', by the way, is 'Eliysha' in Hebrew, coming from two words, i.e. 'El' meaning 'God', and 'Shuwa' meaning 'riches, supplies, helps, hope'. People of God, the Lord is assuring you today that He is still your God of riches, supplies, helps, and hope, even when you have made a mistake or 'committed a faux pas' along the way!

In 2 Kings 6:6-7, the Scripture says,

'"Where did it fall?" the man of God asked.
When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot.
Then the ax head floated to the surface.
"Grab it," Elisha said.
And the man reached out and grabbed it'.

The 'stick' here speaks of what Jesus has done for you on the wooden cross. Just as the 'stick' caused the iron ax head to float to the surface, what Jesus has done for you on the cross is your turning point! Look to Him and put your trust in Him! And do not lose heart! He is your supernatural God and He can turn things around in ways human cannot think of!

I heard and released these words of the Lord recently:
"As you keep building what I've called you to build, I will give you new strategies, I will give you new resources, and I will give you new strength! I will even turn your mistakes around and do a miracle for you! Do not lose heart therefore, and cast all your cares to Me, for I am the Lord who cares for you!"

Indeed, He is here to turn things around for you, no matter what had happened in your life. There is nothing that He cannot turn around for you, because He is your miracle-working God. No mistake, no failure, no curse, and no enemy can hold back His turnaround power in your life! Believe and receive. In Jesus' name. Amen!