THE DANGEROUS SIDE OF A LOVING GOD

*The dangerous side of a loving God* .

Casualties of revival; that is what we call them. Unfortunate ones in the midst of the glorious move of God. 

Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. It happened as the man of God had said to the king: "About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria." 2 Kings 7:17-18NIV

God is almighty and when He decides to do awesome things, He does not need our vote or strength to achieve it. God can do anything, whether we have faith or not. Let me put it this way; the reason He is asking us to have faith is so that we can draw-in His energy and grace in order to do the things He does. He loves us and is willing to share everything He has with us. Since the day He gave His only son to redeem us from our sin and from the power of satan, it has become clear that there is nothing he cannot give to us.

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Rom 8:32NIV

Our text also shows that no one is indispensable where God is concerned. The king and his leaders doubted and quarreled with His word of prophecy, so God employed the services of the lepers to declare as truth that which the nobles have doubted. They called them rejected but God does not seek human consent to make His choice. The rejected stone can once again became the cornerstone. That should encourage anyone who thinks that he does not fit into what God will be doing in this New Year. God can use you.

You can repeat that to yourself ten times; “GOD CAN USE ME!”

Imagine the atmosphere that morning. Imagine how hope returned to the dejected nation and how those living in the fearful darkness received the light of life and everyone was lively again. Picture yourself in that city that day and imagine once silent voices clattering with live again. God has brought back hope to the dead nation. This is entirely the doing of the Lord and no one can take credit for it. God has risen to answer to the cry of the people.

This brings us to a very important thing. When God begins to move and joy begins to flow like a river, it is still important that we look inwards and make peace with our past by reconciling truly with God through genuine repentance. The presence of the miraculous work of God should immediately draw us to do inward search because, as He said to Moses and Joshua, we stand on holy ground.

 Yes, when we see revival again; when we see the power of miracles again and we see dying plants springing up and budding for fresh fruits; we know it is God. If we know that it is God, then we should search ourselves to see if there are things incompatible with God.

I think this requires further emphasis. God can still work and perform miracles in spite our sins and shortcomings, we should not think that He has forgotten His word. The bodyguard of the king had issues with the God that was moving in the midst of the people. Instead of to humble himself when he observed that the word of God from the prophet has come true, he moved on as if nothing serious happened. He paid fatally for this careless disposition. Sad to say that he was not the first and last in this kind of circumstances. 

The sons of Aaron; Nadab and Abihu (Lev.10) also paid fatally when they took God’s instruction for granted. God had taken pain to light the altars with His own presence and their only responsibility was to support God’s holy fire with firewood every evening. They failed in this duty. Instead of coming in repentance before the Lord, they dared to bring fire from outside God. I want you to note of that very well, they brought in another kind of fire into the God’s own kind of fire. As I talk now, there are some who go to mystic shops and others visit witchdoctors for the purpose to receive a fake kind of “fire” so they can deceive God’s people that they have God’s fire. The Lord consumed them with His own fire. 

David was zealous for the Lord but it was the duty of the priest’s family to bear the ark of God on their shoulders. The music was high and the crowd was large. It is at such moments that we conclude that God must be too excited to remember His own primary commands. Yet, the Lord broke out against Uzah. It was his duty to tell the David what to do. He failed in that duty and paid fatally for it. (2Sam6). This talks of rich folks who do not fear God and has assumed that if they can build structures and buy musical equipment, they can simply hire the services of some men that God has called into the ministry. In their thinking, God must be impressed with the outward things they are doing and not bother that the instruments with the true anointing are not given their rightful place in the things of God. Uzah was a fool. Nothing should cower the Lord’s anointed not to stand out and declare the true principles of our God.

Ananias and Sapphira thought that the size of their offering will cover the eyes of the Holy Spirit. God wants us to be truthful in our measurement. They paid fatally for it (Act5).

All these happened in the time of great move of God in the midst of His people. It was God and not satan. It was God’s power and all they witnessed were from the only true God but the judgment also came from Him. That is because His people were taking Him for granted. 

Back to our main text; it was the joy of the Lord that filled the heart of the people and what they were celebrating was God’s intervention. As they rushed out of that city that day and moved to the gates of the enemies, it was God that motivated them. Is it not strange that every human step that trampled on the king’s bodyguard until his death, were given strength by the moving of the power of God?

Forgive me if I scared you but it is important that I warn you so that you don’t become a casualty of the move of God. That is God using you as an example to warn His congregation lest they follow your bad examples.

Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry."   We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did — and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did — and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did — and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 1Cor10:6-12NIV

I believe it is right for me to close my case here. By God’s special grace I have brought you to the point I started with you. I have brought you to Calvary again. The first time it was in hopelessness. Now it is hope restored. I want you to ask yourself now, “Are there things I need to put right? Are there issues in my life I need to correct? Are there matters in my heart I have left unresolved?”

Beloved child of God, God has already thrown the doors of enlargement open before us. The siege has been broken and joy has returned to our souls. We should not be as foolish as that bodyguard. We should bow our heads now and pray in a humble submission.

 ```You can borrow from my prayers if you are yet to find words of your own:``` 👇

“Lord, I thank you today. I am very grateful that you have done these great things for me this year without considering my shortcomings and sin. 

Now Lord, I want to make peace anew with you. Please forgive my sins of ……

Forgive my arrogance and forgive all negative words I have spoken in the past.

I still stand by the grace in the blood of Jesus Christ and I don’t take your grace for granted.

Holy Spirit of our living God; take totally control from now, in Jesus name. Amen.”

(Excerpt from my book,  OH LORD,  AMPLIFY LITTLE ME. Available  as soft copy PDF on Amazon Kindle Bookstore and PNUR Bookstore)

I will love to hear from you if you uttered this short prayers.

Remain under the anointing in Jesus name

Emma your brother pnurnigeria@gmail.com