Today’s Scripture: 2 Kings 8: 1-6
In life we all experience times of loss. Situations where it feels like something was taken from us. Sometimes it’s because of other people’s choices; a friend does us wrong, a partner walks out of a relationship. Other times it is because of our own choices; maybe we got involved with the wrong crowd, develop bad habits and we end up with broken dreams. We hear that voice telling us again and again that it is our fault, we blew it. Many people are living with regrets thinking about what they should have done. This defeated mindset keeps us from Gods’s best. Then there are situations it is not somebody else’s fault, it’s not our’s either, it is just life. You are a good person, you are honoring God genuinely but things just start to fall apart.When we encounter loss it is easy to get discouraged, to settle where we are and not expect anything better. But the good news is our God is a God of restoration. He never said we wouldn’t have unfair situations. He never promised we wouldn’t experience loss but He did promise that if we would stay in faith He would restore everything that was stolen.You may have made mistakes, brought the trouble on yourself but God’s mercy is bigger than any mistakes you’ve made. If you would have the right attitude God would take the loss and use it to promote you. Now do your part and get your hopes up. Quit reliving all your disappointments, quit telling your friends how it is never going to workout, how you should just settle where you are. Now shake that off and have this restoration mentality because God is a God of restoration. Nothing you are facing is a surprise. He had the solution to your problems even before they surfaced. If you are not careful you could let negative thoughts play in your mind so long that they become ingrained in your thinking and you become too discouraged to believe.

It’s easy in the tough times to get discouraged and bitter but this is what faith is all about. You have to believe it even when you cannot see it, you have to thank God even when you feel like complaining, you have to say “I know it is on the way” even when everyone’s voice is saying “It is never going to happen”.When you suffer a setback or go through a loss, God immediately establishes a due season. A set time to pay you back but along the way God is watching. (What are they saying? Do they still believe it is going to happen? Are they still talking about how it is going to turn around? or Have they gotten discouraged and settled where they are?). Pass the test. All through the time of wait confess, “Father thank you for restoring back everything that belongs to me.”
God said in the book of Joel, “I will restore the years that have been stolen”. God knows how to make up the years of your life. No you can’t relive those years but God will make the years ahead so fulfilling that you don’t even miss the years that you lost. God can accelerate things. He would brig opportunities across your path that would thrust you years ahead. He would always give you another chance regardless whose fault it is. The enemy would bombard your mind after you’ve made this realization with denigrating thoughts;you should have been out studying, you should have been working, you should have been disciplined. No this is what mercy is all about. You don’t deserve it, you should live guilty and condemned but you have to shake it off and walk to the throne of God not because you’re perfect but because His son made you worthy confessing to Him to restore all the time you missed (It takes so much courage).In our scripture for today Elisha had a good friend who was a lady. This lady lost her son and Elisha came and prayed for him and he came back to life. Later there was a great famine and in the land so Elisha told this woman she had to move to another city because food was going to be so scarce.The lady left and moved to the land of the Philistines. After seven years the famine was over and she moved back to only to find someone in her home, farrowing her property and making money off of her property. She insisted for them to leave but they wouldn’t budge. She didn’t know what to do so she decided to go and see the King. This King wasn’t a Godly man and neither did she have any connection with him but when she arrived it just so happened that Gehazi, who was the assistant to Elisha, happened to be there visiting the King. The King was so intrigued by the Prophet Elisha he asked Gehazi to tell him some of his miracles. It just so happened Gehazi was telling the story about how Elisha raised the son of a lady from the dead. Right as he was telling it perfectly on cue this lady walked into the room. Gehazi was amazed and told the King that was the lady. The King was so amazed not only about the miracle but by the fact that the lady showed up unannounced perfectly on cue. The lady explained her situation to him and took care of it in a heartbeat. He instructed his officials to make sure she gets her house back and any money obtained from the harvested crops the period she was away.What she lost in seven years was returned to her in one day. Are you still doubting? You are due for a hefty payback, just believe.
Thank you very much if you made it this far. Please be a blessing and share this with a friend. Until next week guys.