• In the Kingdom: Jesus Is Lord!
  • Knowing Your Eternal Destiny
  • Three Components of Every Spiritual Battle
  • Top Ten Ways to Know You’re Growing
  • Why This Blog?

eisakouo

~ "Only by hearing will you hear"

eisakouo

Tag Archives: weakness

How to Get Straight in a Crooked Church

25 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by eisakouo in Luke, Our Spiritual Process

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

alcoholics, asthenia, baby elephant, battle over truth, bent out of shape, bound by Satan, crippled, crippled by a spirit, infirmity, Jesus, Leask and Beatty quote, legalism and bitterness, Luke, Luke 13:10-14, more than a medical condition, religious rules keeper, scripture and revelation, spiritual warfare, the mind is ground zero, we are growing stronger in broken places, we are who God says we are, weakness, wooden stake

 

broken places

 

10 And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And there was a woman who for eighteen years had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” 13 And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. 14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath… Luke 13:10-14

 

This story from Jesus’ life was really about two bent out of shape people. Obviously, we see the woman who was bent over double for eighteen years. But another person was bent-out-of-shape as well…a religious rules keeper. The length of his torment was unknown. Both were crippled and attending this fellowship. One was crippled by a spirit of weakness and the other was crippled by a spirit of legalism and bitterness. Jesus could only help the woman. The man continued on in his crooked condition.

Dr. Luke specifically informed us that this woman’s suffering was more than a “medical condition“.  Instead of employing a medical word to describe her problem, Luke used the phrase “crippled by a spirit.” Then in verse 12 Jesus also used the word “infirmity“.  It’s the word asthenia, which doesn’t mean “sickness caused by disease” but “weakness“.

When I was a kid, people used to refer to alcoholics as having a “weakness“. In other words, these otherwise strong people were weak when it came to alcohol. They were weak, when others were strong.

About 30-40 years ago, this all changed. Alcoholics were no longer considered “weak”. It was said they had a disease. This also helped because insurance started paying for their treatment. But, in one sense it is disease. The Bible says the sins of the father are passed down 3-4 generations. So, a disease it is. But, these same folks are weak as well.

It’s probable this woman’s weakness was caused by some demonic influence because Jesus says in verse 16 she had been “bound by Satan” for eighteen years. Demonic spirits can provoke physical problems, but not every illness or disease is caused by demons. There were twenty-six recorded miracles where Jesus healed someone of a physical problem and only seven of those were caused by demonic influence.

This particular encounter became a battle over truth. At some point eighteen years ago, a lying spirit had convinced this poor woman she couldn’t stand up straight any longer. From the language Luke used, it appeared she had no physiological cause for her affliction. When Jesus came along issuing “truth“, it became her opportunity to be set free from her affliction. All spiritual warfare starts in your mind. The mind is ground zero where most spiritual battles are won or lost. Praise the Lord – she believed Jesus’ words, after He touched her.

I know you may have heard this story before, but it fits well here. Have you ever seen a circus elephant tied to a small wooden stake outside a circus tent? The grown elephant could easily rip the wooden stake out of the ground. But when elephant handlers are training baby elephants, they use a strong, iron anchor bar and drive it deep into the ground. When the baby elephant tugs and tries to get away, he can’t do it.  He experiences the pain of the shackle on his leg. Eventually he gives up and stops pulling.

As the elephant grows, they replace the iron bar with a wooden stake. This is why the now grown elephant doesn’t pull away; he doesn’t think he can… so he can’t. It’s not the stake in the ground keeping him in place; it’s the thought in his mind that keeps him there. One of the devil’s greatest tools is to try to erect a stronghold in our mind to make us think we can’t do something God has told us to do.

I have a long list of lies about myself which I used to believe. These were all lies the demonic realm tried to use to keep me enslaved. I was no different than the baby elephant. It has taken a lot of scripture and revelation from heaven to pry the demonic junk out of my life. I don’t know of any growing believer who has not had to receive some kind of deliverance from the Lord. It is part of the process. The devil is a liar and the father of lies. It is the lies we continue to believe which enslaves us. It is only as we bring our brokenness to the Lord that He can heal us. We are who God says we are! It is only then that we can grow strong in broken places and truly minister to others.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

 

Share this:

  • More
  • Email
  • Pocket
  • Print
  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Where I Am Weak, He Is Strong!

20 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by eisakouo in The Strange & Unusual Voice of God

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

affair, angry, avoid confrontation, church, cost me my job, coup, deacon, defend the Lord's reputation, fear quote, get along, horseshoe canyon, husband and wife, image of Jesus, marital counseling, orchestrated by the Lord, refinement process, resignation, Rober Frost quote, Stephen Wise quote, weakness

 

 

I guess like most pastors I have had my number of anonymous letters, phone calls, and notes slipped silently under my door.  People usually do this to tell me something, but do not want to be the source.  It is usually news I don’t want to hear.  Occasionally though, people feel the need to get up close and personal.

One day a man dropped by my house that I had never met or seen before.  He communicated that he had some distressing news which I needed to know as pastor.  I braced myself for the impact because he intimated that what was causing the distress in his life was my fault.  I invited him in and we sat down.  He informed me that a deacon in my church had stolen the affections of his wife and now she was going to divorce him.  He had elaborate details of the affair because he had been following them for weeks.  I was shocked and could hardly get my head around the validity of the accusations.  This was a fairly young man with a young wife.  The deacon he was referring to was retired, had been in this church for over forty years, and was currently leading the music.  In other words, the pairing didn’t seem probable or possible.

The bottom-line for him approaching me was that he wanted me to put a stop to their activity and somehow get his wife’s affections aimed back towards him.  It was my fault because I was the pastor and was allowing this type of behavior to happen in my church.  Again, I was floored to hear this type of news.  I consoled him as best as I could and told him I would look into the situation.  I also felt the need to defend the Lord’s reputation and His church.

This man was not a believer and he told me so.  I treaded lightly because I didn’t want to impair or tarnish what the Lord might be doing in his life.  I promised to do all I could to repair whatever damage he felt this deacon and the church had done against him. We agreed to meet at a later date.  I knew then I had my hands full.

I didn’t know then, but I soon discovered later that this situation was more about me than it was about this alleged affair.  God was doing a work in me.  Back in those days I hated confrontation and avoided it at all costs.  I always wanted just to “get long” with everybody and wanted everybody to like me in return.  This situation created what the Lord termed a “horseshoe canyon.”  There was only one way in and one way out.  I now had to confront this situation because this man was pressing the issue.  I needed to confront the issue because it was sin!  At the time, I wasn’t appreciative of what the Lord was purposing to accomplish in my life.  I signed up to be a pastor, not a prophet.  The Lord saw things differently.  He knew avoiding confrontation was my weakness and this “horseshoe canyon” was His solution.

 

 

At our next service I ask the deacon about this situation.  He strongly denied anything inappropriate and stated he was simply doing some marital counseling.  I told him about the man’s allegations.  The deacon replied the man had mental problems.  I was hoping this might be the end of the situation.

The Lord had everything lined up.  Just when I thought I might be able to write-off my visitor  as crazy or overreaching, someone else from church popped by to tell me they had seen the deacon out with this lady.  They had details which I will not go into here.  I knew I was headed for the confrontation I didn’t want.  The person also informed me that others in church had seen this situation but were not willing to say anything about it.  For someone who didn’t like confrontation, I was getting upset.  I was becoming deeply troubled with this deacon.  I was getting disappointed at my voice-less church members.  I was also getting frustrated with the Lord for making me deal with this mess.

Have you ever been in a situation similar to this?  You knew everything was orchestrated by the Lord, but you didn’t want to walk through it.  I guess if handling confrontation was one of my strengths, I wouldn’t have trusted the Lord and simply marched on through in my own resources.   Little did I know the Lord was also going to make me stand alone or it would cost me my job as pastor.

At this point in the situation the Lord was beginning to shore me up for a showdown.  I didn’t want one, but no one was recanting their story or repenting.  The church business meeting was coming up and I knew I was going to have to say something about this situation.  The deacons met before each business meeting and I felt led to confront the situation during the deacon’s meeting.

You might be thinking why my job as pastor would be in jeopardy when I hadn’t done anything wrong?  At the time, I was wondering the same thing.  During the deacon’s meeting I brought up the issue.  Of course he denied all the allegations.  It was just one person’s word against the other.  Since I was the only one interested in pursuing justice, the whole issue just sat there like an unwelcomed visitor in the room.  The deacon was threatening to leave.  He stated he was being treated unfairly after all his years of service.  We finally dismissed and headed for the business meeting with nothing accomplished.

Before the business meeting began I discovered a coup might be in process.  Another deacon, who knew the allegations were true, walked by me and said, “Are you looking for another job?  I don’t think you are going to be here very much longer, pastor.”  I knew what he meant and I was angry.  Remember, I hated confrontation but now I was looking for one.  I was angry because these deacons were too spineless to confront the situation with me and were content just keeping silent.  I felt about them the way the Lord felt about me prior to all this.  This attitude of just getting along to get along doesn’t always work.   I began to pray for the Lord to work a miracle and make something happen from nothing.

 

 

The business meeting went on as usual until the end.  The deacon asked for permission to speak.  I was moderating the meeting so I yielded the floor to him.  He began by saying he was going to resign because some allegations were being made against him and his character.  What he really wanted was for the church to rally behind him and leave me in the dark as the lone conspirator.  After he spoke there was dead silence.  It was then that the Lord gave me an idea.  I stood up and asked for a motion to receive his resignation.  It was accepted and the church promptly approved his resignation.  It happened in less than a minute.  It was over and he was gone.

I relate this story for a reason.  The Lord is always challenging us and changing us into the image of Jesus, His Son.  This process is usually an ugly process because it involves fire.  The things in our lives that need to be exercised have to be burned away so that the Lord’s real work might be completed.  It is never a comfortable process.  It is usually painful because the Lord moves in our weakest area.  We tend to hide our weaknesses, hoping the Lord doesn’t touch those tender areas.  The Lord knows how to arrange circumstances so that these areas might be exposed and dealt with on a continuous basis.  When we fight the Lord, His process for refining us only becomes more difficult.  If you love the Lord and desire to be conformed into the image of Jesus, He will create these horseshoe canyons so that your weakness might become His strength.  How you react to these dead-ends will determine how deep the Lord’s refinement process will go.  When we allow Him to have His way, He can do so many good things on the other side of our refinement process.

The whole process was a struggle for everyone.  It always helps to know the Lord’s way is the correct way.  Afterward, the deacon and the young woman got together.  He didn’t get to relish in this new relationship because he soon went blind.  I was, however, able to minister to the young man who came to my house.  I lead him to the Lord and counseled him through the process of his wife leaving him.  Had I not stood up for what was right, I would have had no rapport with him.  God is good.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

Share this:

  • More
  • Email
  • Pocket
  • Print
  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

“Tests” – Part of the Spiritual Process

09 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by eisakouo in Times of Testing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

denial, fail, failures, find God, I Peter 4:12, John 6:5-6, spiritual pop quizzes, the will of God, times of testing, weakness

Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” 6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.  John 6:5-6

      Let’s face it, most believers are in denial concerning the testings of the Lord.  Whether we admit to it or not, the Lord does allow times of testing so that we might know where we stand, spiritual speaking.  These “pop quizzes” are opportunities for us to discern whether we are making it or faking it!  Tests are God’s diagnostic tools.  Yeah!  The Lord is not out to hurt us, but to help us along in our journey to be like Christ. 

      Like the test in our passage today, our times of testing are predetermined by the Lord.  Jesus knew what He was going to do in situations like this, but Phillip and the rest were totally confounded.  It is my observation that if the Lord gives you a test, especially your first time through the test, you are usually going to fail that test!  Failure is not a bad thing.  Remember, tests are a part of the growing process, not opportunities for you to appear like a perfect Christian before the Lord.  If you really have your act together, you wouldn’t have received the test. 

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;  I Peter 4:12

      Our goal should be to welcome all the movements of God in our lives, including tests.  The truth is God grows us in our weakness and failures, not in our successes.  Most us are just like Phillip in our story today.  We struggle with the tasks the Lord gives us.  We cannot feed 15,000 people with no resources.  We say things like, “I’m just struggling with the will of God.”  We say it like God’s will is an obstacle to overcome.  We are suggesting that ministry would be easier if God were out of the picture.  The real struggle is not with God’s will, but our will!  So we say things like, “How am I going to get all this done with so few resources.   Where am I going to get enough bread, enough fish, enough resources to feed all of God’s people.” 

     Like Phillip, God tests us enough times until we have seen the situation enough to recognize the testing and then grow.  The Lord requires that we “find Him” inside the test.  The real test is to find God when you absolutely need Him most! 

      How are you going to feed the multitudes in your life?  Find the Lord and find the answer.  Whatever you are going through, find the Lord in the midst of your time of testing and everything will change.  The Lord is not trying to pull you under, but to put you over to the next level.

Share this:

  • More
  • Email
  • Pocket
  • Print
  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Categories

  • Abraham: Life of Faith
  • Christmas
  • Daniel – No Compromise
  • Discipletips
  • Dying to Self
  • Holidays and Special Events
  • How God Creates a Man or Woman He Can Use
  • How to Receive an Answer from God
  • Humor/Reaping and Sowing
  • Illustrations/Cartoons/Etc.
  • Kingdom of God
  • Living In Uncertain Times
  • Luke
  • News/Hot Topics
  • Our Journey Into The Promised Land
  • Our Spiritual Process
  • Portraits of the Blessed
  • Quotes
  • Receiving Revelation
  • Servanthood
  • The Lord's Return
  • The Strange & Unusual Voice of God
  • Times of Testing
  • Uncategorized
  • When the Holy Spirit Comes

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 233 other followers

Archives

Blog Stats

  • 239,063 hits

Eisakouo

Eisakouo

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Top Rated

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    %d bloggers like this: