By Pastor Elijah Mutiso
Associate Pastor, Fedha Church KAG
2 Kings 7
3. Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die?
4. If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”
5. At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there,
6. for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!”
7. So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.
8.The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.
Prayer
These lepers stayed at the gate hungry praying to God and hoping things would change. They were dying of hunger. It was their prayer every day they would have something to put in their stomach. However as days went by, things did not change and every day that went by their situation got even worse... Nothing can ever substitute prayers in our lives.
1 Thessalonian 3:17: pray continually
Prayers awakened them to the need for action and led them to the right course of action. Prayers quickened them in the spirit and they realised staying there was dangerous and it was time to make a new move. Something they had not thought of before.
3. Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die?
Prayers gave them insight and direction to evaluate their situation and seek the best way forward or starve to death. They began to evaluate their situation critically and found that staying there was an appointment with death. There was no future staying at the gate. They agreed they needed to make the right move. They saw the need to position themselves where food was instead of staying there hoping the food would come to them.
Evaluate yourself prayerfully to come up with the right goals
Prayers open up our eyes to see reality and give us a sense of direction so that we do a proper evaluation. Evaluation is an assessment that tells you what or where the problem lies.
Evaluate yourself, by asking yourself some basic and critical questions. Analyse your life and performance so far? How am I doing? Am I on the right track? Do I need some changes or niko sawa (I am okay)? Why am I not where I am supposed to be...? See if you need to act or change something, add or lose. Proper evaluation should help you identify where the problem is and come up with the right solution which becomes your goals
Goals
Goals answer the question of what do I need to do (our goal as a church is God)
After prayer and evaluation, they saw they needed to act to change their. They came up with a goal to look for food elsewhere to live. Their goal was simple and clear, attainable, realistic measurable and time-bound… we need to get food soonest possible.
Prayer and evaluation help you make better to position yourself better.
Do you have goals this year? What do need to do? 2024. Be realistic don't set goals out of excitement and emotions. Use intelligence and facts.
Goal setting
Specific. First, the goals need to be specific. Do not be general. Nitafugua biashara, sema biashara gani (I will open a business, say which business).
Measurable. The goal must be measured. You can quantify. Nataka kutengeneza 1m (I want to make KES 1 million).
Attainable. The goals should be something we can achieve... within your capability and ability
Realistic. The goal that is set must be something you are willing and able to work toward...
Time-oriented. nataka kuoa by next year July (I want to marry by next year July)
Planning
A goal answers the question of what you need to do to possess. To achieve any goal you need to have proper planning. Planning is the process of organizing ideas into actionable steps, the process or act of deciding how to achieve a goal.
The lepers started planning towards achieving their goal. Prayers are not a substitute for work. Prayers complement planning. Some lazy spiritual people just want to pray and leave everything else to GOD. They say Jeremiah 29:11 God has good plans for them na wameomba wameacha kila kitu mikononi mwa Mungu hata maisha yao wameweka mikononi mwa Mungu.
You need to have proper plans, and take time to plan. Failure to plan is planning to fail.
Proverbs 16:3 commit your plans unto the lord and he will prosper them.
Weigh your options
In your planning, after setting your goals, look into how best you can achieve them by exploring all the available options.
In their plans, the lepers looked into all the options at their disposal and their outcomes.
2 Kings 7:4. If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die.
They put all the options on the table even the risky ones, analyzed one by one them and weighed the outcomes to see the most viable and the cost implication or the risk involved
Be willing to take calculated risks (faith) don’t just go for the easiest.
So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”
This was not a reckless move but a very calculated risk. Faith is not foolishness it is informed.
They considered they were already dead. It was just a matter of time and that would be the worst loss they could suffer in the hands of the enemy. Yet they stood a chance to get food and live by surrendering. They saw their chances in the enemies' hands rather than staying at the gate or entering the city where the rest were dying.
Sometimes in life, our only and best option will demand we make some drastic move or very uncomfortable measures. Like these lepers, we must be willing to take very bold steps of faith or a calculated risk. Risk death by surrendering to the enemies... fears of failure ... moving from known to unknown. From usual to unusual.
Naturally, we like our comfort zones and we don't easily embrace change. We like the easy option and that's why we do not progress. Positioning yourself rightly will require you to be willing to pay the cost of moving from your comfort zone. Nothing comes easy in life.
ALWAYS CONSIDER THE COST ISSUES. Even if it may seem very costly or risky if that is what it will take you to come out of your mess and possess, go for it.
PREPARE (have in place resources and means)
STRATEGIES (how)
Every goal requires a strategy to achieve it. Good goals without strategies will fail.
Our strategy this year is to seek God by positioning ourselves in prayer and word.
These lepers made a goal of getting food and took the option of going to the enemies, but how?
A strategy is important because it is the way by which you achieve your goal. These lepers knew they could not fight the enemy but they could surrender and receive mercies.
It is important to seek advice from those who have the know-how for you to have a good strategy
There is always the best and easiest way to do things learn from those who know better
Proverbs 15:22 - Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed,
Never shy from seeking advice or consulting, these lepers consulted each other.
They came with a very risky but workable strategy.
Having planned they prepared and executed.
2 Kings 7:5. At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there,
Despite their incapacitated movements because of leprosy. They did put together what they needed to carry out their plans and even set time, the following day at dusk, they hit the road. They did not just plan and live there. They worked hard to walk there as weak and lame as they were and they did so early in the morning before the scorching sun came out.
Proverbs 14:23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
POSSESS
2 Kings 7
8. The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp, entered one of the tents and ate and drank. Then they took silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.
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