God's Guidance For Women Of Faith
2 Kings 8:1 ~ 6
1.) Women of faith will receive God's revelation.
2 Kings 8:1 ~ "Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son He had restored to life, 'Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famile in the land that will last seven years.'"
A.) God revelation was made personal to the Shunammite woman.
God treats people as individuals. He is interested in the details of life. God is paying attention to
B.) God's revelation was made specific to the Shunammite woman.
- She left immediately.
- She took her whole household with her.
- Her choices were still in place as she was told to choose the location.
- God told the reason for the sudden call to move ~ a famine.
- The famine would last seven years.
Every follower of Jesus can rely on God's Guidance.
- God gave the Bible as His general revelation.
- God gave the Holy Spirit as His specific revelation.
- God gave the church to be used as His intermediate revelation.
- God gave circumstance to be used as His providential revelation.
C.) God's revelation was specific but also open ended.
Things To Think About:
- You always have more to learn in God's school of faith.
- God wants to guide you in the details of daily life.
- When God reveals Himself, He wants you to learn to obey.
- God's guidance may omit certain details so that you grow stronger in faith.
II.) Women of faith will receive a Godly response.
2 Kings 8:2 ~ "The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years."
A.) The Shunammite woman accepted God's guidance without complaint.
B.) The Shunammite woman accepted God's guidance immediately.
C.) The Shunammite woman accepted God's guidance for her household.
D.) The Shunammite woman accepted God's guidance in full surrender.
Things To Think About:
- Murmuring is a fruit of unbelief.
- Obedience is a fruit of belief.
- Belief will benefit family and friends.
- Belief requires an ongoing trust in God.
- God is the source of belief.
III.) Women of faith will receive God's reward.
2 Kings 8:3 ~ "At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to the king to beg for her house and land."
A.) God orchestrated the events of the woman's life.
2 Kings 8:4-5 ~ "The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, 'Tel me about all the great things Elisha has done.' v.5 Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to beg the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, 'This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.'"
1.) God was in the timing of the woman's life.
2.) God orchestrated the people in the woman's life.
3.) God directed the authorities involved in the woman's life.
B.) God rewarded the woman based on her level of faith.
2 Kings 8:6 ~ "The kind asked the woman about it, and she told him. Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, 'Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.'"
- God calls us to great faith as in Luke 7:9 ~
"When Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, 'I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.'"
- God warns against little faith as in Luke 12:28 ~
"If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you ~ you of little faith!"
- God wants to build our faith as in 2 Peter 1:11 ~
"And you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
C.) God revealed the testimony of the woman's life to influence others.
Things To Think About:
- Please don't surrender the details of your life to chance.
- He that began a great work in your life will complete it.
- God will lift you up and make your life a testimony, in His time.
God will safely guide all that follow Jesus.
Psalm 32:8 ~ "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My loving eye on you."
God will take care of those that honor Him.
1 Samuel 2:30 ~ "Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that members of your family would minister before Me forever. But now the Lord declares: 'Far be it from Me! Those who honor Me I will honor, but those who despise Me will be disdained.'"
© 2011 Field-Of-Flowers