of-01-soul

Bible Training Resources

Developing a
Banquet Mentality

1.
o

Steps Towards
God’s Banquet

2 Kings 5:1-5, 9-14.oNaaman was the Commander in Chief of Syria’s army in the days of Elisha the prophet of Israel. Naaman achieved many victories on the battlefield and was highly esteemed in his home nation, but unfortunately he was a leper. God healed Naaman through the ministry of Elisha, even though he was unfamiliar with God’s ways and a foreigner to God’s covenant nation, Israel.

Lk 4:27.oThis is all the more remarkable because none of the lepers who lived in Israel at that time were healed, even though they lived in the presence of Elisha.

The overflowing resources of God can be compared to a spiritual banquet. The Lord does not want His people to be like a gang of starving lepers in the presence of His banquet.
He wants us to be like Naaman who pressed in and received what God had prepared for him.

Developing a “Naaman” Attitude

What was it about Naaman that caused him to receive such a dramatic impartation of God’s healing power? At least three factors come to light in the first five verses of the story: desperation, knowledge and confidence to act.

1.	Desperation

2 Kings 5:1.oNaaman had a serious disease and was therefore a desperate man. His desperation was a strong motivating force which propelled him forward in search of healing. Godly desperation is vital if we are to grow beyond where we are now into more of the presence of the Lord and His resources. Godly desperation includes gratitude for God’s work in the present and positive expectation concerning what He will accomplish the future. It should exclude ingratitude and complaining.

Lk 1:53.oHe has filled the hungry with good things, but the rich He has sent away empty. If we have no sense of godly desperation but remain forever comfortable then we will not pursue greater things. We may confess that we want more of God, but nothing will ever change.

Some people will suffer terribly and yet remain indifferent to the Lord. They avoid at all costs the one Person who can save them. Therefore the question is not so much, are we going through tough times, but are we truly hungry for more of Him?

Knowledge

2 Kings 5:1.oUnfortunately Naaman was completely unaware of the possibility that he could be healed. If we are desperate but ignorant about what will help us then we will remain unfulfilled and frustrated.
Hos 4:6.oThe prophet Hosea tells us that God’s people can be destroyed because they lack knowledge. The word translated destroyed means to be dumb or silent, hence to fall or perish, or to destroy [1820]. So we see that lack of knowledge can cause our voice of positive expectation to be silenced, our alertness to be dulled, our progress to be halted, and, in extreme cases, our lives to be lost.
1 Cor 12:1.oGod does not want us to be ignorant about His spiritual resources. He wants to add knowledge to our desperation, just as He did for Naaman.

2 Kings 5:3.oThe Israelite slave girl in Naaman’s household was the one who brought knowledge to him. That knowledge came in the form of a simple testimony about God’s power. It was a personal word which touched his heart and brought hope. The knowledge that changes our lives is that which touches us at a personal level.
Vv 2-3.oOnce Naaman knew that he could be healed, he had to make some very important decisions. New information often creates the need for new choices. The new information may take the form of a specific answer, vital facts, or a practical strategy, etc.

Heb 10:35-39.oWhen the Lord communicates to us we have no alternative but to either follow what He says or draw back. We cannot avoid that most basic and important choice.

3.	Confidence to Act

2 Kings 5:4-5.oAs an army commander, Naaman was familiar with making decisions, planning strategies, and persevering until victory was won. If an enemy stronghold needed to be conquered, then he would conquer it. Once he knew what to do, he had the confidence to do it and God blessed him with success. When such a man as this discovered the possibility of healing, he sprang into action and pursued that goal. We likewise need the same confidence to act when God reveals His will and available resources to us.

The Example of a Store Dummy

God does not use store dummies to achieve His purposes on planet Earth. He works through animated, living people. Naaman was already animated, and so God did not find it difficult to move him forward in the right direction. The man who was animated received blessing, anointing and healing. The more animated our faith, the more life we will have.

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