Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Apr 29th, 2024 The Lord’s People

Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 10 – 12 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 13 – 14;  Proverbs 29; Psalms 141 – 145

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 Timothy 1:17

Read the “0429 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read a previous post from this passage – “Housecleaning“

“And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the LORD’S people; between the king also and the people.” (2 Kings 11:17)

The northern kingdom of Israel never had the benefit of good leadership, and there is no doubt that the worst leadership team that served them was King Ahab, and Queen Jezebel. Time would not permit me to list here all of the ways that these two had lead their nation away from the will of God, but suffice it to say that they were some evil people. However, their wicked influence did not just impact their own nation, as the southern kingdom of Judah was also affected by the evil that was spewing out of their neighbors from the north. It all started with a good Judaen king named Jehoshaphat who loved the Lord, but unfortunately also had an “affinity” to Ahab. Jehoshaphat and Ahab were friends, so much so that Jehoshaphat’s son, Joram, married Ahab’s daughter, Attaliah. Joram was not a godly man, choosing rather to follow the influence of his wife and father-in-law rather than follow the God of his father. King Joram and Attaliah had a son, Ahaziah, who became the king of Judah, and he was also an evil man. He met an untimely death at the hands of Jehu because of his association with Ahab’s family. When he died, his mother, Attaliah (Ahab’s daughter) seized control of Judah by slaughtering everyone else that would have a claim to the throne, and she actually reigned as queen for 7 years. However, one of the “seed royal”  of Judah was rescued from Attaliah’s attempted assassination, and was secretly protected and raised by Jehoiada the priest; and when Jehoram was old enough, he was revealed to the nation, and was annointed as king. Finally, a good king was back on the throne, and some of the influence from the family of Ahab could be reversed.

The people of Judah had gotten out of the will of God because they allowed an ungodly influence into their land, but now, under the leadership of King Jehoram and Jehoiada the priest, some great things could happen. In 2 Kings 11:17 a covenant was made between the king, the people, and the Lord; and this covenant declared that the people of Judah would once again be “the Lord’s people”, meaning that they were going to remove the influences that had previously pulled them out of the will of God, and they also were going to follow the principles contained in the Word of God.

Notice the results of this decision:

“And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet:” (2 Kings 11:20a)

God gave the people rejoicing and “quiet”, which means they were at peace. Praise the Lord. There was a time when our land enjoyed the peace (quiet) of God. I wish America would follow the example and admonition of Jehoiadah and Jehoram by ridding our land of the ungodly influences, and wholly following the Lord. Maybe then we could be “the Lord’s people” again as a nation, and could also have that wonderful peace that comes with it.

Apr 28th, 2024 Windows in Heaven

Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 7 – 9 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 11 – 12; Proverbs 28; Psalm 136 – 140

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32

Read the “0428 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.” (2 Kings 7:2)

In today’s passage we see the the city of Samaria surrounded by an overwhelming army of the Syrians. This massive host from Syria had the city surrounded for some time, which caused the Israelites to run completely out of food on the inside of the city; with no way to get out to get more food. Things got so bad the people were actually buying and selling dove’s dung to eat. Some had even killed and ate children. Pretty hopeless situation.

Along comes the man of God and tells them that at the same time the next day the situation would be reversed, so much so that food that was very expensive the previous day would be sold for next to nothing on the next day. But one of the lords (princes) of Israel doubted the Word of God through the mouth of the prophet, and stated basically that this is impossible, even if God were to open the windows of heaven.

You can read the story for yourself, but God did exactly what he said he would do. The Syrians heard the sound of chariots, and assumed that their enemies from Egypt or maybe the Hittites were coming to help Israel by attacking them. They flee, leaving all of their food and goods behind. Israel discovers that the Syrians have left, and they come out of the city and spoil the camp of the Syrians.

It looks like God truly opened up the windows of heaven. We have a promise from the word of God regarding those same windows in heaven:

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10)

God has promised us that if we will keep him first in our lives that he will keep those windows open. He doesn’t promise that we will all live in mansions on this earth and eat caviar; but praise the Lord, we won’t have to eat dove’s dung either.

Apr 26th, 2024 Still Calling Down Fire

Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 7 – 8;  Proverbs 26; Psalms 126 – 130

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Micah 6:8

Read the “0426 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.” (2 Kings 1:12)

In 2 Kings 2, Elijah passes the mantle on to Elisha, and he is caught up to Heaven. Presumably, 2 Kings 1 is recording an event that took place shortly before the Lord took Elijah home to Heaven. You will remember also that back in 1 Kings 19, Elijah was discouraged, and on the run from Jezebel, and had requested that God take his life from him. He was down and depressed, but not out completely. It appears that though Elijah was discouraged in 1 Kings 19, he had picked himself back up, and was still calling down fire from Heaven right up until the Lord took him home. The ministry can be very discouraging at times, but we must not quit. Elijah did at first, but got back up to serve the Lord.

In our passage today in 2 Kings 1, Elijah calls down fire from Heaven twice and destroys one captain and 50 men that were sent from King Ahaziah to apprehend him. Elijah had previously sent word to the wicked king that his days were numbered, and the king wanted to speak to Elijah personally about it, so he sent an army to get him. Elijah didn’t feel “led of God” to go, so he called down fire and destroyed the army. The king then sends another captain and another fifty men, and Elijah does the same thing. A third captain and another fifty soldiers are sent, but this time they very humbly beg Elijah to go with them and Elijah does so. However, the message to the king does not change and Elijah personally tells Ahaziah that he is about to die. My point is that God was still demonstrating his power and declaring his message through Elijah right up until the end of his life.

I am thinking this morning about some men of God in our day that are still being used of the Lord in a tremendous way even though they are well past their retirement age. I pray that I will still be in the game like Elijah, and like these men today, at the end of my life. I know my job description may change somewhat but I do not wish to ever retire completely. I want to just keep going, doing what I am doing now, right up until the chariots come for me.

Maybe you are in your retirement years. I bet there is still a lot that you can do for the Lord. It always blesses my heart to see retired men and women using their extra time for the Lord. Even when health and mobility fail, we can still carry on a ministry of prayer.

Apr 25th, 2024 Itching Ears

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 5 – 6; Proverbs 25; Psalms 121 – 125

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 51:11

Read the “0425 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 Read a previous post from this passage – “Shouldn’t We Be Different?”

“Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.” – (1 Kings 22:6-8)

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;” – (2 Timothy 4:3)

If you had a disease within your body that could be life threatening if left untreated, would you want a doctor who told you the truth, or would you want one who tells you what you want to hear? You would most certainly want to know the truth so that you could get the proper treatment in order to fix the problem. Why is it, however, that many people want a preacher that avoids the truth in order to “tickle the ears” of his people. In our text, this is exactly what Ahab does. He calls the 400 “prophets” who he knows will agree with him. He wants to go to war with Syria. His friend, King Jehosaphat of Judah, recommends that they get counsel from God, but instead of calling upon the one preacher that speaks the truth, he calls these other 400 who he knows will tell him what he wants to hear. The real man of God, Micaiah, when finally called upon at the insistence of Jehoshaphat, tells him the painful truth. Ahab rewards this preacher of truth by having him thrown in jail.

Christians, we need men of God that will tell us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear. The truth will set us free. If you are a church member, encourage your pastor by insisting that he gives you the Truth straight from the Word of God. Cheer him as he preaches difficult sermons. If you are a preacher, let me encourage you to be fearless, yet compassionate in your preaching. Tell them what God said, whether they appreciate it or not. Even if they don’t appreciate what you are telling them now, they probably will later. The truth is not pleasant sometimes, but it always gives the people what they need to make good decisions. You are not in a popularity contest, You are a messenger for God. The people cannot possibly make wise choices unless they have the Truth to help them.

There is also a lesson to be learned in this passage regarding separation. Jehoshaphat was a good man, but he had no business running with the likes of Ahab.

Apr 24th, 2024 Humility

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 20 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 3 – 4; Proverbs 24; Psalms 116 – 120

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 40:31

Read the “0424 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.” – (1 Kings 21:27-29)

Ahab was probably the worst king in Israel’s history. He tolerated all kinds of immorality and idolatry in his kingdom and even promoted it. He married Jezebel, a woman whose name has become synonomous with wickedness. Together, Ahab and Jezebel were responsible for the slaughter of many of the prophets of the Lord in Israel. These were bad people. Ahab was a bad man and an even worse king.

Notice, however, in the last part of chapter 21. Ahab humbled himself before the Lord. Now don’t misunderstand, this was not a complete turnaround. He didn’t surrender to go to the mission field or anything like that; but he did humble himself before the Lord; and as a result, God spared him some of the judgment that he had planned for him. Apparently, a little humility went a long way for Ahab.

I don’t think there are too many people reading this that are as wicked as old King Ahab; but it would do us well to follow his example in just this one instance. Let’s kill some of the pride in our lives and humble ourselves before the Lord. Let’s surrender to Him and submit ourselves to His will for our lives. Let’s allow him to correct us when necessary. It may just be that a little humility before the Lord will go a long way in our lives as well.

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:10)

Apr 23rd, 2024 Battling Discouragement

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 18 – 19 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 1 – 2; Proverbs 23; Psalms 111 – 115

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 27:15

Read the “0423 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” (1 Kings 19:4)

In our reading passage today we get to see one of the greatest recorded victories in the Bible of good over evil. Elijah, a mighty prophet of God who prophesied in Israel during a time of great apostasy, challenges the prophets of Baal (850 of the altogether) to come to Mt. Carmel to prove the power of their god. After many hours of crying out to Baal, and even after cutting themselves to please him, Baal never shows up. The God of Israel, however, does make an appearance and at the request of Elijah sends down fire from Heaven and consumes the sacrifice that Elijah had prepared. He also sent along some desperately needed rain, which hadn’t happened in a couple of years. The people of Israel very wisely choose the Lord’s side, crying out, “the LORD, He is the God,”  and then they put to death all of the false prophets. All in all, it was a great day to be on the Lord’s side.

Something very strange happens immediately after this great victory, however. Queen Jezebel finds out about what happened to her prophets, and demands the death of Elijah. Elijah then runs for his life away from her. Why would he run? He just saw God do the impossible. The people just slaughtered all of the false prophets and I am quite sure they would have killed Ahab and Jezebel had Elijah asked them to. Instead, Elijah runs and then asks God to take his life. It just doesn’t make sense.

If you carefully examine the story, however, you begin to see some of the underlying reasons for Elijah’s despair. First of all, let me state from personal experience that discouragement can ironically come sometimes after a great victory. I am not sure why that is, it just is. There is almost a feeling of emptiness after the battle to achieve something is finally concluded. I’m told Alexander the Great was distraught to the point of suicide after he conquered all of the known world because there were no more cities to conquer. Elijah sure had more work to do; he could have conquered Jezebel but maybe he was just tired of fighting the battles. I know of a preacher right now who has resigned his church and is going into retirement. He has been fighting battles for over two decades in a very difficult place of ministry and he is simply just tired. Elijah seems to have been just tired of fighting. The battles just keep coming and his strength was depleted.

What can we do when battling discouragement:

1  Get Help – Elijah thought he was all alone, but God reminded him that there were 7000 men out there and I am sure there were some women, too, that were on his team. They could have and would have helped him. Get help fighting the battle and get somebody to help you with your discouragement. I am blessed to have many people in my life, seasoned men, that I can turn to for advice.

2  Get Rest – Elijah had run for days without rest and without food; his physical strength was completely depleted. He needed a good long rest, and some nourishment. That is exactly what the angel did for him:

“And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.” (1 Kings 19:5-6)

3  Get Up – Don’t quit. Elijah should have asked the Lord for help and strength but instead he asks the Lord to kill him. Quitting is never the answer. We may need to take some time out to replenish but we should never leave the battle completely.

There will come a time in my life when God will be through with me and at that time He will take me home to Heaven. Until that time comes, however, I need to stay encouraged and stay in the battle. If God still wants me to fight, then He will give me everything that I need to keep fighting, including strength and encouragement.

By the way, if you are saved and your are not in the battle with the Lord, you will also be very discouraged because God has not equipped you to sit on the sidelines. Find something to do for the Lord and you will be greatly encouraged as you fulfill God’s purpose for your life.

Apr 22nd, 2024 There – The Place of God’s Will

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 15 – 17 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 15 – 16; Proverbs 22; Psalms 106 – 110

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Proverbs 3:5 & 6

Read the “0422 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.” (1 Kings 17:2-4)

“And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.” (1 Kings 17:8-9)

There are many wonderful truths in today’s Bible reading, but I want to draw your attention to the word “there” found in vs. 4 and 9 above from chapter 17 of 1 Kings. “There” represented a place – a geographic location where God wanted Elijah to go. Actually, “there” was two places. The first place God wanted Elijah to go was to the Brook Cherith. In this place God was going to sustain the prophet through meals provided by ravens. Cherith was a specific location. Had Elijah decided that he was going to go to some other geographic location, I do not think that God would have fed him. God’s will involves more than a place, but it does include a place.

Next, God commanded Elijah to travel to Zarephath, which is outside of the borders of Israel. It is important to point out that Elijah did not leave the Brook Cherith because the brook dried up, he left because God commanded him to. Anyway, in Zarephath a widow woman was prepared by God to take care of the needs of Elijah. There is a lot that could be said about how God provided for the widow woman and her son as well, but the point being made here is that God guided Elijah to a specific place where he would be taken care of, and used for God’s purposes.

Many years ago, God directed my family to the place of His will – Galloway, New Jersey. I must confess that there have been times around here when I wanted to move on, times when the brook seemed to dry up, but I have never been told by God to move to another place. As much as I may desire at times to move to a place like Hawaii, that is simply not God’s will for my life. Galloway, NJ is my “there.” It is the place where God wants me; it is the place where God will provide for me and mine; and it is the place where God will use me.

Have you found the place of God’s will for your life? If you have, make the most of your time spent there. God may move you on to some other “there” someday, and if He does, He will make it crystal clear to you; but until that time comes, dig in, serve Him to the fullest, and enjoy your stay.

Apr 21st, 2024 Trust

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 12 – 14 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 13 – 14; Proverbs 21; Psalms 101 – 105

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 121

Read the “0421 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

My attention this morning is drawn to chapter thirteen and the account of the prophet that was sent from the southern kingdom of Judah with a message for Jeroboam, the king of the northern kingdom, Israel. He was sent with a message of judgment to Jeroboam:

“And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.” (1 Kings 13:2 & 3)

At the end of this unpleasant meeting with Jeroboam, this un-named prophet is asked to go back with Jeroboam to get something to eat and to receive a reward. The prophet flatly refuses to go with Jeroboam because he was given strict instructions by God not to eat in Israel. On the way home, however, another man claiming to be a prophet asks him to go with him and get something to eat. This man lies to him and tells him that God told him that it was OK. As a result, the prophet from Judah goes with him, but soon discovers that he was tricked into disobeying the clear commandment of God, and it cost him his life.

Christian, you and I need to be careful who we listen to. Sometimes people pretending to represent God will come to us and try to get us to do things that are clearly against the plain teaching of the Word of God. We are to trust the Bible, and we can trust the men and women that preach and teach the Bible correctly; but the Bible itself is always the final authority. Be careful who you trust.

By the way, we also saw in chapter twelve that Reheboam listened to the counsel of the young men, rather than the counsel of the old men. The result was that the kingdom of Israel was split into two kingdoms. Again, we see here that you have to be very careful about who you listen to. I am not saying that it is always unwise to listen to young men, but we should always include in our cabinet of counselors some older men (and ladies) who have demonstrated that they have godly wisdom.