Seeing the chariots of fire

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: 2 Kings 6, 7, 8

II Kings 6:15-17 (NIV)
15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked. 16 “Do not be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

I John 4:2-4 (NIV)
2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Good morning!

When my children were young, I would encourage them to dream big and remember that with God, all things are possible. Without Him, dreams are simply not worth dreaming. Elisha lived his life seeing the wonder of God through his spirit. Picture this: you are in your prayer closet this morning and you are praying to the Lord. Maybe you are sitting there, wondering whether God is listening to you. Maybe you are simply unsure whether the time you are spending is productive and helpful to the life of the person you are lifting up in prayer. Do you ever doubt the power of prayer when you pray?

Think about this – as you are praying, the Lord covers your prayer closet with white stallions, surrounding you in a circle of grace. The angels are sitting on the stallions’ backs, just waiting to carry your petitions into the throne room of the Father. They are pulling the chariots of fire, whose flames protect you and the ones you lift up in prayer. They are on a passionate mission of mercy and grace. If you could see the chariots of fire surrounding you as you pray, would that change the power of your prayer? Would you pray harder, longer, and more fervently? Would it keep you from doubting that when God hears your prayers, He answers each and every one of them?

Elisha’s servant became frightened when all he could see were the enemies knocking at his front door. Do your enemies scare you? Are you afraid to open your door and see what is lurking outside on the front porch? Maybe you are fighting some sort of illness, be it physical, emotional or spiritual. If you open the door to God’s grace and mercy and trust Him completely, you wonder if He will fail you and you won’t survive. Maybe you are struggling financially – having trouble meeting your obligations and you cry out for help to pay the bills. What if you pray and nothing tangible happens? Is God listening to you? Will He not answer you in the greatest moment of your need?

Sometimes, we must look with the spirit eyes the Lord has planted within us. There are spirits everywhere, and we can discern which spirits come from the Lord and which spirits are not His. The apostle John said that any spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ as God in the flesh, is not a spirit of the living God. We often think that the antichrist (or evil one) is not yet here. Yet the apostle John says that the antichrist has been here for quite some time and is with us, even now. It is that spirit where faith becomes doubt, when we struggle to see the Lord for who He truly is. Like Elisha, we need to pray that our eyes will be opened and we can see and know what is Truth and what is not.

When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He comes into your heart and lives within you. He is greater than any struggle you may be facing, and He has ultimate authority and power to help you conquer the sins that separate you from God. On our own, we are powerless to help ourselves, but with Christ, there is nothing impossible for us. Greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world. As you pray this morning, check out the chariots of fire surrounding your life. The angels are there, just waiting to help you. Do not let a spirit of doubt keep you from all the God has in store for you. Jesus Christ, the risen Son of God, sees you. He knows you. He hears you. He is answering your prayers today.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding
www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: eyes to see what the Lord is doing in your life! Trust Him to answer your every prayer. Ask Him to help you capture the vision, so that you will not be afraid to face the enemies in your life. Ask Him to give you spiritual discernment, to know what is true and what is not. Give Jesus your life today. Everything changes when you invite the Lord of life into your heart.
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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
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