BUILDING WALLS WILL NEVER MAKE BETTER PEOPLE!
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I was a member of THE YOUNG AND RESTLESS in the ENERAL HOSPITAL in the city of DALLAS.
I was waiting to see THE DOCTORS. They told me I was at THE EDGE OF NIGHT. My illness was serious.
Suddenly I realized I had just ONE LIFE TO LIVE.
I wanted to see ALL MY CHILDREN before I entered ANOTHER WORLD. In my SEARCH FOR TOMORROW
I was frustrated. But AS THE WORLD TURNS something happened. THE GUIDING LIGHT appeared.
And God changed my life. I’ve been born again. Now my wife and I are enjoying ... THE DAYS OF OUR LIFES
serving God. (Source unknown)
TEXT:
1 Kings 19:4 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.
10: And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
14: And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altar and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
1. SPITE FENCES:
I had a good friend that pastored a church in the same town where I pastored. We had a very good friendship and often pent time together. We both loved to laugh.
The church my friend pastored was next to a local grocery store. The grocery store venders would park in the back of the property to unload their wares. Occasionally when several venders were in the back at the same time, the venders would temporarily park in the church’s parking lot.
This really angered the pastor, he talked to the store owner and demanded this parking stop immediately.
The owner agreed and gave notice for this to stop, yet the vendors continued on a regular basis.
The pastor would go over and tell the venders a piece of his mind.
I will be honest with you and tell you, the church used the grocery store’s parking lot every Sunday and on Wednesday.
The church’s lot was rather small, and the store’s lot was very convenient.
The pastor got more and more angry and decided to do something.
The pastor was a talented builder, so he laid the footer and laid a beautiful concrete block wall along the pavement to stop
the venders from parking there. There would be a block and a space, and the wall was beautiful.
The church people would park in the grocery store’s lot and walk around the wall.
But the wall was very effective, and it stopped the venders from parking there.
The pastor purchased a brand new Lincoln Continental Town Car, wow what a car.
The pastor’s wife was backing out of the church one dark, rainy night, and she backed right into the 10 feet high wall.
The wall crumbled from the force and crushed the car, and did several thousand dollars worth of damage to the sparkling new Lincoln.
See, the benefit of the parking lot was mutual, but the pastor let the venders become a thorn in his flesh,
seems his anger backfired! A little later the block wall came down.
Was the pastor right? Sure, it was the church’s property, but the motive of the wall was a SPITE FENCE?
WALLED IN -
When we build walls and spite fences to keep others out, the effective wall will work, but as we build fences to keep others out, the same fence will trap you in...
2. DEFINE SOME TERMS:
REJECTION:
to refuse to acknowledge, to throw away, useless, no good
ALIENATION:
Alienation - cause lose of feelings of love, not attached, not loyal, wholly different, belong to another.
3. ELIJAH WAS A MAN OF GOD, BUT HE LET REJECTION DRIVE HIM:
Elijah the Prophet of Fire tasted great victory:
1. birds feed
2. widow feeds
3. Bring dead boy to life
4. No rain
5. Rain - cloud
6. Fire test Baal prophets
But Elijah allows rejection to dictate to his spirit
1. He is discouraged.
2. Elijah complains.
3. Elijah gets tired and exhausted.
4. Elijah wants to die, instead of being a VICTOR, HE YIELDS TO A VICTIM SPIRIT.
4. JEZEBEL’S REJECTION HURTS ELIJAH AND HE LOOSES FOCUS AND LOOSES FAITH!
1 Kings 19:4 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.
10: And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars,
and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
14: And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altar and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
JEZEBEL WAS A BITTER AND ANGRY WOMAN - in her anger she promised to kill Elijah for the prophets of Baal that died 500 died, and Jezebel promised tomorrow Elijah will die. This anger causes Elijah to react, and Elijah looses his focus and HIS FAITH.
ELIJAH RUNS FOR HIS LIFE, AND THEN BEGS TO DIE? What happened to the mighty victor?
Elijah yields his Spirit to Anger, and the Jezebel’s spirit of Control was loosed, the Jezebel spirit was trying to hinder Elijah.
The Rejection of the Kings wife, the alienation of the world, --- and Elijah feels like his ministry has been ineffective?
Elijah knew about --- Walking on eggs? - messy - stressful.
He felt like a Bull in China shop while flowing under the anointing, but then while tired, he sees his weakness,and looses the focus of GOD’S STRENGTH.
5. WE MUST LEARN HOW TO DIVORCE OURSELVE FROM OUR IDEAS.
God has a plan, you must learn to Divorce Your Self from Your Ideas, sometimes, a friend is not rejecting you ---
they just don’t like your idea, maybe your friend is like FORD --- THERE MAY BE A BETTER IDEA?
Sometimes we can be wrong? Practice saying --- "I’m wrong."
Does it hurt you when you are wrong?
ARE YOU DEAD RIGHT?
You can have the green light, and drive through, because that 18 wheeler has a red light, but the trucker will not even
slow down?? Is this smart? Back off, yield, and live?
6. WE ARE LOOKING FOR PERFECT PEOPLE IN PERFECT PLACES?
Greener grass may mean there is a big septic tank and a lot of waste out of view?
Greener grass may mean the owner spent more money on fertilizer and has a higher water bill.
We must learn to invest our time, talent, and energy in others. We might have to make many love deposits in others before we experience a return- by faith we know the return will come!
We owe a debt to others, many people have invested in us, why do we look for a finished product?
7. THERE IS A SPIRIT OF REJECTION AND ALIENATION, YOU CAN’T STAY SLEEPING BY THE RIVER.
GOD WILL DRY UP YOUR PITY BROOK, AND IF YOU DON’T MOVE, WE WILL BECOME A PITY!
Have you ever talked critically about a friend then the next time you were together noticed something artificial about your relationship?
You are not as open or honest with him, because of your words and sin there was a small but measurable distance between you.
Though you may have been ashamed of your behavior, if you stayed unrepentant you actually started to avoid the one you hurt.
You may have shared a great deal together before but now the interpretation of personalities, the sense of being
quote "At home" with one another is gone.
Unless there is Repentance, the distance between you will widen until the relationship is over.
Although neither of you may understand why you drifted apart, the love you possessed died because of your words and
you sinned and failed to repent.
In the same manner, that human relationships are sustained by openness and honesty. So it is also with our relationship
with God. When we sin against Him we unconsciously erected a barrier between Him and ourselves. We may still go to
church, but a sense of distance and artificialness emerges in our heart.
Each of those defenses may be erected to keep God out ultimately WALLING US IN.
Spiritually imprisoning us in our sins.
These barriers produce a leering effect which turns them into strongholds of demonic oppression.
Eventually the walls, we erect towards others and God, actually imprison the soul outside the Divine Presence, Trapping
the individual in outer darkness, the very substance of which hell is made.
8. WE SEE ELISHA IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT THAN ELIJAH, HE NEVER YIELDS TO NOR RUNS FROM THE SPIRIT OF
REJECTION AND ALIENATION. WE CALL ELISHA THE DOUBLE PORTION PROPHET.
Much of Elisha’s ministry was following Elijah, he learned as he followed.
I am very sure the Elijah, the old man of God taught and mentored Elisha to help him avoid the same pitfalls and
traps he had experienced.
Elisha asked God for THE DOUBLE PORTION OF GOD’S SPIRIT! - Have you asked for the "Double Portion?"
Elisha walks in the Triumphant life -
In Elisha’s history there is NO RECORD OF THE NEGATIVE TRAPS OF ELIJAH:
1. Elisha never had a history of complaining and complaints, how about you?
2. There are no records that Elisha ever had a season of running away and hiding in a cave or by a brook?
3. There are no Biblical notes that Elisha ever lost courage and had his faith shaken.
4. On his death bed, in victory - Elisha orders the King.
9. ELIJAH FEELS LIKE HE IS THE ONLY ONE SERVING GOD, HIS EMOTIONS RAN WILD...
Grow up Elijah, LIFE AND MINISTRY PROBLEMS ARE COMMON, ARISE AND RELEASE GOD’S PLAN.
1 Kings 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal,
and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
Elijah heard the WIND, and it was NOT GOD.
Elijah felt the earthquake while in a cave, but it was NOT GOD!
Elijah experienced the power of the fire, BUT IT WAS NOT GOD...
GOD WAS IN THE STILL SMALL VOICE!
10. LIVE CHURCHES VERSE DEAD CHURCHES! ( I adapted, WRITER UNKNOWN)
Live churches constantly change, --- dead churches resist and refuse change...
Live churches love to try, dead churches feel they don’t have to...
Live churches have youth that are noisy and can’t be still, dead churches are very quiet...
Live churches have people problems, dead churches float with the current...
Live churches need money and take many special offerings, dead churches focus on their savings...
Live churches have dirt and garbage, dead churches seem to just fight dust...
Live churches are never satisfied and dream of improvement, dead churches tell it like it used to be...
Live churches worship and praise today, dead churches praise praise ...
Live churches move in faith, dead churches have to see it first...
Live churches are filled with givers and doers, dead churches have tippers and dippers...
Live churches make mistakes and learn, dead churches have clean stalls...
Live churches have a vision and a dream, short term and long term; dead churches are asleep...
Live churches have love ventilation systems, dead churches bicker of dead bones...
Live churches are passing the dead churches that say it can’t be done...
Live churches try and try again, dead churches say we never did it that way before...
Live churches reach out to sinners and backsliders with personal evangelization,
dead churches are paralyzed and fossilized.
Live churches are better, dead churches are BITTER.
Live churches are light houses in their community, dead churches are 20 watt lightbulbs in a refrigerator.
What kind of church would my church be, if every member were just like me? ? ?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com Please team with me and pass this on to another?
