“I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel, …”So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.” — Malachi 2:16
Thoughts on Today’s Verse….My heart breaks for those who hear these words of this verse and feel a shattering in their souls because of what they have endured. God hates the pain, damage, loss, sorrow, and physical damage you carry. We mourn with those who had to leave their marriage to find spiritual, emotional, and physical protection.
In our throw-away world, God hates when people are abandoned and when we break our lives through our unrighteous behaviors. We want our spirits to be holy. We don’t want our hearts corrupted by selfishness and resentment. We choose NOT to break faith by treating those closest to us with contempt, neglect, or abuse.
When people are broken by what causes divorce and the consequences of it, let’s find them, include them, and bring them home to God’s family for healing. Let’s especially be sensitive and supportive of children caught between divorcing parents. Let’s remember that God hates divorce and what causes it, but he does not say, “I hate the divorced.”
All sin is forgivable when we genuinely repent and reorient our lives to God (1 John 1:5-10, 2:1-2).
My Prayer…Almighty God, please make our words strong, our commitments lasting, and our lives faithful to our promises to you and each other. Bless those whose hearts have been shattered by spouses who have treated them unfairly, abusively, and unfaithfully. Thank you for the beautiful examples of many who have had strong marriages. Thank you for those who have stumbled but come back to you, confessed their sins, and gone on to build godly relationships and marriages. Please bless me and my house with a legacy of faithfulness that lasts generations after us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
All the testimonies that we have in our Life today had been mountains in our Life at some point of time. What do these testimonies actually show ? It shows that mountains had appeared in our paths which we have now overcome and had victory over them in JESUS’ name.
When we overcome a mountain, does that mean that no mountains will come in our paths ? No. New ones will appear. And the mountain that has passed gives us more confidence in the Lord to face new mountains that will come in future.
Just like we see in the life of David. When he was a shepherd boy he had killed the bear and then killed a lion to save his sheep. He didn’t know at that time that God was preparing him to face a much bigger mountain, that is, the giant sized Goliath to save Israelites from him.
Similarly, when we see our lives maybe we have seen many mountains in the past in different areas like physical, financial, social or mental areas but with the Lord’s help and His faithfulness in our life, those mountains today have become a distant history. We don’t even remember they ever existed.
So, let’s see what the Bible teaches us about how to turn our Mountains to Miracles.
Humans beings always want 100 % in their lives in all aspects. But the problem is when they see 80% good in an area and 20 % bad, very naturally human beings focus on the 20% and forget about the 80 % blessings. They like to focus more on the lack than the abundance that they already have. If you ask them how they are, they will have only this answer, ” yeah everything is okay but… Or they ll say My job is good. I have a very good salary but my boss is mean and unfair. Everything is good and fine but I have an incurable disease I have a nice house, I have everything but my husband is a drunkard. Actually people are not enjoying their life because their focus is not on the 80% blessing they have but their focus is on the 20% they don’t have and day and night they only think about the 20% lack. This 20% is what is taking away or stealing their peace of mind and their sleep. This 20% destroys their happiness and joy and unknowingly they totally forget the many blessings they already have which is a distant dream for many.
But the Bible is such a lovely book it teaches us to give thanks in all situations. In all situations means you have to be grateful and thankful to God for your 80% as well as for your 20% also. Because the Bible declares that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR OUR GOOD ie our 80 and the 20% both together.
Let’s call this 20% BUT FACTOR
How do we handle such “But factor or mountain” situation.?
Let us see some Bible scriptures to understand this mountain or this but factor situation better.
2 Kings 5:1 is a very famous story of Naaman. The Bible says, Now Naaman, Commander of the army of the king of Syria was a great and honourable man in the eyes of his master because by him the lord had given victory to Syria, he was also a mighty man of valour but he was a leper Now when you read this first verse, you can see 80% of the verse talks about the best of Naaman. It says he was a commander of the army of the king of Syria. Next, he was great and honorable in the sight of his master and then, by him the Lord had given many victories. Imagine the Lord gave him victory over Israel too. And then it says he was also a mighty man of Valour and finally we read about the 20% of Naaman’s “not so good life”, it is said, but he was a leper. So Naaman’s ‘but factor’ was He was a leper.
But the truth is If his “but factor” had not been there, Naaman would not have made it to the Bible. Because of his “but factor” today we read about Naaman in the Bible.
Now, there are many people, if you read the Bible who have made it into the pages of The Bible only because of their “but factors”.
Let’s see a few of them who had “but factors” as their hindrances or excuses.
When God called Jeremiah, he said, Lord how can you call me? I am but a youth. So what was his “but factor” he said, I am so young. Then we see when God called Moses he said, “Lord, how can you tell me to be the spokesperson? I am a stutterer. So his “but factor” was that he was a stammer. And then when we talk about the Israelites facing the Jericho wall, that was their mountain or their but factor.
And then we also see in the new testament the mountains or but factors in the lives of so many people. For eg: But Jairus’ daughter was dead, But Lazarus was dead and four days in the tomb, But the woman had the issue of blood for 12 long years. Etc etc
Today, when we look at our Life what is our “but factor or mountain” that we are too focused on that’s giving us unrest and sleepless nights and is stopping us from fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives?? Are we complaining to the Lord saying, But Lord I have not been promoted. But I have a health issue. But I don’t have a good partner. But I have more enemies than friends. But I am always broke. But I am in huge debts. But I am good for nothing. But I am physically challenged. Etc etc…
Well, if we read Numbers 13 there’s a very interesting incident where we see two kinds of people. Moses chose 12 people, one leader from each tribe and instructed the 12 to go to the land of Canaan and spy out the land and bring back reports of the place.
The 12 came back after spying for 40 days but all didn’t have the same report.
Incidentally, the land they spied was the same but there were two reports. One report of Fear and the other of Faith.
10 of them gave a bad report out of Fear and only two i.e. Joshua and Caleb gave a good report out of Faith in God.
The ten, out of Fear saw the little mound as a big mountain whereas the other two because of their FAITH in GOD saw the big mountain as a little mound.
That’s why Jesus said in Mathew 17:20, Assuredly, I say to you, if you have FAITH as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
You only need a small sized FAITH for huge mountains.
Which Caleb and Joshua had.
Check the report as a result of Fear of the ten. They said, the land truly flows with milk and honey but( now this was their “but factor” ) everything is good about the land but the people who dwell in the land are strong, the cities are fortified and very large, we saw the descendants of giants there. We are not able to go up against the people for they are stronger than us and we are like grasshoppers in our own sight and so we were in their sight.
Hearing this report of Fear, the people of Israel got fearful and were so scared, they lifted up their voices and cried and they wept that night and the children of Israel murmured against Moses and complained saying, Why the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, won’t it be better for us to return to Egypt.
Sadly they simply wanted to quit the journey when they were so close to their miracle.
Many quit because of their “but factor”.
Now let’s see what report Caleb and Joshua brought.
They first quieted them, just like how Jesus always did when there was a storm. He would first say, Fear not. Be not afraid. And then he would speak to the storms to calm down.
Then Caleb and Joshua said in Number 13:30 This is very interesting.. Let us go up at once. Meaning let’s not even delay and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it. In 14:8 and 9 They said, this land is exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us then he will bring US into the land and give it to us. A land which flows with milk and honey.
Numbers 14:9 is an important verse This is applicable to us even now. It says, only do not Rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land. FOR THEY ARE OUR BREAD their protection has departed from them and the Lord is with us, do not fear them.
Imagine, they addressed their mountain or but factor as BREAD!!
See your mountains as BREAD.
Just eat it and get strong and move forward and upward.
What a report !!
And we know what happened thereafter, the Jericho wall came tumbling down and they possessed it.
The same was the case with Naaman. At the instruction of the Prophet Elisha, he went and dipped himself 7 times in river Jordan and he was totally cleansed of leprosy. Had he quit, which he was almost going to do, he would have been so close to his miracle and would have lost it forever.
That’s why Jesus said, in Mark 11:23 Truly, (the one who is THE TRUTH when He says truly then THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE TRUTH) I say to you, whoever SAYS to this MOUNTAIN, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him”
GLORY !!
When you face your “mountain or but factor”
Jesus says, Speak to it boldly to move into the sea.
Talk TO IT and Not TALK ABOUT IT to 100 people. It’s no use. Your mountain will remain there and not move an inch.
Speak TO IT in THE NAME IS JESUS Command it to move.
And the verse says It will move into the sea not river. In the river the mountain will still be visible but in the sea..there won’t be any evidence of it being there. No trace. It’ll be history as though it never existed. And You will have a glorious testimony for the GLORY OF OUR LORD JESUS.
FOCUS ON YOUR BLESSINGS AND ABUNDANCE RATHER THAN FOCUSSING ON THE LACK OR PROBLEMS.TURN YOUR MOUNTAINS TO MIRACLES.
Prayer
Heavenly Father I thank you for all your blessings in my life. Let us not be so pre - occupied by the little mounds in our lives that we forget to see all our blessings. As Caleb and Joshua said, we too declare that the Lord delights in us we do not want to rebel against the Lord. We see our mountains as Bread and as stepping stones to move to the next level. And in the mighty Name of JESUS we command these mountains to move and be gone. May our BUT FACTORS turn into beautiful testimonies for YOUR GLORY ALONE.In JESUS' name we pray. Amen.
