THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

November 17, 2021

LIFE IN THE FOLD:

Here is a story found in 2 Kings 6:8-23:

The king of Aram was at war with Israel. But every move that the Aram king made, God would reveal to the prophet, Elisha, beforehand; then he would go and warn the king of Israel. This happened over and over again. The king of Aram became upset, thinking that there was a spy in his army.

He asked his officers, "Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel my plans?"

One of the officers told him, "It's not us! Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom."

The king commanded his men to go find out where Elisha was, so that he could send troops to capture him. They found out where Elisha was, so one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.

When Elisha's servant got up early the next morning and went outside, there were enemy troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. He became very fearful.

The servant asked Elisha, "What will we do now?" Perhaps he was wondering why God had revealed the enemies position over and over again so that Elisha could warn the king, but now they had come to the exact location where they were, without God preparing Elisha ahead of time.

But Elisha knew something that his servant didn't! He said, "Fear not! Don't be afraid! For there are more on our side than on theirs (the enemies)!"

Elisha then prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!" The Lord opened the young mans [spiritual] eyes and when he looked up, he saw that the hillsides surrounding them were filled with horses and chariots of fire. God had sent His army to protect them from the enemy!!

As the Aram army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, "O Lord, please made them blind." So the Lord struck them with blindness, as Elisha had requested.

Elisha told them, "You have come the wrong way. This isn't the right city! Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for." He then led the enemy army to the city of Samaria. As they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, "Lord, now open their eyes and let them see." So the Lord opened their eyes and they discovered that they were in the middle of Samaria.

When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, "Should I kill them?" Elisha said, "Of course not! Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again." So the king of Israel had a great feast prepared for them and sent them back home to Aram.

Elisha didn't fear when the enemy army showed up to capture him, because he saw in the supernatural and knew that the armies of heaven were surrounding him, protecting him from danger and were fighting for him. He knew something that his servant didn't know. So he had peace and didn't fear that the enemy army would cause him harm or capture him. He had assurance that God had brought down the armies of heaven on his behalf.

But the servant's initial reaction was fear when he went outside early that morning and saw that the enemy had arrived while they had been sleeping. In order for him to be able to listen to what Elisha was saying, Elisha first had to address his fear; therefore his first words to the servant were, "Fear not! Don't be afraid."

When the shepherds were out watching their sheep as they had done night after night, and the angel of the Lord appeared to them to announce the birth of Jesus, what were his first words? "Fear not!" The angel had a great message to tell them, and had been sent down on special assignment to do so; yet he addressed their fear first.

Sometimes when God is trying to speak to us, He has to address our fears and worries before we're able to hear what He has to say. When we are fretting or afraid, it's hard to truly hear and understand what is being said to us. In fact, we often miss the entirety of what someone, or God, is saying to us when our minds are filled with fearful thoughts. We may hear part of what's said, then start thinking, "Oh no! What if......" and perhaps miss the most important part of what is said.

In the bible, the words "do not fear" or "do not be afraid" is written 365 times! That's one verse for each day of the year. Perhaps God knew that fear would be a weapon that satan would use against us, so He told us over and over again in scripture to no fear. In fact, in many of those verses it goes on to say, "For I am with you." We don't have to fear, knowing that God is always present in our lives and always with us.

One of the ways we can overcome fear is by what we fill our mind with.

Philippians 4:8 says, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable -- if there is any virtue and if there is anything worthy of praise -- dwell on those things."

When those are the type of things that we fill our minds with, then it leaves no room for fear to enter in.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always. Pray constantly. In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

When we are doing those things, there leaves no room for fear.

Next time you feel fear trying to invade your thoughts, tell it to go! Then start thinking on things that are true, honorable, lovely, praiseworthy....... Begin to rejoice. Start giving thanks. Know that God is with you.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

I'm sure we have all heard many times, "God's mercy is new every morning." But it's great to see that His "fear not" is also new every morning.

We may be attacked each and every day with some kind of fear, but God has a "fear not" for that day, too. And forgiveness.

If you're having trouble thinking of something to be thankful for, there are two.

ON THE MENEWE:

Sweet Potato Casserole

Canned sweet potatoes can be used in this recipe, just remember to drain the juice off; but fresh sweet potatoes baked in a 400 oven for about an hour, until soft, are best. If using fresh, allow to cool, then peel and mash.

Add all ingredients of the casserole together and pour into a 9x13 pan.

Topping:

For the topping, melt butter; then add additional ingredients and mix. Add topping evenly to top of casserole.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

When one of my cousin's sons was a young boy, they were having prayer before school one morning. The dad asked if he had anything that he needed them to pray about for that day.... any tests or problems or whatever. His son said, "I'm not going to ask God for anything today. I just want to have fun."

Sometimes we become so focused on asking God for things, or praying on behalf of others, and petitioning Him for various needs that we forget to give thanks and "just have fun". Bringing our needs and burdens to the Lord is necessary and needful, but let's also remember to thank Him for all of the good things that He has done for us and enjoy being in His presence.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Don't miss what God has for you by chasing what was never meant for you. - Christine Caine

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org