Learning from Naaman...Part 1

This is a story about Naaman from 2 Kings 5. The devotion is part of a series of a total of 4 that has blessed me and I will continue to digest and meditate on what God needs to show me from this......so be prepared to be blessed, to be fed and hopefully to be changed!

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In examining the story of Naaman the leper, we begin by looking at his condition. "Naaman, commander of the army of...Syria, was a great...man...but a leper." In spite of his past victories and present honors, he had a hidden problem that wouldn't stay hidden long. Left un-dealt with, it would eventually destroy him. Can you relate? Today the odds may be in your favor. You've graduated from the best university, you've a good family, you've built a church or a business, or climbed to the top in your career. Yet before you can qualify for greater blessing God will force you to deal with a condition that's hidden beneath your armor. Outstanding people in every occupation, particularly spiritual ones, go through it. It's what sets them apart. It's what ushers them across the bridge from mediocre to exceptional. Without obstacles we'll always be ordinary! We're not talking about petty little problems. We're talking about issues so overwhelming you can't sleep; gut-wrenching things that cause your heart to skip a beat and make you fear "this is the one that's going to take me out!" It's the thing you pray about in secret. It's what you don't want people to see. So like Naaman, you wear your "brass," then go home and agonize about your condition. Understand this: God teaches some of His greatest lessons in the valleys of life. That's where you learn to lie prostrate before Him, weeping and broken. It's where you pray: "God, don't let this thing destroy me. Deal with it through the power of Your spirit." And here's the good news: that kind of prayer brings deliverance. ~Ron Traub

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I needed this reminder, how about you?

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Our stubborness can be as hard as iron, but if we let Him, look what the Lord can do.....and so the picture for today...