'' Ruth 1 : 1
In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. ''
Dear people, if God has put us in a certain land, or a certain situation which is unfavourable for us, we must not look for help from anyone without seeking the Lord's counsel.
Naomi and her family, set out to live in Moab, without seeking the Lord's will.
Since there was a famine in the land, they wanted to provide for themselves.
And in order to sustain, they went to live in the country of Moab.
But when Naomi returned from Moab, she came back empty handed.
'' Ruth 1 : 3 - 5 Now, Elimelech, Naomi's husband died, and she was left with her two sons.
They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth.After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. ''
She had lost her husband and her two sons, and all she was left with was Ruth, a foreign woman who is one of her two daughters-in-law. The other daughter-in-law went on to her mother's place on Naomi's advice.
'' Ruth 1: 14 At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodby, but Ruth clung to her. ''
God's people, do not try to provide for yourselves without seeking the counsel from God.
But when Naomi returned from Moab, she came back empty handed.
'' Ruth 1 : 3 - 5 Now, Elimelech, Naomi's husband died, and she was left with her two sons.
They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth.After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. ''
She had lost her husband and her two sons, and all she was left with was Ruth, a foreign woman who is one of her two daughters-in-law. The other daughter-in-law went on to her mother's place on Naomi's advice.
'' Ruth 1: 14 At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodby, but Ruth clung to her. ''
God's people, do not try to provide for yourselves without seeking the counsel from God.
Do not approach a foreigner or a foreign country or any other mode of provision to meet your needs, just because the circumstances you are in are not favourable and not upto your liking.
If we do so, eventually, whatever little we have, too will be taken away from us because of our unfaithful ways.
'' 1 Corinthians 3 : 18 -20 Do not deceive yourselves. If anyone of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a '' fool '' so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written : '' He catches the wise in their craftiness '' ; and again, '' The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.'' ''
Many of us might be going through such circumstances - circumstances where we are not very happy about our current situation - could be in our finances, could be in our relationships, could be in our career, and could be the country we are living in.
It might be that you want to go to a different country, thinking you will have a better livelihood..
It might be that you desire a higher / different role or position in your career, thinking you would be better off if you were doing a different task than what you are currently doing..
It might be that you want to build up network with people, thinking it will help in getting your work done...
It might be that you might desire to have some friendships or contacts in order to have a some solace, or to confide yourself just for some emotional needs....
Or it might be that you want to build up relationships with some people at work whom you think could pull you up in your career....
It might be that you want to go to a different country, thinking you will have a better livelihood..
It might be that you desire a higher / different role or position in your career, thinking you would be better off if you were doing a different task than what you are currently doing..
It might be that you want to build up network with people, thinking it will help in getting your work done...
It might be that you might desire to have some friendships or contacts in order to have a some solace, or to confide yourself just for some emotional needs....
Or it might be that you want to build up relationships with some people at work whom you think could pull you up in your career....
Dear God's people, in any of such situations, without seeking the counsel of the Lord, if you proceed ahead, and begin to develop the relations and begin to make movements to those places, and involve yourselves with those people without taking God's approval, and without knowing whether they are arranged by God or not, then eventually you will be stripped of whatever little you had when you made your moves in that direction.
When Naomi set off to the land of Moab, she went full.
But when she returned from that land, she was empty handed, having lost not just her husband, but also her two sons.
And all she was left with was Ruth, her widowed daughter-in-law, a foreign woman, whom her son married in the land of Moab.
Naomi was finally left with an additonal burden on her, and settling her widowed daughter-in-law became her responsibility in that old age.
When Naomi set off to the land of Moab, she went full.
But when she returned from that land, she was empty handed, having lost not just her husband, but also her two sons.
And all she was left with was Ruth, her widowed daughter-in-law, a foreign woman, whom her son married in the land of Moab.
Naomi was finally left with an additonal burden on her, and settling her widowed daughter-in-law became her responsibility in that old age.
'' Ruth 1: 18-22
When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, '' Can this be Naomi?'' ''Don't call me Naomi,'' she told them. ''Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi?The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.''
So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daugher-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.''
When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, '' Can this be Naomi?'' ''Don't call me Naomi,'' she told them. ''Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi?The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.''
So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daugher-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.''
The name 'Naomi' means pleasant, and 'Mara' means bitter.
Dear people, do not make your moves, either in personal, or in your professional lives, being driven by your desires or circumstances.
Seek the counsel of the Lord and know whether it is in the will of God that you should approach certain people for help or if you can relocate to certain places to sustain yourselves. Or if you can head towards certain direction in your careers.
If you blindly go ahead, just because circumstances are not favourable where you have been living, and something else looks attractive and promising, then eventually you will be stripped of whatever you had when you made your move.
Many of us also blindly take our steps just because we received a prophetic word - we do this without testing the spirits.
Dear God's people, we are living in the last days. And the enemy has very less time.
It is masquerading as an angel of light to deviate God's people from the path of life into path of destruction.
Let us not act in ignorance, but let us behave as children of Light.
When your prophets are giving any words or promises to you, do not act on them at once. And do not begin to think constructively basing on the words.
Test the words with the Word of God.
Seek the counsel of the Lord and know whether it is in the will of God that you should approach certain people for help or if you can relocate to certain places to sustain yourselves. Or if you can head towards certain direction in your careers.
If you blindly go ahead, just because circumstances are not favourable where you have been living, and something else looks attractive and promising, then eventually you will be stripped of whatever you had when you made your move.
Many of us also blindly take our steps just because we received a prophetic word - we do this without testing the spirits.
Dear God's people, we are living in the last days. And the enemy has very less time.
It is masquerading as an angel of light to deviate God's people from the path of life into path of destruction.
Let us not act in ignorance, but let us behave as children of Light.
When your prophets are giving any words or promises to you, do not act on them at once. And do not begin to think constructively basing on the words.
Test the words with the Word of God.
Pray about them and let God reveal to you and confirm to you that the word you received is from the Spirit of God.
There are many lying spirits that are at work, working through the false prophets.
[ Please refer message '' What counts is Keeping God's command '' to know how lying spirits spoke through the prophets and deceived king Ahab and made him head towards his destruction.]
These only aim to deviate people of God from the path God has for them.
They promise to people unlimited heights, success and comfortable roads, but this will only end them up in bitterness, making ''Naomis'' into ''Maras''.
( i.e., Turning pleasantness into bitterness )
Naomi surely must have thought that the land of Moab is full of supplies, and she is free of trouble. She trusted in the riches of that land and the provisions she had from that land. Her two sons even got wives from that land.
But here is what the Lord says, if we trust in the riches and are unfaithful to Him:
They promise to people unlimited heights, success and comfortable roads, but this will only end them up in bitterness, making ''Naomis'' into ''Maras''.
( i.e., Turning pleasantness into bitterness )
Naomi surely must have thought that the land of Moab is full of supplies, and she is free of trouble. She trusted in the riches of that land and the provisions she had from that land. Her two sons even got wives from that land.
But here is what the Lord says, if we trust in the riches and are unfaithful to Him:
'' Jeremiah 49:3-5
Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is destroyed! Cry out, O inhabitants of Rabbah! Put on sackcloth and mourn; rush here and there inside the walls, for Molech will go into exile, together with his priests and officials. Why do you boast of your valleys so fruitful?
O unfaithful daughter, you trust in your riches and say, 'Who will attack me?'
I will bring terror on you from all those around you, '' declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty. ''
O unfaithful daughter, you trust in your riches and say, 'Who will attack me?'
I will bring terror on you from all those around you, '' declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty. ''
If we are unfaithful to God and make careless moves, basing on some wrong prophesy, then God will not let us go unpunished.
Test the words of your prophets with the Word of God before you make up your minds.
Let the word of God alone be your ultimate prophecy, your Counsellor, your Desire and your Comfort.
Do not get carried away by the fruitfulness of the countries around you, or the heights and comforts that false prophets promise you.
Be discrete enough to know if the prophetic words spoken are from the Spirit of God or if they are spoken from some lying spirits.
And the only way to know, is turning to the word of God. And asking God in prayer and fasting to reveal the truth in the prophetic words you received.
Test the words of your prophets with the Word of God before you make up your minds.
Let the word of God alone be your ultimate prophecy, your Counsellor, your Desire and your Comfort.
Do not get carried away by the fruitfulness of the countries around you, or the heights and comforts that false prophets promise you.
Be discrete enough to know if the prophetic words spoken are from the Spirit of God or if they are spoken from some lying spirits.
And the only way to know, is turning to the word of God. And asking God in prayer and fasting to reveal the truth in the prophetic words you received.
Our God is a God who avenges on the unfaithful.
When it seems everything is going so fine, He will bring sudden terror upon us because of our unfaithfulness.
Naomi made her move to the land of Moab looking at the food that was available there - indeed she found food to eat in the land of Moab, but she had lost her husband, and her two sons by the time she returned.
She went ahead just for some food, but lost her complete family when she returned.
When it seems everything is going so fine, He will bring sudden terror upon us because of our unfaithfulness.
Naomi made her move to the land of Moab looking at the food that was available there - indeed she found food to eat in the land of Moab, but she had lost her husband, and her two sons by the time she returned.
She went ahead just for some food, but lost her complete family when she returned.
'' Hosea 6 : 7 - 10
Like Adam, they have broken the covenant - they were unfaithful to me there.
Gilead is a city of wicked men, stained with footprints of blood. As marauders lie in ambush for a man, so do bands of priests;
they murder on the road to Shechem, committing shameful crimes.
I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel. There Ephraim is given to prostitution and Israel is defiled. ''
Like Adam, they have broken the covenant - they were unfaithful to me there.
Gilead is a city of wicked men, stained with footprints of blood. As marauders lie in ambush for a man, so do bands of priests;
they murder on the road to Shechem, committing shameful crimes.
I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel. There Ephraim is given to prostitution and Israel is defiled. ''
Adam broke the covenant with God, by loving his wife more than God. This he showed, by listening to the words of his wife by eating the fruit.
When we listen to the lying spirits and love to satisfy our souls, and love our prophets or anyone else more than God, and act on their words, without seeking counsel from God, because they are promising resources and means for satisfying our worldly desires, then we are only breaking the covenant with God, like Adam.
God made Eve as a help to Adam. But Adam kept God aside and listened to the words of Eve.
And thus he broke the covenant with God.
If we are careless to test the spirits and the words prophets release, with the Word of God, and blindly act on them, in order to show our respect for the prophets, then we are only partaking in Adam's behaviour.
Word of God in the above Scripture says that there are priests who lie in ambush on the way, like marauders..
Dear people, therefore be careful to discern whether your priest is a priest from God or someone laying a trap on your way as a marauder, speaking words into your lives given by lying spirits.
When we listen to the lying spirits and act on them, without testing and confirming with the word of God , then we are involving in spiritual prostitution. Becuase we are not being true to the Holy Spirit, but running after lying spirits.
As the Spirit of God is alarming us this hour dear God's people, let us become alert.
Let us not turn the pleasantness of our lives into bitterness, by running after the beauty that fades away..
Dear people, therefore be careful to discern whether your priest is a priest from God or someone laying a trap on your way as a marauder, speaking words into your lives given by lying spirits.
When we listen to the lying spirits and act on them, without testing and confirming with the word of God , then we are involving in spiritual prostitution. Becuase we are not being true to the Holy Spirit, but running after lying spirits.
As the Spirit of God is alarming us this hour dear God's people, let us become alert.
Let us not turn the pleasantness of our lives into bitterness, by running after the beauty that fades away..
Let us train ourselves to attain inner beauty, which comes only when we abide by the word of God, and in obedience, persevere in all situations, being faithful to our Saviour and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let's Pray..
Father, help us to be faithful to you in all situations. And not get carried away by the riches and fruitfulness of countries or people around us.
Help us to be discrete and test the prophecies we receive, with your Word, and act only by taking YOUR counsel, and not on the lies anyone is trying to pour out in YOUR name.
Grant us knowledge of testing the spirits to know who is speaking from YOUR Holy Spirit and who is not.
LORD forgive us our iniquities, if we had run after the lies any false prophets have poured out in the past. Grant us wisdom and knowledge to make YOU alone our Counsellor and Leader and our Desire, and not love anything else or anyone else more than YOU.
Help us to be faithful and true to the covenant YOU made with us .
Cleanse our hearts from every malice and evil desire that is triggered due to the riches and the comforts promised by any of the false prophets.
Help us to desire YOUR Glory and not the glory of money.
LORD, reconcile us back to you, and help us to walk in uprightness and faithfulness, all through our days.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
God Bless You.
Help us to be discrete and test the prophecies we receive, with your Word, and act only by taking YOUR counsel, and not on the lies anyone is trying to pour out in YOUR name.
Grant us knowledge of testing the spirits to know who is speaking from YOUR Holy Spirit and who is not.
LORD forgive us our iniquities, if we had run after the lies any false prophets have poured out in the past. Grant us wisdom and knowledge to make YOU alone our Counsellor and Leader and our Desire, and not love anything else or anyone else more than YOU.
Help us to be faithful and true to the covenant YOU made with us .
Cleanse our hearts from every malice and evil desire that is triggered due to the riches and the comforts promised by any of the false prophets.
Help us to desire YOUR Glory and not the glory of money.
LORD, reconcile us back to you, and help us to walk in uprightness and faithfulness, all through our days.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
God Bless You.
