The Lord’s Judgment on Ahaziah
1 After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel.
2 Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, “Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.”
3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’
4 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!’” So Elijah went.
5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you come back?”
6 “A man came to meet us,” they replied. “And he said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!”’”
7 The king asked them, “What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?”
8 They replied, “He had a garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist.”
The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”
9 Then he sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!’”
10 Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.
11 At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’”
12 “If I am a man of God,” Elijah replied, “may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.
13 So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. “Man of God,” he begged, “please have respect for my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants!
14 See, fire has fallen from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have respect for my life!”
15 The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.
16 He told the king, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!”
17 So he died, according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. Because Ahaziah had no son, Joram succeeded him as king in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.
2 Kings 1:1-16 (NIV)
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Trapped by Triggers- Jerry Flowers
2 Kings 5:1-13
TRAP: Tricks. Right. At. Pivots
The devil wants to and will place a trap: in front of you, beside you, behind you and he wants your own personality to be a trap.
So that you feel trapped by traps.
if the devil could be an insect; he'd be a Spider, and his web would be; Power, Pleasure, Possessions, Pain, and Pride.
he wants us trapped because He doesn't have to fight hard against trapped people.
he definitely doesn't have to fight hard if we view the trap as God's Blessing so we can't see them and step right into it.
Be it, a relationship. Or God's blessing.
he wants us to step into them and blame God for the suffering that we will experience because they didn't have the discernment to recognize that wasn't God, this was him.
Ignorance leads to suffering and suffering leads to suffocations.
Ex: If I am ignorant of what a kingdom man looks like, my marriage will suffer.
Ex: If I am ignorant of what leadership looks like the people I serve will suffer.
Our joy will be suffocated, our peace will be suffocated, our discernment will be suffocated, and our delight will be suffocated because we are ignorant of the devil's traps and schemes.
2 Kings 5:1
'The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy. '
What is your BUT?
The issue you suffer with, just like Naaman.
2 Kings 5:2-11
'At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. ''One day the girl said to her mistress, 3 “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.” 4 ''So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. ''5“Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing. '6 'The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.” 7 'When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? Why is this man asking me to heal someone with leprosy? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.”8 But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.” 11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! '
Here, Naaman is triggered. He had a certain image in his head on how God would heal him AND he's angry because God didn't do it the way he thought God would do it.
How many of us are upset at God because we don't like His methods?
Spiritual Maturity takes place when we don't care about the HOW.
2 Kings 5:12-13
12 'Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana, and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.
Here, the leprosy was not only on the skin but in his heart.
13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” '
What if the way that God is going to cleanse you isn't by any great work but obedience.
2 Kings 5:11
"I thought"
How many of us are keeping stuff because we don't like God's instructions?
For a trap to work, you must 1st study; satan studies us to set up a trap for us.
When are you most likely to fall into temptation?
He has traps set up at the most opportune times for us to fall in.
When is the time?
We will fall into lust, wrath, gluttony, pride or envy?
When is the time?
We are most insecure?
He knows when you don't make use of our gifts. You are telling God He made a bad investment in you.
he will hide his traps in the soil of our Habits
Luke 4:13 NKJV
'When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came. '
IT is a soul disease: it is a dis ease: the trap of Triggers
what trap keeps you triggered that keeps you from healing?
'Father, heal me on the inside: Trauma will not own the pen of my story!'- Jerry Flowers Jr
You can't guard your heart if you aren't aware of your triggers.
Strongholds are something that devils and demons can use as a door.
When your childhood/ last relationship/ work was a warzone.
Peace can even become a trigger.
If you have trust issues and your trigger is people.
In the same way, the devil sends people to hurt us, God sends people to help us. We could be pushing away the very help that God is trying to send in our lives.
Sometimes we'll push away those who God wants to use to help us to affirm our fears.
Every time God tries to send someone to take it. We push them away.
Do you not do people, OR do you love your trigger?
Has it become a defense mechanism?
Trigger: many times is an unresolved part of ourselves that spawns emotionalism due to somebody we have not forgiven or ourselves we haven't forgiven.
Sometimes we expect the worst because of our past and are triggered by blessings. Missing the whole point of Grace. We all deserve an F but because of Jesus and what He did, we ALL get an A.
Don't allow triggers to cause you to be vandalizing your witness!
Don't allow your faithfulness to God to be rested on your emotions and how you feel. You didn't put your feelings in Jesus you put your FAITH in Jesus.
GOD WANTS TO REDEEM YOUR RESPONSES
Don't be a doormat but produce the fruit of Self Control
If you don't, your trigger can create ceilings. Could it be that God is trying to take you higher, but you are allowing your triggers to halt it?
Messy conversations are necessary. They may not feel good to digest but they will give you deliverance.
Jesus told us in the word: He has given us both POWER AND AUTHORITY AND TO OVERCOME
Luke 10:19
'Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. '
NOT A DIABOLICAL FORCE, NOT YOUR MINDSET, NOT YOUR THOUGHT PATTERNS, NOT EVEN YOUR TRIGGERS *
Not only was Jesus telling us the power that we have following Him, but He was also referencing a time when the children of Israel were in a hallway.
Deuteronomy 8:15
'Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! '
Not only has Jesus given us the power to kill the enemy on the outside but also kill what the enemy tries to place on the inside of you.
The way snakes kill is by injecting their venom INTO their victims.
Remember that we have the authority to crush what the enemy is trying to use on the inside.
Sometimes our greatest enemy is our inner me.
Triggers make us give up our power.
God wants to use you, but He's limited in how much He can effectively do in a triggered leader. Remember, 'Jesus could do no works in his hometown except heal a few sick and he marveled at their unbelief.'
If you don't control your triggers when He's given you a word or a song and is triggered by a comment or side remark you won't speak from that word you will speak from that emotion from that trigger.
Instead of preaching from heaven, you're preaching from triggers
Instead of serving and talking to others the way God wants to use you, your trigger is serving the kingdom of darkness.
LIKE MOSES: 'Speak to the rock' Moses was triggered by the people and he 'Hit the rock' and because of this he wasn't able to go into the promised land.
How many promises are you going to miss out on because you keep allowing people to trigger you?
God Loves us so much He will keep us in the hallway until our triggers are no longer a problem. He will detox our toxic responses out of us, so we won't blow up the promise with our sharp tongues or explosive attitudes.
God wants us to have a cruise line character vs a canoe character.
Canoe Character: if someone doesn't approach you in a way that isn't acceptable to you; You go 0>100 really quick.
Cruise line Character: people can walk, skip, and dance, and you won't sick under the waters of your emotions.
God wants us to exuberate the fruit of the spirit: Self-control so much that where our character is like a cruise line. They can step on u all they want, and you won't sink.
Three methods to help deal with people; Questions to ask to ask yourself before responding:
1: What happened to them?
Most of the time someone else response has more to do with what is going on with them.
2. Do they know you?
3. Does this person have emotional intelligence enough to consider another perspective outside of the one they thought of or the one somebody told them?
If they don't, why waste your time? they aren't looking for answers, they're looking for an argument because they're arguing within themselves.
How much nicer would you be if every person you encountered that had an attitude, you asked: what happened to them?
And maybe I could represent the Kingdom right now, maybe in the midst of their day whatever frustrated them they could run into the love of Jesus.
Has the Gospel and conversion reached deep enough in your heart to redeem the way you react?
Not just what you post and present. Your reactions.
Are your triggers suffocating your obedience?
So much so that you are looking for remedies in t.r.a.ps?
T.r.a.p remedies: food, drugs, alcohol, sex, etc
If you can trace it, you can UNLEARN it.
Traumatic aloneness: ex: at some point when you were a child, a parent could have left somewhere and said they'd be back in 30 mins or an hour and then 2,3,4 hours passed until they returned in some cases the parent never came back and as result, you were traumatized.
so, when God calls you to a season of being alone, you're triggered.
When God wants you to have solitude, not because He's punishing you but to train you to know His voice. You're triggered by it; it takes you back to that moment you were traumatized.
when God says, "Come into the wilderness" "Go to a Brook Terrace" so He can train us.
It takes us back to a traumatic event and our trigger suffocates our obedience.
Our gifts and callings could be strangled by our triggers.
If we don't allow God to heal those areas, we will constantly be falling into traps because we have become one with our triggers.'
Remember
Triggers are what the enemy uses as his check-in date to live rent-free in our heads and emotions.
Could it be they're not triggering you? But your triggers are what causes you to even entertain certain people, places, or spaces?
Naaman, a great and mighty warrior, was greatly respected by the people. And yet, he had leprosy, God used a man with a notable issue.
God used somebody with a noticeable issue. Often times the devil will try to trigger you and make you feel disqualified because your issues are noticeable.
God uses those with noticeable issues because He wants to give you a look at them now Testimony.
Not for us to flex but for the crowd to see God.
What would have happened if the girl that was captured was triggered by her being captured.
And what if: when Naaman's leprosy was revealed. She would have responded like how many of us would have responded? Taunting and rubbing it in his face?
Instead of recognizing how sometimes our problems serve a purpose.
Her being captured, was bigger than her being captured. Her being captured was to see the leprosy to tell him about Elisha and get him to Elisha's house.
What problem is really serving you?
If you want to heal:
You can't avoid your way into healing. It is the heavy lifting of the soul. It is strenuous to let go. It is difficult, may cry, moan, or groan, but it is important to get to the place where you'd rather purposeful pain than pointless pain.
Let it serve a purpose.
Your problem serves a purpose.
Naaman brought gold and all this stuff because he thought God was going to do it by a certain method and because it didn't match his idea of how God was going to do it, he was triggered.
But miracles are married to instructions.
Naaman comments on the dirty water, He is seen as unclean, but still views the water as being beneath him.
Much like us as people, the way we dirty people try to call other people dirty. Arrogance and racism are pointless. At the end of the day, when we are all dirty, and will all return to the dirt.
We go to church to get right and become clean not cause we're already clean.
Naamon here gets offended, and someone has to remind him that it's not that hard to get clean.
Instructions:
1. Recognize the fuse.
The Holy Spirit is a counselor, a teacher, and a comforter Certain things ONLY the Holy Spirit can show you.
Hebrews 12:1 NKJV
'Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, '
Hebrews 12:1 TPT
'As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us. '
TRAUMA CYCLE:
TRAUMATIC EVEN>BRAIN STORES IT> EMOTIONS ARE ASSIGNED>DEFENSE MECHANISM> THOUGHT PROCESS
2. While you heal; protect your atmosphere.
FORGIVENESS DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN REENTRY
3. You have the power to choose your thoughts.
Are you willing to do the work?
Picture a lion. Now, picture a rooster.
4. The desire to be clean must be greater than your preference.
Whatever it takes, bible studies, binge sermon series, reading the word and praying multiple times a day, fasting, going to conferences, or both Sunday services. 'you're tired' is not going to cut it. We can spend hours binging TV or scrolling online doing anything else. Use that time to pour back into your spirit.
5. I need the Holy Spirit.
He IS God; a comforter. Why would He need to be a comforter if there wasn't something in your life to be uncomfortable?
Sometimes our trap is ourselves.
We are battling with our emotional responses. God has much Need for you but we must allow Him to redeem the way we react.
This may take forgiveness. It doesn't matter what was done. Reminder: Jesus pleaded with God to forgive us while he hung on the cross for us.
Jesus understands and still, He instructs us to forgive.
Prayer:
Father, help us to forgive, so we don't walk away bound, Father please heal us, restore us, help us to have a different perspective that you require of us, and demolish our triggers. God, we pray for wisdom and clarity to allow our hearts to be like the clay after rain, soft and pliable, mold our hearts. Give us a contrite heart and renew in us a right spirit so that we can be used by you. We forgive them, Father reminds us just like you forgive us when we confess our faults. Help us to forgive ourselves so that we're not held captive to punishment we feel that we should give ourselves because of what we've done. You've thrown it in the sea of forgetfulness, separated it as far as the East is from the West, we are blood covered, when you see us, you only see your son. So, who are we to crucify ourselves for what we've done? Help us to forgive ourselves and to see us through the lens of Jesus versus the lens of our trauma. In Jesus name, Amen.
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My favorite Kingdom Hearts fact is that one of the biggest plot-holes that Nomura has never been able to meaningfully retcon or write his way out, a plot-hole so big that it fundamentally breaks the very rules the series is written on...
Is the existence of Steamboat Willie
Let me explain for the uninitiated:
In Kingdom Hearts 2, there’s a small detour in the story involving Maleficent trying to invade Disney Castle, the home of King Mickey. She can’t step foot in the castle due to an artefact of pure light that wards off darkness locked in the basement.
Pete, who is working for Maleficent, opens a door into the past (Before Disney Castle, this land was known as Timeless River) and decides to remove the artifact from it’s place in time so it won’t be there to stop them from getting in.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy chase Pete into the past thanks to another magic door provided by Merlin, and through some shenanigans involving old cartoons and teaming up with Pete’s past-self, they lock the door the villains are using, and return the artefact to it’s proper place so it can exist in the present.
You with me so far? Pretty straightforward-ish time-travel plot right?
Here’s where it goes off the rails.
Time travel would go on to become a staple of Kingdom Hearts going forward and would come with a very strict set of rules over how it operates:
1. You can only travel to a point in time where a version of yourself exists
2. You basically give up your body to do so, and travel as a disembodied soul unless you have a vessel to inhabit
3. You can’t alter the past in a meaningful way, what’s going to happen will happen
4. You lose your memories of said trip once you return, but your actions could leave a lingering instinct on your other self that could influence their decisions
“Wait” you may be thinking “Why should anyone go through all those hoops? Wasn’t time travel super simple that first time?”
And you’d be totally right, because the existence of Timeless River completely renders all of these rules and restrictions meaningless.
There is no version of Sora that existed in Timeless River before he step foot there, everyone kept their bodies, the trio and Pete were able to mess with the timeline as freely as they pleased, and they all very much remember their trip.
Nomura has never been able to meaningfully explain this super simple, easy way of time travel and the more convoluted method co-existing other than a cheap-throwaway line from one of the villains saying that Merlin “broke the rules”
The hilarious part about this line is that it implies that PETE of all characters is actually more powerful than the actual villain of the series, because Pete opened a door into Timeless River through sheer willpower and nostalgia for “the good old days”
But the all-knowing chess-master of a villain who had an evil plan several decades in the making with countless moving parts and contingencies to account for had to use the roundabout, more complicated method of time travel where a lot could go wrong.
Pete though? Dude just casually broke all the rules of time travel because he felt like it. He's just built different.
TL;DR: Steamboat Willie breaks Kingdom Hearts lore in half, Pete is more powerful than Master Xehanort, and I fucking love this beautiful trainwreck of a series you guys it means so much to me
I love Kingdom hearts so much.
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