God of Restoration (Part 3)

When God starts the journey of restoration, He does not stop. It is His business to go on with the restoration, to the end. WE should open both our physical and spiirtual eyes in anticipation for what the Lord is doing. It is not about your efforts, energy, locality, who you know etc.; it is about the Lord at work.

It is the turn of the Lord. He cannot miss the turn. He is returning us to the journey of accomplishing our destiny. Some of us may have strayed, but the Lord is returning us to the journey.

Psalm 80:3
Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

Psalm 80:7

Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

Psalm 80:19

Restore us, Lord God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

Talk to God at the level you know Him. The psalmist started by referring to God simply as "God" (verse 3). This was his level of interaction with Him, at first. As we see in verse 7, he didn't dwell there. He got closer and deeper to God, and referred to Him as "God Almighty". We see this continuing as He knows God more, as "Lord God Almighty". 

Talk to God at the level you know Him, but do not dwell there. As you get restored, get closer and deeper to God. Get deeper and deeper. Recognize the kind of destiny God has called you into, and go with God deeper. 

The definition of man and the dictionary of "restoration" is you getting back exactly what you lost, or replacing exactly what you lost. God's kind of restoration gives you back more than you lost. 

Mark 10:29-30

So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, 30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.

Exodus 22:4

If the stolen animal is found alive in their possession—whether ox or donkey or sheep—they must pay back double.

Luke 9:8

Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”

The greatest story of restoration is when our hearts are turned back to God. That is God's core business, of having people restored back to Him. 

Just as in the story of the prodigal son, our Father will not ask you many questions when you return back home. He will just throw you a feast, and heaven will celebrate your come back/ restoration. Make sure that your heart is reconnected back to God. He makes you enjoy the fruits of restoration. 

When your heart is far from God, you will gain the whole world, but lose your soul. Restoration gives you 100% assurance of going to heaven when Jesus comes back. This is what starts the process of true restoration. Stand on Jesus as a Rock, He is the key to any other important restoration. 

The God of Elijah is still at work. God's restoration gives you a new identity. It does not matter how far you are; He restores those who are far, so that His glory can be seen. The Lord makes it manifest for all to see. It does not matter where you are; it's about God's hands. 

God looks for people who are ready to listen and obey (1 Kings 17), people who can recognize His servants the way the widow recognized Elijah. God restores people He can count on. 

During restoration, be ready to discern the servant of GOd. God will send true servants during restoration, be ready to discern them. Do not sit in a place or walk with a servant of God half-heartedly; be convinced. 

We have been discussing on the 7 lessons of manifestation we can learn from the stories of Elijah and Elisha. We came up to the fourth one:

4th Lesson: 2 Kings 4:1-7

A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”

2 So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. 4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.”

5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”

And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

God is restoring us from total poverty to total abundance. God will use a heart that does not limit Him, to restore. Open your eyes to see the greatness of God; so that He can restore you to abundance. DO NOT LIMIT GOD. Your situation may make you see God as small; stop limiting Him and keep believing. 

5th Lesson: 2 Kings 4:8-37

Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where therewas a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. 10 Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.”

11 And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there. 12 Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’”

She answered, “I dwell among my own people.” 14 So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!” 17 But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.

18 And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. 19 And he said to his father, “My head, my head!” So he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.”

23 So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.” And she said, “It is well.” 24 Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 And so she departed, and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

So it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, the Shunammite woman! 26 Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’” And she answered, “It is well.” 27 Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told me.”

28 So she said, “Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?” 29 Then he said to Gehazi, “Get yourself ready, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay my staff on the face of the child.”

30 And the mother of the child said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her. 31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awakened.”

32 When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. 33 He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. 34 And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. 35 He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” 37 So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out.

Discern the servants of God. Use the little you have to minister to the servants of God. Start discerning, in the time of restoration. The servant could be the key God will use to restore you. It took for God to shut the woman's husband's mouth, to keep him from speaking against the servant of God when his wife requested that they host him. He could have behaved like any other man, and become defensive, not wanting any other man to live in his home. But He did not. 

During the time of restoration, we have to repent to the Lord to bless us and let us enjoy His blessings; for the time that we failed to obey God. If this woman did not feed and later host the servant of God, she would have never gotten restored; she would have remained childless, let alone have her restored back to life later. 

Change your language. Stop talking negatively and complaining. Circumcise your tongue. The woman never spoke negatively, when her son died. She told her husband, "It is well," when he asked him why he had to go and see the servant of God. When Gehazi asked her if all was well at home, she repeated the same thing, and said, "it is well." Restoration is for a circumcised generation, who will not speak anything negative but keep saying "it is well," even in the midst of the storm. 

6th Lesson: 2 Kings 6:1-7

And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. 2 Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.”

So he answered, “Go.” 3 Then one said, “Please consent to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” 4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”

6 So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. 7 Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

In the season we are in of restoration, mind your company. They will either make you sink, or float. Who are you inviting to your company? Your things will continue sinking if you keep the wrong company. When things are bad or your things start sinking, good company will bail you out. Your company will either sustain/ restore you, or cause you to sink. Companies can even make your faith go underwater/ sink. Bad company corrupts good morals. Mind your company. 

7th Lesson: 2 Kings 8:1-6

Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the Lord has called for a famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years.” 2 So the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years.

3 It came to pass, at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to make an appeal to the king for her house and for her land. 4 Then the king talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me, please, all the great things Elisha has done.” 5 Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son he had restored to life, appealing to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman, and thisis her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him.

So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now.”

Through the Shunnamite's woman's language, she was restored again. When God starts restoring you, do not be afraid; He will keep restoring you. As long as you are connected to the One with Whom all things are possible, do not panic. He will keep restoring you. Be obedient in the season of restoration. 

The woman obeyed and went to the foreign land. During restoration, you have to obey 2 Chronicles 20:20:

Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”

The woman believed in the servant of God, and was restored. After proving that the servant was of God, she could trust Him and continually obeyed Him. God will make you so accurate, and make your feet to be led to your blessings. The woman was so on time when she returned to her land and went to the king, that she found the king and Gehazi talking about the servant of God that she had trusted. 

God's restoration is so unique. The woman was restored 7 times. God is bringing you back 7 times. 

Before all this happens, we have to go back to God. 

Isaiah 41:4 (AMP)

Who has prepared and done this, calling forth and guiding the destinies of the generations [of the nations] from the beginning? I, the Lord—the first [existing before history began] and with the last [an ever-present, unchanging God]—I am He.

God has prepared, commanded your destiny. Our destinies have already been commanded. ALlow God to restore you back to the destiny He has already prepared for you. It is restoration time; it is time to go back to our destinies. 

Ephesians 2:10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Walk in the good works. God wants to restore us, make us drink so that we never thirst again. Start preparing a new song. Prepare for a feast. 

For the woman with the issue to be restored, she took a move, after 12 years of suffering; the crippled man at the well also took a step, after staying by the pool for 38 years. You have to also take a move, and know what you need to do in order to be restored. 

Amen. 

Blessings. 

-- Pastor Mary Mugo.

(21/4/13 Kesha Sermon, Africa Transformation Mission. At Pramukh Plaza, 6th Floor)

Pastor Mary Mugo is a Pastor at Africa Transformation Mission, a ministry under Christ Harvesters Ministries.