Beneath the Armor

‘Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy’ (2 Kings 5:1).

Naaman, the commander in chief of the Syrian army had led his nation to many wars and delivered his people through glorious victories. He was regarded as a great and honorable man, but beneath his great armor was a great weakness. Naaman had leprosy, a sickness which was gradually eating up his skin, entire body and entire destiny. Naaman’s leprosy was a time bomb that was waiting to explode and wipe away his past achievements and present glories if not dealt with.

There are many lessons that can be taken from Naaman’s story. Many at times, God in His grace and through His Spirit convicts us of our weaknesses, but we sometimes hide behind our successes and do nothing about them. The truth is that, those weaknesses may destroy the labor of a lifetime if not dealt with in a timely manner. Our justification is an instant miracle but discipleship is a journey of a life time. Through our yielding to the Holy spirit, God through the washing of His word molds or changes our character to fit the image of Christ (Ephesians 5:26). Going on memories lane, there are countless numbers of great men that were destroyed by character flaws.  

Essential lessons from Naaman’s story regarding the steps to deliverance from personal weaknesses are:

·                Acknowledge your weakness; the way to get it right is to know that you are wrong (2 Kings 5:5).

·                Seek your deliverance diligently through prayer, anything God will do prayer can do.

·                Receive godly counsel no matter who God chooses to use to counsel you. ‘An erring believer is grateful to a friend for correcting him, not angry’ (Martin Luther). Remember, Moses hearken to a man after God talk to him face to face. (2 Kings 5:3-5, 13, Mat 5:5).

·                Obey divine guidance (2 Kings 5:14)

·                Have faith in God’s willingness and ability to deliver you through the power of His spirit.

·                Don’t give up until you see your deliverance, every giant was once a baby (Mat 5:6).

·                After you are delivered give glory to God and lift up others in a similar situation (Luke 22:31-34). 

God is concerned about our comfort but the truth is He is much more concerned about our character. God’s desire for you is that you will not be the best among your peers, but maximize your potential and be your best. Remember the words of Apostle Paul, ^‘brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press….’ (Philippians 3:13-14)