It Does Take All That : Pastor Jeannette Samuels

In the Bible there was a king named Ahaz, and the Scriptures say this: Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father: For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. (2 Chronicles 28:1-4 KJV)

Fast forward to his son Hezekiah, and we find this in the Scripture: Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.  And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. (2 Chronicles 29:1 KJV)

Hezekiah had a father that literally sacrificed his brothers and sisters in fire to other gods like molech. He tore down the altar to the One True God and built altars to other gods in the temple made for His worship. There is so much more; but this alone should paint the picture of what the reign of King Ahaz was like.

We live in a day and time now where it has become the norm to blame someone else for what is happening around us; to blame our fathers and mothers for things happening in our families, in our lives, or in our health. We live in a day and time where it is easy to blame a politician or a “system” for what is going on in the world. However, we have to come to the place where we realize that all of the complaining, all the blaming, all the pointing fingers never changes anything. The armchair quarterback never helps their team win.

Hezekiah wasn’t brought up to live for God; he was brought up in a heathen household, and only escaped a child sacrifice himself because of his mother. Or maybe I should I say, because God had other plans for him. He didn’t grow up blaming his father for his lot in life; he didn’t grow up blaming his upbringing for what he did or didn’t have. Hezekiah made up his mind that whatever it was going to take, whatever he had to do, he was going to lead the nation back to Jehovah, back to the God of their Fathers.

There has to be someone in a family, in a church, in a region, and in a nation that will rise up and say that things aren’t right; and not only say it, but take action about it. Oftentimes we wait for someone else to rise up to lead the way, to speak up, to take action, to change things; but that season is over. There is a people rising who know what it takes.

In order for any truth to produce the freedom Pastor Tony ministered on last Sunday, there has to be a decision, a mind made up, that says, “Whatever it takes for my family; whatever it takes in my church; whatever it takes in this region, and whatever it takes for this nation!” Church, I am here to tell you that it does take all of that; it does take all of that prayer every weekday; it does take all of that fasting every Wednesday as a corporate body (yes, that is something we are still doing); it does take all of that praying in the Holy Spirit; it does take all of that praise and all of that worship; it does take all of that reading the Bible for yourself.

Do you realize that without fasting, you don’t get to see the promises of Isaiah 58:6-12 (KJV) come to pass personally, congregationally, regionally or nationally? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

We can’t talk about being repairers of the breach without a sacrifice and doing something. We can’t talk about the oppressed going free, and the enslaving yokes being destroyed, if we are not willing to sacrifice or do something.

Lastly, I will leave you with something to ponder in regards to this. Jesus never said to God, “It doesn’t take all of that pain, all of that torment; it doesn’t take the crucifixion; after all it’s not My fault, it’s theirs.” He chose to sacrifice and realized that because His Father said so, it did take all of that.