What's In Your House?

I'm gonna invite you to join me in Book of Second Kings chapter

2 Kings 4 · chapter mention

4 and verse 1. Gonna be reading a few verses here today.

Second Kings chapter 4 and verse 1.

2 Kings 4 · chapter mention

And I'm just gonna jump into it because I have a few verses to read.

It says,

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. So Elisha said to her, what shall I do for you?

Tell me, what do you have in the house?

What do you have in the house?

And she said your maid servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.

Then he said go borrow vessels from everywhere from all your neighbors empty vessels and do not gather just a few.

And when you have come in you should shut the door behind you and your sons and pour it into all those vessels

and set aside the full ones. Verse 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.

Now 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 seized.

Then she came and told the man of God and he said go sell the oil.

Hey you're dead. You and your sons shall live on the rest.

I want to say amen. You're in a precity with the help of the Holy Ghost.

What's in your house?

Amen. What's in your house?

Can we pray together? Father I thank you for your spirit that is here in this place today God.

We have come with a made up mind to lift up your name that is above all names.

Lord you are worthy to be praised and we ask you God that in the moment we have

that you would speak a word God that would not only encourage all the mothers that are here those that are watching online

but the entire church got everyone with an ear to hear.

Anoint their hearing and understanding and anoint my lips of clay.

Put your word in my mouth that I might preach in a way that would give you glory.

In Jesus name we pray.

Can everyone say amen?

You may be seated in the house of God as a child I was remembering.

I remember watching my mother make meals practically out of nothing.

She had that motherly gift of being able to take whatever random items that were left in the pantry

or the refrigerator and make something out of it.

I don't know how she did it to this day but there were those Saturday mornings I recall we'd get up we were hungry

and all that was in the refrigerator was just eggs and weenies you know that was it.

But how many know you can do a lot with that?

Oh y'all don't know what I'm talking about here today praise God.

She'd fry those babies up real nice and if we had tortillas forget it we were going to eat like kings.

Amen.

And I'll never forget those moments and even to this day when I eat that type of food it's so simple it's so basic

but it just hits the soul in a different way because it takes me back to those times where

you know we weren't eating like fancy omelettes and souffles and you know we didn't have a waffle maker or nothing like that.

We just ate whatever was there and I just thank God for that because there was something about my mother

that was able to do that and I believe all the mothers here today you know exactly what I'm talking about.

She also had that gift of being able to stretch whatever was in the house to feed my dad at three hungry boys.

And when I say hungry I mean hungry hungry hungry. We were always hungry and so she would find ways to stretch those things.

And in fact we had a saying in my house my mom used to say that when there's beans there's food.

And I get an amen out there when there's from Frijoles there's food because there's like a hundred different ways

you can like just stretch it and I don't know if God multiplied the beans or we added just enough cheese.

You know if you add just the right amount of cheese or a month that could do it you can just like stretch.

She stretched it and God stretched it. I believe there were some some lean times growing up where those things had to be stretched.

And I just I thank God. There's just something about a mother's God given ingenuity that never ceases to amaze me.

And I saw it as a kid and as I saw with my mom and then as a husband I've seen it with my with my wife in the way that she's been able to just work wonders and stretch things and go and do things that me as a man.

I just waved the white flag and said I don't know how just you did it just you know just order you know Uber Eats or something.

I don't but if she can do it she'll she'll make a way. And when I think about these things and the ingenuity the instincts that mothers have to do a lot with a little.

Amen. When I think about that it brings the story that we're reading today in Second Kings to light and it makes it all the more remarkable.

Imagine if you will the way that must have been on this mother's shoulder her husband had just recently passed away and now she has been left with a substantial amount of debt to pay off.

And in the hopes of raising enough money to pay all of her debts she begins to liquidate all of her valuables everything that she has at her disposal that she can make some money on.

She does that and until there was practically nothing left in the house.

She had everything from an estate sale or rummage sale a yard sale the garage sale. I mean she she she sold everything she could.

And unfortunately after selling all of these items and clearing out the house she was still falling short of what was needed to pay the creditors what they were what they were owed.

And to clear everything out except for this jar of oil and even with that she didn't have enough.

And so she's in dire straits. I mean there's just there's only so much she can do even with all of the ingenuity and the instincts that she has to stretch things.

I'm sure she knew how to do all of those things.

And then it finally got to a point where she had exhausted all of her resources. She had made every phone call. She had followed up on every favor.

You know everyone who kind of owed her one you know those. She did all those things and and she with all of her strength and all of her energy and all of her creativity still found herself short.

And you know there are just times in life when when you do everything you know how to do you do everything you know how to do you you stretch your means you pinch every penny.

Or if it's a financial situation you call all the prayer warriors together that you know and you go on.

You do everything spiritually you're supposed to do financially emotionally.

You're just doing everything you know how or you've been taught to do.

And I think that this woman was a woman of God based on what we read.

And I think that she did all of those things and still she found herself in dire straits.

She found herself in need of a miracle. Can I just tell you that you're going to find yourself at some point or another where you're just in need of a miracle.

Amen somebody where you just need a miracle.

And you just need God to close whatever gap there is in your life. You just you just fall short a little bit.

We're almost there.

It just seems like we just had a little extra help or maybe a lot of help.

That's where this woman was and on top of all these circumstances now the bill collector is threatening to strip her children away from her.

And he's sending I don't know how many notices he set in the mail.

I don't know how many warnings. This is your final warning.

I don't know how many of those that he that she received.

But it dawned on her. It was apparent to her that if something didn't change the creditors would come and take her two sons and sell them into slavery in order to pay off those debts.

And without without of options and with nothing else to do and the creditors are breathing down her neck.

This is where she begins to reach out to the prophet Elisha and she goes to him in desperation.

And what happens is that initially I think it didn't go as quite the way she thought it was going to go.

If I could just paraphrase a little bit and and just look at the story.

I think that when she went to the prophet she thought that well he's going to do one of those prophet kind of things where he just speaks a word.

And then I'm going to run back home and the pantry is going to be full.

You know and we're just going to I'm going to check you know check your bank account right now call the bank.

You know I'm waiting for my miracle. I'm going to I'm going to go online and there's going to be money there.

I just like I think that she thought what a lot of people think myself included maybe somebody today that when you call on God and you need a miracle

and you're asking the Lord you want one of those just whamo kind of miracle. It's just Lord just do it.

Amen.

Somebody I don't got time to wait till tomorrow.

I don't I don't need I need him my miracle yesterday.

How many of you ever needed a miracle like yesterday?

Amen.

I got time to wait around and so when the prophet tells her well this is what you're going to do.

You're going to go and start collecting these these jars because the extra we know what do you have in your house.

What do you have in your house. Well all I have is a is a jar of oil.

But just a simple fact that he asked her that question what do you have in your house.

Even that question is a little insulting.

You know like what do you mean what I have in my house.

I'm coming to you because I'm out of options.

This what are we not understanding here the whole reason why I'm praying and I'm coming to you is because I don't have anything left.

And sometimes we get so used to our situation we get so used to where we've been we get so used to not having enough or not being where we want to be or not seeing the tangible evidence that that we overlook certain things.

And so he says what do you have in your house seems like a like an insulting question.

But then she says oh yeah wait a minute.

There is one more thing left in the house and this is little this little jar of oil that I have and he said that'll do.

What do you mean that'll do. Yes that'll do.

I want you to take what you have there and out of that I'm going to show you how God's going to bless you.

And if you will just take that.

Hallelujah.

It's going to save you.

It's going to save your family and you're going to see a complete turnaround in your life.

And there are some lessons of faith that I want to just point out to you today because like this woman there may be a mother here or there may be a believer here that just says OK God we've exhausted all of we've exhausted our financial reason we've exhausted our legal options.

We've exhausted our all of our you know spiritual options that that we know to do.

But now what.

And this is the first thing I want to tell you is that the first thing to point out.

God only wants what we have.

Amen.

He only wants what we have.

Elisha's question supposes that this mother had something in her house.

In her possession that would play a crucial part in her miracle.

And this tells us something important about about God and about the way that God works.

It tells us how that God does not need big things to do big things.

Amen.

He doesn't need big things to do big things.

God is into the little things.

And part of what makes God so awesome is that he can take the little things and do big things out of those little things.

Amen.

Somebody he doesn't need anything that we have technically.

How many of you know that God doesn't need anything that we have that he can make a miracle out of nothing.

Did he not create the heavens and the earth out of nothing with only his spoken word out of nothing.

Void and darkness came the heavens and the earth.

God doesn't need necessarily what we have but what he does want is our faith.

And he wants to know that we are willing to trust him with the things that we have.

When we see that God is asking this woman and he is requiring something of her that she doesn't feel is worth anything.

This little jar of oil, this little amount over here.

What could you possibly do with that God?

I didn't even think that you would want that.

And man is always looking at things that way.

Why do you think that when the prophet Samuel showed up to Jesse's house looking to anoint the next king.

He brought all these men, his young, his strong sons and lined them all up.

And he just didn't think about that one poetry, writing, song, singing, heart playing,

sheep, herding, little boy out there in the field named David.

He just completely overlooked that because what man tends to do is man looks on the outside but God looks on the inside.

Come on now somebody.

God looks at those little things.

Can I tell you that God is in the small things today?

Somebody say amen.

God is in the small things.

God is in those little things.

And I just came to encourage somebody and tell you don't you ever underestimate whatever it is that you have in your life, in your house, in your family.

Because that's the very thing that God wants to use to produce a miracle in your life.

Somebody give God a hand praise here today.

It's not the size of what you have, it's the significance of what you have.

The significance.

In other words, the jar of oil was all the mother had.

And that's what made it so valuable.

Because that's what God is looking for.

It's not the amount.

It's not the quantity.

It's not how big it is.

Is what does it mean to you?

And a jar of oil doesn't look like much.

But when it's all you have left, come on now.

It's everything.

In fact, maybe she even knew about it, but just didn't want to say anything.

Like, oh, I hope he doesn't ask about that.

I hope he doesn't go there.

How many times, how many ever just feel like God, I hope you don't go there.

Anything God, but that's, can we just deal with everything?

But could we leave that alone?

Okay, no one's going to help me here today.

All right.

Can we just not go there?

God, can we just kind of work away?

And that's the exact thing at times that God is looking for.

And sometimes it's just what we're protecting.

It's all that we've got left.

But this is where the miracles are going to flow.

This is where God is going to demonstrate to you that he is God of your life and that he is more than able.

God specializes in taking the things that we have left.

Whether they be big or small and demonstrating his power.

God is the God of what's left.

Somebody say, man, today.

But the problem is that our human nature, our survival instincts and faith rarely agree.

Your human nature and your faith are rarely going to agree.

Because the human nature is all about preservation, self-preservation.

Are you hearing what I'm saying today?

It's all about protecting what little.

And you'd be surprised what little we have left.

People will die over those things.

Like, I'm not going to let this thing go.

Because those instincts are, man, if I give this to God, if I open up this part of my life,

if I'm vulnerable here, if I let God in here, if I confess about this,

if I just give this place over to God, there's a part of our human nature that feels like we've given up.

Like, it's not going to get any better.

Where's it going to go from here?

How is it going to improve?

This is, so we protect that.

But God is saying the very thing you are protecting from me is the thing that's going to bring your miracle.

The very thing you don't want me to touch.

The very thing you're afraid to let go of.

The very thing you feel doesn't have enough value.

That's the area that I want to show you my glory.

That's the area that I want to show you my power.

And so God is telling us today, I only want what you have.

And let me tell you, that is the blessing.

God's never going to ask for something you don't have.

God's never going to require something out of you that you don't have.

Can I tell you something?

If God is asking you from it, if God is asking you for it, it means you have it.

If he's asking you for more time, it means you have more time.

If he's asking you for more faith, if he's asking you for more, whatever it is, it means God's never going to ask of you something you don't have.

The only question is, am I willing to trust him with what I have left?

I only have one more prayer left.

Well, give that prayer to God.

I think I can only go one more day.

Well, give that day to God.

I think I can only lift my hands one more time.

Well, lift them one more time and give them to God.

Because let me tell you, God is in the small things.

Come on.

Do I got a witness in the house today?

God is in the small things.

Hallelujah.

And once you do that, you'll see that God does only or he only does what we can't.

God only asked for what we have and he only does what we can't.

The next lesson this mother learned is that God is not in the business of doing your work for you.

Amen.

That kind of quiet when I said that.

But it's true.

The man of God told her, go borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors, empty vessels.

And do not gather just a few.

In other words, gather as many as you can.

And so she had to go house to house, door to door.

And the prophet is saying, this is your part.

God will do his part when you do your part.

Amen.

God will do his part when you do your part.

Now, when he told her this, I don't know how this registered.

Like, you need to go and knock on some doors and start asking.

And if you can borrow this, all these vessels and.

I'm thinking that probably that would have required some extra humility for her to go around and start.

Oh, who's at the door, honey?

Oh, it's the widow.

I wonder what she wants this time.

Tell her we don't want to buy any of her stuff.

You know, picking out through the blinds and saying, shh.

None of you have ever done that.

You all are so good.

Okay, never, never, never, never.

Okay, well, well, so here she comes.

She's not going to the door.

Just open it, open it.

And can you imagine the embarrassment perhaps, the humility that she, the pride that she has to swallow to say,

do you happen to have any empty vessels in your house that I can borrow?

And then she gets a vessel and she goes to the next house and knocks on the, now,

I don't know how many houses she knocked on that day.

I don't know how many homes she visited, but there were quite a few that she went around knocking on their door.

And in order for her to do that, she had to get over whatever concern, whatever fear,

whatever perception she thinks that others have of her and say, you know what?

It doesn't matter what people think about me.

I need to get over myself and humble myself and start knocking on some doors

because this is the ticket to my miracle and I'm not going to let my pride get in the way of my blessing.

Oh, I wonder if you're hearing what I'm saying today.

She said, I don't have time to worry about what they say.

Let everyone say what they want to.

You got to get to a place in your faith, in your life where you just get over whatever worries or concerns

about what people who cares, what people say, what people think, how it looks.

When you need a miracle from God, you're willing to step aside yourself and say, here I am God,

whatever it is that you need of me, I'm willing to do.

Somebody give God some praise.

Hallelujah.

Let me tell you, and I'm not going to be much longer, but people don't miss their miracles

because God doesn't want to heal them or God doesn't want to do it.

I've seen people miss their miracles because they don't want to confess they need one.

They're too ashamed.

Imagine what Naaman almost missed his miracle.

You know why?

He was insulted.

I came all this way to get my healing from leprosy.

I'm a man of nobility.

I'm a commander of the Syrian army.

And I came to this prophet Elijah to get my, you know, he showed up like, come on, let's meet, you know,

eye to eye and so I can get my miracle.

You know, he wanted it to be real, you know, like a VIP, you know, and then the prophet tells him,

you know, go dip yourself in the river.

He didn't even go out and greet him.

How many of you would be like that's messed up.

Like if you came to the pastor's house, I wouldn't do this to you.

But pastor, I wouldn't say somebody just go tell them, you know, dip themselves in the, you know,

like Guadalupe River or something.

I mean, you would be like, excuse me.

Aren't you my pastor?

You know, you come on, man, just show me the dignity.

But Naaman almost missed his miracle and he stormed off.

He said, you know what?

Forget this.

I'll go somewhere else and but, but he heard the voice.

The servant came and he, he said, you know what?

If I don't get over my pride, I'm going to miss my healing.

And so he humbled himself.

He went into the Jordan and he dipped in that joy.

He baptized himself seven times and on the seven time he came up and his skin was as a flesh of a

like of a baby.

It was brand new skin and he got healed.

But imagine if you just said, you know what?

I'll wait for the next revival.

I'll wait.

I'll wait until the next time.

I'm not going to lower myself like that.

I'm not going to act like that.

I wonder what crazy thing is God asking you to do that if you would simply do it, you might see the glory of God in your life.

Hallelujah.

If God asked you to run around this building seven times and you would be healed or your family would be

free, would you do it?

Oh, no, no, no, not me.

I wouldn't do that.

Why?

Sorry for the high pitch.

Why?

But why?

Why not?

Why not?

And God constantly puts us in these positions.

Look at the children of Israel marching around like crazy people.

The walls of Jericho.

What are we doing here?

This is silly.

But it's in those silly things.

It's in those little things.

And God is saying, look, it's not that I need you to do this for me to be God.

It's that I want to know, are you going to be obedient?

Hmm.

How bad do you want it?

It is, my Lord, are you willing to trust me?

And if I ask you to do it, will you do it?

When you do the pop, put this next point up.

When you do the possible.

That invites God to do the impossible.

Amen.

So put feet to your faith.

Remember that faith without works is dead.

The last thing that we need to see

is that God only multiplies what we offer.

He only multiplies what he...

He only wants what we have.

Hmm?

He only wants what we have.

He doesn't do what we can't.

And he only multiplies what we offer.

Now, in my closing moment here,

I want us to take another look at what she had left.

Because that is ultimately what God was going to reproduce in her life.

The original language, when you study it out,

makes it clear that both that jar and that oil were special.

She said, your maid servant has nothing in the house

but a jar of oil.

Someone say, a jar of oil.

Now, here's the thing.

This jar of oil was significant.

Significant because her late husband,

Bible says it was a prophet.

It was a prophet.

A preacher.

A man of God.

Okay?

And the evidence would suggest

that this jar of oil wasn't the kind of oil that you use for cooking.

It was the kind of oil that you use for anointing.

In the original language, even the word for the jar of oil,

it doesn't convey that it was like cooking oil.

There was something special about this oil.

Hmm.

It wasn't vegetable oil for cooking.

It was a sacred oil.

And I think the reason why she held on to that,

this is just my, don't take it to the bank.

This is just my interpretation of it.

I think the reason why she held on to that jar of oil,

not so she can make one last meal,

but no.

What was she going to make?

She didn't have anything else.

It's for what it represented.

Remember her husband died.

This was all she had left to remember him.

To remember what he was about.

To remember his ministry.

In some ways, it was symbolic.

It was symbolic of the anointing, the grace,

the power that was on her husband and on their family.

And she, I don't think she wanted to give that up at first

because that represented maybe her only,

maybe she prayed around that,

maybe she held it in her arms.

But the prophet said, get that oil

because I want you to take that oil

and I want you to pour it in these vessels.

I came to tell somebody today

that all you need, mothers, church,

all you need is the anointing of God.

If you have the anointing of God,

that is all you need to face whatever it is you're facing

in your life.

Can I minister for a moment?

Is that all right?

Oh, hallelujah.

I feel the Holy Ghost right now.

Oh, rabbi, yashanda, la macandala,

boyoshiti, alamama, boyoshita.

I feel the Holy Ghost right now.

Oh, hallelujah.

Hallelujah, Jesus.

Hallelujah.

What God is showing us here

with the Holy Ghost spoke to me about,

is that oil, whatever it is that you've got left,

it's still anointed.

Oh my God.

That's where your breakthrough is coming from.

And God is saying, if you will give me whatever you have today,

if you will trust me in this,

not only will I provide what you need in your life,

not only am I going to bless you,

not only am I going to make a way where there is no way,

I'm going to increase the anointing in your life.

Woo, my God.

I wish somebody would hear what I'm saying.

Oh, can I tell you the devil is after your children?

The devil is after your children.

He's after your marriage.

He's after your family.

But you know the one thing the devil can't deal with

is the anointing.

Oh my God.

I'm so glad that there are some people in this house

that have held onto that anointing.

I may have lost a lot of things.

Woo, my God, I feel like preaching right now.

I may have lost all my stuff.

I may have lost my house.

I may have lost the car.

I may have lost my job.

I may have lost my house.

But the one thing the devil couldn't take from me

was that anointing.

Oh, I wish I had a witness in this house.

The one thing the devil can't take from you is that anointing.

And if you will take that anointing today,

would you stand with me on your feet this afternoon, somebody?

If you will take that anointing today,

my brother, my sister, if you would take that holy anointing,

that oil that God has poured into your life,

you take that anointing and you remind the devil today,

devil, you are defeated.

You let the credit.

Who does the creditor represent?

The creditor represents Satan.

He represents our adversary.

He represents the thief who comes but to steal and to kill.

He represents the thief who all that he wants to do is destroy

and the creditors are coming and he's knocking on your door.

He wants to take your sons and your daughters.

He wants to take your family.

He wants to wreak havoc and he's hoping that you'll just give up.

But I got news for the devil today.

I am anointed by God.

I've got the holy ghost.

How many of you got the holy ghost today?

How many of you got the spirit of God today?

How many of you know that when God is for you,

who can't be against you?

I've come to put the creditors on notice today.

I've come to let the devil know you can't have my children.

You can't have my home.

You can't have my mind because I am anointed by God.