TRAINING FOR REIGNING SERIES: TURNING OUR LIABILITIES INTO ASSETS
Download here………… Turning Your Liabilities to Assets
Introduction: An asset is something you own while a liability is a thing that you owe which is a disadvantage. In this series, God will be broadening our horizon to see practical ways on how to turn our liabilities and seemingly hopeless situation to assets and multibillion ideas that will bring joy and prosperity at the end of life. You should never write yourself off in spite of any situation that you are being confronted with. Your mind is an asset that is a foundation upon which resources will come and go, but a mind built on success and positivity will always attract the needed resources from God and man.
Text: 2 Kings 4:1-7
1 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.”
- FIVE (5) NOTABLE THINGS ABOUT THIS CERTAIN WOMAN
- She is a pastor or prophet’s wife and a woman of God.
- She belongs to an affinity group, association of “the wives of the sons of the prophets”.
- She is a widow.
- She is a debtor, having inherited her husband’s misfortune of debt.
- She is a mother of two sons, whom she was about to lose to slavery.
SHE WAS FULL OF COMPLEX CHALLENGES – LIFE IS NOT FAIR
We are living in a very tough and turbulent times full of challenges and complicated situations that have the capacity to demoralize and wear one out.
The certain woman being studied had her problems that can be broken down into five (5) different issues:
- Personal pain
Her first issue is the loss of her husband, which is a deep personal pain. Her husband, lover, breadwinner, her friend had just left her all alone; what a tragedy. This is a pain of deep proportion on its own. People could only sympathize with her and seek to console her but will never be able to really feel her pain.
- Financial crisis
Her second issue is the family financial crisis, having inherited her husband’s misfortune of debt.
If when her husband was alive and yet his income couldn’t cater for their needs and needed to borrow to augment his income, how would she be able to cope now that she is alone by herself. She may not even be working at all considering the context of the world and time she lived in at the time, being a Prophet’s wife.
- Family tragedy
Her two sons, representing all she had left in the world were about to be taken away from her to go and work to repay the debt as slaves. It was a tragedy because she has lost her husband and was in deep financial crisis and to make matters worse, her only two sons are going to be taken away from her.
- Social stigma
Her fourth issue is the resulting social stigma. There is a sense of shame that goes with being a debtor, it is a humiliating position to be in. The scriptures describe the borrower as servant to the lender – Prov 22:7. Her position in the association of the wives of the sons of the prophet would have made the situation more difficult to bear. In her neighborhood, the gossips she will have to endure as she walks the street is enough to make her query the situation, she found herself in.
- Spiritual disappointment
This certain woman who became a widow must have been disappointed with God. After her husband had diligently served the Lord for so long, she was disillusioned about the whole thing. She must have queried God and asked herself where is the mercy of God? where is the favor of God?? Afterall, God is described as a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. She may even have felt that not only has God abandoned her, but her church and other associations she belonged to have abandoned her to the mercy of her unfortunate situation.
- WHO DID SHE TURN TO FOR HELP?
For a woman who is disappointed spiritually with God, coping with a strong social stigma, suffering such a huge family tragedy of the loss of her only two sons, in a financial crisis and in deep personal pain crying as a widow; where does she go to for help and will not be turned down?
She may have tried her association – Wives of the sons of the prophets, no help! She may have gone to her husband’s family and given a cold shoulder, she probably did not get any help from her church because they also have their own challenges and could not help at that time. To complicate issues, her husband has not left any properties or businesses or monies in the bank for her. As a last resort she had to go to her husband’s boss – the Prophet Elisha. In those days they had a school known as the “sons of the prophets” – a training school for young prophets and Elisha was the head. 2 Kings 4:38, 2 Kings 9:1
A CLOSE LOOK AT ELISHA’S RESPONSE:
2 Kings 4:2 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.”
The first observation is that he responded to this widow’s misery with questions and not solutions. It can be devastating to ask for help and be met with further questions rather than solutions.
However, it is worthy to note that the best solutions in life come from asking the right questions and providing honest answers to them. Pull back and ponder when stuff happens and warrant that issues are to be confronted. You should strive to provide honest answers to the questions raised in your heart in order to make a headway and you will begin to see solutions come out.
Look at Elisha’s interesting questions?
- What shall I do for you?
- He asked to find out what she thought Elisha was capable of, or responsible for?
- The focus of this question is on his capacity to help her.
- What do you have in the house?
- The focus of this second question is on the woman’s capacity to help herself.
She ignored the first question and went ahead to answer the second one that appealed to her current seemingly hopeless situation. Then suddenly, light shone in her heart and the day dawned and she said:
…. And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house BUT a jar of oil.”
2 Pt 1:19
19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
The natural state of man is to focus on what is not available while neglecting the other gifts that have been freely given. When you say BUT, it focuses your thoughts on what you have and not what you don’t have or lack.
Thus, you must train your eyes, your inner eye to see what you have within you. Strive not to see or focus on what you don’t have or what is missing in your life. As a job seeker, focus your attention on the solutions that you can create and the businesses you can birth from your loins. Retrain your heart to see and appreciate your jar of oil. God is not unfaithful; he has not left anyone without a gift.
KEYS TO DISCOVERY/TRANSFORMATION
- Acknowledge the possibilities: no matter how small, you have something in your house that can be multiplied and turned to something tangible and physical that can be seen in due time.
- Believe that there is an investment of God in you: pray to God to open your eyes to see the gifts that He has deposited in you. Recall the parable of the talent in Matt 25, others may have ten, some may have five, but surely you have one that the Lord has given you. 1 Cor 7:7.
- Pray to God to open your eyes to see what He has deposited in you.
The fact that you are disappointed because God has not answered your prayer does not mean the last chapter of your life has been concluded. You are still a work in progress in the sight of God. It was almost over for the widow until the Lord stepped in for her. Be patient and trust the process. When you believe in yourself as a great asset that God created for a reason, you will rename your major successes as mere stepping stones because there are greater things that eyes have not seen through you and all are embedded in the value you have in your room ; remember that value is you. Don’t write yourself off when the Lord has not written you off.
To be continued…