Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows and sling stones. His fame spread far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvellous help and he became very powerful. But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar. Azariah the high priest went in after him with eighty other priests of the Lord, all brave men. They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is the work of the priests alone, the descendants of Aaron who are set apart for this work. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned. The Lord God will not honor you for this! So King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was excluded from the Temple of the Lord.”Chr 26:14-18,21
If you really want to know how God operates and monitors our motives, thoughts, actions and inactions, take your time to read the two books of Kings and Chronicles. The way God dealt with the kings of Judah and Israel shows God is willing to help to any extent those who value, reverence, fear and obey Him. It also shows God has zero tolerance for those who worship idols, disdain, disregard, ignore, or trespass his command. It shows Jehovah as God who gives the opportunity and liberty to make choices. We can say that God gives you the freedom to become what you want to become! So the question the Holy Spirit is asking you this morning is what are you choosing to become in the light of all the opportunities, positions, blessings, and prosperity that God is showering on you?
I am sure you have heard many sermons from “ In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” Isaiah 6:1. Showing even a major prophet like Isaiah was under the shadow of mighty Uzziah. God favoured Uzziah and lifted him up just as I believe God has lifted you up in various ways. God is still in the business of lifting up people to become kings, nobles and great personalities. I pray he will lift you up more. However, the more God lifts up some people the more they become something else and the more God deals with them.
I was inducted as the Zonal Superintendent of Christ Apostolic Church Bethel, Canada zone September 2021 and as I went to the altar to thank God for lifting me up, he led me to read the passage above and told me to watch what I wish to become. I thank God for that timely warning. That is the essence of reading God’s Word it is not a novel, it is meant to direct your life in a way you can fulfil destiny. Maybe you were promoted before, or recently or expecting a promotion, learn from Uzziah as I am learning.
When God lifted Uzziah as king, the bible says “But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar. When he was warned he did not listen. He became leprous and died a leper.
The question is in which way are you entering the sanctuary of the Lord to do the wrong thing? Are you entering the church as a pastor to steal money? Are you entering the sanctuary of the Lord to take bribe and pervert justice? Are you entering the temple of the Lord to sleep with other people’s wives or husbands? Are you entering the house of the Lord to practice occultism and use diabolical ways to gather people? Are you too big in the house of the Lord that you are above correction?
“They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is the work of the priests alone, the descendants of Aaron who are set apart for this work. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned. The Lord God will not honor you for this”
Uzziah did not take correction, rather “Uzziah, who was holding an incense burner, became furious. But as he was standing there raging at the priests before the incense altar in the Lord’s Temple, leprosy[g] suddenly broke out on his forehead” 2 Ch 26:19.
What are you doing that you ignore when you’re corrected? How do you respond or react to God’s message of warning when you know you are genuinely wrong? Do you repent or do you lock up the people? Do not wait for God to strike you with leprosy!
When Jehoshaphat asked Ahab, “is there no prophet of God in the land” The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.”2 Chr 18:7
Ahab failed to listen to genuine prophecy, he went to war and never returned. What are you becoming?
Mr President / Prime Minister you campaigned and promised the people a change for the better, but you have changed yourself into a monster and changed the people to puppets and pawns on your chess board!!
Mr Husband, have you become, a wife beater, abuser, stingy, absentee father, cheater, or irresponsible husband? Wife, what are you becoming? Children, what are you becoming? This weekend I am part of the Bethel Campus Fellowship conference in Ridgecrest, North Carolina, the question I pose to the students as you come to the campus is, what are you becoming, following the unsaved to unsaved yourself, or changing the campus and making it a save haven?
In Conclusion. Mr Bank Manager, General A. B. C, Madam Market Woman, Mr Lecturer, Professor, Vice Chancellor, His Excellency Mr Governor, Hon Legislator, Mr Plumber, Mr Judge, Bishop, General Overseer, Superintendent, Apostle, Elder, Deaconess, Chorister, Mr Actor, Mrs Civil Servant, Student, Mr Pilot, the list is unending, put yourself there and ask yourself, with the grace, mercy, favour, promotion of God, what am I becoming? If you don’t like what you are becoming or you know what you are becoming can earn you God’s wrath, this is a timely warning from the Lord. Use God’s favour upon you to bless people, honour God and put the devil to shame. Don’t die with leprosy, and don’t go to hell. There is space for you in heaven, why do you want to suffocate yourself in hell?
This week February 25th 2023, the presidential election will take place in Nigeria, let your vote decide what you want Nigeria to become – a better and new Nigeria.
Shalom.–
O taste and see that the Lord is good.(Psalm 34:8). I have tasted and found that the Lord is good. I do testify that the Lord is good. Join me to taste him.
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