2 Kings 5:11
But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
There were times when I was sick as a boy when my mother would get some medicine and make me take it so that I could get better. When we had a cough or sore throat, she often used a medicine called Terpin Hydrate. I am not sure if they still sell this medicine, but it burned all the way down when she gave us a spoonful of it. She would always say, “Open your mouth; this is good for you.” How something that can burn so bad all the way down can be good for you I could not figure out, but I was often much better the next day.
The story of Naaman the leper is similar to my mom giving me the Terpin Hydrate. Naaman went to Elisha to be healed of his leprosy, and instead of seeing the man of God, he was given a message by a messenger to dip in Jordan seven times to be healed. Naaman was angry with the advice because he wanted the man of God to perform some ritual over him to be healed. Naaman went away angry because he did not receive the advice he wanted. If it were not for a servant who wisely rebuked Naaman and reminded him that he wanted to be healed, Naaman would have gone home with the same leprosy that he left with.
Many times, I have people come to me for advice on how to resolve their life issues. I always start out with five pieces of advice that resolves most problems, but rarely do people heed the advice I give. I always tell them that before I can help them any further, they need to read the Scriptures daily, pray daily, be faithful to ALL church services, tithe on all their income, and go soul winning. I cannot help them if they are unwilling to follow this advice. These are the basics of Christianity, but most people want me to wave a wand over them and perform some ritual to cause them to see their problems resolved immediately. What they don't understand is that many of their life problems would be resolved if they simply followed this advice. Yet, because they don't want to do what I advise, they continue to struggle with their life problems.
Nobody can help you if you only want to continue your sin and not follow the advice given to overcome it. Just because you don't like the advice does not mean that you should not do it. You can act like I did when I was a child and closed my lips tightly so that my mom could not get the medicine into my mouth, but you are only hurting yourself. To refuse the advice that has worked for so many people because you do not like it is foolish at best. Just because you don't like the advice does not mean that you should not do it.
Let me ask you, how have your opinions turned out? You have followed your own ways for so long, and look at the mess your life is in. If you want the preacher to tell you what you want to hear, you will continue to have the same problems that you already find in your life. The best advice you can get is often not what you thought would be given, but you cannot clean up the mess of your life that sin has caused without following that advice. Swallow your pride and do what the man of God has prescribed. You may not like it, but you will one day find your life much better if you swallow the medicine given to you, for it is good for you if you follow it.
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