The Demanding Path to Regeneration

Daily Devotional – Friday, March 3, 2023
So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
2 Kings 5:14 (NKJV)

Naaman was the commander of the armies of his country but he was a leper. While he had won many military battles, he struggled daily with stigma, inferiority, doubt and pride. His path to regeneration required a paradigm shift, an encounter with the true God.

Go Wash Seven Times

First, Naaman had to swallow his pride and visit Israel, a militarily weaker nation, for healing. Moreover, when he met Prophet Elisha, the latter commanded the warrior, through a messenger, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” (2 Kings 5:10).

Naaman could not believe his ears. How disrespectful this prophet must be! Why not just come out and wave his hand over my leprous body part and I will be healed? Me? Wash in River Jordan? We have better and cleaner rivers in Syria. I’m off to Damascus!

Washing Away Pride and Egotism

Second, Naaman needed to surrender to God and follow instructions for healing to take place. Even after he changed his mind, he still had to subject himself to the embarrassment of washing seven times in the Jordan. For God to heal Naaman, He needed to strip off the pride, egotism and entitlement in the hardened soldier.

If you are like Naaman, feeling inadequate, sinful and ashamed of your situation, begin by acknowledging your failings and weaknesses, and your need of God’s help. Moreover, surrender your pride and self-sufficiency to God. Allow Him to iron out your sin, however painful the process.

The Demanding Path to Regeneration

Jesus desires to give us a more productive and godly life than we have today. Only by subjecting ourselves to the pain of divine correction will we experience physical, emotional, mental and spiritual healing as Naaman did. Naaman’s seven steps of healing symbolize the need for daily continuous surrender to Jesus.

Review your life and the impediments to a holistic life. What evidences of pride, selfishness and self-sufficiency do you see? Which areas of your life do you need to surrender to God for you to grow in all aspects of your life? Are you washing yourself daily in spiritual Jordan? Are you on the demanding path to regeneration?

Prayer
Dear Jesus, I bring my pride, sin and weaknesses to Your cross today. Take my burdens and regenerate my life. I want to be righteous and productive.