Isa. 38:1-6 - In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet …said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord… I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.
​

• Hezekiah Was Going To Die

Isaiah informs us that Hezekiah was at the point of death. He is in need of God’s mercy. The difference between God’s Grace and God’s Mercy is “grace” is freely given without a person asking for it. On the other hand, “mercy” is something that is needed and asked for. We can see Hezekiah asking God for Mercy in verse 2-3 - Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.”

Hezekiah wanted God to remember he had previously walked before Him in “faithfulness”.

There were only 3 Old Test. Kings who had the words “and the LORD was with him” ascribed to them and they were King David, Solomon and Hezekiah.

Hopefully, you are a Christian and you can say God, the Holy Spirit, dwells within you. Last week I baptized 3 people into Christ and one of the persons I baptized then immediately baptized his wife. They now can say the Lord is with them because the Holy Spirit of God dwells in them (Acts 2:38).

• Hezekiah Had Been Faithful

This is what was written about him in 2 Kings 18:3-5 - And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). 5 He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.

Hezekiah was a reformer. He wanted what the Lord wanted. So the Lord sends Isaiah the prophet to inform Hezekiah he needs to get his house in order because this illness he has is going to lead to his death.

• What About Us?

If we were stricken with an illness and it looks like we are going to die would we be able to cry out to God and ask for Him to have “mercy” upon us because of our “faithfulness”?

Should we be putting our house in order?

Should we be asking God for “mercy” now?

Think About This:

If you believe you will one day need mercy, it’s probably best to show mercy to others.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

Luke 18:38-42 - And he called out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him, 41 "What do you want Me to do for you?" And he said, "Lord, I want to regain my sight!" 42 And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."   NASU

                His Faith Led Him To Try Something 

This blind man was led by his faith to yell out for Jesus to have mercy on him. Where has your faith been leading you? No, seriously, where has your faith been leading you?
 
Have you ever met a person who was really alive? One guy says, "They have passion for something they want to accomplish." I say, "They have faith and are living accordingly. They aren't afraid to try something others would consider crazy."
 
                His Faith Was Opposed
 
This man was crying out to Jesus and those who were leading him were sternly telling him to be quiet. Do you understand the ramifications of their advice? If he had listened he would have remained blind.
 
You cannot expect people who don't have the faith you do to support you or even understand what you are trying to accomplish.
 
If your faith is leading you to try something out of the ordinary and others are telling you to "forget about your crazy idea." You are probably on the right path.

You need to know your faith in something will many times be opposed by others just like this blind man's faith was opposed.
 
All great plans are opposed and many times from the ones you went to for support.
 
The blind man was "STERNLY" told to be quiet by those who were leading him. The ones who were supposed to know what they were doing and where they were going were 100% wrong.
 
We have probably all read the saying, "The Ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic by professionals."
 
                Has Your Faith Led You To Being Threatened Or Ridiculed?
 
The blind man was threatened to "shut up" but that didn't stop him.
 
In 1979 I wanted to go to Bible College and as I shared my idea with other people I was told this was the craziest idea that I have ever had and that I had a lot of crazy ones, but this was right up at the top.
 
I was informed (as if I didn't know) that I had a family and who was going to support my family if I were in college?
 
I was reminded of my past that I had been out of high school 9 years and if you will remember you weren't that great of a student in high school.
 
Last but not least you have a great job as a union Boilermaker. You are going to throw away a job that some people would love to have to chase after this crazy dream?
 
                Faith Is Always Rewarded
 
Well, my faith led me to Eastern Christian College in August 1979, I graduated in 1983, my family survived the experience, and pretty much every negative thing that was said to me about going to college NEVER HAPPENED.
 
I do want you to know that my faith was tested while in college, but I kept believing and stuck to my plan.
 
                His Faith Was Rewarded
 
The blind man and Jesus have an encounter and Jesus asks him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" He says, "Lord, I want to receive my sight!"
 
In other words, his faith has led him here to ask Jesus for help. Have you ever wondered why those who were leading the way wanted him to be quiet? What were they thinking? It really doesn't matter what they were thinking because whatever it was they were wrong.
 
Did you see what Jesus said? "Receive your sight; YOUR FAITH has made you well." His faith was rewarded because he would not listen to the naysayers.
 
His faith was rewarded. Has your faith led you to your reward?
 
                What Reward Is Your Faith Going To Bring You?
 
No, I am serious where is your faith going to lead you? We don't just read the Bible and say, "Oh that was nice, good for him or her." The Word of God is for us and it is to challenge us to Step Up and Step Out on Faith.
 
So get your faith in gear and Get Going With God.

Think on These:
 
Mankind needs a faith that will not shrink when washed in the waters of adversity and affliction.

Feed your faith and doubt will starve to death.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
 

1 Sam. 24:7-10 - David persuaded his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, left the cave… David arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground …. David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of men, saying, 'Behold, David seeks to harm you'? "Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD'S anointed.'    NASU 

• They Have A Way With Words 

People of influence have a way with their words. They are able to lead by what they say. David is the leader and you can see his leadership ability as he PERSUADED his men with his words.
 
When you think of a leader that you know personally I am sure they said something that resonates within your mind from time to time.
 
President Reagan in my mind was a leader and who can forget the influence he had with these words: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
 
Two years later Mr. Gorbachev had the wall torn down. That my friends is leadership, and that is influence. 

• David Was The Influencer 

Leaders are able to influence those around them. David influenced his men. First, he would not allow them to persuade him to kill King Saul. They were trying to convince David that this was God's plan and he should kill the king. They would not succeed in convincing David to take King Saul's life.
 
Real leaders have a plan they believe in and will stick with it regardless of the opposition. They are not willing to be persuaded to change their plan even by those closest to them when they are fully convinced their plan is correct.
 
David proves to King Saul that other people are lying about him and that he is not the King's enemy.
 
In the cave David cuts off a piece of the king's robe. Then once Saul leaves the cave David goes out and calls to the king. Bowing down before him to show respect he shows him the piece of his robe and says, If I were trying to kill you, you would be dead, but those who say I am your enemy are lying and this proves it.
 
David not only influenced his men he has an influence on King Saul. Look what Saul says, in 1 Sam. 24:16-17 - Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said to David, "You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you. 

• Leaders Influence In Non-Traditional Ways 

David influenced his men again I am sure when he said, I am going out there and show the king I mean him no harm.
 
Now there isn't any scripture to support my thoughts here and I am not teaching it as truth or doctrine. I am merely speculating when I say I believe David influenced his guys once again when he said, I am going out there and talk with the king. You don't have to agree with me on this point, but at least consider it.
 
Can you hear those men? David you must be crazy. Have you lost your mind? You should have killed him when you had the chance but no you didn't want to do what every other leader would have done. (What about you- Would you have killed King Saul in the cave, if you had been in David's sandals?)
 
Saul wants to kill you. He has brought a 3,000 man army out to find us. We are stuck in a cave with no possible way to escape and you want to go out and speak with the king. He is a certified mad man and you know it. We are all going to die.
 
David, please rethink what you are about to do.
 
Psalm 57 is a prayer of David's while he was in a cave. Was it this cave on this day? I don't know but what I do know is David completely believed God would answer his prayers and rescue him from the caves where he and his men have been hiding.
 
David as I mentioned earlier goes out and addresses the king and the king rides home in shame. This my friends is Non-Traditional leadership at its best. You have a plan and you work that plan regardless of the opposition to that plan.

• Are You A Leader? 

If you answered, yes, that you are a leader then answer this question: Are you influencing others? A leader will influence others. Let’s be leaders for Christ and influence others for our Leader.
 
Think About These:
 
Example isn't the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.
 
A good leader inspires men to have confidence in him; a great leader inspires them to have confidence in themselves.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

Prov.11:13 - He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.   NASU 
​

• Friends Know How To Keep Secrets 

Have you ever done something that was embarrassing and asked a friend not to repeat a word about this event?  Well, guess what you can actually use this as a litmus test for who will be your real friends.
 
Friends know how to conceal things about you and not reveal them.
 
This proverb says a talebearer or one who walks about spreading scandal about you will not be a friend. This person will reveal the events that you didn't want made known. If they will reveal simple embarrassing things then imagine if there was something serious that you didn't want people to find out about you.
 
Please know that I am not talking about anything criminal here. What I am referring to is things that happen to all of us in life but you don't want the whole world to know about it. 

• Friends Are Trustworthy 

One thing I can say about being in the ministry I heard a lot of people confess to some pretty stupid acts, and they would say, "You have to promise me you will not repeat this."
 
I had a reputation that no matter what anyone told me it never got repeated by me.
 
If you are going to be a friend the first characteristic you want to develop is being trustworthy. When someone shares with you an event in their life and asks you to keep it a secret, be a trustworthy friend and don't repeat it. Honor their request.
 
Don't be a low life and blab everything you know.
 
No one can force you to reveal secrets. The power is all yours. You can either conceal or reveal the matter the choice is yours. Take the high road and conceal what you have been asked to conceal.
 
Be a trustworthy friend and conceal matters that pertain to you and your friend(s). 

• Be The Friend You Would Like To Have In Your Life 

We all have beliefs of how we think a friend should behave. Then behave this same way toward others. Be the friend toward others that you would like to have in your life.
 
Be a friend today and contact a friend and tell him/her how they have blessed your life.

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." - Helen Keller
 
Think About These:
 
A good friend knows all your best stories, while a best friend has lived them with you.

Good Friends are Hard to Find, Harder to Leave, and Impossible to Forget.

Events in life are not quite as scary when you have a best friend.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

​Proverbs 15:23 - A man has joy in an apt answer, And how delightful is a timely word!    NASB

     Some Days Are Harder Than Others

Just when you thought you couldn't go another step, when the weight of the world was crushing you, it happened. You received a call or maybe even a visit and as that person spoke to you your strength rejuvenated within you.

What a blessing some people are able to bring into your life immediately.

The Message says it this way: Congenial conversation—what a pleasure! The right word at the right time—beautiful! (Proverbs 15:23 MSG)

     My Early Christian Life

When I first became a Christian there was a man named, Jay Pancake, who attended the same congregation that I did. He was about 20 or so years older than me. We became great friends. If I had a stressed out look on my face he could always tell it. He would always say to me, "You need to come out to the house and drink some of Patsy's ice tea with me." I'd say, "When?" And he say, "Today, of course."

We both knew what that meant. Whatever was causing me to struggle was going to disappear. Jay had that wisdom that only comes through life experiences and aging. Has life taught you some valuable lessons? Then share them with others. Helping others over the obstacle they are facing is just one way we can be like Jesus.

     Are You Having One Of Those Days?

Solomon says, "How delightful is a timely word!" Hopefully, this Pump Up will give you a lift today or maybe you have a Jay Pancake in your life. Give him or her a call or better yet, if they live close to you stop in and visit with them. They will know by the look on your face why you are there and they won't mind at all.

     Be On The Lookout

One of the worse traps we can fall into in this life is thinking only about ourselves. As you travel around today be on the lookout for someone who could use a timely word. Be a Jay Pancake to someone today.

Follow the advice of Solomon either from the Message: Congenial conversation—what a pleasure! The right word at the right time—beautiful!
 
Or from the NASB - A man has joy in an apt answer, And how delightful is a timely word!

I guarantee you that there is someone in the world today who you will come in contact with that could use a timely word from you.

Think About These:

A friend is someone who believes in you. Even when you have ceased to believe in yourself.

No matter how good or bad your life is, wake up each morning and be thankful that you still have one.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word