THE KING HAS ONE MORE MOVE - Home - Harvestime

Transcription

THE KINGHAS ONE MORE MOVEPatricia L. Hulsey

The King Has One More MoveCopyright 2002 By Patricia L. HulseyRevised 2015All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means without writtenpermission from the author.Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are fromthe King James and New King James versions of the Bible.ISBN 1-930703-25-2Printed in the USA byHarvestime International Networkhttp://www.harvestime.org2

DEDICATIONThis book is lovingly dedicatedto my motherDella Leah Wyckoffwho learned in the twilight daysof her lifethe King has one more move!-Patricia Hulsey3

4

Table Of ContentsCheckmateCheckmate Situations1 A Message In The SandThe Adulterous Woman: The Checkmate Of Sin2 A Tarnished RelationshipDavid: The Checkmate Of Broken Fellowship3 The Scarlet ThreadRahab: The Checkmate Of Unsaved Loved Ones4 Raising The Roof For JesusThe Lame Man: The Checkmate Of Circumstances5 When You Don’t Know What To DoJehoshaphat: The Checkmate Of Satanic Attacks6 Receiving Your MiracleBlind Bartimaeus: The Checkmate Of Bondage7 But GodJoseph: The Checkmate Of A Painful Past8 The Backside Of The DesertMoses: The Checkmate Of An Aborted Ministry9 Surviving The TempestPaul: The Checkmate Of Spiritual Storms10 Why Me?Job: The Checkmate Of Unexplained Suffering11 The Stump RemainsNebuchadnezzar: The Checkmate Of Judgment12 Hope In The Valley Of AchorJoshua: The Checkmate Of Spiritual Defeat13 Give Me That MountainCaleb: The Checkmate Of Advanced Age14 The Ultimate CheckmateLazarus: The Checkmate Of Death7911Get Ready! The King Is About To Move1435152131375561677587103111125135

6

CHECKMATEThe painting hung in an obscure corner of the old museum.Most people passed it by with just a glance and then movedon to better-known works or to something more esthetic, likelandscapes or portraits.The unusual painting depicts two people with a chess boardset up between them. Playing pieces were lined up: The king,queen, pawn, bishops, knights, and rook. Legend has it thatone person represents the devil and the other a young man,who is obviously not doing well in the game. With a smirk onhis face, the devil believes he has the man cornered. Thepainting is entitled “Checkmate” because the young manseemingly has no moves left. The game is over, and the devilis waiting for an admission of defeat.One day, an international chess champion visited the artmuseum, stood in front of the painting, and studied itthoughtfully for a long time. Finally, he called the museumcurator over and said to him, “Sir, you need to contact theartist of this painting immediately!”“Why? Whatever for?” questioned the curator.“Because the title of the painting is incorrect. It isn’tcheckmate, because the king has one more move!”Are you facing what seems to be a checkmate in life? If so,then this book did not find its way into your hands byaccident. God wants you to know that things are not as darkas they seem. It isn’t over. You are not defeated, because theKing has one more move!7

8

CHECKMATE SITUATIONSLife is filled with what appears to be checkmate situations. Atleast, that is what Satan wants you to think!-You may have been told that you have an incurable illness.Doctors have said that there is no hope and no medicalrecourse. Your days are numbered.-You may be holding legal papers in your hands that spell outthe terms of your divorce. As you read through the tears, youare feeling that life as you knew it is over.-Your heart may be broken by a wayward son or daughter oran unsaved spouse or parent. Their eyes are blinded to thetruth of the Gospel and they are drifting farther and fartheraway from you.-You may be suffering financial ruin. Through calamity, yoursecurity and standard of living have been suddenly sweptaway.-You may be reading this book in prison. Perhaps you areserving life without parole or you are on death row. You arewondering if there is any purpose remaining for your life, anyhope of a meaningful future.-Perhaps you can’t seem to get free from the abuse you havesuffered. You have wrestled for years with rejection,bitterness, or unforgiveness. Perhaps you are struggling withguilt and shame over things you did in the past.-If you have recently lost a loved one through death, you arefacing the ultimate checkmate. Right now, you may feel likelife isn’t worth living.9

These are all examples of checkmate situations, difficultcircumstances which erect a seemingly impenetrable barrier.These are the stop signs of life.If you are like most people, you will not experience acheckmate just once in your lifetime. You will repeatedlycome up against situations where it seems like all is lost andthe enemy has won.That is when you must remember that it isn’t over yet. Youmust visualize the classic painting called "Checkmate" andrealize that the King has one more move. In fact, the entireWord of God is a record of moves by our King. God alwayshas the last move.10

CHAPTER ONEA Message In The SandThe Adulterous Woman:The Checkmate Of SinThe woman was caught in the act of adultery, and thereligious leaders were livid with anger. An unruly mobpushed her roughly through the crowd to Jesus:Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him awoman caught in adultery. And when they had set herin the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this womanwas caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, inthe law, commanded us that such should be stoned.But what do You say?" This they said, testing Him,that they might have something of which to accuseHim. (John 8:3-6)This poor woman symbolizes all of those in the world whoare bound by sin and condemned by society. “She deserves todie,” the scribes and Pharisees declared. The adulterouswoman trembled under the harsh accusations of theselegalistic religious leaders. Her reputation was shattered. Herhope was gone. Checkmate!Perhaps you feel like this adulterous woman. Because of yoursins and failures, others have written you off. Society hasrejected you. Angry and judgmental, they have declared youguilty as charged.Jesus did not deny this woman's guilt or suggest arehabilitation program. He did not argue with the scribes andPharisees or start gathering up stones to join them. Jesus11

didn't say a word, but He stooped down and began to write onthe ground:But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground withHis finger, as though He did not hear. So when theycontinued asking Him, He raised Himself up and saidto them, "He who is without sin among you, let himthrow a stone at her first." And again He stoopeddown and wrote on the ground. Then those who heardit, being convicted by their conscience, went out oneby one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.(John 8:8-9)We don't know what Jesus wrote in the sand, but we do knowthis: Something these religious leaders witnessed caused themto quietly steal away.When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no onebut the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where arethose accusers of yours? Has no one condemnedyou?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said toher, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."(John 8:10-11)When it seemed all hope was gone and final judgment for thiswoman was eminent, Jesus blotted out her sins, freed herfrom condemnation, and released her from a life of bondageto go and sin no more.Jesus told the woman, "You are no longer condemned." Doyou long to hear these same words? Does your heart cry outfor release from the shackles of sin and shame? Has religionor society declared that you deserve to die for yourwrongdoing? Are people around you picking up stones tohurl at you because of your failures?12

Don’t give up. Don’t turn away in despair. The King, JesusChrist, has one more move. God’s message to you is just aspowerful as the unknown words Jesus wrote in the sand thatday many years ago. His message to you was written in Hisblood on the cross of Calvary. It declares:For God so loved the world, that he gave his onlybegotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shouldnot perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent nothis Son into the world to condemn the world; but thatthe world through him might be saved.(John 3:16-17)If you do not know Christ as your Savior, you are condemnedto death just like the adulterous woman: "For the wages ofsin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through JesusChrist our Lord" (Romans 6:23).Sin has labeled your life with a big checkmate, but God isgreater than your sin. Let Jesus write His message of love andforgiveness upon your heart today. Repent of your sin and letthe King make His move in your life. Let Him speak a secondopinion over your life. The Bible declares:If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just toforgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from allunrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)You must make the Lord Jesus Christ the King of your life,which means you must give Him your total allegiance andworship.Maybe you feel like your sin was so great that God can’tforgive you. For years, our ministry has worked with prisoninmates, some of whom have committed multiple murders,several of whom have killed their own children. We have13

seen God forgive every kind of crime. We have seenthousands of broken lives and hearts mended. We have evenheard the final witness of death row inmates who went to thedeath chamber rejoicing because their sins were forgiven andthey would soon be ushered into the presence of the King.Your sins are not too great. The checkmate of sin in your lifeis not the end. The King has one more move. Let Him makeit today!14

CHAPTER TWOA Tarnished RelationshipDavid: The Checkmate OfBroken FellowshipThe Old Testament account of King David's sin withBathsheba illustrates the checkmate of broken fellowship withGod.One afternoon, King David arose from a nap to walk on theroof of the palace where the cool breezes offered relief fromthe heat of the day. David actually should not have beenrelaxing in the luxury and ease of the palace, for Israel was atwar and it was the duty of kings to lead the battle.From the palace roof, David saw a beautiful young womanbathing. This pause in the way of temptation, like that of Eveon the path winding by the tree of knowledge, plunged Davidinto a devastating cycle of sin which resulted in brokenfellowship with God.Despite the fact that Bathsheba was another man's wife,David brought her to the palace and had intimate relationswith her. A short time later, Bathsheba sent word to Davidthat she had conceived a child from their adulterous union.The news that Bathsheba was pregnant panicked David. Herhusband, Uriah, was one of David's mighty men and anational hero (2 Samuel 23:39). David also knew that,according to the law, he and Bathsheba deserved death bystoning.Trying to conceal his sins, David sent for Uriah to come backto Jerusalem and bring news of the battle. David wined and15

dined Uriah and encouraged him to spend the night withBathsheba, but Uriah refused this pleasure:And Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel andJudah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and theservants of my lord are encamped in the open fields.Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to liewith my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives I willnot do this thing." (2 Samuel 11:11)Manipulation having failed, David conceived an even morediabolical plan. He sent orders to the commander of the armyto set Uriah in the front of the hottest battle and then abandonhim to the enemy. One sin led to another in David's life. Firstthere was transgression, then manipulation, and then murder.If you don’t deal with sin at its inception, it continues tospread like a cancerous lesion. Sin begets sin.After Uriah was killed in battle and Bathsheba properlymourned his death, David sent for her to come to the palaceand she became his wife. It appeared for a while that Davidgot away with adultery and murder, but the Bible records that"the thing David had done displeased the Lord" (2 Samuel11:27).You may think you get away with sin, but you really don'tand, for sure, if you continue in known sin, your relationshipwith God will be affected. Psalm 32 describes David'scondition in his unrepentant state when His relationship withGod was tarnished:When I kept silent, my bones grew old, Through mygroaning all the day long. For day and night yourhand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned intothe drought of summer. (Psalm 32:3-4)16

David was depressed, guilty, and even suffered physicaleffects from his sin. God's convicting power was at work inDavid, for he acknowledges that the Lord’s hand was "heavyupon me." God loves His children so much that He won’t letthem continue living in an unrepentant state.Several months after David's sin, the Prophet Nathan cameknocking at the palace door. Nathan used a parable to exposeDavid's unconfessed sin. It was a moving story of a poor manwho raised a lamb as a beloved pet and a rich man with manyflocks and herds. When a traveler came to visit the rich man,he refused to kill his own animals to prepare dinner, butinstead slaughtered the lamb that was dearly loved by thepoor man.This parable aroused David's anger and he said to Nathan, "Asthe Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!"(2 Samuel 12:5). A poignant hush fell over the throne roomas Nathan said to David:"You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel:'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered youfrom the hand of Saul. I gave you your master's houseand your master's wives.the house of Israel andJudah. And if that had been too little, I also wouldhave given you much more! Why have you despisedthe commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight?You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; youhave taken his wife to be your wife'.”(2 Samuel 12:7-9)Nathan declared to David:-You have despised the commandment of the Lord.-You have done evil.-You have killed.17

-You have taken another man's wife.Here is Da

The Adulterous Woman: The Checkmate Of Sin 2 A Tarnished Relationship 15 David: The Checkmate Of Broken Fellowship 3 The Scarlet Thread 21 Rahab: The Checkmate Of Unsaved Loved Ones 4 Raising The Roof For Jesus 31 The Lame Man: The Checkmate Of CircumstancesFile Size: 868KBPage Count: 145People also search forone god and one lordthere is one lord