Gavin Robert Hams preaches on 2 Kings 4:40-41, where Elisha fixes poisoned stew with flour. He uses the 1854 London cholera outbreak and a 1983 plane that ran out of fuel due to metric conversion error to show how God turns mistakes into solutions. Even trained believers pick bad herbs, but divine provision is already present.
Chapters
2 Kings chapter number 4, we want to begin reading in verse number 40. 2 Kings chapter number 4. Y'all can pray with me. We going to begin reading in verse number 40. The word of God reads, they served some of the men to eat, but when they ate the stew, they cried out. There's death in the pot, man of God. And they were unable to eat it. Then Elisha said, get some flour. He threw it into the pot and said, serve it for the people to eat. And there was nothing bad in the pot. You may be seated. We thank God for his word. Before the perpetual nature, it lasts very little time. You get some flowers, you eat them, you see them, and there's nothing to take it. Just a few moments, I don't know how long it'll last. I want to rouse you this morning from the subject culinary correction. A culinary correction. 19— 1854, London, there was a deadly outbreak of cholera. Let you know this morning that bad things can happen from anywhere. During this deadly outbreak of cholera, many thought that cholera at this time was an airborne disease. However, a physician by the name of Dr. John Shaw discovered and he traced down the outbreak from one central water pump. Shows you once again bad things can happen from anything. Well, these people thought that the bad thing, cholera, came from that. Shaw discovered that indeed it came from a water pump. A waterborne disease. Therefore, after time progressed, Saul discovered that he was not supposed to try to fight the outbreak through airborne techniques, but he needed to fight the outbreak by dealing with the water. People didn't know how the outbreak came. Saul discovered that it came from water. So instead of dealing with the outbreak through the air, Saul simply removed the handle from the water pump. People didn't know where it came from, but somebody who had more authority, more insight more know-how, show the people that you may not know where it comes from, but by the same token, you may not know where the solution will come from. I just preached already and you missed it. Because many times, brothers and sisters, when you do not know how to locate or discover where problems will arise God is showing us this morning that when you don't know where the problem came from, you also may not know where the answer is. And the God that we serve, brothers and sisters, is filled with answers, is filled with solutions. He's filled with problem fixes. And for every problem that you can't identify where it came from, God says, I got some answers that you don't know where they're going to come from. Do y'all mind joining me this morning in 2 Kings chapter 4? Elisha and his interns of prophets, they are in Gilgal, and now it's time to eat. They are in a famine. He asked one of his attendants to fix them a big pot of stew. The Bible says that one of the interns went out to gather some herbs, herbs. And the Bible says something strange, that when he gathered the herbs and cut them up, that he did not know what the herbs were. In other words, he went to do something simple, he went to do something mundane. And by him doing that simple task, little did he know there was danger in the simple thing that he was doing. And when they tasted the stew, they hollered out, there's death! We want to break y'all up in the fire. And Elisha just simply said, go get some flour, go get some flour. Put the flour in the stew, and they ate it. And the Bible says there was nothing bad in the pot. They messed up by doing something simple, but they did not know that there was a solution in the house that God had already provided to be the antidote to their mistake. And brothers and sisters, this morning, this is beyond 2 Kings chapter 4, because the tension in life is that we involve ourselves with activity day after day after day again, and we don't know the danger that we're in by doing just simple things. There are living witnesses in the house this morning who knows that crazy stuff can happen at any given moment, that crazy things can happen without even you knowing or being aware. But you're here this morning, and the reason that you're here is because while you didn't know that you were in the midst of danger, little did you know you were already in the midst of your solution. And I came to encourage somebody today who is scared in life, and you are uncertain, and you are filled with anxiety because it seems like every day There is tragedy around us. It's tragedy closer to us today than it's ever been. Things are happening to people, not just on the news, but it's happening to people that we know. And it gives us a sense of anxiety and it makes us frightened and scared to walk out of the house. It makes us scared sometimes to be in our own house because we are in the midst of danger. But here is the good news this morning: you may be in the midst of danger, but you're also in the midst of your solution. And God is saying today that just like you can easily get yourself in a pickle, God can easily fix your mess. Just like you can easily make a mistake, God can fix your mistakes. And God is not expecting you to be perfect today, But God is expecting you to trust him with your life. Don't trust your know-how, don't trust your experience, don't trust your record, but trust a God who has never failed. Trust a God who has never left you. Trust a God who has never forsaken you. Because every time you pick up some poison, God got the power to give you some flour. I just ran on accident. Every time you got the audacity to pick up some poison, God got the power to give you your flower to be the antidote to the messes and mistakes that you make. And I'm already in my thesis. I'm just guesstimating the time because y'all know my clock a little bit off. I don't know if I told y'all that or not, but here's what I came to preach today. God can rectify even when you have a recipe for disaster. I feel good, it must be my hair. God can rectify even when you have a recipe for disaster. When you unintentionally went places and made choices that were not necessarily sin but it ended up being something that could have taken you down a path that could have destroyed you. God can rectify your recipes for disaster. You hooked up with some people that you had no business hooking up with, but God rectified your recipe for disaster. You took jobs based on money and not based upon where God wanted you to be, but that didn't stress you out too much. And the reason being is because God rectified your recipe for disaster. You said some things in conversations with people who meant you no good, but you did not get yourself in even more trouble because he rectified your recipe for disaster. You gonna go here to leave here today and eat something that you ain't got no business eating, but God's gonna keep you because he can rectify your recipe for disaster. And I want to let somebody know today that you can stop being scared of your own self. You can stop being scared in your own skin, because when God is in you and when God is with you and when God is for you, he has a way of showing you that he can use anything to fix your any problem. He can use anybody fix your any problem. He can use anything that you look over, anything that you look past, anything that you've used a different way in before. God said, I will use that in a new way to be able to be a blessing in your life. And that's my word for everybody this week. God use anything to bless me. God use anybody to bless me. God use any circumstance to bless me. Because I'm not gonna keep you in a box But as long as you have me on this earth, I just want to be kept by you. Gavin, you better not sweat today. So I'm where I want to be. I told you, Mathis, I really like that suit. I'mma tell— since you got a nice suit on, I'mma unpack a few things in this text. It's blessed me. I'mma share them with you. I'mma get out of y'all way. And go up 167. Why you said amen when I said you cannot hear me? You ain't said amen all morning, now you all want— you the biggest amen now. In this sense, this text teaches us something significant, that sometimes in life we have the propensity to make an errant selection. We make an errant or wrong selection. Even when we make the wrong selection, God will give you power through the wrong selection. Watch this. The command was to go fix stew. One of the interns said, if we're gonna have stew, we need some herbs for the stew. You know what bothers me in this text is that the intern, the young man from the school of the prophets, got in danger not by being disobedient. He was involved and participating in what he was asked and called to do. They were supposed to make stew. And brothers and sisters, it's easy for us in here to look at the news and to look on social media and see people who are going through struggles and say they must have done something bad in order to be where they are right now. But today I want to challenge us with your saved, sanctified, coming to church on the fourth Sunday self and let you know that even when you are doing things for God And when you are doing what's seemingly the right thing, you can end up in a bad situation. Uh, brothers and sisters, we got these holy halos on and we got these Baptist ideologies that we are better than everybody else because we live a good life. But living your good life, you can still pick some bad herbs. You know how many good people end up in bad situations? You know how many good and well-behaved people end up picking bad herbs? You know how many people have good intentions and good actions and things still don't work right? That's why we have to be careful in looking at the outcomes of people's lives to determine if they always have a bad input. Talk heavy, Gabby, because it's easy for us to think that life is all about doing good and getting good. But you can do good, take your medicine, eat right, treat everybody right, and still get some bad herbs. And we have allowed people and our own errant theology to make us think that because we're good people, we always gonna pick the right herbs. Oh, but this text delivers us today and lets us know that it may not be anything wrong with my activity. I may not have just been accurate in picking my herb. Can I help somebody today? Can I help an aspiring leader? Can I help someone who's trying to do something better for their life? Can I help somebody who's trying to, uh, take a new journey or a new venture? You may be in a new career path, you may be in a new family initiative, you may be in a new position of leadership. Can I help you as someone who knows? Watch this. Notice what I said. I've been saying this intentionally throughout the day. TC, here it is. This was one of the men from the school of the prophets who went out, picked the bad herb, and did not know what he picked was bad. Say it again, Gabby. Make sure your people get it. He was a part of the school of prophets, which means he was trained in order to be able to discern and hear the voice of God. He's a prophet in training, but yet and still he wasn't so deep that he didn't just see the bush outside, say, I'm the wrong one. Even with his training, even with his anointing, even with his calling on his life, He still went outside and picked something that could have ruined his life, and he did that while being obedient. This lets us know that you will never be too sanctified and too holy to not be human. God called us, but God did not make us omniscient. And I know you got the gift of tongues, I know you got oil, I know you know how to get a prayer through, I know you've been to Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, BTU, 5 and 6 night and 7 night revivals. But even when you leave from all that, you can still go out there and not know that it's some dangerous urban that you got your hands on. God didn't call you to give you all the answers, but God calls you because he is your mentor. I, I said it's supposed to help those who are in leadership, right? And those who are trying to do something. Let me show you why— let me tell you why this helps. Let me tell you why this helps. Y'all listening? Don't avoid this point. Because it's going to offend some of us. Come here, come here. Y'all ready? I got a haircut so it'll come over easy. He was a part of the school of prophets. He went outside, did what he was told to do, but when he did something that he was told to do, it had a bad result. The results didn't look that good. It looked like porn. It caused danger. But guess what? He didn't get suspended from school. They didn't have to have a judicial hearing for him because he's in the school of prophets. And they didn't have to put him before a board and say, if you're a real prophet, you would not pick out no bad herbs. Because the reality is, especially for those who are in leadership and are really trying something— I'm not just talking about pastors, but so y'all think I'm throwing off on you, that's not what I'm doing. I'm talking to everybody who's in some leadership. If you lead the family, if you hear from God trying to do something, right? So before y'all say, hey, I'm throwing up, that ain't what I'm doing. Don't lie on me. Come here. Because many times people wait on leaders to pick bad herbs so they can disqualify the leader. We shouldn't have listened to him. He should have listened to me because I've been knowing in them woods for a long time and I could have kept him from the bad herbs. People wait on you to pick a bad herb. Not only do you have the propensity to pick a bad herb, but you got some people who will wait on you to do it. People wait on you to make a mistake. People wait on something that you said not to work. People wait so they can get on the phone, say, I told you, he should have listened to us. But wow. They are waiting on that. Watch what they miss. Since he was a part of the right crowd, he was in the right vicinity, and all Elisha did— I know you picked the bad herb, man. I know they said death in the pot. I'm not gonna expose you for being a bad herb picker. I may not send you out to pick herbs no more, but I'm not gonna let you be— I'm not gonna let it go down like this. Here's what I'm gonna do, because if you're gonna be a leader for me, if you are going to be a real prophet, here's what you're going to have to learn how to do. You have to learn how to listen to God even when things don't go the right way. Because Elisha says, amen, it's all good because your bad picking of herbs is not gonna be the end of the story. So what I need y'all to do, just go get some flour, put some flour in the stew. And the Bible says there was no more bad in the herb. So for all y'all who was there with me, who when I picked the bad herb, for everyone who was there with me when things didn't look good, you left too soon because you did not know that God was not through with the story. Who am I talking to today? You may be in a season in your life where everything you're trying seems to fail, but God's word for you today, keep on staying with it, and God will say, let me get involved in it, because anything you do for me, I am gonna put my name on it. Can I give you a secret? Can I give you a secret? Everybody who you think is being blessed of God probably are people who pick bad herbs, but God just put some flour on it. You think they got everything right. You intimidated by them. You think you need to be like them. You want their anointing and you want their gift. But little did you know that they know how to pick some bad herbs too. But God got some flour for them and God gets in their business. God gets in their mess. And I want to let somebody know today that if you belong to God, he has a tendency to get in your recipe. He has a tendency to put his own ingredients in. And even when you think you're a good cook, God just snuck behind you and put something else in the pot. That's that type of God that he is. I'll leave you— there was a flight, Canadian flight in 1983, where— here it is, here it is— those who fueled the plane, they thought they were doing right. But they put the amount of fuel in based on kilometers and not miles. They thought they were doing what, right? But little did they know, they did something wrong. Imagine all those souls in the sky, 41,000 feet, because someone who was not intentionally doing wrong, did something wrong, made a mistake like every last one of us in here have done, do now, and will do. But watch what happened. They're in the sky, they run out of gas, and so now the plane begins to glide. Guess how God works. They out of gas. Plane is not going by the motor. The plane is gliding. At this right time, the right pilot was flying the plane because the pilot who was flying this Canadian airspace was an expert and he lived and used to be a professional glider. And so not only do you have a God who will be with you in your success, but God has already a fix for you in your failures, that your failure will not be the last word. And God got the right God for your problem. He's the right God for your mess up. He's the right God for your mistake. He's the right God for your error. So when people see you do something wrong, or when people say you make a mistake, just tell them to keep on waiting because I'm in the right plane. And if you were smart, you would get in the right plane. And if you were like me, it's not because I can fly, but I'm in the right plane for my right problem. I'm gonna try to tell you Even when you make the mess up, you got the right power. Even when you got the hang up, you got the right flower. You got the right God at the right time for your right mistake. Many times we see you in the right place at the right time, but you had a God who was in the right place when you were in the wrong time. Y'all too saved for me this morning. Even when you didn't do right, you had the right God who was there for your right mistake. And the reason you here today looking so good, got that good cologne on, you must have just bought it yesterday. And but God said, beyond all of that, I was the right God for your right mistake. So take off that halo. I don't know how long I'm preaching, but it's y'all fault, not me. Eric, selection. But also this text teaches us about the economical solution. Tony, it's the— I ain't told you happy to see y'all there, Tony. Glad to see you. The economical solution. Watch this, watch this, watch this. There's death in the pot. It's there in the pot. He license it, go get some flour, put it in the pot. You know what I would have done if you don't throw that pot out? Open it. We're not even gonna give it to the dogs. Throw it out because it's death in the pot. I gotta hurry up. I want to take my time, but I gotta hurry up. They, you know, they showed up. They in a family. So if they're in a family If they throw the pot out, chances are they may not be able to get some more stew. Can I argue the text? However, God's favor is not about giving new materials. God's favor sometimes It's taking the death out of old material. I wish I was a good preacher today. They in a family, they prophets. God, these your chosen people, these your mouthpieces. You got in this school trying to be some good prophet. You got a good president of the university. Dr. Elijah, it seems like Dr. Elijah and these students should be able to find another university in another location, but God, you kept them in the same place that the famine was happening. Somebody in here this morning upset because you know you favor, but you living in a famine. You got circumstances and situations and you're waiting on God to move you in order for it to be your affirmation. Because many of us think— y'all gonna hear me this morning— many of us think that what God should have done, I'mma send y'all a charter bus, I'mma have a police escort, and I'mma escort y'all and get y'all out of the family since y'all had a bad pot. But what God did, he kept them in the same place And guess what? Just because they're called, they're still dealing with life just like everybody else. Can I, can I, can I, can I, can I, can I tell you, can I tell you, with your blessed in the city, blessed in the field self, can I tell you something? You are a Christian, but you still live in the United States of America. In other words, in other words, in other words, I know you say you don't like it. You got the same president as everybody else. You say, look, look, you say your boss— don't tell him I said it— still ignorant. You saved, anointed, you're a part of Pilgrim Rest, which is a loving church. And when you leave here, you going to a place where everybody else ain't loving. That's why you gotta learn how to live in here and live out there. Because God does not always remove famine. God will leave you in famine, but he'll lead you in famine but make sure you're fed in the family. I gotta hurry up, I'm taking too long. Watch this. What also bothers me— Elijah, you're a miracle-working boy. Elisha, you did a double portion of what Elijah did. I know you could have made some kind of, uh, a stew, a broth come out of nowhere. God says, no, I don't have to always do that because in a famine I want to preserve stuff. And so stuff that you think don't work, just let me get in the midst of it and you'll show how even the deadly stuff can work in your favor. Who am I talking to today? You still got some of the same old stuff that in the past season it harmed you, but in this season right now it's helping you. Things that used to make you cry is now giving you joy because God didn't take you out of the famine, but he put his favor in the famine, and old stuff started to look new. Lord have mercy. And everywhere I go, I'm gonna keep my head up because I may be in a famine with everybody else, but I got somebody who's keeping my old stew even while I'm in the famine. Even while I'm in a famine, I'm able to eat something that was meant to harm me. It was meant to take me out. It was designed to kill me. It was designed to destroy me. But look at me today on April 27th, 2026. Able to testify that I'm living on some deadly stuff, that God got in the midst of it and used that to help me out. I'm done, I'm done, I'm done, I'm done. I feel all right now. Put your hand in your pocket, son. Put your hand in your pocket. Here it is, watch this. Watch this, watch it! We get so caught up in this part hermeneutically in the text— but God help me with this point. You got to gather here, Gavin. Uh-uh, uh-uh, Elijah said I'm not gonna get no new stew. I tell you what, there's some flour in there. Get that flour which you already got, put it in the pot. He put it in the pot. And then he said there was no more bad in the pot. If you're not careful, exegetically, you will start crediting the flour. But I want to argue that the God who took 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, he don't need your flour. So, so the critical question: God, why did you instruct Elisha to use flour? Now y'all know me, I don't do no cooking, so just stay with me and I try to work this thing out. God, who could have just told him, like, hey, no more parts. So God, why did you have in this family use flour? Well, for you cooks, y'all can help me tell me if I'm lying. Sometimes, from what they tell me, flour is used to make liquid thicker. That's what they told me. Now I ain't gonna try because I'm gonna burn something up. So God says, I'm not using the flour to take out the poison, but I'm gonna use the— I'm gonna take out the poison, use the flour to make your meal even heavier. Y'all missing me this morning. He could have done it without the flour, but can't you see them now? They took that stew that did have poison in it, and when they put the flour in it, not only did it— was it absent of the bitterness, but now it made them fuller because they in a famine. And so every meal counts. And God says, I'm gonna use the flour not to take the poison out when I'm gonna use a flower to put myself in. Is there anybody in the house today who know that you serving God who's putting some flower in your life? One thing that shouldn't last, God put more of him in it. He's putting more favor in it, more anointing in it, more holiness in it, because he's making you thicker. I bid you good night. I'm cutting some of this out. I'm done. But did y'all see this in the text? I don't know about y'all, but some of y'all— you go— but some of y'all may think you Elisha. Some of you may think that you the flower. But for me, I know for a fact— don't play with me, Martin— I'm the student. Can I tell you Why I'm the stew? Because in 1988, Gwen and Tommy got together and they didn't mean no harm, but they made a stew. And the stew was called Gavin Robert Hams. But I had some poison in me. Gwen and Tommy ain't mean no harm, but I was born in sin. I was born in mess. But one August the 20th 1995, God said, I'm not gonna throw the stew out, but what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna put my spirit in it. And what you're looking at today is some old stew, but I got a new life. I'm an old pot, but I got new substance. And now God is using me to be able to bring life. He's using me to be able to bring joy. He's using me to be able to preach the gospel, and I thank God today that he still knows how to keep a pot. I thank God today that he didn't throw me out, but he put me in the refrigerator and said, one of these old days, he's worth it. One of these old days, I'm gonna keep him. One of these old days, I'm gonna use him. I'm myself gonna come into him, and he's gonna be saved, delivered, Holy Ghost filled, anointed, justified, sanctified, heaven-bound, filled with the Holy Ghost. Thank you, God, that you didn't throw me away. Thank you, God, when I made mistakes, you kept me. Thank you, God, that you're still walking with me, you're still talking with me, you're still blessing me, you're still favoring me, Thank you, Lord. I'm at my time. We offer Jesus. I held y'all too long, but I want to let a pot know today. I want to let a pot of poison stew in the house today know that he won't throw you out, but he's waiting right now to put himself into you. That's what we're offering to you today, because all of us old porcelain pots, we just went to Walmart and got a shiny one. On the inside, it's death in the pot. But God put flour in us to thicken us. Anybody got some flour in you today? We offering to you right now.
