ARE YOU EPHRAIM? .....A Must Read

I took a brief study of a man called Ephraim in the Bible. Ephraim was the second born of Joseph. His elder brother, the first born of Joseph, was Manasseh. Ephraim's later life which is the core of this message is a story of Wind chasing, Manipulations, and Desolation(Hosea 12:1).
The scripture made me understand that Ephraim was born as a Fruitful man. The name Ephraim means "Fruitfulness, even in the midst of afflictions". Ephraim was born to be fruitful everywhere and in every circumstances, no matter how unfavourable they might be. Genesis 41:51-52: "And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction" Unfortunately, Ephraim someday lost this consciousness and started chasing after Wind, Hosea 12:1. What is WIND in this context? The wind represents Vanity or Emptiness. When you put your trust in man, when you are chasing and looking up to man or an idol for help, you are actually chasing after Wind. That was the case of Ephraim. At a point in his life, he forsook God and began worshiping idols. He had all he wanted in his inside( because God had put fruitfulness in him), but he began pursing wind that had nothing to offer him. I guess his definition of fruitfulness shifted from the spiritual to the physical. And this is where many people are getting it wrong. Their definition of fruitfulness is their problem. Fruitfulness does not point to physical things, but it affects the physical. Being fruitful is not having lots of money, cars and landed properties. Being fruitful is being resourceful in your inside. In other words, you having ideas, good thoughts, and visions which you can materialize to meet your needs and the needs of people means you are fruitful. Fruitfulness starts from your inside, the spiritual. It does not begin with material things. But it shows in the physical.
The two other charges of God against Ephraim were manipulations and desolation. Hosea 12 notes that Ephraim made a covenant with Assyrians and carried the oil of God into Egypt. The Assyrians were one of the unbelievers. The children of God, the Israelites were instructed to avoid marrying them or joining in their lifestyles. Now having a covenant with them and carrying the oil of God to the unbelievers resulted to Ephraim's desolation. How does this apply to us? Today, there are EPHRAIMS who make covenant with unbelievers, especially through sex, and in this process they single handedly carry the anointing oil of God upon them into the hands of the enemy. This leads to desolation. When the oil of God leaves you, you become empty. And then, demons now have easy entrance into your destiny. This is why you must be careful and run away from pre-marital sex, extra-marital sex, blood covenants with people. Don't let the oil of God departs from you. It's very dangerous.
Are you Ephraim who is chasing after wind, putting your trust in man, looking for help from man or an idol, manipulating your way to the top, or you have lost your anointing through sex, now living a desolate life? The Lord says, "Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually"(Hosea 12:6). Come back to God and receive His mercy and discipline, rebukes and corrections. Wait on God always by studying and meditating on His word. Worship the Lord continually and He will restore everything you have lost. PEACE!

- Pastor Michael Seyi Babalola