Flirting with the enemy

Scripture reference: Judges 16:1-22

There is something that has always puzzled me about Samson.  After Delilah constantly asked what made Him weak, then attempted to trap him with those very things he told her would make him weak, he told her his secret anyway! Why would he do that? Didn't he know that she was setting him up? Was it that he was so deeply in love with her?  The bible never says that she loved him back.  She was using him to get the money promised to her by the Philistine rulers.

After pondering this for a while, I started to think about myself and the behavior of the entire Christian community.  Don't we also "flirt" with the enemy?  We know that the enemy wants to steal our joy, depress us, strip us of our faith and power and yet we continue to entertain the likes of him and what he offers.  We know what our weaknesses are.  We know what makes our powers low and sometimes without a second thought, we give the power that God has given to us to the enemy.

How?  We continue to engage in sinful activities.  We go places we shouldn't. We say things that we shouldn't say.  We don't spend time studying God's word or in prayer! These things, among others, deplete us of our power.  We are sucked dry, drained of our power when we are not being who God has called us to be.

Today, I encourage you to examine your power meter. Don't allow the enemy or anyone else to drain you of the power of God that has been placed within you.  :-)


(If you haven't already, please be sure to check out my new book, "The Life Your Spirit Craves" at www.encouraging-works.com)

Understand your position

^{Genesis 50:20 NLT You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.}

^{The story of Joseph has been used in various illustrations to demonstrate how God can and will use unpleasant people and situations to get the glory.}

^{Far too often, we get discouraged when things don’t happen the way we think they should. However, it takes wisdom and maturity to seek God and to truly understand that many times, the situations we encounter are not for us, even though they may happen to us.}

^{When God uses uncomfortable and undesirable situations to demonstrate His power in our lives, I believe that we should try to look at the bigger picture instead of focusing on what is happening. We should focus on God and the lesson that He is teaching so that we can share it with those around us.}

^{I really like Joseph’s statement in our key verse today. Here he explains to his brothers that they were simply tools in God’s plan. Even Joseph’s brothers didn’t realize that they were being used by God throughout the entire ordeal. Joseph understood that the fulfillment of the dreams that he was given weren’t for his glory but for God’s glory. Ultimately, Joseph’s position helped save the lives of many people. While in Egypt , he helped to store food for the period of famine and ended up saving the lives of the same brothers who sold him!}

^{Where is God taking you and why? (Remember that where you are in your present and future positions are for God’s glory)}

Listen Closely: The enemy knows you have the victory

Judges 7:9-15 NLT That night the Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them! But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.” So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp. The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on the seashore—too many to count! Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his companion about a dream. The man said, “I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!” His companion answered, “Your dream can mean only one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!” When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the Lord. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!”

Fact: God has a plan for you!

Fact: God will give you instructions regarding this plan.

Fact: You have been given the victory and the enemy knows that you have been given the victory!

When I studied this passage a few nights ago, I did a little dance afterwards. Why? I think there is something very important about this story. You see, even though God had already told Gideon that He would give him victory, He also allowed Gideon to receive confirmation! The awesome part is that the confirmation came from the enemy’s camp! Wow! Life lesson: The enemy will fight you even though he knows that he will lose the battle! Therefore, you cannot become discouraged!

Although the voice of the enemy that we hear may not be as positive as Gideon’s confirmation, it is confirmation nonetheless! The voices of negativity, discouragement and defeat are not from God and are simply designed to get you off track. Don’t fall for it! Don’t lose focus!

All you have to do is be obedient to what you have been called to do! Fight! You already have the victory and the enemy knows it! It’s about time that you know it (and act like it) too!

Have you moved yet?

Judges 6:17 NLT Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me.

Judges 6:36-40 NLT Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.” Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.” So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.

 

So often God speaks to our hearts and we allow the opportunity to act on the directive(s) to pass us by because of fear and/or uncertainty. We often question, “Lord, is that you?” “Are you sure you want me to do that?” “Can I do it later? You know, after I’ve done _____?”

Even after the questioning, we ask God to “show” us if it’s really Him. We ask for signs like Gideon in today’s meditational readings. I guarantee that if you’ve asked for a sign then you have received it. Did you miss it or did you ignore it?

Take a moment to think about what it is you have been called to do in this season of your life and your conversations with God about it. What are you waiting for? Why haven’t you moved in the direction that you’ve been called? Today is a new day filled with God’s new mercies and grace. The Lord is with you (v. 12 and 16). It’s time to move!

Many blessings to you this day! I pray that you do not miss an opportunity to be all that you were created to be!

Wanna Be Close?

Deuteronomy 7:2-6 NLT "When the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you. This is what you must do. You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure."

Many times in life, we don't want to completely destroy or get rid of certain things or people when the Lord God has already instructed us to do so in His word. We may feel like getting rid of people is being to harsh or un-Christian like.  We may also feel like we can "help" the people that we think we should keep in our lives who cause us harm.  When it comes to things that we need to get rid of, we oftentimes feel like it's okay to keep them close but just not too close. 

The truth is that God has instructed us to get rid of certain things and/or people for a purpose...that is, He knows that they will pull us away from Him--and this is against His Will. God desires that we live for Him and close to Him.

Be encouraged and know that the thing in your life that cause you harm and pull you away from God are not meant to be in your life. Don't give anything or anyone permission to interfere with your closeness with God.

Many blessings to you!
 

Never Tell Yourself "No"

Numbers 13:33 NLT "We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

If you read the entire chapter, you will see that Moses sent 12 men to scout the land that was promised to them (promised land--land flowing with milk and honey).  They were there for 40 days!  They returned with their minds focused on the negative--talking themselves and their community out of what was already theirs.

As I read today's meditational scripture, I thought about how quickly we sometimes forget God's promises, the dreams He places within us or just the direction we know that God is leading us.  Even after knowing these thing, we allow our current circumstances (what we see) to cause us to lose faith or tell ourselves "no" when God has already confirmed "yes" in the spirit.

I thought of two things when I read Numbers 13:33.
1- My mentor often tells me to apply for whatever position that I desire within my organization.  He always says to let them tell me no and to never tell myself no.  He said that I could be blocking my own blessing by not even taking the steps to apply for the position.
2-The way we view ourselves is the way we think others see us.  We project our own feelings of confidence or defeat about ourselves onto others--believing that they see us the same way.  For example, if you think you're "small" or inadequate, you will believe others see you that way.  You will also unknowingly behave in this way.  By doing this, you have now talked and walked yourself out of a potential blessing.  Remember that as a man thinks, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7)

Believe in God's plan and in yourself no matter the circumstances.  God knew what would be ahead before you entered into it.  Remain faithful; there is already a plan in place to get you to where you need to be.  Remember to always consult The One from whom the plan originated!

Your Heavenly Relationship

Exodus 34:14 NLT You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.

As we enter into the new year with resolutions, goals, plans, purpose and fresh desires, we must remember not to forsake our time alone with God.  (Most people include rebuilding their relationship with God or growing closer to Him as part of their "change" for the new year) Although we attend church serves, watch tv sermons, listen to gospel music in our homes, cars and cubicles, none of these things can take the place of genuine time spent alone with God.

While I do believe that God wants us to have success and the desires of our hears, He wants us to be in relationship with Him more than anything. (Psalm 37:4 NIV states "Delight yourself in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.")

Think about your earthly relationships.  How do you maintain them? By spending time with your loved ones, right? That is exactly what we must do with our Heavenly Father. Set aside time to pray each day.  Set aside time to study God's word.  A friend recently mentioned to me that midnight was the best time for her to study.  Each one of us must decide what is best for us and make spending time with God a priority. When are you least distracted?

So today, I encourage you to examine your BUSY schedule:
Where are you spending your time?
When are you spending meaningful time with God?
Are you making your relationship with Him a priority?

Remember that God loves you and wants the best for you every year, not just in 2013! God's greatest desire is you getting to know Him! So as you chase after your dreams, be sure to always chase after the Dream Giver!

Be sure to check out my new website www.encouraging-works.com