This morning, I woke from a bad dream. I realised that if I don't plug into God like really tap into the 'source of that life giving juice' according to Eshon Bombay, the devil was going to take me out like the certified sniper he is (1 Peter 5:8; John 10:10). You know when the breeze is blowing really cold and you need to snuggle up under your blanket? Well, I needed to snuggle up under the blood of Jesus because if satan caught me slipping, he will come for me, 'stumps' me, clean bowl.
So, I drew for my spiritual armour and took out my sword. I emerged myself in the Bible, devotionals, prayer and instrumentals- then I wrote. Thank God for the talent because it is so cathartic.
I saw this picture and I just couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. I just knew that God was speaking to me. There's that moment where your past just creeps up out of nowhere and just drop kicks you, I posted a whole long text on instagram. You just got to know that when your past comes a-knocking, God will silence that noise. The enemy knows that you are destined for greatness and he will try to trip you up with roadblocks, to slow you down and keep you from reaching the destiny God has planned for you. Just like Adam and Eve, he wants to lead you into temptation. When you've messed up and you're feeling ashamed, your natural inclination is to hide and turn from God and wallow in self-pity.
However, we should do just the opposite because then the enemy's voice of condemnation will drown out the voice of God calling out or rather it will cause you to want to ignore that voice because we feel unworthy to stand before God in our 'nakedness'. Do the opposite. Run from the devil and run to God. We have what Adam and Eve didn't have. Jesus died to repair that broken relationship, our sins are paid and we've been set free. Do not live in condemnation for what happened three (3) years ago that God has already forgiven. If you've confessed it, He has thrown into the sea of forgetfulness, don't go there digging it up with a shovel. Do not give life to dead situations! I repeat, do not perform CPR on your past!
That was my first truth of the day.
The next truth which I think blew me away was the fact that I saw Jesus in the Good Samaritan story (Luke 10:25-37). Let me explain. I thought of the man who was robbed and left for dead. While the scripture doesn't state this, imagine if the people who robbed him were his own people. Then, to add insult to injury, his own people even men of the 'cloth' crossed the road and offered him no help. These are men who knew the scriptures and the law of Moses and all the teachings and yet refused to offer a helping hand (much like many of us Christians).
Nevertheless, an unlikely candidate- a man of Samaria, who by the way was an enemy of the Jews (See the story of the Samaritan Woman at the well (John 4). Think about it, Jesus was rejected by His own people, betrayed by His own, and killed on the word of His own people. While the injured man had a rescuer, Jesus had none, He willingly drank that cup for our sake. Only a few people stuck around like the Marys and His mother and Joseph of Arimathea who asked for His body and prepared it for burial.
Sounds familiar?
The last truth of the day was about Saul or King Saul.
The verse in 1 Samuel 16:7 says:
"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (NIV).
This verse was speaking about another man who appeared to look like the next king but he was not God's chosen, an unlikely shepherd boy was.
Let's backtrack, Saul appeared to have the right characteristics, he was tall, well-built and handsome. He appeared to have the characteristics of a leader but he was really timid, coward and was a troubled man with lots of issues or insecurities. So much so, that when he was about to be anointed as king, he was found hiding among the baggage. It is when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him that he was able to defeat the enemy at Jabesh Gilead. But, like many of us, Saul got haughty. He took his eyes off the Lord and sought to do his own thing. His displeased God and ran when he should have stood up and fight.
In fact, his son Jonathan was probably more courageous than him. Nevertheless, because of his disobedience God numbered his days as king and named David as his successor.
When God has appointed you to do a job don't get haughty or proud, stay humble. Do not take matters into your own hands. Just as He can establish, God can pull down and remove your lampstand out of its place. Many people appear to have the right traits and characteristics and while we may choose people based on the outward, God looks at the heart. That is how He judges us, our motives and our actions.
There's so much more that I can say but just remember to keep your eyes on Jesus to weather any storm. God has revealed so much today and I'm thankful, keep holding on and keep pressing, Keep encountering God and seek to have fellowship with Him,
Grace and Peace.
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