Opposition

Lately I have been hearing this mantra "roll with the punches"

Getting punched really hurts, maybe it hurts less to roll with them - I don't know.

I do know that I have been feeling really beat up lately.

This house situation is driving me nuts, I want it to be over yesterday. I realized today that our lease is up on April 19th, day before Marshal's birthday - about a month away - and right now I have no idea what is going to happen.

"When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all of Israel, ALL of the Philistines went up to capture him." 1 Chronicles 14:8

But I can chose to see this as a horrible problem and try to fix it on my own OR I can look at this as a sign that God is working in and through our lives. I must have been doing something right or all this wouldn't have happened.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

These verses talk about spiritual warfare - and they explain my role in all of this - Just stand firm and have faith in God.

How did David react when attacked? He didn't cower in fear, cry about it, consult 15 different advisers/friends to see what he should do, He went out to meet them and listened to God's counsel. It didn't matter what other people thought, or even what he thought, God had his back.

Little known fact - the Philistines were a warrior nation - they fought with everybody - because they could take whatever they wanted. Not only were they huge - but they also had knowledge of how to work with iron, they could smelt it to make weapons. The Israelites did not have this knowledge. It would be like trying to use a stick against someone with a sword. We know this because archaeologists have discovered the advanced weaponry only in the area where the Philistines lived, and not where the Israelites lived.

Ever feel like you are trying to fight off someone with a sword and all you have is a stick? When I feel threatened like this I tend to try to reason my way around it. For example - I could keep my focus on God or I could reason that I should spend all my time and energy on this situation to try and fix it myself, and that it wouldn't really matter if I involved myself a little bit more.

Why do I do this - because I think I'm smart and because of mixed values. I know that sounds silly - but it is true - Why do I try to reason things out, make an excuse to do what I want? Because my enemy says the same stupid thing he said in the garden of Eden - "you can be so smart" - LIAR!!
And mixed values - Drason's book - Every man's battle talks about this and I must say I had never thought of it that way before. It says that we have a goal of excellence - sounds good, right? WRONG!
If a company says they have an excellent safety record they mean that most of the time people are safe - what about the times when people aren't safe? Do they die? Maybe.

God has a standard of perfection - I know this is impossible to meet, but I also know that this should be my goal. If I set my goal on this - I will do better than if I set my goal on excellence or pretty good, or sort of good, or OK, or average, or "the best I can do."

So when I am tempted to focus all of my energy on the house situation, rather than having faith and standing firm in the promises of God, I need to remember

"That your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." 1 Corinthians 2:5

"Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place." 2 Corinthians 2:14

"In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us" Romans 8:37

"Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:57-58