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August 13, 2024
- By Ed Powell
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"You shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren...return every man to his house, for this thing is from me." 1 Kings 12:24
As a believer, we are challenged on many occasions that frustrate and concern us. Our workplace is not going as we anticipated. We are having conflicts we did not count on. People seem to respond coldly when we try to extend our friendship to them. Our finances suddenly shrink when we try to be faithful in our giving. We encounter poor health when we strive to live daily for His glory. We become weary, discouraged, and distraught with life's trying circumstances. We find ourselves asking God..."WHY are these things happening to me?"
Often, we find ourselves focusing on our circumstances rather than looking steadfastly to Jesus. We carelessly yield to the insidious ways of Satan that have caused fear, doubt, and distrust in our commitment to the Lord, and we begin to question these things that are happening to us.
In truth, we should be looking within our own hearts to examine our relationship with the Lord. Has our spiritual life become cold, stagnant, inconsistent, or unfaithful? Has sin broken our fellowship and close intimacy with the Lord? Is the warmth of His presence evident in our life? Is His power being manifested in our life? Is the hunger and thirst for His Word the quest of our hearts? Are we seeing answers to prayer? Has our prayer life become a "function" rather than a glorious encounter with God? GOD SEES THIS, and in His grace, He sends occasions in our lives that are "wake up calls"...that seek to alert us to our dismal spiritual condition.
"This thing is from me." I have allowed "this thing" in your life because I love you, and I want to bring you back to that place of intimacy where I can be a Father to you, and you can respond as my child. What a great sacrifice we make when we allow "things" that are questionable to come between us and our relationship with the Lord. Sometimes these "things" may be perfectly right in themselves...but they have crowded out the Lord. His priority in our life has become secondary...or maybe, not in the equation of our daily walk and life at all.
"This thing is from me." When we encounter His intervention our natural response is to resist, rationalize our life-style, debate our decisions, place the blame on everybody and everything but ourselves. We cannot see the darkness we are in because of the blindness of our spiritual senses. We tend to live in spiritual denial. We cannot condone sin or live habitually in sin and expect God to pour out His blessings upon our lives. The vessel must be clean so God can live freely and fully in our lives.
"This thing is from me." Obedience is our responsibility...the results are God's responsibility. His intent is reconciliation, restoration, and through "this thing" of His doing, enable us to grow in grace, "to be more than a conqueror through Him", be given His sufficiency in our weakness, victorious when facing overwhelming circumstances, be given a peace that passes human understanding, and a liberty and freedom only He can give.
He has allowed "this thing" for your good and His glory. "And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him." For what purpose? That we may "be conformed to the likeness of His Son" (Romans 8:28-29). Dare to trust HIM!
© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.
This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2024-08-13&print=1
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