FaithWalkDaily February 3, 2009
Psalms 5:9
Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.
Who is your enemy?
I don't know about you, but as I read these words taken out of context from the Psalm, the times and the writer, I imagine a guttural voice spilling from a heart filled with loathing.
Never mind that it was written by David while in hiding as Saul was hot on the trail after him. This is a prayer from his heart, to Almighty God, seeking protection and guidance from those who would harm him. And he spoke the truth about Saul who had gone mad and certainly had the grave in mind for David. David, the faithful servant and best friend of Saul's son Jonathan.
How often do we feel betrayed - by a boss, family member, one we thought was a friend who turned on us suddenly for no apparent reason.
The world is full of evil. But today I want to talk about the evil in my own home. Ninety percent of the time I have to question my own motives. Let that soak in for a minute.
Are you honest with yourself? That old adage about being our own worst enemy is more than cliche. Nothing gets us more entangled in a web of trouble than our own best judgment.
There are also times when God allows the wicked to oppress us, to tread through refining fires that bring out the shining image of God in us. As painful as they are, we must understand, accept and even praise God for those times.
Because I've recently gone through some major refining and can still taste the flames, the spiritual growth I've experienced is fresh in my mind and empowering. But in time, as always, what God has done will fade away; complacency is insidious and will wait patiently for my weak moment.
Perhaps complacency is one of our worst enemies. It finds us strolling along with our guard down when we can easily be blindsided by the enemy who bowls us over and leaves us flat, questioning all that is righteous and holy.
For that reason, it's important that we be prepared at all times for the worst that can happen, by storing the Word of God in our hearts. When all is well, we praise God. When all is not well we need to praise Him even more. Thank Him for the trials that are sharpening you, making you a more effective Christian. We can't teach others what we don't know.
The greatest defense against our enemy is righteousness. When we stand firm in God's ways, we have nothing to fear. As Solomon said in the opening Proverb, fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. Fear as in awe: unrequited respect, honor, and adoration. We know that God knows what's best, God is perfect, and He wants only that we experience His goodness. The reason He allows us to walk through those fiery times is absolutely for our own good. If we are to receive the full measure of His blessings, we must constantly keep ourselves in check, watching for the next move, carefully calculating the way to go.
God will direct. We must listen. Jesus showed the way.
My mantra this year is Psalms 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." We must first listen.
In order to hear God, we have to make room in our noisy heads. Recently I considered a certain ministry position. My head kept telling me to go forward and offer the sacrifice of time and service. My gut said pray and wait because although I saw a need and thought I could fill it, I wanted confirmation from the Holy Spirit. I spoke to a number of people who were anxious for me to accept the position.
Two things stopped me. One was my Pastor who said "the question is not just whether your gifting fits the position, but are you called?" Just the fact that he asked the question made me begin to sense a definite "no" from the Lord. In the past when I'd questioned him about a certain leaning in ministry he emphatically encouraged me to go forth. The other indication was my husband who said, "if you're not getting a definite yes or no, perhaps God is saying 'wait.'" I knew then this was not my time to serve the post in question. Steve has always been very discerning when I struggle with a decision. I declined the position with peace in my heart.
The following Sunday my decision was confirmed in a powerful way.
Let's not be our own enemy, make a liar of ourselves, jump into things without great consideration, much prayer, and most importantly the leading of the Holy Spirit. The enemy would love to lead us down the wrong path - even a right path that is wrong for us - in order to keep us from going where the Holy Spirit leads in accordance with God's purposes.
Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; Trust only God's word.
Their heart is filled with destruction. Satan will use even what's good to work against God's plans. We must be discerning. Take time to pray, consider, seek the kingdom of God. He will show you the way if you're patient and attentive.
Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit. Don't let your own tongue fool you or others. Be sure you know what you believe and don't make false confessions. You can worship God anywhere and don't have to agree with every tenet of a church to be on holy ground. But let your yes be yes and your no be no. Seek the wisdom of God on all occasions.
We tell ourselves it's impossible to walk the path that Jesus did. We must stop lying to ourselves. That simply is not true. Fall in behind the One who knows what you're going through because He wants to lead you through it with grace, mercy and victory. The blessings will abound!
Heavenly Father, help us in our unbelief. We say we want to be righteous and then continue to do things our own way. Forgive us Lord! Grant us the wisdom to be discerning, to seek Your will for each of our lives and to be willing to fall in behind Jesus. Holy Spirit, continue to convict our hearts and teach us Your ways, that we will not fall prey to the master of all liars who turns us aside so subtly, we don't even see his hand on ours. In God alone we trust. In Jesus' perfect name we pray, amen.
