“I did this to test Israel—to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord…
He did this to teach warfare to the generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle.”
Judges 2:22; 3:2
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could simply claim all the promises of God without any obstacles in our way? The children of Israel marched into their Promised Land and began claiming kingdoms left and right …until they stopped trusting God and allowed idol-worshippers to stay in the land. But God used those “obstacles” to test if they would follow God’s ways and to teach them how to fight.
I vividly remember when God opened my eyes to several long-standing enemies of my faith. It felt as if I entered a new promised land, slaying giants left and right! So now years later, why do I find myself up against similar obstacles? Why do I sometimes face fear that I might not please people or why does pride make me think I can do this myself? And why do those enemies scream the loudest while I’m writing a blog?
Like with the Israelites, God is testing me and teaching me...all about trust. The fear of rejection tests my trust of GOD’s acceptance. The temptation of pride tests whether I trust the gift or the Giver. And every battle teaches me how to trust only HIS armor and HIS sword.
So, why complain about obstacles? Because of them, I am learning to trust GOD!
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