HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH YET? - 02/10/2021

HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH YET?
February 10, 2021

Prayer: Father, I ask that you forgive me for the times when I thought Your Word was not enough. I repent for making you angry by constantly asking for a sign. I repent for not believing in You as I should. I am sorry. I ask that You help me to have confidence in You. Help me to read Your Word and literally believe all of it. Thank you for being patient with me as I grow in the knowledge of Your kingdom. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Scripture: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 NKJV

It is so comforting and reassuring to know that whatever God says is enough. His Word is the final say in any situation. I love 1 Corinthians 15:57. This scripture means we win! Defeat is not an option for a believer. God does not fail, so it is impossible to fail with Christ as your Lord. You can do it! Whether it is your first year teaching or you are counting down to retirement, Jesus gives you strength to do His work at your school (Philippians 4:13).

This concept of victory and God’s Word being the final say was a little hard for Gideon to understand. Judges 6 opens by explaining the horror and hardship the children of Israel were going through at the time. I suggest that you take some time and read the whole chapter to see why life was so hard for them. To make a long story short, the children of Israel were living in fear inside of caves and dens in the mountains. It was a life of constant torment and oppression for seven years. Year after year, the Midianites, Amalekites and the people of the East would destroy the children of Israel’s crops and livestock (Judges 6:5). There were so many enemies coming against them at one time that they could not count them.

Had the children of Israel had enough yet? Have you been in a similar situation? Have you ever felt like you were being hit by the enemy in every area of your life? The children of Israel had finally had enough, so they turned back to God for help (they should have never turned away from Him). After God sent a prophet to remind them of how they disobeyed Him, He helped. He chose to use Gideon from the tribe of Manasseh to lead the battle against their enemies. There was one issue with this. Gideon had a hard time believing the Lord when He said they would have victory (Judges 6:15-17). Please do not make this same mistake and anger God. When the Lord offers a strategy for you to come out of debt, sickness, oppression, or whatever, it is best to listen and obey. His strategies may seem odd or illogical, but they work every time. That is why His thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). Poor Gideon asked God for a few signs before he finally believed Him. God can not lie (Numbers 23:19).

Unlike Gideon, a widow was in debt and needed an immediate breakthrough, but she did not question the Lord’s strategy (2 Kings 4). The widow was overwhelmed with her deceased husband’s debt and faced losing her sons because of it. When the prophet Elisha told her to go borrow empty jars from neighbors, she did not lose her temper or become doubtful. I can imagine that if she had not had faith that she would have said, “Elisha, did you not hear me? I need money now! They are coming to take my sons as slaves!” Instead she went right on and followed his instructions, which were from the Lord (2 Kings 4:5). The debt was cancelled immediately because she was obedient. Has God ever given you a strategy, but you thought it was so absurd that you dismissed the thought? If you have had enough, do not dismiss the Lord’s strategies.

If you’ve enjoyed this devotion, Niccori has more topics in her book, Doing All God Has Called You To Do: A Devotion For Novice Teachers. Available for purchase here.

HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH YET? – 02/10/2021

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