The Silent Enemy 👀👀

Hello there! It's a beautiful day to be alive, isn't it? Thank God for keeping you and even more, for bringing you here. I hope you had a great weekend. Thanks for tuning in (again)🤗.

Today, I'd like to bring to the fore, something very practical. As children of God, the reality of things is that we are not always at a spiritual high. We are not on the same frequency every day, week, month or year. There are days when you feel more alert and energised spiritually; when you feel better able to discern the things of the Spirit and RESIST temptation and then there are days when you cannot seem to get things going.

First, I would like to establish that as children of God, we walk by FAITH not by FEELING. Even alphabetically, Faith trumps Feeling. Be that as it may, I think it's also important to observe your feelings as they sometimes hold a message which you can take on to better position yourself spiritually. For example, while you should not wait to feel like being nice to people before being nice, the fact that you don't feel like being nice consistently could be a sign of a much deeper problem spiritually - something could be sapping your joy and peace 🤔. 

Back to today's talk on the silent enemy. I have often heard it preached/taught that idleness or being too relaxed is part of the recipe for failure and lost battles to the enemy. That's absolutely correct. Just ask David who decided to chill when kings were at war. He caused unforgettable harm to his family and kingdom by the carelessness that came with being at ease at the wrong time.

In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 11:1 NLT

Being at ease at the wrong time is only one side of the coin really. The other side is the sharp opposite and it is FAILURE TO REST. When we are tired, generally our judgement is clouded and we are unable to make decisions as well as we would if we were sufficiently rested. I can tell you from personal experience that I have fallen into temptations in the past simply because I had not slept properly and my judgement was impaired. Even Elijah was depressed because he was tired. When he slept and ate, he was revived as seen in 1 Kings 19:3-8

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord ,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.

1 Kings 19:3‭-‬8 NLT

My friend, resisting temptation is largely a function of your spiritual health however you must remember that your spirit's house needs to be cared for (not worshipped) for you to function optimally in this realm. 

It is often said that an idle mind is the devil's workshop. I would like to add that a fatigued mind is the devil's playground. Be wise. Learn to rest and rest in the Lord's presence more specifically. There's nothing like the Lord's presence.

Dear God, thank You for who You are and what you have called us - Your children. We love You Daddy and we ask You for grace to manage our bodies- Your temple(s) appropriately so we can perform at our best in You. As we go this week, teach us the way to go as You have promised in Your word in Jesus' name (amen).

Have a blessed week. Remember to rest and to share this too. Shalom 😁🤗