Judges 10-12
Judges 10:10, FINALLY!
How far lost do you have to be that it takes that much destruction for you to cry out to the Lord for help?!
But although confession here is a start--finally God is talking back!! that‘s what confession does, because it’s honest--it’s not enough.
Acknowledging your faults is ONLY the first step. It’s not enough to invite the rescue of God.
It wasn’t until verse 16, where it says, “Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the Lord. And he was grieved by their misery
When we worship God with honest hearts, He’s moved to compassion for our situations.
ENTER JEPHTHAH.
Tob-Living
What you think disqualifies you--might just be the very thing God uses.
WHY do you want victory??
We have to examine our own motives. Our hearts are endlessly wicked, the Bible says--we can make excuses for all kinds of behavior...but if we have selfish motives, at some point, it’s possible to want something TOO bad..
Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”
But HOW did Jephthah get his victory?
Because victory on the battlefield doesn’t necessarily mean victory at home.
God’s victories are WHOLE. When he restored Job, he restored EVERYTHING Job lost, including family. When he restored Moses as a leader, he restored EVERYTHING. When we restored Joseph, he restored EVERYTHING..and not just everyTHING, but everyONE, in every case. And God’s math isn’t addition, multiplication. When you look out for the purposes of God, He looks out for you.
We have to examine our own motives, and rely only on the Lord for strength.
This series isn’t about being victorious in politics, or triumphing over our enemies. It’s about seeing breakthrough in your life--but before we set out to see breakthrough, we must be aware of our own motives, and be VERY clear on WHO wins the victory for us.
Jephthah’s story is a cautionary tale. It could have been vindication for Jephthah. It could have been restoration for an individual. But he didn’t examine his own motives..and he didn’t rely solely on the Lord. God still worked it out for the good of HIS PEOPLE...this story is a victory story FOR THEM. For the repentant. For those who confess and turn from their ways. But it could have been so much more.
I think I have been praying with selfish motives, and I need to examine them.
I’ve been relying on my own strength--not His.