Battles Won Or Lost

"If you will return, O Israel, return to me, declares the LORD..." (Jeremiah 4:1a).

The day before every football game the team would gather and go over the game plan. Analyze the opponents previous method of playing the game against similar teams as ours. The coach would hand to each of us the plays we needed to have memorized and sent us off to rest. For many the word rest meant "time off" and stuffed away the game plan to go and do other things. They had the desire to win, "the big one" practiced hard during practice times, wanted to be the "champs" but one thing was lacking. The "will to win." I remember once my mother had me hold my hands out with palms up, she said to me in response of something I wanted, and said, "Wish in one hand and want in the other, and see which one fills up the fastest." I was smart, got the point, if I wanted something it was going to take more than wishing and wanting, it would take my will to do what was needed. Easy to say, hard to do at times, but until the "will" is set in motion it is all wanting and wishing. The battle is lost of won in the secret places of the will before God, never in the external world. I must get alone with Him and fight the battle before Him. I must make time to get alone, study the game plan, prepare my mind, think as the coach thinks, then the battle can be won.

Oh! I can wait, everything is O.K. when I need to, when the circumstances demand my attention, then I will meet the problem, circumstance head-on. Remember this, "When you are waist deep in alligators, it very difficult to remember the objective was to drain the swamp." Are we to put God to the test each and every time we have need for His assistance? If we have not gotten alone with God, put the matter before Him and in our will make the decision to follow His advice, found in the Bible, the battle is won or lost at that moment. You will attempt to win the battle from the external world first. Get alone with God, fight it out before Him, settle the matter there once and for all.

Every now and then God brings us to a point of climax. There is the Great Divide; we either move forward or backward, towards the goal, the solution, or to a more dilatory and useless type of Christian life, or, and may this be so for you, we become ablaze for the glory of God.  It is all a matter of the WILL!

Hear the cry of our God and Father: "Return, faithless Israel (You and me) declares the LORD,.....Return, faithless people, declares the LORD...then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding" (Jeremiah 11b, 14a, 15). The question is WILL we continue doing things our way or WILL we allow our Father who loves us enough to meet our needs. It up to our WILL!

Daily Prayer:

Father forgive me for not coming to you for all my needs. You have waited for me for so long to come home. I have tried it my way and just like the prodigal son I haven't done well with that decision. Thank you, for waiting for me, may I become all that you intend for me to be. I make it my will to serve you. Prepare me to server others.                                       Amen