Topic: Hold Your Ground [Joyce Meyer Devotional 25 August 2020]
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Samuel said, What have you done? Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines were assembled at Michmash, I thought, The Philistines will come down now upon me. . . . So I forced myself to offer a burnt offering.— 1 Samuel 13:11-12 (AMPC)
Remember King Saul? He was the king of Israel before David, and the reason he ultimately lost his kingdom is because he let the fear of people cause him to lose his confidence in God (see 1 Samuel 13 and 15 NIV). In the same way, I believe we often get involved in things just because we’re stressed out over others’ opinions. We’re afraid we won’t know what’s going on, or that someone else will gain control of a situation if we’re not there every minute to speak for ourselves. We want our children to fit in with the other children, so we let them get involved in way too many activities because we’re afraid they’ll be rejected or miss out on an opportunity.
Because of the abuse in my home and all the secrets I had to keep, I always felt left out. I was afraid my children would go through the same pain I did, so anything they wanted to do, I thought we should find a way to do it. It’s the kind of stress that some moms allow to push them to buy a $150 pair of tennis shoes for their child just because “everyone has them.” If that’s where you’re at, it’s time to get free. Ask God for wisdom as you’re making decisions—on what to commit to, which things to buy, where to invest your time, etc—and He’ll show you exactly what you need to do, and what you can confidently say no to (see James 1:5 NIV).
Prayer Starter:Father, it’s so easy to cave in when stress and fear are trying to push my buttons. Thank You for guiding my steps as I’m making decisions, and for helping me stay confident in You so I can say no when I need to. In Jesus’ Name, amen