GOD, FOR THEM OR ME?

Happy New Year, guyssssssss. Long time… I have missed you.

I may or may not have gone away in the hopes of becoming flawless in the sight of God and men before writing again–among other things, but I failed, so I have returned with all of my imperfections. That we will never really know because I am not confirming nor denying anything…wink wink lol.

What are your resolutions for this year? Did you already quit? I hope not. Did you know that January 10 was National Quitters Day? People are known to have abandoned their resolutions by the second Friday in January. This year, we’ll finish what we have started, right? Anyway, let me share something with you. This is not what I intended to share, but I am not receiving the appropriate way to convey my thoughts, it is a topic near and dear to my heart, so I am hoping that the Holy Spirit will come through soon. So here’s what I learned yesterday.

I have been somewhat following the news of the wildfires that have been causing havoc in California. Thousands of families have lost their homes and left with nothing. It is very sad. There was an interview with a 65-year-old man who was able to save not only his own home but also the homes of his two neighbors (to the immediate left and right). He stated that he had lived in that home his entire life, and that his parents built it in the 1960s. That left me wondering how he was able to rescue his neighbors’ homes, and why. I believe the how was obviously, he used water, however that was as much as I was able to understand. Buttttttt, I believe I know the why even though he didn’t mention it. Courtesy of the Holy Spirit, of course.

I’m sure he’s a wonderful neighbor, and he did it to be nice. Butttttt, hear me out: after your neighbor’s house is done burning, where do you think the fire will travel next? I can hear your ummm from where I am since I said the same thing when the Holy Spirit asked me. So saving his neighbors’ homes, which may be a lot of labor and may not make sense given his purpose, will also save his? Interesting…

Doesn’t this remind you of our walk with God?

The reverse that makes literally no sense is actually the way to go. “God, why am I praying for my enemies and wishing them well when they are my enemies?” Am I not supposed to be cursing them, so you can strike them dead for me? In the words of Leonard Ravenhill, “Notice, we never pray for folks we gossip about, and we never gossip about the folks for whom we pray! For prayer is a great detergent.” That’s it!! Praying for my enemies is not just for them but it becomes a shield for my own heart as well. Our default as humans is to repay evil for evil and respond with hate if we are hated. God, in his infinite wisdom, understands that I cannot truly pray for someone while yet hating them–it is simply impossible.

God wants to be close to us, but he knows that if our hearts are hardened by the complexities of life then he wouldn’t be able to stay close. So he has given us a shield and a heart softener. The man wanted to save his house, so common sense told him that if he could only save his neighbors’ houses then there’s a very high chance that his will remain standing. I hope this revelation is moving in your heart the same way it moved in mine. 

Finally, he casually mentioned that the neighbors had thanked him. In his words, “a thanks is plenty.” I believe he would have been disappointed if his neighbors had not returned to thank him, but I don’t think it would have kept him awake at night because his main purpose, saving his parents’ blood and sweat from being destroyed, had been met. I believe that the appreciation he received from his neighbors was the icing on top of everything. It makes no difference if your enemies are aware that you prayed for them or wished them well; that was not even the point. God wants to shield our hearts, and THAT IS THE GOAL. As long as the goal is met, everything else is just the icing on top.