Today's Word came purposely for me but i feel within my spirit that i need to share because i am not the only one The Word came for. As many of you may know, i am a 'people's pleaser' and i am not ashamed to say that. Yes it's not always right to please people and i have grown to know this the hard way. I have come to realise that as you journey on to your destiny or God given purpose, there will be 'Dogs Barking' at you at every stage. The key is to be FOCUSED and keep going. If you should stop to throw stones at every dog barking, you will never reach your destination.
'Don't stop to throw stones at every dog barking at you' has been a phrase i had heard several times, but never before had it been so clear to me what it actually meant till recently. See, being a people's pleaser, i had been battling in my mind for so long on why people treated me the way they did, why they didn't like me, why they said hurtful things to me.......i would ask why why why and the list goes on.
I had been praying about it for a while for God to lead me in a way i could solve these issues or perhaps get over them. There were nights when i'll cry out to God because i knew i had done nothing but wished the best for people so i didn't deserve the treatment i was getting back. There is a saying that, 'When you think everyone around is mistreating you, then you need to check on yourself because you might be the cause of their behavior'. I took this on board and started another prayer chain of renewing of the mind or whatever it was that i was doing to attract such behaviors.
I woke up today and was reminded of the phrase above. I was also lead to the story of Nehemiah.....Let me tell you a bit about the Story of Nehemiah(Please read Nehemiah chapters 2 - 6 when you get the chance).
When Nehemiah wanted to go and rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem, Sanballat and Tobiah were upset that someone had come to help the Isrealites. These two men not knowing Hehemiah from anywhere made fun of him and also laughed at him when he started rebuilding the walls. They made sure to say hurtful words to Nehemiah and his men who had been working tirelessly to rebuild the walls. To talk of hatred, Sanballat and Tobiah at one point made it very clear of their hatred for Nehemiah. They made plans to stir up trouble and fight against the people of Jerusalem. They even made up stories and false accusations against Nehemiah just so they could harm him.
But through it all Nehemiah kept focused and prayed to God. I can just about imagine what was going through his mind at the time, with all sorts of accusations together with the pressure from his own people to finish the task at hand. Nehemiah prayed at every stage of the battle. He prayed for wisdom, he prayed for direction and also for strength to go through it all. He finally finished building the walls and Sanballat and Tobiah were put to shame.
After reading this story, The Spirit of God aroused a spiritual anger so fierce within me i rose up and told myself NEVER again. I choose to stop throwing stones at every barking dog that comes my way. If you don't know then let me tell you today, When God has a purpose for your life or makes you a beacon for His Glory to the world, the enemy can even use the closest to you (if they allow themselves) to distract you. Not everyone will like you or will rejoice with you when God raise you to a higher level. Not everyone will understand the magnitude of blessings given to you because their minds can't comprehend. And guess what? As difficult as it may seem that the whole world is turning against you, that is when you need to be FOCUSED. Focus on the purpose for which God has called you in this marvelous light and keep shining. Focus on the goal of which you are set for, focus on your destination but remember you have to keep your eyes on Jesus......remember Nehemiah prayed at every stage of his journey instead of stopping to have a 'pity party'. He knew he had a God who was bigger than the 'nay sayers' and the 'back stabbers' so he persevered till he finished his task.
I have chosen to look up to God and it is my prayer that you do the same. But remember to always pray for those who persecute or say wrong about you because only their eyes will they see what The Great I AM is doing and they will testify of God's goodness. Not only will they testify but they will also come to the saving Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Have a blessed evening as you mediate of this.
#inspired...ann #WiseQuotes
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