Succes! Sometimes it can be a double-edged sword. In the beginning, you are careful to do everything the right way. The first time, you are in awe of what you have accomplished, and you are grateful to God for His grace and mercy in your life. When the process starts to repeat itself, then things change. Somewhere in the back of your head you begin to feed into the narrative that it’s more your ability than God’s grace and mercy.
Repeated success can give you a false sense of security in your abilities. The children of Israel fell into this trap after repeated success as the conquered their enemies after crossing the Jordan. They decided to enter their next battle on their own. It was all in the number; it was a sure thing. The army was so sure of their victory that they told Joshua: “There’s no need for all of us to go up there; it won’t take more than two or three thousand men to attack Ai. Since there are so few of them, don’t make all our people struggle to go up there.” (Joshua 7:3 NLT). Have you ever felt that way after God blessed you? You believed the lie that your success was based on your abilities?
When the battle began, they were unpleasantly surprised. The battle that appeared so easy was now out of reach; they were running from the enemy. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away. (Verse 5). The entire camp was in turmoil, because they left God out of their plans. Now they understood that the success they experienced came from God. Frank Sinatra sang, I Did It My Way. God’s way is different. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Thought for Today: Friend, God’s way is best.
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Have a blessed day and walk in faith and victory.
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