God disciplines those He loves, right? We all know that, and, no doubt we have all been the recipients of that discipline. I wanted to share something God taught me through this, with the hope that it might help and encourage some of you.

 

Have you ever experienced rough times that never seem to go away? You know, those, when-will-it-ever-end-God situations. Those why-does-it-keep-getting-worse-God circumstances. Well, I have, too. In fact, not too long ago there was kind of an eruption in all this, and I had just had enough. Ever been there? I decided to quit fighting. It was all too much, I decided, and I was weary. I allowed myself to stop running the race. For just a few days, I stopped reaching for answers in God’s Word, and certainly wasn’t interested in Godly counsel!

 

One afternoon as I stood at my kitchen counter preparing supper, the Word of God poured through my mind with such force that I had to stop and listen! These are the words I heard….

 

“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the One Who calls you!”

 

I knew those words. God had given them to me one other time, a few years ago when I was on the road to giving up. I went to my Bible and turned to Galations 5:7-8, and there they were. Underlined and starred, a forever reminder of what God had so lovingly done before. Treasured discipline from the Father. His precious way of saying to me, “What are you doing? Why are you allowing this person and this circumstance to keep you from obeying My Truth? Follow me, child. Obey my Word. Live My way and I will see you through!” I had to put supper on hold then, to spend some time with my Father. We talked awhile and got things figured out, and I praised Him for loving me enough to snatch me away from that place I was in. God reminded me that the people and circumstances were not my real enemy…it was Satan! I had given him an inch and he had indeed taken a mile! This was not an earthly battle, but a spiritual one, and it was time to take my stand back, right on the Word of God!

 

So, it is with much love and understanding I ask you today…..who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? What kind of obstacles is the enemy throwing in front of you to knock you off course, to keep you from obeying our God? In what way is satan trying to persuade you to stop following hard after Jesus, to keep you from running the race set before you?