Second Chronicles  chapter 13 carries the account of a battle between Jeroboam and Abijah.  It is an interesting account because in it and the account in the following chapters about Asa, we see the reasons for the fall of nations and kings.

Jeroboam: the Great Pretender

Jeroboam had been the ruler over the Northern Kingdom of Israel  for 18 years when Abijah began his reign over the Southern Kingdom of Judah and was the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon.  He had rebelled against the Lord, (it doesn’t say that he ever did follow the Lord), gathering  the “children of Belial” (literally, worthless) people around him, strengthening themselves against Rehoboam, the son of Solomon and the rightful king of all the tribes, and Judah.  (2 Chr. 13:4-72 Chr. 13:4-7
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4 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel; ⁵ Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? ⁶ Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord. ⁷ And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.  

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Abijah had ascended the throne after Rehoboam died and Jeroboam decided to take advantage of the change and any possible instability in leadership over Judah.

Truth be told, Jeroboam was a pretender to the throne.  As Abijah tells the army of the Northern Kingdom of Israel before the battle:  “Ought you not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?”  He wanted the power that such a position would afford him.  He was willing to do anything to get it.  He was rebellious and a liar.  Abijah then outlines the ways that Jeroboam has turned against God.

Abijah: Rightful Heir to the Throne

Likewise, he outlines all the ways that he has lead Judah to continue in the ways of the  Lord.  “… for we keep the charge of the LORD our God … And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain.” (2 Chr. 13:10-122 Chr. 13:10-12
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10 But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business: ¹¹ And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him. ¹² And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.  

WP-Bible plugin)  They follow the duties that God has put before them and they have put Him in charge.

Jeroboam’s army numbered some 800,000 men.  He had turned from the Lord and made golden calves to be worshiped as gods. On the other hand, Abijah had an army of 400,000 men and they had gathered to battle on the occasion of this speech.  Judah was vastly out-numbered.

We are told that while Abijah was giving his speech, Jeroboam sent part of his army around behind Abijah’s  men to ambush them.  When they were  discovered, Abijah ordered Judah to blow trumpets.  His army gave out a great shout and God smote the army of Israel and Jeroboam and delivered them into Judah’s hand. There were five hundred thousand slain that day. (2 Chr. 13:13-192 Chr. 13:13-19
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13 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them. ¹⁴ And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. ¹⁵ Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand. ¹⁷ And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men. ¹⁸ Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers. ¹⁹ And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof.  

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There is an interesting order in the account of the battle in verses 15 and 16 to take note of:

Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand.   

Notice that first God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah joined the fighting.  This is a perfect example of God’s will being accomplished in heaven before it is done on earth: in the spiritual before the physical.  God declares an outcome to the battle and then we accomplish it.

It wasn’t only the battle that was won: cities  under Jeroboam’s rule were conquered and taken.  Jeroboam was never the same after this.  He never did recover his strength. (2 Chr. 13:202 Chr. 13:20
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20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died.  

WP-Bible plugin)  Israel actually suffered many bad kings, (a total of 19), throughout its history beginning with Jeroboam all the way to the fall of the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom to the Assyrians (930 BC to about 723 BC).

In contrast, Abijah became strong, married and had 22 sons and 16 daughters by 14 wives.  (2 Chr. 13:21-222 Chr. 13:21-22
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21 But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters. ²² And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.  

WP-Bible plugin)  In reality, Abijah was not the best king, either.  He had his faults, but at least at this point of his ruler-ship, he did have his priorities straight. For the southern kingdom of Judah a little over half of its kings were considered to be good with some even considered to be “best.”

This is the story of the outcome of what happens when we turn from God to pursue  our own desires for power or greed. There are many in the Old Testament like this.  The next story deals with Asa, who gained the throne of Judah after Abijah.  He has a few more things going on that may be easier for us to identify with, but it is good to know the background of what went before his reign.

Pride, arrogance, and ignoring the will of God leads to the downfall of kings and nations.

Thank You and God Bless You.

I started this as single post about Jacob wrestling with the angel (who most people consider to be Jesus).  The point of the article was that we need to adopt the attitude of “hanging onto Jesus.” But I decided that while most who come here know the story, there may be visitors who do not know the whole story about Jacob and I originally was going to give a paragraph or two as background. I quickly found that wasn’t going to be satisfactory, so this is the first of two parts.

The story of Jacob is a complex story that is filled with intrigue and double-dealing, so let’s start at the beginning. Soon after Isaac and Rebekah were married she discovered she was barren, so Isaac prayed to God for children and God provided. This is a perfect example of intercessory prayer: Isaac prayed for Rebekah.  This is part of the husband’s duty to their family … not only to pray for them, but pray with them.  Husbands, your wife will look at you in a whole new light if you suggest setting aside a time of prayer each day for the two of you to pray together. Your marriage will be renewed and  take on a whole new dimension. Do it!

Her pregnancy produced twin boys and it was competition from the get-go between those two. Even while in the womb they wrestled and at birth Jacob grabbed hold of Esau’s heel, following as if to fight for the distinction of being the first-born. Gen 25:21-26Gen 25:21-26
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21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. ²² And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. ²³ And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. ²⁴ And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵ And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. ²⁶ And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.  

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The Birthright Sale

Each parent had their favorite, too: Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob. When they were grown, Jacob had become a farmer and Esau a hunter.

Esau came home one day and was famished to the point of fainting. Jacob was boiling a pot of soup and Esau asked for a bowl. Jacob saw his opportunity for some competition and asked him to sell his birthright for a bowl of soup. Esau, being hungry to the point of death, couldn’t see what use a birthright would be anyway, so he sold it. The birthright was very important in ancient times. It dictated one’s status and wealth in life.  Gen 25:26-30Gen 25:26-30
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26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. ²⁷ And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. ²⁸ And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. he...: Heb. venison was in his mouth ²⁹ And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: ³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. with...: Heb. with that red, with that red pottage Edom: that is Red  

WP-Bible plugin  ::  Gen 25:32Gen 25:32
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32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? at...: Heb. going to die  

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Jacob Grabs the Blessing

Now Isaac was nearing death. He was blind and confined to his bed when he called Esau, asking him to make his favorite venison meal so he could bless him and pass on the birthright. Rebekah wanted Jacob to have the blessing, so, with the help of his mother, and quite a lot of deception on her part, Jacob received the birthright.  Gen 27:1-29Gen 27:1-29
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27 ¹ And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. ² And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: ³ Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; take: Heb. hunt ⁴ And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. ⁵ And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. ⁶ And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, ⁷ Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. ⁸ Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. ⁹ Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: ¹⁰ And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. ¹¹ And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: ¹² My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. ¹³ And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them. ¹⁴ And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. ¹⁵ And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: goodly: Heb. desirable ¹⁶ And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: ¹⁷ And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. ¹⁸ And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? ¹⁹ And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. ²⁰ And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me. to me: Heb. before me ²¹ And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. ²² And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. ²³ And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him. ²⁴ And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. ²⁵ And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. ²⁶ And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. ²⁷ And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: ²⁸ Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: ²⁹ Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.  

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This is the last sentence in the blessing:

Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

The phrase I have emphasized is important for us, as gentiles, to understand. This is a promise given to Jacob that affects us today. This is the blessing over Israel which we need to follow if we want to enjoy Yahweh’s blessings. Israel was chosen by Yahweh to be a nation of priests. This passage affirms that we need to do everything we can to assist and support Israel because Yahweh never changes and His promises are never revoked.

Esau Loses the Blessing

Shortly after Jacob had exited his father’s tent, Esau arrived with the venison his father had asked of him. Isaac informed him that he had already given his blessing. He didn’t say that he gave it to Jacob – I don’t think he knew who had received it. He only said he had been tricked. Esau pressed him for the blessing, asking, “Have you only one blessing?” But Isaac was firm: He had given the blessing of the firstborn to Jacob who was born after Esau and it could not be taken back.        Gen 27:31-40Gen 27:31-40
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31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me. ³² And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. ³³ And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed. trembled...: Heb. trembled with a great trembling greatly taken: Heb. hunted ³⁴ And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. ³⁵ And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. ³⁶ And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? Jacob: that is, A supplanter ³⁷ And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? sustained: or, supported ³⁸ And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. ³⁹ And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; the fatness: or, of the fatness ⁴⁰ And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.  

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Do you remember Genesis 25:23Genesis 25:23
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23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.  

WP-Bible plugin? Jacob’s receiving of the blessing was preordained.

And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

It is also interesting that once the blessing was given, even though he was not the first-born, it could not be changed. At least Isaac refused to amend it.

Esau’s Plan for Revenge

Esau was hateful mad about this and he vowed to kill Jacob after Isaac died. Rebekah heard of his oath and decided Jacob needed to get away as soon as possible. She decided the best place would be with her brother Laban – a long way away. She raised an alarm in Isaac’s mind saying the only available women were Canaanite women and that she didn’t want Jacob to marry one of them, but that he should travel to her brother’s land and find a wife among them. Isaac dutifully blessed Jacob and sent him on his way.  Gen 27:42-46Gen 27:42-46
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42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. ⁴³ Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; ⁴⁴ And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away; ⁴⁵ Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day? ⁴⁶ And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?  

WP-Bible plugin  ::  Gen 28:1-5Gen 28:1-5
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28 ¹ And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. ² Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother. ³ And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; a multitude...: Heb. an assembly of people ⁴ And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. wherein...: Heb. of thy sojournings ⁵ And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.  

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In his fury, Esau saw that it would displease his father if Jacob were to take a Canaanite wife, so he went to Ishmael and took two wives of the Canaanites. He wanted to hurt his father while at the same time show him how much he had hurt his eldest son!  I think that’s called “cutting off one’s nose to spite the face.” Yes, he was bent on getting some sort of vengeance on his parents at the expense of the good of his own life.  Gen 28:6-9Gen 28:6-9
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6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan; ⁷ And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram; ⁸ And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; pleased...: Heb. were evil in the eyes, etc ⁹ Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife. Mahalath: or, Bashemath  

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We’ll leave the story there for this post. Part II, the follow-up, is close on the heels of this one.

Thank you for reading.

 We are living in days of discord and upset. This troubled world has, in virtually every aspect, made our lives troubled lives.  Uncertainty has touched all of us.  Domestic politics, economic hardship, international relationships, wars and rumors of war, and a constant fear of loss of everything we have worked for and once thought was secure heaps emotional baggage on our shoulders and affects our outlook of our world and our lives.  Our quality of life has been down-graded and degraded.

All this has an effect on our Christian walk, as well.  Our  changed attitude toward daily life in turn affects those with whom we come in contact. Non-believers may well wonder why they would want to become a Christian when we look troubled ourselves and act poorly during times of trouble and believers may have their faith shaken seeing someone they (once) considered to be stable and mature in their faith.

Let us consider, as Christians, how hardship changes our attitude and outlook on life and on our relationship with God when emotional baggage is strapped to our backs.  Perhaps the following can help avert troubled lives.

We might begin questioning our faith.  I have often asked myself whether it is easier to have faith in good times or in bad times and have never come up with a concrete answer.  But I know this: It is easier to have faith in good times but a stronger faith results from the hard times.  Commit to grabbing onto Jesus and never let go.  There are plenty of people and things around you that will be tempting you to turn from God, but don’t do it.  Grab on and hold on for the duration.

We might begin doubting God’s plan for our life.  Sometimes it is hard to know if we are on the path that God has set out for us and now it seems that maybe we took a wrong fork in the road.   But does it make sense that God set us on a path of plenty only to take them away from us?  No.  God doesn’t work that way.  We are not pieces on a chess board.  He has promised to always be with us and we need to remember that promise (Matt 28:20Matt 28:20
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20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.  

WP-Bible plugin).  We can become a vehicle of his glory in our world by showing that even in adversity we trust him and believe him and will not let anything draw us from him.  Remember:  we follow the better way and even if we do not know the details of the plan that God has set out for us, it is better than any plan that man or committee or government can prepare.

We might doubt God’s omnipotence.  Go outside tonight and look at the stars – really look at them as if it was the first time blind eyes have ever seen. The Milky Way, the moon, the stars, the vastness of the universe, are all a testament to his power and his presence.  Our God created the universe and all it contains and he has not lost one bit of his power.  Our God started it all spinning and keeps it all from falling apart; he has not gone to sleep or taken a celestial train ride to the end of the universe and back.  He lives outside time, has always been and will always be.  He is the “I Am.”  (Ex. 3:14Ex. 3:14
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14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.  

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We might begin to listen to our fears and anxieties before listening to God.  As Christians we are to place every issue into the hand of God because we, quite frankly, do not have the big picture and we do not have the power to alter our course for anything longer than about a minute.  I know I have had many fears and anxieties.  When I wake up and see that I am bowing to anxieties, I begin to pray and I end up giving it all to God.  I put the situation or problem in his hands and I know it will be taken care of.  Jesus told us not to be anxious for the future – the future will take care of itself.  Trust in God who knows the number of hairs on your head and knows when a sparrow falls to the earth. (Matt. 6:25Matt. 6:25
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25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?  

WP-Bible plugin, Matt. 10:28-32Matt. 10:28-32
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28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. farthing: it is in value halfpenny farthing in the original, as being the tenth part of the Roman penny ³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. ³² Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.  

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What about Our Attitudes and Mannerisms?

Don’t walk around with a long face and a depressed attitude.   Having a “Pollyanna” (“everything’s going to be wonderful, no matter how many bullets I have to take”) attitude is not being realistic about our situation.  We can be realistic and empathize with others while radiating confidence that God still has us in his hand and cares for us.  We want to convey to non-believers that Christianity is the answer to hopelessness and anxiety.

Don’t grumble about having to cut back on our lifestyle or standard of living.    God had just lead the Israelites out of bondage and almost immediately they started talking about how good the had it in Egypt.  (Exo. 16:2-3Exo. 16:2-3
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2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: ³ And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.  

WP-Bible plugin)   Grumbling not only shows disrespect toward God and his provision, but also a basic lack of trust.  We are implying that he either isn’t aware of our situation, that he isn’t taking care of us, or that he won’t do anything about it.  How can we justify this attitude toward the one who gives us every breathe we breathe?

Don’t stop witnessing to others about Jesus and the blessing God gives us.  If we are doubting God’s role in our life or grumbling about our situation, wouldn’t you think that it naturally follows that we would stop witnessing?  After all, if we don’t hang onto the promises of God during the hard times, when we need them most – what’s the use of hanging onto them at all?  If you have the gift of witnessing to the unsaved about Jesus, don’t stop.  Repeating the promises, the plans,  and the desires that God has for his children on earth will bolster your own faith and this may just be the ticket to help you out of the anxiety you may be feeling.

May God bless you in every way, every day.  Thank you for reading.