Ain't That A Kick In The Head...

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. (Genesis 3:18 NIV)

Have you ever been attacked by enemies? It is hard to understand unprovoked attacks and even harder to reconcile why they sometimes continue without end. No matter how much good you try to do, the enemies simply won't be satisfied until they see you destroyed. This may seem harsh, but the truth is this happens to many good people. It happens in families, on the jobs and yes, even in our churches. No one is immune to the disease of evil, and I believe that Christians face more enemies than most.

The Bible tells us that "all things work together for good" (Romans 8:28 NIV). But, we often think that in order for something to turn out for our good, it will all be good in the process. My friend, this is where the lines get blurred. God says, "all things work together for the good of those who are the called according to God for his purpose." It doesn't say, all things will be good to work out for good. 

Today, I am reminded of the Chief Priest Caiaphas. This man was largely responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. If you are acquainted with Christ's betrayal, you know that Scripture clearly tell us  "that no man took Jesus life, He himself laid it down" (John 10:18). But, a process was in place in order for the "cross' to become a reality. The night Jesus was handed over, an evil plot was dispatched against him. He was falsely accused, no one wanted to hear the truth, even if they knew it themselves! Anyone who didn't stay silent and went to defend him, was quickly hushed up and hurried away.

Beautiful One, God didn't stop the plot from unfolding. God didn't silence the enemies within the crowd or among the leaders. Jesus, at any time, could have called upon ten thousand angels and wiped all of His enemies off the map. But He didn't. Why? Why would God allow such a hateful, hurtful event from occurring? Why allow "good" to be paid for by evil?

When we think of Jesus going through the events of that night, it is easy to reckon that if God had stopped it, there would be no cross or redemption of man. So, it's easy to understand why it happened to Jesus. But what about us?

Why would God allow us to go through hard and painful times? Why must we be victims of circumstance or anothers shortcomings? Why go through it all? We are not going to save mankind like Jesus did, and we don't have the assurance of sitting next to God when it's all over. When our enemies triumph over us and laugh, what possible good can come from that?

The answer is simply this: there has to be an enemy in order to find your ally. Without the presence evil how would we be able to identify good? If Jesus had been saved that fateful night, how would've He made it to the cross? Caiaphas, one of the leaders, actually did more good by doing harm.

Selah!

Dare I say; God uses our enemies, more times than He stops and silences them.

If you look at your own enemies in life, you know we all have a Goliath in there somewhere. Just look at how they staunchly fight every effort you make. But may I remind you that if you are going through this level of opposition, then you are more powerful and purposed than most. The hardest punches are thrown to the ones who will do the most for God.

  Resurrection day came for Christ, and He handed the keys of death and hell back to God! What beautiful ending will play out for you? Do you really think God has brought you through all you've been through, to leave you now?

Beautiful One, it took more power for Christ to stay on that cross than if He'd come down. It takes more power for us to stand in times of darkness after enduring the lashings of others. And, when enemies rage against us, be sure of this; they may try to destroy us, but ultimately, their actions magnify just how big our God is! 

God uses the enemies in our lives, but remember this: our heels may get bruised while we walk with God, but bruises heal! Crushing the head of an evil plot does not! Let us be mindful that when we encounter attacks from an enemy, we have a God. He promises to something good out of it.

He will use the very foot that was stuck out to trip you, and use it as a stool to step on up into victory! Ain't that a kick in the head! 

Beautiful One, just believe!