Stop playing games!

Every week, I sit down to write Rhema and I wait for these flowery and uplifting messages to appear. I mean, I wait! However, every week, I am given something that may encourage but usually doesn’t contain a lot of sunshine and roses. I have often asked the Lord why this is the case. Why can’t I be the one that causes people to break out into songs of joy and not deliverance? There is usually silence at the other end but today, the Lord told me that it was necessary. He told me that easy is not always helpful and fun doesn’t equal change. He said it’s time to stop playing games with your life.

 Let me tell you something that many don’t want to acknowledge. The enemy is waging real war on the saints of God and he is using what feels good to take people down. It’s why people don’t like rebuke and correction. It’s why a lot of young people run from the church and avoid rules. The world has made people think that comfort and good feelings is the best thing. Well, I am here to tell you not to fall for the trick. I can imagine that when Adam and Eve decided to take a bite of that forbidden fruit, it tasted good for a moment. I mean, it was the Garden of Eden after all! The Bible says, “the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her.” (Gen. 3:6, NLT) But what happened after the “feel good” moment passed? Well, the next verse says, “At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness.” (Gen. 3:7, NLT) They went from living in that blessed place of obedience to the often-heartbreaking place of exposure. They moved from being one with God and walking in dominion to shame and hiding. All of this because the enemy convinced them that they would feel better if they did what looked good. It was a trick. It’s time to stop playing games with your life.

You remember Samson, right? The one who was purposed before conception to begin delivering the Israelites from the Philistines. He was set apart for God’s use and special to Him. The enemy tried repeatedly to take this man out with cunning and violence but the thing that ultimately got him was the desires of his flesh. You see, the enemy had no idea what Samson’s strength was but he appealed to what looked good to him. He sent Delilah and she went to work. It almost seemed that Samson was smart enough to avoid the plot because he didn’t fall for the many attempts that were made. But he grows tired of Delilah asking for his secret and tells her exactly what is necessary to steal his strength. “She helped Samson fall asleep in her lap and called in a man to shave off the seven locks of Samson’s hair. Immediately his strength left him.” (Judges 16:19, VOICE) I am sure it felt great to fall asleep in the arms of the one he loved but in a matter of moments, his strength was gone. All because the enemy gave him what looked and felt good to his flesh. It was a trick. It is time to stop playing games with your life.

What does this have to do with me, Ebony? Well, it’s actually pretty simple. Too many of you are being tricked into doing what feels good rather than what will grow you. You are missing out on good relationships and prosperous business opportunities because the person doesn’t look like the world’s definition of beauty or the job is not glamorous.  It is time for the people of God to grow up and operate in obedience and not comfort. It is time to ask God what you need to correct and not what will be easy. It is time to ask God what He wants for you and not what you want for you. It’s time to stop looking for the next best thing and focus on the next right thing. It is time to stop playing games with your life. May you hear God speaking to your spirit and ignore what the enemy is speaking to your flesh.

Amen.