..."Look what's happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied....Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! ...And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it all away. Why? Because My house lies in ruins...while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. I have called for a drought...to ruin everything you have worked so hard to get." (Hag1:5,6,9,11)
When a shepherd or farmer wants to move his flock from one place to another, he doesn't beat them, he cuts off every alternative route until there is no way to go but in the direction the farmer wants them to go. God is always good and He cannot deny Who He is (2Ti2:13), and His love is unfailing but when we won't go down the path He has for us, He will work against us. If a person does not repent, God will sharpen His sword;...(Ps7:12) This isn't just referring to those who don't know God, it refers to us. What God says in Haggai applies to us. If God has spoken to us about something and we won't do it, He will work to get our attention and hinder our efforts.
One of the things that I have learnt in my walk with God is that if I am getting nowhere, or going back wards, something is wrong. Many times I have cried out to God and asked why He is fighting against me. It began in small ways, for instance, while sewing, something that should have taken five minutes would take over an hour to do. I would cry out to God and He would show me that it was wrong, I had the wrong two pieces together or inside out or something similar. Then it became life issues and now I know when God is trying to get my attention or actually fighting against me.
Telling God what to do instead of praying His will over a situation, or deferred obedience or have my own agenda can all result in God doing something to get my attention. This is nothing new, with Balaam, the LORD used a donkey to stop him. "Why did you beat your donkey those three times?" the angel of the LORD demanded. "Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me." (Nu22:32) God works in our lives for our long term eternal good.
Another example is Manasseh, King of Judah who led the people to do more evil than the pagan nations the LORD had destroyed. So the LORD sent the Assyrian armies and they took Manasseh prisoner and to Babylon. But while in deep distress he sought the LORD his God and sincerely humbled himself before God and the LORD listened to him and brought him back to Jerusalem. (2Chr33:9-13)
Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people... God was very displeased and He punished Israel for it. Then David said to God, "I have sinned greatly by taking this census..." So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel and 70,000 people died as a result. (1Chr21:1,7,8,14) Other people get caught up in the consequences of our actions. We don't know why David didn't realise where this was coming from especially when Joab the commander of the army tried to change David's mind about the census. (V3) David bought the land where the angel of death stopped and this was where the temple of the LORD was built by Solomon. (2Chr3:1)
King Saul disobeyed God And the LORD was sorry He had ever made Saul king of Israel. (1Sa15:35). Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. (1Sa16:14) On the surface, this doesn't appear to be the act of a loving God. But we know that God has no favourites and that He wants all men to repent and come to Him. Saul could have repented and humbled his heart and restored his relationship with God. God did it with Manasseh, probably the evilest king recorded in the Bible, so God would certainly have done it with Saul.
We may love God but we are not experiencing the rich and satisfying life that Jesus came to bring. (Jo10:10) This may appear to be the result of circumstances beyond our control or bad luck when actually it is the result of striving with God. I know what this is like because God challenged me about reading romance novels but I wouldn't give them up. They weren't hurting anyone, or so I thought, but they were a wedge between God and me. When we work hard but get nowhere, it can be the result of God fighting against us in an effort to get our attention.
If our efforts are being hindered by the Lord we know why. Has He asked us to leave our job and work at helping others? We're afraid of how we will cope financially if we leave this job and work for the Lord and we certainly couldn't live by faith! So no, we won't go because things are okay as they are. We become a Jonah, but even when we say no, God will not let us go. (Jonah1:2-17) Once we make that choice, we won't experience the blessing of God in our lives until we repent and do what God has asked us to do. "What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker?..." (Is45:9)
When we see people doing something that is new or that we wouldn't do ourselves, we can try to dissuade them from their path like the religious leaders did with the apostles. Fortunately, Gamaliel counselled them to ..."Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourself fighting against God!" (Ac5:38,39) Don't fight against what God is doing in other people's lives, simply because He has not shared the vision with you.
The biggest obstacle in our path is ourselves. God has so much that He wants to do through us but He will never force us. We can change our lives by surrendering completely to His will for us. The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control." (Ps32:9) Stay on the path that the LORD your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives...(De5:33)
Praise the Name of Jesus!
These scriptures are quoted from the New Living Translation second edition except where stated otherwise. Where there are three full stops (...), part of the verse has been omitted.