Down in the Pit

A few months ago I began to read through Jeremiah and these verses struck a cord with me:Jeremiah 38:66 So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king's son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.In the Bible when some one spoke of enemies digging a pit for them or their adversary hunting them down, they were being VERY literal. I don't think (unless we are familiar with war) that when we read we understand that these were literal enemies opposing people like David and Jeremiah. We clearly have real enemies but a lot of ours are in the unseen realm since our battle is not against flesh and blood. Sometimes I wish my battle was in the seen..so that maybe it would be easier. Don't get me wrong, I DO NOT want to be on the run like David was, hiding out in caves and etc. That is not for me! My point is that in combat the enemy would literally dig our pits or cisterns for whoever they wanted to trap or kill. The Psalms speak of pits over and over...just take a look for yourself. Read the following verse and consider the word pit in the Hebrew with me:NIV Psalm 28:1 Of David. To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.The word for pit is Bor meaning: "pit, hole, cistern, well, dungeon, grave. Empty cisterns were used for prisons (Jer. 38:6; Zec. 9:11). The Hebrews conceived of death as a giant pit..."My point is that when Jeremiah sank down into the mud in the cistern or pit that was dug FOR HIM...he would have seen this as the same this as a grave dug for him. Jeremiah is known as the "weeping prophet" and if you study him you will see that...but what stood out to me was that he was obedient to God and rejected by man over and over. There is something about the truth that cuts like a knife...people either love it or hate it. I am sure you know like me that there have been times when you wanted to close your ears to the truth and do your own thing. The truth is not popular and it is costly. My life is pathetic in comparison to Jeremiah. God told him what to do and he did it. It is my constant prayer that I would obey the Lord. Whenever I choose my way over His I end up suffering. In the words of my favorite preacher (James MacDonald) "Choose to sin, choose to suffer." Yet sometimes we will suffer and face being struck down or shipwrecked so to speak from following the Lord. If obedience gets us a cistern who wants that right!?! Be honest the second Christ starts to cost us something and we start barreling into trials we want Him to take His hand off the thermostat of our fiery furnace. That's me anyway. But I have been there with Jeremiah...only mostly I have jumped into my own pit. We are not to be unaware of our enemies schemes. He wants to trap and ensnare us in all manner of sins. The enemy really sets traps for us. He tries to lead us like a lamb to the slaughter. Of course everyone knows that Rod is a hunter...he spends a lot of time camouflaging himself, putting doe urine on his body (SICK!), and he even plants fields during the middle of the year to feed the dear and bait them in. He has cameras that detect motion and take pictures to see where the deer are feeding. My point is that he goes through great lengths to lure the deer in, camouflage himself and bait those sweet things in. All Rod can think about right now is the hunt and if you know anything about deer hunting in Alabama you will know that the rut is about to kick in. This is mating time for the deer. The bucks completely throw caution to the wind as they try to mate. They let their guard down and this is the perfect time to bag that Big Buck. I don't get it...but I like to draw the analogy. In my life that is they way satan works with me. Don't get me wrong I can get into trouble without his help. He will lure me, bait me, camouflage sin and bam he's got me in the pit. He wants to destroy our testimony and make us ineffective for the kingdom. Thankfully when we do blow it, like me so many times, we can come back to the Lover of our souls. I was thinking about David the other day and wondering if after he blew it did he hang his harp and quit playing? Maybe he did for a time but I think God restored him and put a new song in his heart. One of the things the enemy tries to get us to believe after we have taken a fall is that we are worthless and that we can no longer go to God. That is a lie from the pit. We need to get back with the Lord regardless and restore our fellowship with Him. My friend called me yesterday and she was telling me about a sermon she heard at church and she said that the pastor kept saying that if we are still here that God has a plan for us. Believe that in your own life. Don't quit getting in the word. Don't quit surrounding yourself with believers. The worst thing you can do is separate yourself...we need each other. Trust in God's ability to forgive and restore you...don't trust in how you feel. Like Peter, when you have turned back, strengthen the brethren. Warn anyone who will listen that the pit is like going down to death and that they want to stay walking on the straight and narrow. When God pulls you out of your pit, learn from it and make the enemy sorry he ever messed with you.