Stumbling in Safe Country

Whew this may be a little random. Sorry in advance. Rod is snoring so loud that I am seriously getting anxiety. Doesn't take much people. Today was one of the first days I have had to myself in a long time. I sort of squandered it I guess. I sat in my bed and read until 10 or so. I got my hair cut AGAIN since the girl who cut it last time did a poor job.

Rod and Morgan went to the Auburn A-Day game. This was his first real time to have her without me or his mom to watch her. She came home telling me that you are not allowed to talk in the stadium and that daddy did not line the toilet. While they were gone I went to take a shirt back for Rod. I decided to stroll down the shoe aisle and "just take a peek". Of course there on the shelf were the cutest shoes. They were so me. Plus they were 14.99 and the regular price was 50.00. I have been asking the Lord to really convict me of anything that is not in line with His will. I just get so sick of me...my flesh. So, I walked around the store with the shoes, thought about the price, tried to talk myself into all of the reasons why I wanted them. I put them down, then went back to them. Then, I passed by a shirt that said tempted and I was like that is it! Those shoes are going back on the shelf and I am stinking going to be obedient. The LORD Jehovah Nissi was my banner of victory in that situation today. Then, this verse came to mind while I was in the store:

Jeremiah 12:5 (New International Version)

God's Answer

⁵ "If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?

What it meant to me was that if I can't even say no to a pair of shoes what will I do when a bigger temptation comes my way?

I was talking about these verses on Tuesday night (please don't skip and miss the blessing):

^{Exodus 17:10-13
10} So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. ¹¹ As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. ¹² When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. ¹³ So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

As I was talking, I asked my friend Cheryl what she thought of those verses. She is a woman of the word. She said something so profound yet simple: "sometimes the Lord just wants our obedience even if we don't understand it."

It didn't make sense to me as to why he had to hold his arms up for them to get the victory...but God told him to do it and he obeyed. Such a word for me. I thought again today about something I wrote a few weeks ago: Stay away from people, places, or things that will tempt you to sin. If you find yourself gossiping with a certain person apologize and tell the person that you are really going to try to honor the Lord and say only what is beneficial. If they aren't on board then (in a non-condemning way) you may have to limit your talking to that person. If a certain place will tempt you don't go there. You get the picture.

I have so much other stuff I want to blog about but I need to go to bed. I just love looking back on the things the Lord has done for me.


HERE is another post from a while back that the Lord used those verses in the beginning to speak to me.