SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY
Psalm 7:14-17
Memory Verse: “Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.” Psalm 7:14
How does one become pregnant? A seed is implanted. With the exception of non-consensual acts, most of the time it is by getting into bed with someone. So much of our world is broken. Divisions are at an all-time high, evil abounds to the left and to the right. Evil abounds, conceives trouble and gives birth to violence, deception and disillusionment. So when we see this trouble and deception, let’s trace it backward to its origins. How has all of this been birthed? Like a spiritual Maury Povich, “Who is the father?” Well… who have you gotten into bed with during this season? When we align our minds and our values so intimately with nations, powers and parties whose values will never align wholly with God, soon enough we will be pregnant with evil.
Multiple times throughout scripture God calls His people adulterers (see the book of Hosea) because they got in bed with other nations and gods and sought power and protection from them and not Him. We are living in a time of spiritual adultery with politics. It has made God’s bride (the Church) become pregnant with the anger and prejudices of this world, and has conceived all kinds of trouble. It has divided the family of God. We have had a wandering eye toward conspiracies and the self-righteous what-about-them-isms, instead of a loving devotion to Him; there has been a great divorce between our commitment to Christ and the practices of our lives. No wonder so many people have grown disillusioned with Christians.
In Psalm 4, the psalmist says, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Faithfulness will mean repentance for snuggling up with other powers who have filled us with prejudices and divisions and choosing to return to God’s loving embrace. Just like an act of adultery, we must cut off communication; stop connecting with them over social media and ignore their calls (their ‘news’). We must choose to wake to God and seek His voice each morning and at night to return to the comfort of His words once again. Let us commit, like David, to lie down with the only one who will be our refuge and strength.
Challenge: Open the Bible at night before you go to bed. Read the Psalms, or the teachings of Jesus, just a little bit each night.
Pray: “God forgive me for sleeping with the enemy. God show me ways I have allowed negativity, prejudice and brokenness to be implanted in my spirit. God please be my joy, my refuge, my strength and my hope alone.”