Housetop or Desert land: Your battle will leave you alone...

A friend of mine had asked a question about nagging and I responded that nagging is not a matter of who does it more but it really boils down to some women not knowing how to pick their battles. When thinking about what to stand up for and what to turn the other cheek to some people fail to put this into practice and they become labeled as "that guy." Don't act confused like you don't know one or two or a handful of "those guys." They are the people who must be heard about everything, they are the ones who make every situation into an argument or a fight or a battle so much "bigger" than themselves everything that comes out of their mouth is a complaint. These people are the ones that rarely seem happy and you wonder if they know the same God you know. You ask them if they do and they respond yes! They claim to pray but the battle is still moving forward. They claim they turn it over to God but the battle continues to keep building. They claim they are faithful people and strong believers but everyday, it seems, they keep losing the battle of "hearing themselves" with a big win for the devil.


The bible doesn't speak highly of quarrelsome women and Yolanda Adams told us years ago that the battle is not yours it's the Lords. Here's what the bible says about quarrelsome women:

Proverbs 25:24 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

Proverbs 21:19 It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.

Proverbs 19:13 A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.

Proverbs 27:15 A continual dripping on a rainy day and quarrelsome wife are alike

Notice I didn't say wife in my description but I said women. A quarrelsome person is not just a woman but I'm sure you might know some men who are quarrelsome. Constantly have to fight and be right all the time but here's what this message about battles tells us. It describes how when King David fought the Philistines that before he even made a MOVE he asked God what he should do. King David didn't go into that battle screaming and hollering, waving his weapon like a mad man trying to prove his point that they would be defeated, NO, he asked God what move he should make and God told him.

This is a great word for many of us, including myself, as I can be that mad man waving my weapon trying to prove my point no matter the cost. But I thank God for wisdom on my spiritual journey because there are times when I want to be "that guy" but the Holy Spirit stops me. :)

Pick your battles wisely friends! Consult God in every situation no matter how small or stupid you might think it is because something small or stupid could be the culprit that will send you into a war that will leave you empty, embarrassed, and possibly alone. (see the housetop/desert land)

Take care of yourselves and have an awesome Tuesday!

This song has gotten me through so much... I can't even explain.

Want to learn more about my journey to this place?

(See previous blog posts)

Many Civil War scholars would consider the Battle of Gettysburg as the turning point - or certainly one of the turning points - of that bloody war. And Civil War buffs have discussed for decades what factors actually decided the outcome of the battle that may have decided the outcome of the war. One key factor happened before the real battle actually began those three days in July of 1863. Soldiers from both North and South were on the move as Lee's troops launched an invasion of Union territory. Union General Buford unintentionally encountered some of the advance Confederate forces. Well, he sized up the terrain around Gettysburg, and he decided that the ground called Cemetery Ridge would be decisive high ground when the forces of Blue and Gray finally came to blows. He determined to keep the advance Southern troops from having that ground, and he succeeded. In so doing, he secured for the North, ground that would indeed help decide the outcome of the Battle of Gettysburg.



I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Choosing Your Battles."


Throughout military history, victories have been won because someone knew which battle was worth fighting and which battleground was best to fight on. It might be an important part of whether or not you'll win in some of the battles you're fighting in right now as a parent, in your work, in keeping people together, or in your church.


King David was a veteran warrior, and he understood that it was important to be sure that you're fighting the right battles. In 2 Samuel 5, beginning with verse 18, our word for today from the Word of God, the Bible says: "Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, 'Shall I go and attack the Philistines?'... The Lord answered him, 'Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you.' So David went...and he defeated them."


Later, the Philistines invaded again. "So David inquired of the Lord, and He answered, 'Do not go straight up...'" Now, notice here, David did not undertake a battle until he had checked with God to see if this was a battle he should fight. That's a powerful model for you and me.


Some of us as parents - as leaders - tend to make everything a battle. We just can't keep our mouth shut, we can't let anything pass. And even if you're fighting good battles, if you're always fighting, people become immune to you. And when you've got a really important issue to fight for, they'll just say, "Here he goes again." That's not good. Some of us parents so want our kids to do the right thing that we're all over them all of the time. And they eventually just turn us off. Same with any of us who are always fighting.
 
So don't make every issue a battleground. Don't make everything a battle. Fight for the real issues, not over every incident. Don't try to settle issues based on an incident that's got everybody all inflamed right now. Deal with it at a time when there's not an incident. Save your ammunition for the battles that really matter. Above all, always check with God to see if this is His battle; one that He thinks is worth fighting. So that you can say with David against Goliath, "The battle is the Lord's." Choosing your battles, choosing your battlegrounds, and sometimes holding your fire. Those are keys to winning the battles that decide the war.