Use What You Have…

God has committed Himself to your success.

(Jer 29:11-13)

Maximize your strengths, minimize your weaknesses. Hone in on your talents and giftings. Use what you have to get what you want. Have you heard any of these before?

When you are intelligent (like Ahithophel), you tend to think that you are always right. So it’s challenging to look at something terrible happening when you did your best to prevent it. Maybe you told those who could do something about it, but they did nothing about it. It may also be difficult for someone to work against you because you could easily anticipate their moves. However, things are different if it’s God, Himself, who is against you.

Absalom had staged a palace coup and succeeded. Absalom was young, handsome, ambitious; Ahithophel, his counsellor, was brilliant. Under Ahithophel’s guidance, he was going to go places very fast. David, his father, was in self-imposed exile. Furthermore, the whole of Israel seemed to love their new king. Everything was going well for them. But believe me, any rivalry between a father and son must be painful indeed for both, no matter how much they pretend.

All of a sudden, some nonentity called Hushai showed up in the palace. To Absalom, he looked like a strategic ally from the enemy (David’s) camp. Absalom accepted him. Ahithophel was not happy with that. To make matters worse, Absalom even considered Hushai’s first recorded counsel to be actually better than Ahithophel’s! Ahithophel saw clearly what was going to happen. David would win the battle if they did not strike immediately. And it will be horrible to have to face King David, his former boss. Apart from this, the unshakeable feeling that God was working against Ahithophel revealed why Absalom preferred Hushai’s suggestion to his counsel. O Ahithophel. So he went home (2Sam17:23), wisely put his house in order and unwisely hurried on to hell (committed suicide). Think about Prov12:13, the wicked are caught in their trap, the just escapes trouble. Hey, what did Ahithophel

It is hard to think that God gives you a gift like beauty, intelligence, fluency in languages, strength, influence, etc., and you use it against Him! And even look forward to a hollow success. Listen again, Satan allures people with promises. But in the end, every single soul will discover that the wages of sin is death (Rom6.23).

Should you use your gifts to your advantage and strive to reach the height of all you could ever be? Should you develop others in your sphere of influence, help them achieve their best? Should you glorify God in your fantastic body 1Cor 6:20? Should you grab your mind, wandering in all kinds of unspeakable places and bring it under subjection to the right, proactive thinking Isaiah26:3; Prov3:5?

Stay focused, blest and ‘shalomious’ my friend, From your friend,

Pastor Amoah