I was out at the ranch mending some fences this weekend. Several things came to my mind as I was working with barbed-wire, near briars and fire-ants. That is a painful combination. It seemed that every few moments I was either getting stuck by the barbed-wire, or the vines of briars. And if they didn’t get me, those pesky fire ants kept finding their way into my boot and on my leg. But I had to get the fence up, so I continued.
While I was working through these obstacles of pain, I was reminded of this scripture in the book of Numbers.
Numbers 33:55 “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.”
God told Israel to drive everyone out of the land He was giving them, or they would end up being barbs in their eyes and thorns in their side and would give them trouble. Israel didn’t listen and God’s warning was true.
Now I didn’t get poked in the eye. I only had a few scratches on my arms, a few pokes through my gloves, and few bites on my leg. But it reminded me of the fact that there are many dangers and many sources of pain that will cause trouble for your life if you don’t obey the Lord.
The word of the day is pain. Remind yourself that the pain of obedience is never as difficult as the pain of disobedience.
What is God asking of you today? Don’t hesitate. Follow through with whatever God is asking you to do. It will make your life better.