God's Adversaries

            Would you believe it if I told you that God raises up good people to be our adversaries?  Recognizing the adversaries that are from God is very important for our spiritual development.  Too often we blame the devil, when it is really God who is blocking our way and placing adversaries in our path.  He did this with a donkey in Numbers 22 and he did it again in I Kings 11 and 12 with coworkers and neighbors.  “And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon…” 11:14 “God also raised up as an adversary to him…” 11:23  “Jereboam also lifted up his hand against the King.”  11:26  The story goes like this: The Lord is angry with Solomon because his heart was given to foreign woman and their false gods.  As a result the Lord raises up adversaries against Solomon and his son Rehoboam who reigned in his stead.  As tensions rise, the family splits, and warfare is about to start, God intervenes and says, “Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives…Turn every man back to his home, because this thing is from Me.”

            We need to recognize when we are in the midst of conflict and first and foremost discern if we are being blocked by the Lord.  In my experience, I have found that the Lord is behind the resistance most of the time.  I can only think of one time in my life that the forces of evil were opposing me…most of my problems have been self imposed, thus requiring God to send adversaries, for my benefit.  If we would humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and man, God will not have to do it for us.