People make mistakes.

I want to share something with you that is releasing a blessing as I’m writing it. As in the middle of writing what I thought would be this current post, and by the time I got halfway through, I looked up, read it over, and realized it was garbage. Now, I want to remind you that all that I write is inspired by the Holy Spirit. I don’t write unless He tells me He’s given me a word.

I sought out God in prayer regarding why what He gave me to write was terrible and He said “I have to show you that people make mistakes.” This lesson then continued into my quiet time with the Lord as I was reading a story out of Judges 11:29-40NLT. In this story, a fierce warrior and commander named Jephthah had the Spirit of the Lord upon him, in order to defeat the Ammonites who were trying to reclaim land that the Lord had specifically given to Israel.

Before going off to battle, Jephthah makes a vow to the Lord saying “if you give me victory over the Ammonites, I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering” [Judges 11:30]. Well, fortunately for the Israelites, they won their battle against the Ammonites and were able to keep their land but unfortunately for Jephthah, it was his daughter that was first to come out of the house to meet him upon his return. And Jephthah had to keep the vow he made to the Lord and sacrifice her as a burnt offering.

Though it was God’s plan for Jephthah to lead the Israelites to victory, it was outside of His will for Jephthah to make that promise. Even with the power of the Spirit of God upon him, Jephthah was still able to assert his own will and it cost him dearly. Oftentimes, people like to talk about how God gave us free will and the power of choice and how we must make our own decisions, trusting that God is with us. The problem is, man is not infallible.

When we make decisions without God and without checking in with God, we risk paying a very high and often unnecessary cost. Scripture shows us this over and over again. When Moses smacked the rock with his staff in order for the water to flow instead of speaking to it as the Lord instructed, it cost him access into the promise land. When Samson told Delilah the secret to his strength of his own accord, it cost him his eyes and eventually his life.

Yes, we’ve been given the power of choice but the word of God has shown us in big and seemingly small ways what happens when we choose by ourselves. The best choice? Not my will but Your will be done. Every. Single. Time.

Til’ next time, adieu!

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