God sometimes sends us on unpopular assignments. We can see this in many of the characters of the Bible. He even sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Being a Christian is not for sissies and wimps. It calls for people who have grit and guts to stand up and be used for God’s purposes.
I love how the Bible shares the innermost emotions and feelings of the men and women that risked it for our God. Again, not popular, but in many cases, it is a test of our faith.
In a previous blog, we read how Jeremiah was sent to tell the people of Jerusalem and Judah that God was going to send evil to them… How unpopular is that? In Chapter 20 of Jeremiah, we see him sharing how it made him feel to share God’s word with the people. Verse 7 says he felt deceived by God. He accounted his feelings of derision. He was mocked.
This is clearly a lesson for us. We will sometimes wonder if we are doing and saying the right things by following God. It does not feel comfortable to our flesh sometimes when we boldly proclaim the things of God. You sometimes feel like a fish out of water and floundering.
However, when the spirit of the Lord is upon you, God will find a way to encourage your spirit and your soul. In versus 9, Jeremiah seemed to have a made-up mind. He did not want to speak again for the Lord. But then he recounted. Reflectively, he said he could not do it because God’s words were like fire shut up in His bones. Remarkably, he could not stay away from speaking about God because when the Spirit of God is upon you even if you want to resist talking about Him, you can’t…Amen.
Markedly, the assignments God may send us on may be unpopular. Strikingly, a sure sign of His spirit being upon you is that you cannot keep your mouth shut on what God has proclaimed you to do and say. Sometimes we may have to do it afraid, but He is ALWAYS with us. Love & Blessings!