Have you experienced the ‘tearing or pulling’ of your devotion and loyalties AWAY from God and toward other things or people? Have you ever been faced with a situation where you compromised your behavior, language, message or person, just because those around you were not like-minded? I sure have. I admit that I am guilty of giving in to the ‘pulling away’ from Christ and to failure to stand strong on and for the Lord.

As I read 2 Chronicles 19 this morning, I looked at how Jehoshaphat, a king who sought and followed after God, experienced this same type of ‘pulling away’ from devotion to God and a ‘drawing toward’ relationships and people other than His God. As I see it, the problem started for Jehoshaphat when he married a woman who was from the family of EVIL king Ahab of Israel. That, in itself, did not need to be a problem, but later in life, because of these ties to evil, Jehoshaphat followed the advice and direction of evil King Ahab, and ultimately compromised his devotion to and trust in God.

Chapter 19 records how King Ahab summoned the strong and powerful King Jehoshaphat to aid him in a battle against his enemies. Against the warning of the prophet of God, both Ahab and Jehoshaphat listened to the voices of the “yeah- sayers” and “yes men” of King Ahab and entered into battle. Only through the grace and mercy of God was Jehoshaphat spared his life, although King Ahab met his death in this battle.

Following the battle, Jehu, a prophet of God, spoke the words in verse 12 to Jehoshaphat,

“Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?”

These words of God jumped out at me this morning and the Holy Spirit showed me how I am too often just like Jehoshaphat…giving in to “the crowd” and compromising my devotion to God. I love the Lord, I desire to follow His ways and serve Him, and yet, I find my message and conversation “watered down” and not always edifying to God or reflecting the Hope of the Gospel message as I would like. Even through my actions I show myself disloyal to God by presenting myself in a way that is not God-honoring. All this done, in an effort to ‘fit in’, to be accepted, or to simply ‘not make waves’, with people who are not like-minded! Where is my love and loyalty to the God I love? Why do I not, in times like these, draw on the POWER of the Holy Spirit that is mine through my confession and relationship with Christ Jesus?

Reflecting on this scripture and my behavior, I am reminded once again of my need to daily, even moment by moment, cry out to the Holy Spirit for strength to ACT as God wants me to act, SAY what God wants me to say and BE the woman of God that God wants me to be!

May we all seek the power of the Holy Spirit to keep us strong and fit in Christ, so we do not shirk nor alter our message, person or purpose in CHRIST!