SWHW Bible Reading Plan: July 2021Sample

Top Takeaway from Emily Copeland:

Right now, every single one of us can say we feel like there is an enemy in addition to our greatest enemy, Satan. What does that mean? We may feel like a person, a political group, a religious group, an anti-religious group, or others are out to destroy our lives and everything we know that is good. 

It's all around us, right? We are steeped in opinions, experiences, thoughts, and actions that are dividing us left and right (no pun intended).

Reading the Book of Nahum probably wasn't a whole lot of fun for you, or am I alone in feeling that way?! It's not a happy book. It's full of the worst stuff from beginning to end. But it may also feel wildly familiar right now...death, destruction, oppression, violence, arrogance, self-serving people, and more. We've got some of that happening, too, though much more civilized today than it was back then. 

The Book of Nahum features the fall of Nineveh and God confronting the nations that had fully slid back into sin. This was a nation that had once been flourishing under the witness and testimony of Jonah who walked out of a fish he'd been camping inside of for three days. But even great God stories can still go bad when people are at the center of them.

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness." Nahum 1:7-8

God stepped in and continued His great work on humanity by allowing Nineveh to fall and to be destroyed. God isn't passive; He is committed to bringing down the violent and arrogant in every age, including ours. 

God's judgment on evil is good news for His children. But, our greatest joy should not be to see our enemies fall but to pray even our enemies will find and follow Jesus Christ. 

There are two things we are responsible for when it comes to our enemies:

1. We've got to humble ourselves before God (Pride comes before the fall).

2. Trust God's plan: He WILL take care of evil in His right time.

We are responsible for the life and call God has given to us, specifically designed to point people back to Him. When we spend all of our time on the defense against the people, groups, or worldviews that stand against our God, then we lose ground to love and serve them and the people who are on the sidelines. Satan uses his oldest trick repeatedly to get you to think you are fully in charge of bringing down all evil in this age (it's no wonder so many of us are burned out and mentally and emotionally empty).

Repeat after me: God will bring evil to its knees. 

We must stay alert, awake, and live open-handedly to love even the worst of our enemies, knowing God is in full control and our job is not to put them in their place, it's His job. We also must remember God had to put His Son on the cross for our sins, too. The ground really is level at the foot of the cross. Stay humble and walk closely with Him today!

God, before I point fingers, I have to praise You for my salvation. Before I condemn others, I have to reflect back on my failures. My soul wasn't worthy of heaven before You washed me clean. Thank You for stepping in to save me when I couldn't save myself. Help me to extend the same grace and love to those around me whom I would consider my enemies. Let this change me and help people to see You in me. I love You. Amen.