Lest we forget....

I was reading this morning in Judges how over and over Israel forgot the Lord....served the gods of people of the land they dwelt among...and God delivered them into the hand of their enemy.

One thing that resonated deep within me this morning was this statement..."Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan."

God had left nations within Israel that He had not delivered into the hands of Joshua for a purpose.  He knew His people were going to follow after the gods of the land so He left enemies to bring them into captivity.  He not only left the enemies....He strengthened Eglon the king of the Moabites against Israel.

God used the captivity of the enemy to cause Israel to remember the wonderful peace that came with serving the Lord.  He would rather have them subject to an enemy for a season....eight years....eighteen years....rather than to have them serve Baal, Ashtaroth, Baalim and the groves.  He knew the heart of His people would be in a season of time, they would cry for deliverance....AND HE WOULD RAISE UP A DELIVERER (A CHAMPION) that would bring them out of captivity and they would turn their face back to the Lord.

Over and over in the book of Judges we see this happening when the judge dies, the people forget, God raises up an enemy to take them captive, then they cry for deliverance, and He always has a deliverer to raise up for them. 

How much greater for me....rather than to need the captivity of the enemy to cause me to remember and cry unto the Lord for deliverance....should I not JUST REMEMBER! 

Paul never forgot his walk on the Damascus road....the light that shone round about him brighter than the noon day sun...the voice that spoke to him and his ultimate transformation.  At the end of his journey, he declared....I have finished my course.  He never strayed from the prize at the end.  His ability to remember brought him to his finish!

I remember over and over how I got here.  I was living a life filled with drugs, addiction and more than I want to speak about!  Dying in a drug overdose, HE CAME LOOKING FOR ME!  It was not a bright light....just a touch from the Master's hand!  When I surrendered, He miraculously delivered me in a moment's time from the addiction that held me captive.  I SHALL NEVER FORGET....

There is a great power in your ability to remember.  I choose to remember a time when I did not know Him...it reminds me how great it is now that....I KNOW IN WHOM I NOW BELIEVE!