86. TURN YOUR LOSS INTO GAIN Judges 11.

In the above Scripture you will find Jephthah the illegitimate son of a man called Giliad. His mother was a prostitute. Jephthah grew-up in the household of Giliad’s other legitimate sons who later chased him away. Saying to him “You will not get any of our father’s inheritance.” (Judges 11:2) So he ended up living in a cave. While there, he gathered a band of misfits and rebels together trained and developed them into a great army and when the Ammonites threatened Israel, the Elders turned to him for help. But Jephthah said to them. “Aren’t you the ones who hated me and turned me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now that you are in trouble?” (You will always come across fare weather friends, and although one doesn’t need to be rude and refuse to help them, it’s wise to let them know that in spite of their attitude and guilt towards you, as a “Christian” you are prepared to help them. The Elders replied, “Because we need you, If you lead us in battle against the Ammonites, we will make you ruler over all the people of Gilead”. Sometimes a piece of ‘Humble Pie’ and acknowledged guilt along with restitution makes forgiveness a little easier and more valid. and can produce great dividends. Not only did Jephthah gain the victory, he’s named with honour alongside people like Abraham, Moses and David. His life is rich with lessons. And here’s one of the important ones Never be put down by rejection, it can very easily be part of God’s plan for your life at this stage, think of Joseph and his brothers! God might just want to see where and to whom you turn when rejection comes your way. Jephthah was rejected because of circumstances beyond his control, Remember his mother was a prostitute so he was illegitimate. But instead of growing bitter, he moved on and did something good with his life. Perhaps You have been rejected because you were too young, too old, too dumb or too intelligent, pretty, ugly, or poor or privileged, attractive or unattractive, male or female, black or white. etc. By God’s Grace Jephthah took an ugly situation and turned it into a beautiful one. And if you turn your situation over to God today, that same grace is available to you. When Israel’s leaders turned to Jephthah for help they were in distress and wanted “to use” him. So in essence this is what he replied to them. “Let’s get a proper understanding of what this relationship with you is going to mean” At that point he negotiated with them and ended up in a top leadership position. When your trust has been violated, you need to forgive. By doing so you set yourself free. But you must exercise wisdom in how to move forward. God doesn’t expect you to put yourself in a position to be hurt again. Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the guy who went to the Doctor with a severe burn on his right ear. The man explained “I was watching TV while doing the ironing when the phone rang, and I picked up the iron instead of the phone.” Puzzled, the doctor asked but how did you get the other burn on your left ear?” The man exclaimed, “Because they called back.”da! Bottom line, when you’ve been burned by someone, be careful about putting yourself in a position where you can be burned by them over and over again. Forgiveness must be immediate. God demands it, and you are better off for doing so. However, trust must be earned Your offender must show the fruit of repentance – consistent behaviour that gives evidence that he or she has had a change of heart. In Matthew (3:8) Jesus said, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. We all need these two things. Grace and Wisdom. Grace to extend to others the same forgiveness that God has extended to us Wisdom means, Knowing what kind of relationship you can have with that person in the future. The same people who declared Jephthah “persona non grata” were the same people who turned to him for help when they were threatened by a powerful enemy. So here’s lesson one; Other people don’t determine your future, God does! The Israelites were living in slavery when God made them this promise in Jeremiah (29:11) “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord they are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” So you can be sure God’s plan for you will prevail over every other plan for you. Now lesson 2: A unity walk requires unity talk In Judges (1:12) we read:- Jepthah embraced the new relationship. And then sent messengers to the Ammonite king with this question, “What do you have against me that you have attacked my country”. Note the words “me and my country” He put the hurts of the past behind him and fully embraced the cause. One author puts it this way, “He was ready to walk in unity” and a unity walk requires unity talk. You will be surprised at the impact unity talk will have on your attitude and relationships. You will find yourself less critical of others once you make such “team talk” a habit. That doesn’t mean you will always see eye-to-eye on every issue, it just means the cause and the vision you share are greater than your differences of thought and opinion. In Ephesians (4:3) Scripture tells us :- (Make every effort (means You have to work at it) to be united in the Spirit (not necessarily in opinion) Binding yourselves together with peace.” Thank you for reading how to turn your “Loss into Gain.” Peace among the people of God has a High priority on the list of Spiritual Gifts. It is also one of the first words Christ spoke when addressing His friends after The Resurrection. “Peace be with you” If peace is missing or disturbed in our relationships, we know Satan is at work trying to delete, destroy or even kill our Community. Don’t let that happen. Pray daily for the Peace of The Spirit of God to reign over our Hearts, our homes, our Communities and our Country. God bless. Phaline