Last Laugh.

It's a great enemy tactic that has been used since the beginning...  You can see it on every playground across the nation.  Laughing at someone is the first line of offense for the coward.  The bigger and stronger keep the smaller exploited and under control by mocking them and stealing their courage. 

It happened to Noah, as he set out in obedience to God, day after day for 120 years, he was laughed to scorn.  They mocked him saying, "It's never rained before."  They thought he was wasting his life building that arc, but when Noah was the last man standing, there was no one left to mock.

It happened to Isaac, as a young child, Ishmael mocked him, making fun of him out of his jealousy.  Ishmael was cast out because of his scorn for Isaac.  As the rightful heir of all that Abraham had and all the promises that were passed down to him, Isaac had the last laugh.

It happened to Jesus, as he hung upon the cross, and they mocked him telling him, "If you are God come down off that cross."  As they approached the opening to the tomb, saw the stone rolled away, and the emptiness inside they realized Jesus would have the last laugh.

Everyday, I hear the mocking voice of the oppressor, the father of lies...  He tells me I'm crazy for thinking I could actually home-school these children.   He reassures me what an awful job I'm doing, ever reminding me of my weaknesses and imperfections.  As I step out in obedience daily, he comes and discourages me from doing what I know I've been called to do.  Usually I agree with him.  I know where I am weak.  I know I'm not really capable of doing this.  I know if it was all up to me these children would be terribly uneducated.  That's just the truth.  I listen to him tell me how bad I'm screwing all this up and how I don't have what it takes, and I run. 

I've been reading about this guy Nehemiah.  God gave him a BIG job to do.  The Lord sent him to repair the walls of Jerusalem and strengthen the remnant, who were left there, after they been attacked and taken captive.  You should really read it.  I'm just going to give you the highlights. 

God called Nehemiah to do this big job, supernaturally equipped him with everything he would need to accomplish this task and strengthened him to do the work.  Before Nehemiah even made it to the city, He had opposition from a group of people who had been exploiting the people inside the broken down city.   The bible says, "when (they) heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel."

You see that?  They were upset because someone came to help the people.  These men feared that they would soon lose the power they help over the people. 

Nehemiah gathered the children of Israel together to tell them what God had put in his heart to do and the people wholeheartedly agreed to help him with this great work of rebuilding the wall. 

When the oppressors heard what Nehemiah had told the people it says, "they laughed us to scorn, and despised us."  The first line of offense was to laugh them to scorn and remind them of why they could not accomplish this task.  They did not want the people to be strengthened.  They knew when the people became strong that they would lose their power.  That is just like the enemy of our souls.  As long as we listen to his lies we will be weak.  We will be helpless. 

Thankfully, Nehemiah didn't respond the way I do.  Instead he kept his focus on God, not himself, and he said to them "The God of heaven, HE WILL PROSPER US; therefore we HIS servants will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem."

We need to remember the truth.  The truth is IF God be for me, no on can be against me.  The truth is that "through Christ I can do all things."   When the enemy comes in with his mocking lies, we have to refute them with truth, the WORD OF GOD.

"Finally... whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think on these things." Philippians 4:8

It may be true that you are not able to do whatever you have been called to...  God does love to use the weak things of the world to reveal his glory.  He does love to take the least to make his name great.  It may be true that you have a lot of reasons why you can't do what you are doing... BUT, the ultimate truth is that with God all things are possible.  The ultimate truth is that His grace is sufficient for you.  The truth is that He can make a way where there seems to be no way.  The ultimate truth is that HE did NOT call you to something to stand by and watch you fail.  I want to be like Nehemiah and remember that GOD WILL PROSPER ME and we will have the last laugh.