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Yahweh says, "You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers! Every man return to his house; for this thing is of me." So they listened to Yahweh's words, and returned from going against Jeroboam. 2 Chronicles 11:4 WEB.

When Solomon, the son of King David, passed away, his son Rehoboam became the king of Israel. Soon afterward, a servant of Solomon named Jeroboam led a rebellion that divided the kingdom of Israel into two parts. The southern kingdom, or kingdom of Judah, was formed from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. They stayed loyal to the family line of David and Solomon. The remaining ten tribes became known as the northern kingdom of Israel or Samaria.

Rehoboam, Solomon's son, gathered his army together and planned to reunite the kingdom into one. However, the Lord spoke through a prophet named Shemaiah and told them to go home, "for this thing is from Me." This had to appear like the worst possible thing to have happened to Israel, but it was all part of God's plan. He had prophesied it earlier through Ahijah in 1 Kings 11:29. It was no accident that the rebellion split the nation. It came straight from the Lord.

For several years, I worked for an international construction company. It was a high-paying job for the area at the time. I tried hard to be a model employee, and soon I became a supervisor. I couldn't attend church at the time, for I worked a twelve-hour shift every Saturday and Sunday. Yet, I was thirsty for the word of God, so I listened to the bible with one earbud in my ear all day. I began fasting and praying for the Lord to remove anything from my life that was holding me back from being closer to Him. Within two weeks, they called me to the office and laid me off.

I was confused. I felt wronged and hurt. Yet, after praying about it for a while, I knew: "This thing is from Me." I walked through a rough patch and spent some time standing in the unemployment line, but I got to lead some people to the Lord along the way. Then after a transition, He put me in my own computer business. In the end, it was far better, but God had to remove something first, along with some of my pride. It wasn't pretty, but it was undoubtedly from Him.

Though it's hard to understand why bad things happen to good people, you have to remember that God loves you and He is in control of your life. So don't panic when bad things happen. Even satan had to get permission from God before he could attack Job (Job 1:10). If you are trying to be obedient to the Lord, nothing will happen to you that He does not allow. In the end, it will work out for good. So please don't give up when your promotion goes the other way like mine did, for something better is coming around the corner.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for the times that I don't get my way. You are more intelligent than me, and I want what You have in store for me. Please share Your vision with me and let Your desires become my desires. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Happy Sunday! For those who would like to join us, today we will be hosting our RHM Live Online church service. This is a special time of interactive worship, prayer, fellowship and an inspiring message. All are welcome! The service starts at 10am EDT. Here is the link to join: RHM Live. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.