Back Then You Didn't Want Me

Judges 11:7
Jephthah said to them, “Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now, when you’re in trouble?

It’s amazing how people can write us off as insignificant when we don’t fit their “cookie cutter” paradigm of what is acceptable. If we are not careful we can get caught up in the opinions of other people and miss our date with destiny. If we are not careful we can allow the situation we are born into to affect the way we see our future.

Jepthah was a mighty warrior, the son of a Gilead and a Prostitute. His Kinsmen drove him away because they didn’t want him to have a share in the inheritance. What they didn’t know was that this “driving him” away was actually driving him into his destiny. He went and surrounded himself with adventurers. Sometimes, the worst things that happen to us are really the best things that can happen to us. Jephthah learned how to fight even better because he was now surrounded by adventurers. People who thought outside the box were now his friends. People not limited by tradition were now his friends. People who were not afraid to fight were now his friends. Sometimes getting out or being driven out from your “Kin” is the best thing that could have ever happened!

When the enemy came upon the people of Gilead the citizens came running to Jepthah for help. Jepthah reminded them of how much they hated him but now they run to him for help in times of trouble, which goes to show that people that hate you still admire you. I think it was Rev. Run who said, “Haters are really secret admirers.”

Why else would they have come to this warrior whose mama was a prostitute? Why would they come to a man they had driven away? Because they knew but hated to admit this man had skills. Like the father in the movie “Taken” he had acquired a certain set of skills that made him the best in warfare. You hate me but you need me. When you are driven out your best revenge is to keep on getting better. Back then they didn’t want you but now that you Hot they all on you!

When the time comes in your life for your haters to admit they need you and it is coming, you must be “Kingdom Minded.” Jepthah didn’t like the people who drove him out but when he saw the Kingdom needed his help, he stepped up in spite of his personal feelings. The needs of the Kingdom supersede any personal feelings I might have. This ain't personal this is Kingdom.

Dear God, help me to be bigger than my haters. There are more pressing needs in the Kingdom and I can’t let personal grievances get in the way. Use my gifts you gave me in the wilderness to help deliver the oppressed, set the captives free, give sight to the blind and proclaim that this is the year of the Lord’s favor. Deliver the kingdom and bless my haters.

In Jesus Name,

Amen