Grace and peace unto you.
The story is told that when the enemies of the Israelites heard that they were building a temple for the Lord, they offered to help. They claimed that they sought the Lord and offered sacrifice to him since the King of Assyria brought them there. Nonetheless, the Israelites saw through the ruse and rejected the offer. They said, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us” (Ezra 4:1-3).
The Israelites knew that their enemies would impede the construction of the temple and as such refuse their assistance. Although we are not building a temple, we have assignments to do, and our enemies do not want us to achieve our goals. Hence, one way that they try to sabotage us is by offering their assistance. Sadly, if we are not discerning, we may think that God has inspired them to help. For this reason, he is asking us to use our discernment skills and recognize his provision. Furthermore, he wants us to rely on the Holy Spirit for the strength to say, “No.”
Heavenly Father, thanks for your Word and the blessed Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Born for a Purpose 