Spiritual Warfare for Your City and Home (Part 9)

The used car dealership was a satellite of a GM dealership located forty miles north and just opposite the county fairgrounds. Each summer, during the county fair, farmers flocked across the highway to the dealership, looking for new trucks.

Who do you think the GM dealership decided should help them for one day during the county fair? Duh!

Driving north, I wondered, “Why would they pick a salesman who had not sold a vehicle in fifty days?”

Upon arrival, I stood around with the dealership’s salesmen, looking across the highway at the crowded parking lot. We did little else because the expected sales traffic never materialized.

After lunch, the owner opted to send one person to place sales flyers on every truck at the fairgrounds. Now, who do you think the owner chose for this duty? Double duh!

I tromped across the highway angry at the owner and God. I quickly put flyers on trucks’ windshields which could be seen from the dealership. Then, I walked behind a tent and tossed the remainder into a garbage can. I stood there and said, “God, I’m sick of the way You’re destroying my life and I don’t really care what You do to me!”

Did lightning strike? No and what’s more, I sold a truck that day, ending my sales drought at fifty days.

But over the weekend, God worked on my heart. So, early Monday morning I phoned the owner and admitted my error. ”Well, I understand the stress you were under,” he replied and the conversation ended.

But thirty minutes later, my sales manager flew through the door. “Larry, in my office, now!”

Behind closed door, he chewed me out. “Why did you tell him?”

“Because I needed his forgiveness.”

“He’s furious. Don’t you care what he thinks?”

“No, I don’t care. I only care what God thinks and He wanted me to ask forgiveness of him today.”

Thirty days later, the owner fired me.

Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft… (1 Samuel 15:23)

An evil man seeks only rebellion; therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him. (Proverbs 17:11)

The third lesson I learned during the sales drought is that we must rid ourselves of rebellion if we want to win spiritual battles. On this matter, I’d recommend asking the Holy Spirit to search our hearts ahead of time for rebellion. It’s less painful.

(Continued in Part 10)