“If you do not serve the Lord your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received, you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. You will be left hungry, thirsty, naked, and lacking in everything. The Lord will put an iron yoke on your neck, oppressing you harshly until he has destroyed you.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭28‬:‭47‬-‭48‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I first read this verse with it being in the Old Testament I thought God was talking about real physical enemies. As I read the Bible and think about it how it applies to us today, I changed my mind. He was making this statement to the Israelites but there are things we can use today.

How are you serving the Lord? Are you serving the Lord at all? Are you doing what he asks you to do? How are you spending your time? How often do you get upset over the things you didn’t get or don’t have? How often do you re-play a problem over and over in your head?

What are your enemies? Not necessarily who. It’s not often I have human enemies. But I battle other enemies like overthinking, comparison, and anxiety. I can also be my own worst enemy. Every time we complain and forget all the blessings that God has given us we are serving our enemies. We will be left hungry for peace, thirsty for hope, lacking in strength.

Our enemies are like a yoke around our neck. These things will continue to weigh us down if we are not careful. When we focus on our problems and not on God we will be destroyed. Destroyed sounds harsh but when you are left with nothing that’s when you truly turn to God. I don’t want to get to that point and you don’t have to either.

Remember to count your blessings when you want to complain. Think of all the things that God has done for you and will continue to do for you if you only trust him. Make a list of all your answered prayers. This is a good reminder that if he did it before he can do it again.