Have you ever fought against God or His word? Many throughout history have, such as the prophet Jonah. God told him to go to the wicked city of Ninevah to proclaim if they didn’t repent, He would send judgement upon them. But Jonah fought God and ran the other way. We know the rest of the story. God sent a giant fish to swallow Jonah to take him to Ninevah, and he finally did what God had told him to do.

What are some reasons people fight against God? Some are angry with God and blame Him for taking a loved one from them. He didn’t answer their prayers the way they’d hoped, and now they are overcome with deep grief and anger towards God. Or perhaps they didn’t get the job, spouse, or life they wanted, and hold that against the Lord.

Some fight against God because they fear what the Lord might ask them to do if they really surrendered all to Him. Would He ask them to give up all they have and go to a foreign nation as a missionary? They fear the unknown so will not risk finding out what that is.

Others are determined to figure it all out and do it themselves. They don’t need God or anyone else telling them what to do or how to do it. So they struggle through years of addictions, bondages, hurtful relationships, and painful lives rather than admitting they need help from God and others. There are so many reasons why people fight against God.

I saw this fight played out for the last few months in my great-granddaughter. Sadie had trouble nursing or drinking from a bottle right from the start. It was discovered that she was tongue-tied and lip-tied, and at five weeks old she had laser surgery to correct this. For weeks after, her parents had to stretch the wounds every few hours around the clock to make sure they healed properly.

Even though she healed well, something unusual happened. Sadie developed a mouth aversion and didn’t want anyone or anything touching her mouth. It became exceedingly difficult to feed her, with her parents spending hours trying to get some nourishment into her in whatever means they could. 

Sadie’s fighting became so intense that finally at three and a half months old, she was admitted to a children’s hospital and required tube feeding through her nose. She quickly gained weight and is responding well to the occupational therapy required to help her learn to accept a bottle in her mouth.

I saw an important illustration here. Sadie fought so hard against the very thing she desperately needed to survive and live. That bottle contained the nourishment she needed to grow and thrive. Although an alternative was available to give her this nourishment, it would have been so much easier upon her and her family if she hadn’t rejected the bottle.

Likewise, when we fight against God and His word, we are rejecting the very nourishment we need to really live, grow, and thrive. We might be able to survive for a while, but our lives would be so much richer and better if we would just surrender to the Lord. We need to invite His help and the help of His people into our hurts, problems, sorrow, disappointments, grief, and pain. Stop fighting and start living!

Hope Ministries is a Christian counseling center, and we are here to help. If you would like to speak confidentially with someone, give us a call at 845-482-5300.