Esau and Jacob, the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah, provide us with a familiar Old Testament account of sibling rivalry, but theirs was not a rivalry for equal juice - it was for a birthright. The birthright included an inheritance of a double portion of the family's land, the position as the head of the family, and the special blessing of the father. All of it actually belonged to the firstborn son, Esau; but one day Esau came in from hunting absolutely starving to death (according to him anyway). Jacob saw his opportunity to swindle Esau out of his rights as firstborn, and subsequently offered a deal - a bowl of hot, homemade stew in exchange for the birthright. Esau weighed his options: immediate gratification of hunger or a destiny that might be years down the road. In Esau's mind there was no contest. Genesis 25:34 says, "Thus Esau scorned his birthright as beneath his notice." In other words, he didn't give his future a second thought. He was hungry NOW, and feasting on some of Jacob's homemade stew sounded mighty good.

Now, before you come down too hard on Esau, consider for a moment that we may be guilty of the same faulty reasoning. How many times have we thrown away and counted God's plan and direction for our life as less important than satisfying our hunger for an extra dollar, an ego boost, a man's acceptance or approval, or some pleasure we thought we just had to have?

There was a time that I found myself being bombarded by the enemy from every direction. I was in desperate need of some relief. Just days before, I had expressed my battle fatigue to the Lord; and He mercifully encouraged me with a passage from II Chronicles, which says, "Be strong, therefore, and let not your hands be weak and slack, for your work shall be rewarded." However, this day had seen another attack. I was already hanging on by a thread, and now the thread was shredding before my eyes! I found myself in the midst of a crisis of belief. Was the destiny worth the pain? Was going with God worth all this? Satan knew my crisis, and I could hear his words like a hiss that echoed in my mind, "Everyone has his price. Everyone has his price." I knew he was attempting to woo me back to my more predictable, comfortable life if I would just let go and give up on God.

His words became accusatory. "You don't deserve this. God's not being fair with you. It's just not worth the pain," he whispered. With tears streaming down my face, I determined that my future with God was not for sale. I was going on with Him, and the enemy could not stop me. The words hissed through my mind again, "Everyone has his price." I felt so weak but somehow spoke the words, "No matter what, I will follow Him." I felt the power of God's presence rise up within me, and the words were spoken again with more conviction, "No matter what, I will follow Him. Neither my destiny nor I are for sale! I will NOT give up! I AM going on with God."

My heart trembled at the words I spoke, realizing what greater trouble may come as a result. But God, in His great goodness, reached out to me that day with the following passage from II Corinthians 2:9: "For this was my purpose...to test your attitude and see if you would stand the test, whether you are obedient and altogether agreeable to following my orders in everything." There it was! I had recognized Satan's attack and his motive easily enough, but I had missed God's purpose in it. This season in my life had been a test of my level of surrender and obedience to Him.

God already knew what the outcome would be, of course, because He is omniscient, or all-knowing. But this experience has continued to boost my level of courage as I have faced my enemy' on numerous occasions since. To this day, he is still attempting to oppose and hinder my progress with God and will continue in the days to come, I'm sure. And, guess what! I'm just as certain that more tests lay ahead for you as well, because our enemy doesn't want ANY of us receiving our birthright, walking in our destiny, and fulfilling God's purpose! That is a threat to his kingdom he would rather avoid, so his assaults are purposeful and painfully consistent. And, although Satan may promise a great payoff for our cooperation with his plan, remember - his payoff is always empty, temporary, and far away from the wonderful purpose God has planned for you. Not long after Esau ate his stew, he became hungry again. There was just one difference. This time he was hungry AND broke, and there was no one to blame but himself.

So, what will it be? Homemade stew or the birthright? The deal or the destiny? Satan's payoff or God's purpose? With each crisis of belief you and I may face, my prayer is that we would refuse Satan's offer and choose God's plan and purpose, remaining faithfully "obedient and altogether agreeable" to following Him in every direction He may lead - no matter what!

Prayer for Today

Father, forgive me when I compromise with the enemy, settling for the deal he offers today instead of waiting on the destiny You have for me. Help me to grab hold of your purpose and plan for my life with the determination to follow You no matter what! Amen