Friday, January 9, 2009

God's Double Agents

If you've watched any kind of spy movie, TV thriller, or the old G.I. Joe cartoon, you've been introduced to the term Double Agent. That is a person that works for two different people or groups. They don't always interfere, but most of the time, the paths of the agent's agencies (Business Law term. College is paying off) will cross, and spell trouble for the agent. You may be surprised that God has had double agents. Truth is, all too common, he still does.
The first Biblical example is Balaam the prophet. Balak, head honcho of the Amorites, sent for Balaam and offered huge sums of money for Balaam to curse Israel (See Numbers 22). After a couple of attempts, he went with them, even after his donkey did a great Eddie Murphy impersonation. Once he got there, he could only bless Israel, even though he was paid to do otherwise. Finally, in Numbers 31, he was killed. All because he tried to sell what was God's for a price.
The next double agent was David. Preachers just read the name David and automatically said "a man after God's own heart." It's like they are programmed to say that at seminary or something. Yes he was after God's heart. He was also a double agent to lust. Don't believe me? Ask Uriah! Or, read 2 Samuel 11. David's lust for a beautiful woman led him to murder, heartache, and the loss of two sons, one at birth, and Absalom years later.
Jesus said in Matthew 6 that no man can serve two masters. He will love one or the other. Does this mean that a double agent can not be used by God? No! Look back at Balaam. Even after being paid to curse Israel, all he could do was bless it, because God will not curse His people. Was David useless to God? Read a couple of Psalms and get back to me. Was Peter useless to Jesus after serving fear and denying Him? Acts 2 will tell you the answer is emphatically NO!
God will use double agents. But they will not be as useful as they can be. Like David, they will have struggles and consequences for their actions.
What about you? What do you serve besides God? Do you serve lust like David? Do you like to look at objectionable sites when "no one" is looking? Do you bless on Sunday and curse on Monday? Does your gossip interfere with your prayer time? Choose this day whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15)! Give yourself fully to God and His purposes, and let him use you in the most mightily of ways.