{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"When You Ask God to Bless What You Already Decided | Judges 18:2-6","description":"Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video. Our text today is Judges 18:2-6. So the people of Dan sent five able men from the whole number of their tribe, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to explore it. And they said to them, \u201cGo and explore the land.\u201d And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. When they were by the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. And they turned aside and said to him, \u201cWho brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?\u201d And he said to them, \u201cThis is how Micah dealt with me: he has hired me, and I have become his priest.\u201d And they said to him, \u201cInquire of God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed.\u201d And the priest said to them, \u201cGo in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the Lord.\u201d \u2014 Judges 18:2-6 The Danite scouts stop by Micah\u2019s house, meet his Levite-for-hire, and ask three questions that sound curious but expose their compromise: \u201cWho brought you here?\u201d \u201cWhat are you doing in this place?\u201d \u201cWhy are you here?\u201d Not one of those questions mentions God. They\u2019re interested in Micah, not in God. It\u2019s a spiritual conversation with no Spirit in it. If this Levite had been faithful, he would have responded very differently: You would go where God sends, not where you choose. You wouldn't stay in a house filled with idols. You would claim the land God already gave you, not shop for easy pickings. But instead, the Levite answers, \u201cMicah has done these things for me.\u201d Not \u201cGod brought me.\u201d Not \u201cI serve the Lord.\u201d Just \u201cMicah.\u201d His allegiance\u2014and his paycheck\u2014come from the same source. The Danites and the Levite both prove the same point: they\u2019re using spiritual language to hide spiritual rebellion. The Levite blesses their mission; they leave feeling \u201cconfirmed.\u201d But it\u2019s all self-validation dressed up in spiritual garb. We do the same when we call it \u201cdiscernment,\u201d but it\u2019s really rationalization. When we pray, not to surrender, but to get reassurance. When we say, \u201cGod\u2019s got this,\u201d but never ask if God is sending us. Faith without conviction always drifts toward convenience. And convenience disguised as faith is still disobedience. ASK THIS: Are you seeking God\u2019s will\u2014or His approval of your will? Have you ever asked God to bless what He never called you to do? Where have you replaced obedience with rationalization? Who in your life tells you truth instead of what you want to hear? DO THIS: Pause before your next big decision\u2014ask, \u201cIs this obedience or convenience?\u201d Read Proverbs 3:5\u20136 and invite God to redirect you. Seek counsel from someone who tells you truth, not comfort. PRAY THIS: Lord, forgive me for blessing my own plans in Your name. Teach me to ask Your questions, listen for Your answers, and follow where You lead. Amen. PLAY THIS: \u201cWhat I Needed.\u201d ","author_name":"The Daily + Weekly by Vince Miller","author_url":"https:\/\/beresolute.org\/vincemillerspeaker","html":"