Blindspots - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) May 23, 2025

Sometimes, there are problems in our spiritual walk that we can't see. It takes the grace of God to reveal them and provide understanding on how they interfere with our spiritual growth. These 'blindspots' are the sins, attitudes, and repeated behaviors we don't initially recognize as issues. Yet, they have long-lasting consequences that can quietly fester, taking us away from the Lord. They may not seem like a big deal because their negative consequences have not become apparent. Blindspots often only become clear when danger is imminent, and if care is not taken, the potential harm cannot be avoided.

King Solomon, like many people, had blindspots. The most glaring was his lust for women. 1 Kings 11:3 tells us he had 700 wives and 300 concubines and was unfamiliar with God's warning about the number of wives kings shouldn't have. Deuteronomy 17:17 - He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver or gold. His choice to marry foreign women also reveals unfamiliarity with Deuteronomy 7:3-4 - Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, /for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. Just as the Lord warned, King Solomon's wives brought the worship of their false gods into Israel, and he turned away from the Lord (1 Kings 11:4).

Sadly, the inability to resist his desire for women made a mockery of the great gift of wisdom the Lord gave him. Since he didn't read the Laws of Moses, which he was supposed to per Deuteronomy 17:18-20, he was ignorant of how his decisions brought sin into his life. His lifestyle reflected a level of indiscipline with women that did not complement the wisdom he received. That indiscipline, plus his worship of other gods, brought God's anger and cost his descendants the kingdom. Instead of 12 tribes, Solomon's house would only rule over two tribes. His son, Rehoboam, became king over a diminished nation, his inheritance squandered.

This is how blindspots sabotage the call of God upon a person's life. Having multiple women, what seemed unproblematic, spiraled into much more. King Solomon likely thought that marrying these women, many of whom were princesses, would ensure political alliances with other kingdoms. Alas, he forgot that obedience to God was all he needed. He disregarded God's warning that if he or his descendants ever stopped obeying Him, they and the people would lose His favor (1 Kings 9:3-9). And the Bible reveals that the consequences of King Solomon's blindspots lasted long past his reign, affecting not only his heirs but all the people of Israel for generations.

​Now think of your own life. Are there things you should be saying no to, the way Solomon should have resisted all those women? What about the things you do that disobey God's laws? Could your lack of knowledge about God's word be causing you to disobey Him? Are there people in your life to steer you toward the Lord instead of toward the world? Can you see how you might have blindspots - the invisible yet problematic aspects of your character that could lead you toward a dangerous end?

Like King Solomon, we all make mistakes. Glory to God that we have a chance to repent and change. We can ask God to reveal the blindspots causing problems or those that will in the future. The Lord desires us all to enjoy His blessings and favor all the day of our lives. Sin limits our access to such, and the blindspots only drive us into sin. However, God loves us and wants us to know the attitudes and behaviors that could sabotage the call upon our lives. He wants to deliver us from them and protect us from recurrences.

This is not to make anyone insecure in their walk with God. The believer's journey has enough complications, we don't need to add to them. Still, this message should encourage us all to recognize there is room to improve, so we aim to grow as children of God. We must let Him help us because we can't rely on our strength. Studying God's word and applying it in faith will help us. Jesus opened the minds of His disciples so they understood scripture, and when we pray for the same, we receive (Luke 24:45). Leaning on the Holy Spirit means we'll get those heavenly nudges we need as we drive on the streets and highways of life. Nudges that keep us safe so we don't collide with anything hidden in our blindspots.

May the Lord help us seek and receive His insight into the blindspots that need to go so we deepen in obedience and grow closer to Him. May He provide the strategy to eradicate the problems waiting to derail us, IJMN Amen. See you at Noon EST for fellowship. God bless you.

To learn more, please read:

1. The Saul Curse

2. Box of Fear

3. Have you changed?

4. Blindness

5. Sinful Desires

6. God of Strategy