Dharius Daniels - God Don't Play About Me

I want to talk about this subject; it’s bad grammar but good theology: «God doesn’t play about me.» Clap your hands, ATL! New Jersey Global, put fire in the chat! God doesn’t play about me, family. The Book of Nahum is more than simply a book in the Bible. The Book of Nahum—are you here? Yes, I said, are you here? The Book of Nahum is a Biblical blueprint on how God handles those who mishandle you and how to handle yourself when you’re being mishandled by others. It is a revelation of the reality that some of your adversity is not going to float into your life in spirit form; some of your adversity, your agitation, and your irritation are going to walk into your life on two legs. It is not a suggestion that people are evil, but I am suggesting that people are imperfect, and as a consequence, you will ultimately and inevitably, at some point in your life, become a victim of somebody else’s imperfection. And when—are y’all ready for this? Yes, I said, are y’all ready? —when someone consciously or unconsciously becomes an instrument that undermines God’s agenda in your life, no matter what you call them: mother, father, spouse, pastor, sister, brother, friend—when they begin to undermine God’s agenda for your life, God calls them an enemy. It doesn’t mean they’re an enemy eternally; they might just be an enemy seasonally, or they might just be an enemy situationally. But anyone who unconsciously or consciously begins to undermine the work of God happening in and through your life, God labels that as an enemy. And, well, I might as well go here—I’m already out here! I’m back; let me get all the way back then. And some of us are working with, praying with, or sleeping with an enemy.

I’m simply attempting, family, to use truth as a key that unlocks the door and frees you from the prison of naivety, because some of you are playing a game called life, and you don’t know the rules. And so you’re living from a place of what life should be like and ignoring what Jesus says life is actually like. Sometimes in life, we will deal with the realities of exploitation, manipulation, abuse, gaslighting, lying, and depression that are unavoidable and inescapable realities. You will, at some point, be mismanaged and mishandled—yes. So a kingdom-life skill then becomes learning how to handle myself when I’ve been mishandled by others. But I have some good news! I said I’ve got some good news! The good news is that people’s mismanagement of me isn’t what actually destroys me. If that were the case, my destiny would be at the mercy of somebody else’s irresponsibility. What people do to me can impact me, but it does not dictate or determine my outcome. What determines how things work out for me is not who mismanaged me but rather how I manage myself after I’ve been mismanaged by others. And if I don’t know how to properly handle myself when I’ve been mishandled by others, then those who mishandle me ultimately become my master. Because whoever’s controlling your mood—that’s your master. Whoever has the ability to ruin your day—that’s your master. Whoever has their joy in your hands—that’s your master. Whoever can plunder your peace whenever they want—that’s your master. When a text or a post, or some shade can literally rob you of the joy of the Lord, that is your master, and they are stringing you along like a puppet. But I just believe there are some people here today who sense this is my season to cut some strings. This is my season to cut some strings! Because I prayed too long to get to where I am to have the fragility of my peace destroyed because of your pettiness! I’ve cried too much and worked too hard to be where I am to surrender my power to those who are consciously or unconsciously becoming instruments that undermine God’s agenda for my life. So we need a Biblical blueprint on how to manage myself when I’ve been mismanaged by others, because if I mismanage myself, I’m multiplying my misery. This is why we need Nahum—okay?

During my planning for the preaching calendar, Nahum sent me a text. He said, «PD, I say, what’s up?» He said, «Why do people ignore me?» I said, «I don’t know.» He said, «Most people don’t even know I’m in the Bible.» I said, «You’re right.» He said, «Everybody’s listening to what Isaiah’s got to say, and that’s good. They’re listening to what Ezekiel has to say, and that’s good. They’re listening to what Jeremiah has to say, and that’s good. They’re listening to what Daniel has to say, and that’s good. But I’ve got something to say too!» Nahum wants to talk to us today. It’s interesting, family, because Nahum is one of the most interesting, provocative, and profound books in the Bible. He is unique and distinct from any other prophet. Somebody ask the preacher, «Why? Why?» Now, I’m just looking at this side, and y’all didn’t do it. Somebody ask the preacher, «Why? Why?» Okay, here it is, here it is, here it is: Because Nahum’s prophetic message was not to God’s people. Wow! Normally, when you have a prophet of God, he is speaking to the people of God. If that makes sense, say yes! Yes! But not Nahum; Nahum’s prophetic oracles were not a message to Israel, who were God’s people. It was a message to the Assyrians, who were Israel’s enemies. It wasn’t a prophetic message regarding what God was going to do for Israel; it was a prophetic message regarding what He was going to do to those who were…