July 15, 2010 When Kings Go Out To Battle

What jumped out at me today was a phrase I'd noticed before, but never thought to wonder about: in the spring of the year, at the time kings go out to battle.(1 Chronicles 20:1).  I wondered what the spiritual significance of this was, and I asked the Lord about it.  I was expecting to read about David's affair with Bathsheba, since the same phrase was used in that story.  I looked it up: it is 2 Samuel 11:1, but this was a different account of David.  In both accounts, it says that Joab went out against Ammon and besieged Rabbah, but that David stayed in Jerusalem in the spring of the year, at the time kings go out to battle.  Whether both accounts are the same period of time, I do not know.  It is not in the boundaries of this devotional that I do external research.  I will leave this mystery for later, and you can go study it for yourself if you wish.

One thing is clear, there are seasons when we should be battling the enemy, and if we're not, then we'll surely end up devastated.  Going from historical ignorance here, but not spiritual ignorance, I'd say it is quite possible that this was one particular time period in David's life.  It seems, from the way he took and wore the defeated king's crown instead of dedicating the gold to the Lord-- as he had always done before-- that he was falling into pride.  When we're prosperous and feel powerful and undefeatable, luxury and a feeling of complacency certainly have a way of leading us away from humility and hard work and into pride and laziness.  "Let other people do it; this is my due."

In our reading, although there is great time-compression in this chronicle, it is revealing to see what happened over the census David decided to do.  Pride again seems to be the open door here for the sinful choice he made.  "Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel." 1 Chroncles 21:1  The consequences for this were devastating, and God's judgment brought David to a place of humility again.  Pride and not fearing the Lord go hand in hand.  Pride is iniquity of the spirit, and it was Satan's downfall, remember-- he is particularly attuned to it and empowered by it.

In our individual lives, pride opens the door for the devil to steal, kill and destroy.  Resisting the devil requires submitting to God, and that requires humility.  (James 4:7) Humility is one of the best of our weapons of warfare.  In a nation's life, pride in the hearts of those in leadership (government) opens the door for satanic attack, and also God's judgment-- which falls on the people the government was supposed to bless and protect.  Rather than lash out in anger, it is wise for the people in a nation to humble themselves and pray for their leadership.  I've been convicted many times of not doing this seriously enough.  What I read in the Word today gives me strong incentive.

I still want more revelation about the time kings go out to battle.  It was in the spring.  To me that says it's the time when things that have already been planted and established are beginning to bud (spiritual or natural, and it's a different time for everyone).  That means that another harvest is on its way, and each harvest should be greater than the last (for a natural example-- a harvest from an apple orchard).  Satan wants to keep us and our life efforts from bearing any fruit;  if there's something established in our life that he hasn't been able to destoy, he's going to want to keep the harvest from happening:  "nip it in the bud."  Every spring, it's the same.  The bully wants to create a famine for us if he can.  If we're proud and lazy-- or simply don't have a clue --  we'll lose the fruit of our labors.  This was to be our provision, our offering to the Lord, and a blessing to the poor. 

You know spring is a reality, therefore you need to understand the season and go out to battle.  The person who has the initiative can take the high ground, or choose the most strategic battlefront.  Why wait for the devil to barge in and take what's yours (by the blessing of God and the work of your hands)?  You know he's just going to keep doing the same thing until he realizes it's futile.  So don't be proud, lazy or stupid!  Pick up your Sword and go out against him. 

February 19, 2010

I'm holding on to these promises: "For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!" And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away." Mark4:22-25

One of the hardest things in life, for me, is to keep up with something on a daily basis. I am so right-brained! I get lost in my projects and lose track of time. Sometimes I don't even know what day it is. I don't often get out of touch with the Lord, I'm just not a very "habitual" person. And I can be very verbal, but sometimes, I'm really not. So disciplining myself to read the One Year Bible every day-- and then write something-- is not always an easy task. But I am determined to keep trying, and when I don't manage to write here (I'm being pretty good on the reading part), I will just jump in and try again. I don't always have something brilliant to say. Sometimes I just feel like saying, "I'm here, are you?"

What I got from the verses today was, that I will get out of my devotional times what I put into them, and more. Now that's a good deal if you ask me. Plus, when I come across mysteries in the Word, if I ask and listen, the Lord will speak, as He delights in revealing. It's easy to get in "task mode" and forget to listen. That's why I don't often write anything early in the day. Sometimes I just have to listen for a while. And sometimes what I hear is just too personal to write on a public blog! I'm sure you can relate.

I think if we have faith to receive something from the Lord in His Word-- and we have all been given a measure of faith-- then we will receive if we put in our part. But if we have no faith in Him, we end up losing whatever of the Word that we had once gotten, because we end up letting something steal it from us, like in the parable of the sower. I don't want that to happen to me, so I am determined not to let the "cares of this life," good or bad, choke out the Word so that it's not fruitful in me. I want to excercise my faith and be faithful. And since faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit, the more I abide in Him and His Word, the more faithful I will be.