". . . Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of God: 'Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?' . . . "
The Philistines represent the sin in our lives, and as Israel was always under attach from one foreign nation or another, so are our lives always under attack from the enemy of our souls, coming at us from different directions and in different ways. God has commanded us to take the offensive; go after the sin and eradicate it. But different sins require different approaches, and so we must inquire of the Lord what He would have us do to rid it from our lives.
". . . The Philistines had abandoned their gods there, and David gave orders to burn them in the fire . . . "
Often in battle, soldiers would take souvenirs of their victories, mementos of what they had accomplished. Apparently these warriors took the gods left behind by the Philistines, so David ordered them completely destroyed. So too, we cannot hold on to ANY part of sin if we are to be holy unto the Lord. When we seek the Lord and He reveals to us what must be done, we must move forward in faith performing exactly as God has commanded. We cannot question God, He alone knows what is the very best for our lives and we must trust Him implicitly. To do any less is to court with disaster. Our Lord God wants us pure and holy and it can only be achieved by His means, and His alone. Do not hold on to ANY remnants of sin, lest you slide fully back into it.
" . . . so David inquired of God again and God answered him, 'do not go straight up, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.' . . . "
Every time we want to eliminate sin from our lives, we must inquire of the Lord. The same plan doesn't work for everything. Some sin we can simply repent of and go on, others may require intense prayer time, and still others may involve fasting or isolated time away with the Lord. David had to go to the high places and smash altars, burn idols, cut down their Asherah poles. It was a very hard-fought war. Erasing sin from our lives always is. The enemy of our souls doesn't want us to be triumphant over sin and death and he is fighting us tooth and nail to keep us pinned down under constant attack. Only our God knows the plans to defeat Him, and we must see Him out for the battle plan. The only proper response to sin is to get rid of it completely. We cannon be a follower of God and hold on to those things which tie us to the world. Anything that would replace God in our hearts must be completely removed.
" . . . So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer . . . "
Obedience ALWAYS brings rewards. God blesses our lives when we are obedient, gives us peace and serenity. Our relationship with Him is greatly enriched and our prayer time is oh so sweet. Obedience brings us back into right standing with the Lord, gives us direct access to the Throne Room and nothing and no one can get between us and our Abba. There is nothing, absolutely nothing in this world that compares with that!
We are engaged in a spiritual war and we must approach it as warriors. Jesus Christ is our commander-in-chief and only He knows the battle plans. Ask Him what your orders are for today, and every day of your life. I encourage you to read all of these verses to get the full picture. Let the Spirit of God expound on it in your heart. As God told Jehospaphat at the Valley of Ammon: "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of tis vast army. For the battle is not yors, but God's." Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding . . .
"Lord Jesus, you are my all in all. I trust you with every aspect of my life; spiritual, mental and emotional, and physical. You know me inside and out and what I need to do to accomplish Your will for my life. Encourage me day by day to always seek Your will for my life. Quicken me with Your Holy Spirit, to seek Your face, listen to Your voice, and act in immediate obedience. My heart's desire is to serve You only. Amen."
FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Ephesians 6:10-14
Deuteronomy 4:29
1 Chronicles 16:11
Psalm 105:4
Matthew 11:12
Proverbs 16:7
Romans 12:2
Psalm 37:4
1 Corinthians `15:57
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