Sunday August 16, 2020
1 Samuel 23:1-13 Then they told David, saying, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.”
2 Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and [attack these Philistines?”
And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”
3 But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David inquired of the Lordonce again.
And the Lord answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.” 5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 Now it happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand.
7 And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8 Then Saul called all the people together for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
9 When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O Lord God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. 11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.”
And the Lord said, “He will come down.”
12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?”
And the Lord said, “They will deliver you.”
13 So David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the expedition.
David and his men got up and left there because God showed them what would happen if they stayed on their current course. Had they stayed there Saul would have come to kill David. In every instance, David inquired of the Lord.
The reason these horrible things are happening in our nation right now, is because the church is in the condition she is in. If Christians were praying like they should, things would not be as they are in America. We are bearing the fruit of our past choices. If we don’t get some things right, we will lose our nation to the devils plan. It’s so important that we get the right people in our local offices. It’s not a game! Peoples lives are on the line! The media is NOT your friend. Those people are under the devil’s influence. We have been given a warning! God is showing us what will happen if we continue on the road we are on.
2 Chronicles 7:12-16 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.
Locusts and pestilence can be comparable to the economy and the epidemic. It’s all about how many of your rights you are willing to give up. It’s the same way in the Kingdom of God. And what the devil is doing right now, is seeing how many of your rights you are willing to give up. The devil has NO right to put sickness on you or any member of your family. But it happens every day because we are in fear and don’t know who we are. This time we live in now, we are facing threats, fear, and a demonic media. Your finances and your health are the main targets. If the enemy can control you there, he’s got your life. God does not send judgment to hurt us. He sends it to get us back on the right road. It’s His mercy in action. God shut the whole world down from the schools, to the churches, to the courthouse, and to your house, so that you can get yourself straight. What are we doing to get ourselves back on the right path? Verse 14 gives us instruction. The only way this nation will be healed is if God brings an awakening and a healing to the church. It MUST come to the church first. Because until the church steps up into her place, healing and awakening cannot affect the world. It won’t be the masses that accomplishes this. It will be the remnant. God always works through the remnant. It won’t be the mega churches; it will be the little rural churches that step forward. If we (as the church) were doing verse 14, God would be healing our land. If God came in right now and poured out His Spirit on this generation like He wants to, it would be His approval to us on our present condition and He won’t do that. He is demanding that we grow up. The number one thing that needs to happen in our lives is humbling ourselves. The reason we do not weep over our present condition, is because we don’t seeour present condition. If we did, we would really humble ourselves. We must approach God with humble hearts! He controls our very next breath.
Humility – Romans 8:14
Your conscience is the voice of your new nature. When you disobey your conscience, you’re operating in pride. Pride is the opposite of humility. When you disobey your conscience you are essentially disobeying God speaking to you. Then when you need God to speak to you, you cant hear Him. People who don’t pray are prideful. Why don’t they pray? Because they think they don’t need to. That’s pride! We should be praying now more than ever! Our lives should revolve around God and prayer! We should never ignore the urge to pray! Sometimes it is a matter of life and death.
If we continue on the road we are on, its certain that some of the things we have been warned about will happen. But If we humble ourselves and pray, God will do His part. Nothing and no one is a match for God! We have to get some priorities back in order! God is waiting on us. When are you going to rise up and rebel against your flesh? There is still time but our window is closing quickly!