There is so much happening in our world that fights against God and His truth. While we are all called to fight the ongoing battles of personal purity and integrity on a daily basis, some will be called to step out from a personal expression of their faith to become visible and vocal if they have been given permission to do so from the Lord.
Soon after David was made king of Israel, the Philistines set out to capture him. They had just killed Saul and fastened his decapitated head to the temple of the demonic god Dagon. They felt overly confident. When the Philistine army arrived, David asked the Lord, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me” (I Chronicles 14:10). That seems like a ridiculous question to ask when an enemy sets foot on land promised to Israel by God. It’s not a ridiculous question for a spiritual warrior who never engages the enemy without first asking permission to engage from their Commander-in-chief – the God of Heaven and Earth. The Lord answered David’s question, “Yes, go ahead. I will hand them over to you” (vs. 10).
After the battle was over and the Israelites were victorious, David exclaimed, “God did it!” (vs. 11). If we cannot attach the label, “God did it!” to the battles of faith, we will have engaged in an errand of fools.
Every battle requires that we inquire of the Lord, “Should I take this on?” God allows some evil to remain for reasons we do not fully understand. Only in the final chapter of human history will the answer to why something was allowed to remain will be answered.
If the answer is silence, we need to wait and trust God. He is always up to more than we realize. If the answer is “Yes, go ahead”, then we need to move out with confidence even as the surrounding culture pelts us with mockery, censorship, and punishment for daring to step out of line or when believers who have bought into the spirit of the age label you as a disruptive and unloving presence needing to be shamed into silence.
I really appreciated your reminder to always ask God first, for what ever the subject. We always need to wait for that answer and not push forward with anything until we hear from Him. I have been getting a little anxious with what is being allowed that first goes against God’s laws and second goes against our country laws.
I know God does allow things to happen for a time, for His reason(s), and I must be patient. This has become a very trying time and it is taking all the patients that God has given me to wait.
Thank you again Garris for the reminder as I am waiting for the unfolding of Gods plan.