July 2020 – Listen up Beloved:

Where Do You Place your Confidence?

“And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel. 2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.”—1 Chronicles 21:1-2.

God always requires total trust in Him alone for our victories in life. Throughout scripture we are cautioned not to place our trust in the strength of horses, other men or our own abilities. David’s decision to take a census was a failure to keep his trust totally upon the Lord.

David’s purpose in counting his population was to assess his military strength, much like the second census taken under Moses (Numbers 1:2-3). David found 800,000 men eligible for military service in Israel and 500,000 men in Judah (2 Samuel 24:9), more than double the previous head count.

David’s commander evidently recognized the grave error that his king was about to make. “But Joab replied, ‘May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?'”—1 Chronicles 21:3.

This census displeased the Lord. David was falling into the temptation of trusting in the size of his army rather than in the Lord. God punished David and reduced his forces by bringing a plague that killed 70,000 men (1 Chronicles 21:14-15). How do we do this in our lives today? We trust our bank accounts, our skills, and the security of our workplace. When we begin placing our faith in these things instead of the provider of these things we get into trouble with God.

What a lesson this is for each of us. Today, place your total trust in the Lord for all of your needs.

The Dangers of Over-Control

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”—1 Samuel 15:23.

I heard a pilot say: “Whenever a jet goes out of control and begins to spin, the only thing to do is totally take your hands off the controls and the plane will right itself.” This goes against our natural inclination to control and manipulate in order to bring things back under control. It is scary to be out of control. Or is it?

Saul was a man out of control. He was losing control of his kingdom to David. He was losing the favor of God and the people. It began as compromises. Eventually he was given a final test to obey the voice of God fully. He was instructed to kill the Amalekites completely; but he failed to follow through. The prophet Samuel delivered a hard word to King Saul, “Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king”—1 Samuel 15:26. Saul obeyed partially, but not fully. It was partial obedience that led to his removal as king of Israel and his calling from God. But why did Saul do such a thing? “I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them”—Samuel 15:24b. Saul’s fear and insecurity made him more afraid of the people and what they thought than of God. At the core of Saul’s disobedience was fear of losing control. That fear of losing control led to partial obedience and the loss of his reign as king.

How many of us are in danger of losing God’s blessing due to partial obedience? How many of us have such a need to control people and circumstances that we fail to fully walk in obedience to God’s voice in our lives? Saul provides a great lesson for us as believers. The need to over-control things around us can prevent us from receiving all that God has for us. Today, take an inventory of your control quotient.

Ask God if you are being fully obedient to what He has called you to do this day, and avoid being put on the shelf for disobedience. “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams”—1
Samuel 15:22b.

Good Things Versus God-Things

“For (or because) as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”—Romans 8:14.

The greatest sign that you and I are maturing in our walk with God is when we can discern the difference between “good things” and “God-things.” When the people of Israel journeyed out of Egypt through the desert, the cloud led them by day. They could move only as fast as the cloud. If they went ahead, they went without God’s presence. If they lagged behind, they also lost God’s presence.

Each of us must have the discernment to know when God is leading in a matter, or if it is simply a good idea. There are so many things in which you and I can be involved, and the more successful you become, the greater the temptations to enter into things where God has not called you. Movers and shakers are especially prone to see all the opportunities.

I recall one time when I entered into a particular project (teaching series) that I thought was a great idea. It would help many people. After three weeks, the project had to be discontinued. It was a great lesson on
understanding what projects have God’s blessing on them. There are some projects you and I might get involved in that result in little fruit compared to the investment put into them. That is because they may never have been birthed by the Holy Spirit.

As sons of God, we are called to be led by the Spirit. This requires a level of dependence on God in which many of us really do not want to invest. It requires listening, waiting, and moving only when God’s Spirit tells us to move. True disciples are “action” people. We know how to get things done, but our greatest strength can be our greatest weakness.

Today, ask God to make you a Romans 8:14 man or woman who is led by the Spirit of God. Pray against lagging behind or moving ahead. Ask God to reveal whether the next project you consider is a “good thing” or a “God-thing.”

Going Beyond Your Paradigm

“So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even upon him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. He stripped off his robes and also prophesied in Samuel’s presence. He lay that way all that day and night. This is why people say, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?'”—1 Samuel 19:23-24.

Whenever God calls you into a new thing, you can expect to do things you’ve never done. Saul had just been anointed to be the first king of Israel. He was being launched into a whole new calling. He was hanging out with the spiritual leaders of the nation.

As Saul began to prophesy the prophets wondered if he, too, was a prophet. He was not a prophet but God was doing a new thing through Saul – activating something in him that had been dormant until then.

When God calls you into a new endeavor you will find that God will often anoint you in areas you considered your weakest traits. God turns shepherds like Moses into leaders of nations. He turns farmers like Gideon into reformers. He turns impetuous and unstable personalities like Peter into leaders that can transform a culture and lead a movement.

Whenever God does a new thing in a life, those who knew them before notice the change. Quiet people become bold. Poor speakers learn to become great communicators. Those who were never leaders before become the new leaders. This is the way of God.

When God looks at an individual, He looks at their future, not their past. He is always looking at the person He has created you to become, not the person you are now. When Samuel anointed the young shepherd boy, David, to be the next king of Israel, it would be years before this would happen. However, God already knew who he was to become.

How does God view your life? What is the destiny He has chosen you to fulfill?