November 26: Should I go to war?

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went in search of David; when David heard of this, he went out to face them. Now the Philistines had come and raided in the Valley of Rephaim, so David inquired of God, “Should I go to war against the Philistines? Will You hand them over to me?” The Lord replied, “Go, and I will hand them over to you.” So the Israelites went up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated the Philistines there. Then David said, “Like a bursting flood, God has used me to burst out against my enemies.” Therefore, they named that place the Lord Bursts Out.  (1 Chronicles 14:8-12 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Whenever the devil hears that something good has happened, he comes in search of us. He doesn’t want us to improve or to get close to God, and whenever we are doing well we attract his attention. This should not make us afraid of getting close to the Lord Jesus — like I’ve heard some people say — but should encourage us to do even more. At times problems are a good sign… a sign that we’re on the right track… or that the answer to our prayer is right around the corner… or that our faith is strong. If we decide to slow down or pull back because of attacks, what are we doing? We’re doing exactly what demons want us to do.

So many times we ask God the same question that King David posed: “Should I go to war against my problem? Will You hand it over to me?” God wants to hand our problems over to us even more than we want it, and so His answer is always the same: “Go… I will!” Certain question do not need to be asked because they are already clearly answered in the Bible, either through direct promises, or by examples of people in the past. Clearly David’s question did not upset God — he was seeking direction — and he was ready to fight. What does upset God are those people who are not even considering the question: “Should I go to war against my problem?” They’ve already made room for it, and accepted it as a part of their lives.

Can you look back on your life and label a certain time or place “the Lord Bursts Out”? Like David, you should be able to. And if you can’t, you need to decide that in the very near future you will be able to. A bursting flood is one of the most frightening and dangerous phenomenon in the world — people, buildings, cities, and man-made barriers are no match for a bursting flood. But here we see that whenever men and women go to war against their enemies they have the same devastating power of a bursting flood, not because they are so strong, but because the power of God uses them. In other words, they are guaranteed of victory.

If you are not presently going to war against a problem, you are in grave danger. Jesus was constantly at war — and still is today. We should be no different.