Warriors Arise: December 17, 2020
1 Samuel 30:21-23 (NKJV) Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man's wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.”
David's response in verse 23 is important. He could devastate these 200 men, their wives and children. How he responds at this very moment, in this particular situation it is crucial to these 200 men who have been condemned by their fellow warriors.
23 But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us.
David takes reminds the them who led the rescue that led to the battle. David reminds them the Lord had given them the victory and preserved their lives. David tells them the Lord delivered the Amalekites into their hands. Yes, David and his 400 warriors had to fight but God was with them every step of the way. Not one of them died in this battle. That alone should be a testimony of God's protection. God remained with them as they pursued the Amalekites. Remember, they wanted to stone David. That was their solution to the problem. Somehow David was responsible for their city being burnt to the ground, their wives, children and possession being taken. They had no intention of trying to find their wives, children and possessions until David sought God. When he sought God He told them they would be successful in recovering all.
We must be careful how we respond. God says we will be held accountable for every idle word we speak.
Matthew 12:36-37 (NKJV) But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
What would happen if you had to give an account to God for every word you have spoken in the last month? Why kind of excuses would you say for what you have said? It is a strong verse. It is meant to keep us from running over at the mouth with words that do not encourage, built up and strengthen people, specifically Christians.
When this verse hit me deep in my heart, I realized until I have better things to say, I really didn't have much of value to say. This is not a self deprecating mindset. I remember after saying something that wasn't received, thinking, "Well, it's the truth." But it didn't have an ounce of love with it. Even though I wasn't saying it to be mean or vile; I still didn't say it with love. The measurement I was using is whether what I said was the truth or a lie. It wasn't a lie; therefore, it was acceptable to say. But God revealed this verse to me and I had to make a huge adjustment. If I couldn't share the truth in love then there was no need to share. Most people know the truth. They choose to live with the lie. So if you want someone to wake up to the lie leading them away from the blessings God has for them, then you have to figure out how to say the truth wrapped in love.
I had to learn to share the truth in love. It wasn't about being right, it was about being received. If I really cared about the other person and felt like I had what they needed then I had to find a way to share without condemning them or taking the conversation to an argument. When we get to an argument then as a Christian, we have lost. The Holy Spirit leads us to know when people are ready to receive the truth. There are times you and I know the truth and realize the other person is not ready to receive the truth. What do we do? We don't want to cause their heart to get harder or for them to shut us out of their life. What do we do? We take the matter to the Father and pray for Him to reveal what our friend needs. We pray their heart will be ready to receive from the Father. Every time we think about them pray they will be ready for the truth and for God to them speak clearly.
Father You are faithful to love me at all times. You are consistent in revealing Your truth and sharing it in love. I pray for You to teach me when I need to say something and then how to say it so the truth will be revealed. I ask for for discernment so I know when to share the truth and when I need to make it a matter of prayer. Sometimes You reveal things to me so I will pray for them. Sometimes You never use me to say a word to them but they have received it from You. Thank you for enlisting me to pray for the truth to be revealed that they needed to hear. Thank you for teaching me to discern whether they will receive it and how I can pray for them. I ask to be a blessing to those around me. I ask to see the truth and share it in love. Forgive me for the idle words I have spoken. I pray for You to guide my heart and mind in the things You reveal. Just because You have revealed something doesn't mean I am to share it in person. I want to understand when I am to share and when I am to make it a matter of prayer. I ask for You to guide me in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus, riots, and lies. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.
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