When love conquers all

Personal Consequences

November 24, 2005

Joel Akin

2 Samuel 5:20 And David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baalperazim.

 Who is your enemy? Who is the one that you are fighting against? When we look at the battle we are facing the hardest thing for us to do is be still and wait for the Lord to move. But there are times when the battle comes to us and we must fight. In 2 Samuel the Philistines sought out David and came after him to fight. Yet even after the enemy came David still did not fight.

 I think one of the hardest things for us as Christians is to hold still. The scripture is clear "Be still and know that I am God" and "Lean not to thine own understanding" and yet we cannot seem to hear and we do not seem to heed the word of God. Why? The answer is because we have made ourselves ruler and we have made ourselves king or queen of our lives.

 God isn't interested in sharing the throne of our heart. He sent His son Jesus that we might have life but Jesus is meant to be king and ruler. Yet if you study the scripture the Bible tells us that Jesus will remain ruler only until he has put all things under his feet.

1Corinthians 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

 There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus will rule and reign on his return to earth. His plan is to put all men under his authority and not one shall rise above him. Not one shall lift his head or his heel above the Lord Jesus Christ. Of that I am sure. There is no doubt in my mind that we must submit ruler ship of our life to Christ first and then when we have submitted all to Christ then and only then can we hope to have hope brought to a place of completeness in our life.

Learning to submit is truly the hardest thing for us especially when the enemy surrounds us on every side.

For David it was so. He wasn't afraid of the Philistines nor was he afraid of their numbers. When you read scripture those who were the greatest were the ones who had to be the stillest. David learned to be still beside the quiet waters. He fought the bear and the lion and moved up to giants and armies. In every case there wasn't a time when he didn't have to submit his life into the hands of God and into the hands of the almighty. Yet it was God who pointed him out even when his father and brothers were not pointed out as leaders of Israel. It was David who was chosen and David who was anointed for this task. It was David who had to listen and David who had to overcome and David, ruddy in complexion as he was, had to fight against the giant. And it was David who broke the power of the giants over the land. It was the giants which were the thorn in Israel's side and it was the giants who prevented them from taking full possession of the land.

Yet in every case we find that David, with the help of God, turned Israel around so that once and for all the land could be at peace. But that Love that David had for God could not be brought to a place of completeness until David learned to be still in the midst of his enemies and in the midst of his trials and difficulties and leadership issues. For it was there in the midst of all these difficulties David learned the fullness of love and the fullness of love wasn't in his concubines, wives, friends or any power he held naturally. It was in his trust for God.

This trust for God is what brought David to a place of perfect stillness and perfect authority over his enemies. It wasn't by might, though David had it, nor was it by power for David had that as well. Those things other men had yet they lacked that presence and position with God. For David had a heart after the things of God and only by having that heart did God bless him. Its true that he wasn't perfect and its true there was blood on his hands. Yet it was also true that David knew how to fight and it was God who taught his hands to war. It was David who helped prepare the way for Solomon and the temple. It was David who helped prepare the one to take the City of David and it was David who will be there in the end days.

2 Samuel 5: 7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.

 The coming of Jesus is near. There is a war taking place even as we speak in the spiritual realm. It is a war where Satan is raging against the wise ones and against the hand of God. But God is teaching his chosen ones to fight and they are in warfare against the hand of the evil one. Yet I know who is going to be victorious and who is going to win for the scripture foretells us that we are going to win.

It may seem at times that the enemy has heard we are here and comes down specifically to fight against us. But the word of the Lord is clear "Be still and know that I am God..." Know this that the hand of the evil one is too short and is too weak and is to frail. He has lost and though he comes against me yet I know this "God is going to give me the victory" and I am going to come out on top and on time.

There is nothing Satan can do and nothing he can say for the word of the Lord is powerful and mighty like a sword sharpened on both sides. It will bring me the victory and He will be glorified. God is saying to me be still and watch and wait and do nothing but trust. There are times he says to fight and there are times he says to watch. And in this case God is bringing the victory and I know why. So that He might be glorified and that the way would be made for He Jesus, who is about to come.

Amen.