And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, ‘Thou shalt not go up: but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer. - book of 2 Samuel.
As believers in God, we are supposed to trust him in everything, but more often than not, we show our lack of faith by taking the reins ourselves and then, not too surprisingly, question God when things don’t work out as prayed and expected, despite imperious demands using the worthless, name it, claim it jargon. And God does not listen to the foolishness of men. But his eyes knows the heart, and he guides those who place their sincere trust in him without reservation, or questioning. For as Jesus said, Only those who do the will of the father will be accepted by him.
You see, David was given victory because he obeyed God and showed it through his obedience and trust. He waited, as told, until he heard the hosts of the Lord pass by in the treetops above. Then he engaged the enemy and they fled in terror. They were defeated not because of anything David did, but because David did as told. David was obedient to the Lord’s commands. Are you? Or are you expecting him to respect your prayers, foolishly believing that he must? If you are then may I remind you that God is no repsecter of persons, no matter the size of the ego or the numbers of verses pulled from the Bible. The key to prayer is very simply this, YOUR WILL BE DONE.
But obviously many have not grasped that simple concept called obedience, and like King Saul of old, they try to do it their way expecting God to honor them, but that is not how it goes. Answered prayer hinges on obedience, and not by abusing the written word by pulling verses out of their context to justify the lawless requests and petitions. If King David had not obeyed God and instead chosen a different approach then his kingdom would have been given to another. And millions of foolish believers today have chosen to do just that, their way. God is not a sugar daddy, and he will not pander to your whims, social expectations or gender identity. He has made it abundantly clear what you are to do if you want to be saved from the sins that keep you in chains of defeat. And your way will not be accepted.
And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived, and bore Cain, and said, ‘I have gotten a man from the Lord’, And she again bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering. But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, ‘Why art thou wroth? And why is the countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. - book of Genesis.
Obedience is a choice that we all have to make, and God makes it clear that to obey his commandments will lead to life whereas those who choose to wifully transgress while calling themselves believers shall fall into ruin.Think on the parable of the two men who built their houses, one upon the rock and the other upon the sand. The waters rose and the winds came and beat against those houses. So is the man that disregards the commandments of the Lord, his house shall fall into ruin because it was not founded upon the rock. That rock is Jesus Christ and his commandments. The Word teaches us that we are saved by grace, and yes, that is absolutely true, and it also tells us to keep the commandments as well, for only those who do, have the right to enter into the Holy City.
And there is the dividing line between the sheep and the goats. Between Moses and Korah, between Saul and David, and John and Judas, and between the believers in this Laodicean church age. To do as commanded or not. There will be no victory over sin as long as sin is practiced, as long as the Lord is ignored, his warnings cast aside, the commandments trampled upon, and the Holy Spirit replaced with a rebellious spirit. The body of believers must choose either to be cold or hot, but to remain lukewarm will remain in being cast away from his presence.
And unto the angel of the of the church of the Laodiceans write, “These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God: I know thy works, that thou are neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth: because thou sayest, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing”: and knowest not that art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and annoint thy eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” - book of Revelation.
There is quite a bit to read within those lines and to consider our spiritual state of heart and the works that show, if any show from lukewarm hearts at all. We all, who claim the faith in Christ, need to be aware of the gravity of our committment and love and servitude to the Master. We need to compare ourselves against his word, for that alone is the standard of our faith, our sure foundation, and under whose wings we may find shelter. When we call him master and Lord, then are we not obligating ourselves to do as he commands us, to believe his every word, to try every spirit which would seduce us from him? With lukewarm attiudes, there can be no servitude other than for oneself. There will be no lasting victories, our praises ring hollow in our own ears, our words are as dull tones, and the spirit of apathy draped over our shoulders tells all that we are worldly compromisers because we will not do as the Lord commands. We refused to wait under the mulberry trees. We chose disobedience over submission. We denied the Lord by denying his commands, and only a fearful denial by him before the Father and all the holy angels is what will await us if we do not turn back, repent and produce good works with a genuine and fervent love for the Lord Jesus.
If you are reading these words, and it stirs you just a whisper, then take up the word without delay and humble your hearts and return to your first love. Turn away from the riches of this world which are most certainly perishing in the flames to come. Take up the mantle of humility and serve the master in humbleness of heart. Be clothed in robes of righteousnesss, and annoint your eyes with holy salve that you may see the exceeding great danger of a lukewarm faith. The Lord Jesus is standing before the door of your heart, and the time has come for you to decide. He is offering reconciliation to the backslidden sinner, and when you accept, then he will sup with you and you with him.
You can become the overcomer in him, if you choose to do his will. If you choose to wait under the mulberry tree as he leads you to victory. The choice is yours alone to decide, and procrastination is the same as denying his name. Don’t be caught in the hour least expected.
I remain a brother in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Edward L Ordway