Woe unto us: who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. | ||
| 1 Samuel 4:8-10 | ||
| Even though Israel had brought the Ark of the Covenant into their camp, thirty thousand men died. This was a horrible defeat; a brutal, bloody battle in which the Philistines butchered the people of Israel. The same thing can happen to me. I bring the “Ark” into my camp. My boxes are all checked off on my spiritual “To Do” list; therefore, it’s sure to be a great day. But I’ve discovered that sometimes when my boxes are all checked off, the day goes horribly. “Lord,” I cry, “I checked my boxes. I read my Bible, prayed, and went to church. I even tithed eleven percent last week! Why don’t I have victory?” And the Lord would say to me, “It’s not about bringing a box into your camp or checking a box off on a list. Only a relationship with Me will bring victory as I guide you step by step, day by day.” Reading two chapters a day or attending church two times a week won’t guarantee victory any more than bringing the box into the camp brought victory to the Israelites. God doesn’t work that way. If, however, reading two chapters a day or attending church two times a week is done for the purpose of meeting Him, of learning more about Him, of spending time with Him, He has promised to meet us there (James 4:8). Pastor Jon Courson | ||
