5 As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.” ~ 1 Samuel 4:5–9
The Israelites were so excited to have the Ark of the Covenant come into their camp because they knew it represented the presence of the LORD, and where the presence of the LORD is, there is victory. But they were only going through a religious phase. They were using it as a lucky charm, but they didn’t have a relationship with Him. God will not let His great name be used as a talisman. He desires to have a relationship with His people.
You cannot side with the kingdom of God, and then when the enemy attacks you with sickness, disease, cancer, poverty, or some kind of pestilence and you cannot now expect to just run out and begin to call upon the name of the LORD as aa incantation expecting the magic to just bust forth like fireworks. It doesn’t work that way. God expects you to foster your relationship with Him.
The enemy will begin to fight even harder, and like the philistines fighting the Israelites, he will overcome you, and you will lose the battle. He does not desire to be obedient to your words, but his wish is to enslave you, and he will if you don’t have the presence of God with you.
You cannot separate who you are, neither in work, nor in play, nor in politics. If God hates it, so should we. It is not a matter of choice or our way. It is God’s way or the highway. So, let us get our priorities straight and begin to serve the one true God, and not man or culture or popularity. The enemy is playing for keeps. So should we.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Play For Keeps.
Similar Content
