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Who did it?
So David asked God, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord replied, “Yes, go ahead. I will hand them over to you.” So David and his troops went ... and defeated the Philistines there. “God did it!” David exclaimed. 1 Chronicles 14:10-11We live in a thankless society, which is exaggerated by many wanting to take all
the credit for the achievements that have been made. Look at the way footballers
celebrate and movie stars strut their stuff on the red carpets.
Are we as God’s people any different? We need to be.I am not saying that we shouldn’t encourage each other, after all the bible would endorse this, but are we out, looking for the accolades, when the real glory and credit should go to God.
David stood against a mighty enemy, the Philistines and defeated them. David and his army physically beat them and yet David declares “God did it”.
Here lies a simple and yet profound lesson for us today. We may be called to fight the battles in the physical, but the battles are always won in the spiritual realm.If David had not enquired of God whether to fight or not, then the battle would
have been carried out in his own strength and not with the might of the Lord.The bible says “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12
Davidwould have been defeated and today we are often defeated, because we try and fight our battles in our own realm. If we want to see more battles won, we need to fight with the Lord as our commander and not as our medic, (to pick up the pieces after the battle).Each time giving him the glory, and enjoying the strength and might of a Holy God. Our battles to day come in different guises and forms, but whatever way they come, lets ask the Father, how to win.
At the battle of Trafalgar, history would tell us that Nelson didn’t
win, even though it was his ships that won the victory (no pun intended). It was
Lord Byron’s plan over many years that had built the British Navy to be the
force that it was. Without Byron, Nelson would have been defeated.God has made all the plans for the victories in our lives, we just need to ask him for the battle plans.
We all have a part to play
so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all
belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for
doing certain things well. Romans 12:4-6
In a successful team each member has a crucial role to play. If one is not pulling their weight or another is looking for all the limelight then the team will never reach its potential. There will be in fighting and jealousy and arguing from both sides. But if the team works together and each sees everyone else for what they are good at, then success is easier to come by.
Do you feel a part of the body of Christ?
Do you feel part of a team?
Well the church is like a team, except in a much higher league and for a greater trophy.
The reward of a successful team as a church, is families and individuals being brought closer to God for eternity.
Are we all called to do the same tasks, should we all be conformed to a certain style or model? Of course not Christ has made us unique with individual and specific callings and we can’t expect everyone to do every different thing.
On the other hand we have to remember, that we have a part to play, all of us can get involved with each aspect of the church.
We may be front line, we may be working behind the scenes, but we are all serving the same objective. Bringing glory to God.
As we have been on the streets with the door to door witness or working on the shops with the outreach to the teenagers. What is clear, is that we need the support of the church to hold us up in pray. Many of us may find this part of church activities hard, where as others find it is what they are called to do.
But each of us are called to work for the gospel. To spend time praying for the youth ministries, for the outreach is being part of the team. And we need prayer as much as a football team needs a goalkeeper. I believe God is going to do something special on this estate, even more than he has already done, but the church has got to unite together in prayer and action, working as a team.
If you feel challenged, come and join us on the estate, pray for us, get involved in some way and together lets build this community for God. Remembering above all, that it is Christ, who is our captain. He is an infallible leader.
Why don't you just ask!
“You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father”. John 14:13
What do we ask for, what kind of things can we ask for? We can get caught up in these questions so often that we actually forget to ask.
Sometimes we feel unworthy, selfish and an array of other emotions. But when we consider what effect our asking has on the Father it may change our attitude towards prayer.
The phrase “so the Son can bring glory to the Father” shows us a better way.
How can my prayer which seems selfish glorify the Father? When we show helplessness, we are really showing dependency on God. When we cry out to Christ and have no answer, we are saying that we believe God is our direction and source of wisdom.
If we pray anything in his name, we are saying that which doesn't go against the Character of God. His word is his character in written form. Don’t expect God to answer your prayer if you pray contrary to it, but do if it falls into line with the character of a gracious , loving and merciful God. Remember though he is also a God of justice and righteousness.
Don’t let your little view of God mar your prayer life, God wants to bless you and he want you to enjoy him, therefore ask away, not selfishly or just because, but because it will honour the Father .
We need to learn to be adventurous in our prayer and believe not just for the improbable but for the impossible. God rewards those who sincerely seek him (Heb 11:6b) Ask what would Christ want me to be, what would he want me to do and pray a prayer of faith that would agree with your answer. Maybe we don’t know, then prayer that God would stir your heart to overflowing and leave you without a doubt what he wants you to do or be. Make your prayers, prayers and not requests and allow God to work miraculously through them.
The Father is waiting to hear your heart and what thrills him is when you human heart is in tune with his.
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