Scripture:
And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him... And David realized that the Lord had made him king over Israel and had made his kingdom great for the sake of his people.
2 Samuel 5:10, 15
Observation:
Saul is dead and David wants to conquer the fortified city of Jerusalem. The Jebusites built a magnificent fortress there, ideal to set the headquarters for David’s kingdom and central location to unify the tribes of Israel. David wants it! So he goes after it. The walls of the city are high and strong. The Jebusites are confident that no one can climb the wall and conquer the city. Yet David found a hole in the wall, the water tunnel. This could have been the sewer system of the city. Nobody dared to go though that filthy and smelly tunnel. Only David’s special forces of mighty men were able to handle the tunnel and came in into the city to conquer it. This conquest took David to a whole another level in his leadership. David’s influence increased because God was with Him in all his dealings.
Application:
This morning I find myself doing devotions for the very first time in the fortress of Kahala Mall. This is an strategic place for ministry and we all agree that we are going into a whole another level of service to our community. It took several months to get here. Our patience was tested and our resources were challenged. But by the grace of God, we find ourselves here ready to launch a historical outreach in our community. God will be glorified because He always fights for us. This is not our doing. this is God’s favor over our church.
The great victory over Jerusalem also brings a warning. Once they settled, David’s character was tested and he failed many tests. He married more wives that he could handle and became more comfortable in the midst of the luxury of his brand new palace. He neglected many basics and drifted away from the Lord. That’s why it’s important that we never forget our humble origins and that we remain dependent in God’s favor. We cannot assume that we have it all. We need to rely on him to be able to steward well what He has given us. God gives us all this blessings for the sake of His people. We need to honor Him by trusting more and more in Him, not in our abilities or experience. The resource center is not the end goal for our church. There are another fortresses to be conquered in the years to come. There are many people to be brought closer to God. We cannot put the guard down and get comfortable. We must keep moving forward because the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Lord’s church.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the privilege of having our church’s resource center at Kahala Mall. We don’t deserve your favor, but because of your love, we are worthy of this and much more. Please help us to see holes in our adversity to be able to conquer our opponents. Please keep our hearts humble and dependent in you. Help us to see beyond the four walls of our comfort zone and teach us how to take over other fortresses. Use our church to impact this community with the Gospel. Amen!
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