“He also brought me out of a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.” (Psalm 18:19 NKJV).
*“Every victory we win over the flesh and the devil will be followed by an even greater temptation and attack.
Satan simply won’t give up in his war against us. If we defeat him once, he’ll redouble his forces and come right back at us. Suddenly, we are in a spiritual war we thought we’d already won. And now he comes at us with ‘iron chariots,’ weapons and devices of greater force and intensity than we’ve known.
‘When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in battle array against David and fought with him.’ (2 Samuel 10:17 NKJV). It’s important to note that David was not living in sin at this time. On the contrary, he walked in the Fear of God. And yet David was human, so he must have wondered, ‘Why would God allow this once-dead enemy to come against me again?’
We know David had a tender heart. No doubt he searched his soul, wondering if there was some wicked way in him. Was he being disobedient somehow? He probably thought, ‘Lord, am I being disciplined?’
Isn’t this what goes through our minds whenever we face an enemy we thought was defeated long ago? We wallow in self-examination: ‘There must be some evil root in me. How else could I be tempted in this same area over and over? I must be a phony, a hypocrite, rotten inside. ‘ We end up crying out as David did:
‘Help, Lord, this is beyond me, and I need a miracle. Please, rid me of this thing once and for all. ‘Suddenly, in the midst of his confusion and soul-searching, David remembered the COVENANT God had made with him:
‘Since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the Lord tells you that He will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.’ (2 Samuel 7: 11-12 NKJV).
God reminded David of this promise as he was going to war. He wanted to remove all fear from His beloved servant. So while the devil was throwing every weapon in hell at David, the Lord showed him that even before he entered battle he would emerge a victor.
He said, in effect ‘I’m going to plant you and your seed so that your house will stand forever. You don’t have to be pushed around by your enemies, because I’m going to cut them off. So, when the Syrians show up in their iron chariots, don’t be moved. You’ll come out of this battle standing!’
David laid hold of those promises. And the first thing he did was take his eyes off the oncoming enemy. Now he was no longer weeping about being in trouble, trying to grasp why the struggle had come. Instead, he basked in the revelation of God’s loving kindness: ‘He delivered me, because He delighted in me.’ (Psalm 18:19b).
This is what God intends for every one of His children when the enemy comes in like a flood. The Lord ‘meets’ us with His love. In other words, He says to us, ‘You may be wounded, but that doesn’t matter. I have already made you victorious.”*
We will continue in Part 3. CHRIS
*This teaching is paraphrased from the World Challenge Pulpit Series. This message was delivered by David Wilkerson at the Times Square Church in New York City, February 26, 2007. “The Preventing Love of the Lord, An Encouraging Message for Those In Need of Hope”
Covenant Chronicles with Chris Lovett 