EXPRESS IMAGE GLORY MINISTRIES
THE MESSAGE NOW
Vol. 5, No. 15 – Sunday, 19th April, 2020
(1 Sam.23:1-12, 1 Sam.25:23-28)
COMMITMENT AND FOCUS IS ONE SURE ANSWER TO BEING FULFILLED
The content of 1 Samuel chapter 23:1-12 states:
1 Then they told David, saying, look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.
2 Therefore, David inquired of the Lord, saying, shall I Go and attack these Philistines? And the Lord said to David, go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.
3 But David’s men said to him, look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?
4 Then David inquired of the Lord once again. And the Lord answered him and said, arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.
5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 Now it happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand.
7 And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.
8 Then Saul called all the people together for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
9 When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, bring the ephod here.
10 Then David said, O Lord God of Israel, your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake.
11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell your servant. And the Lord said, he will come down.
12 Then David said, will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, they will deliver you’.
Consider the foregoing text and the three preceding chapters before this with meditative and deep reflective toleration. There is but one thing so certain in the most perfect exactitude. Careful scholars of the Holy Bible will no doubt be alarmed at the courage and audacity of the man David. Why?
Imagine a man who is being pursued about by a whole king with the forces of the entire kingdom driving hard at him; and yet such a man left off caring for his own life but rather chose to go after the enemies of the same kingdom that was after him for the sole reason of destroying him.
If such a man is not rather queer, then he must be a man of some sort of specialty in avowed focus and unusual commitment. The story was told about Martin Luther (the reformer and revivalist)who revived the doctrine of justification by faith in the 16th Century.
Whilst working on one of his many Christian theses, suddenly, satan appeared by the wall not far from where he was. Rather than resign to the option of fear, instead Martin Luther threw the bottle of ink from where he drew his writing ink at satan and he, satan vanished immediately in great fear of the great reformer and revivalist.
Less courageous men would have thought that Martin Luther ought to have gasped with fear. But the reverse was the case. In similar opinion, is it not expected that the natural man ought to have been severely damaged at least emotionally, seeing that he was serving God in the kingdom and yet both the kingdom and the king presiding over the kingdom were all against him?
In David’s case, the fact that he was under an unusual harassment of death from king Saul; the fact that his comrades were soaked down in the mire of fear and despondency; The fact that many towns and cities in Israel which he was fighting for were sycophants who were ready to spy on him and hand him over to his enemy, were all sufficient reasons for him to resign from service to the course of the Almighty and the course of God’s people.
But David had a strong propeller as a sure armoury ensuring his focus. David knew that so long as God’s obituary will not one day be found some where at any point, then it was certain that his vision will be fulfilled and his life was firmly secured.
This is always the case with the people who have discovered their life’s vision; who have resolutely decided to keep such vision in view and who are constantly working on that vision to see it blossom in the realm of fulfillment. The all-important question is do you have a vision worth pursuing?
Focused commitment towards serving God births the impossible and the incredible. But it is always, triggered and pungently propelled by vision. Again, I ask, do you have a vision worth pursuing? Where do you hope to be in the next five years? Resigned to grandmotherhood, housewife, solitary husband or one simply being rolled around by the wind of life?
Understand the power and profits of focused commitment to service. Is it not shocking to know that even spiritual laws can be broken in one’s favour all by dint of committed wholehearted service to God?
The question is how? The content of Genesis chapter 9:6 states: ‘whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man’.
Understand that in the course of divine service, so much blood was shed by David but his own blood was shed by no one (1Kings.2:10). Service to God makes man a protocol breaker and one who must enjoy favour and effortless ease through God on time and with time. By implication, are you genuinely saved and now committed to serving God with a pure heart? I hand over to you the truth that like David, Genesis chapter 9:6 will be fulfilled over your life also irrespective of the sin of murder through abortion or direct offences of bloodshed that you have committed. So don’t let satan weigh you down with the guilt of your past. It is worth noting that commitment to divine service holds man in eternal rememberance ‘for God is never unjust to forget man’s labour of love (Heb.6:10). Is king David not very much still in our thoughts till this day?
I cannot but conclude with all assurance of faith that commitment drives profound prophecies made on our lives to the corridors of fulfillment. I must conclude also that there is an inseparable bond between focus and commitment. The one is the husband whilst the other is the wife. Their association is ever unbroken. Whoso has this couple in his/her company in the journey of life will boundlessly succeed.
Finally, there are several lessons contained in our texts:
Commitment to the course of the Almighty will always attract God into one’s case.
Any man who is given to divine sacrificial actions will never become the sacrificial lamb on the altar of his enemy.
It is always a man’s diligent service onto God that recommends him onto greatness.
The author of the book ‘The Determiner Of Today And Tomorrow Before Yesterday’ stated: ‘starve yourself and feed your dreams and upcoming career. For your dreams and eventual career will turn around to feed you tomorrow’. By implication, whosoever fulfills divine agenda here on earth invites divinity to activate his purpose for being on earth and the Almighty God will surely see that purpose to a fulfilling end.
When the undergirding driver of any committed focus is vision, there is but only one result; it is always the outcome of happiness and fulfilling achievements.
Your troubles can never be greater than the grace available to you. Just activate that grace through prayer in that time of need.
How spiritual strong you will ever become; how great you will ever grow to become in secular life will all be determined by your attitude during those times of troubles.
For all you care, you can do your best to avoid being great in life and you can succeed. But you can never avoid troublous times so long as you are a Christian. And the choice to pass or fail is entirely your own decision.
IN THE END, IN ALL SITUATIONS OF LIFE, GOD IS ALWAYS ONE STEP AHEAD OF MAN. THEREFORE, THE ONE WHO MAKES GOD THE FIRST AND THE ONLY DIRECTOR OF HIS STEPS WILL GO CAREFULLY, MOVE SAFELY AND WILL GET VERY FAR.
Question and Answer Section
Question: The great questions again! Do you serve God with joyful heart or with reluctance? How much hurt is in your soul against that fellow? Won’t you rather forgive them and forget their mischief so that you can rightly serve your loving Father? When was the last time you smiled genuinely and truly from your heart about yourself bearing in mind the bright days to come? when was the last time you heard a force praying within your belly without your consciousness? When was the last time you gave some thing to support God’s work apart from your tithes and offerings? When was the last time you supported any man to fulfill a divine or a personal agenda? When was the last time you put smile on the face of someone?
Answer: Hmmm!.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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ALTAR CALL:
Backslidden – living in sin – needing fresh recommitment (say):
Christ Jesus, You are the Anointed One of the Most High. I come to you today as I am. In your mercy, help me out of my situation. Heal my soul, my spirit, my body, my life and my destiny. I acknowledge you as the only true lover of my soul. Please, deliver me on every side and save me through and through. I promise from the depth of my soul to be yours from henceforth, in Jesus name. Help me now O God. Be my Lord, my Saviour and my all in all from this day. Thank you Lord (read Ps.54 in closing and pray more).
HYMN: I’m Pressing On The Upward Way
PRAY NOW:
1. Please find and read the book ‘Pilgrims’ Progress’ by John Bunyan.
2. I sack all enemies of progress in me and around me.
3. O God, reveal to me that which is holding me back from truly serving you.
4. O God, onto whom has my life been dedicated apart from you? Reveal and deliver me today.
5. Lord, release the rain of focus and commitment upon me now and from henceforth.
6. I shall no longer occupy the backseat from now on. I am a front man/woman in the service of my Messiah.
Present your personal petitions.
