When Kings Go Out to Battle
By Francis Frangipane
Beware of a Passive Spirit
There are many examples of David's valor. As a young man, for instance,
while others trembled, David was ready and eager to face Goliath.
David is an example of one whom God chose, whose passions for God
sustained him for most of his life.
Yet David also provides an example of what happens to good people when
they go passive when they should be fighting. For there was an occasion
when David did not pursue his enemies and the consequences were grave.
It happened because he allowed a passive spirit to subdue his will.
"Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle,
that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they
destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at
Jerusalem" (2 Sam.11:1).
During a time of war, the king allowed a passive spirit to immobilize his
soul. Soon we find this great warrior king almost helpless to resist the
unfolding spiritual attack.
"Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the
roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and
the woman was very beautiful in appearance" (2 Sam. 11:2).
The woman was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. From the moment David accepted
the influence of that passive spirit, his resistance was weakened; a paralysis
of conscience occurred. Scripture says that "when evening came David arose from
his bed." Perhaps it was customary to rest in the afternoon, but it strikes me
as inconsistent for David to nap while his men fought. It is possible that this
nap was not a response to a bodily need but an expression of the slumber that
gripped his soul. He was in bed until "evening."
This heaviness of soul resting on David was actually part of a larger,
synchronized spiritual attack. The other part of that battle was the quiet,
inner prompting that stirred Bathsheba to bathe in a place where David could
see her. Finally, unable to resist, and in defiance of his noble qualities,
David
"sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her" (2
Sam. 11:4).
Dear friend, remember: This terrible moral failure was not driven by David's
lust
or flagrant rebellion to God. A passive spirit introduced David to his sin! The
problem was simply that, in a time when the kings went forth to war, David
stayed at home.
We ourselves are in a time of war. The Spirit of God is calling us to fight for
our souls as well as our families, cities and nations. Indeed, God's Word
reveals
that "The Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man
of
war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail
against
His enemies" (Isa. 42:13).
Is that holy fight in you? Is there a war cry in your spirit? If you are born
again,
that cry is within you, even if it has been muted by lethargy.
We will never succeed as overcomers without carrying in our spirits the war cry
of
God. We must stop resisting the call to prayer; we must embrace the reality of
spiritual warfare; and we must fight with the weapons of warfare that God has
given us,
both for our own progress and also on behalf of those we love.
Know, however, that the moment you accept a passive spirit, you should
anticipate that
a temptation appropriate to your weakness will soon follow. It may not be
Bathsheba;
it may be pornography on the Internet. Or it may be a coworker who begins to
look
attractive at a time when you and your spouse are struggling. Whatever the area
of
weakness in your life, Satan will attack that area. It will likely not be a
bold frontal
assault; if you first drop your guard and relax your fight, he will disarm you
with a
passive spirit. If the enemy succeeds in his assault, you will find yourself
wrapped up
in something that can devastate you and your loved ones.
One may argue, "I'm walking with God. I'm a bond-servant of the Lord. I'm not
vulnerable."
Remember what the Lord warned the church in Thyatira: "I have this against you,
that you
tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and
leads My
bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things
sacrificed to
idols" (Rev. 2:20) .
Jesus was concerned, not only for the corrupting influence of Jezebel in the
world; He was
concerned that the leaders of the church had grown tolerant. More, her
seductions not only
targeted the wayward or new believers, but she led God's bond-servants astray.
Although it does not identify this seductive spirit by name, Proverbs warns of
the
temptations of the Jezebel spirit. Speaking of "the woman of folly," she calls
out "to
those who pass by, who are making their paths straight: Whoever is naive, let
him turn in
here" (see Prov. 9:14-18).
Who is this spirit after? Those "who are making their paths straight."
Beloved, it is springtime here in the northern hemisphere. It is that time of
the year when
seduction begins to call out "to those who pass by." Let us not become passive
in a time of
war. Rather, let us fight for our nation, our cities, our families and,
especially, our own souls.
It is time for kings to go to war.
A service of Frangipane Ministries, Inc.
Copyright (c) 2008
All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations
were taken from the NASB.
Please visit our website (http://frangipane.org) for additional messages and
resources.
If you wish to contact us with comments or questions about this email, you may
do so by writing us at comments@frangipane.org.
---
■ Synchronet ■ SpiffWiggler BBS *telnet://nexxus1.synchro.net* Taunton, MA
|
