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Taking Ground

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RTP/MJ

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So Samuel did what the Lord told him, and he came to Bethlehem. Then the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?” (1 Samuel 16:4 NASB)

“Don’t make me come up there,” my dad would warn, his voice echoing through the dimly lit hallway as his four restless boys, wide-eyed and giggling, refused to settle down for the night. We knew we didn’t want to hear him coming up those stairs because he would not be coming in peace.

I can vividly picture the scene in 1 Samuel 16-when Samuel arrived in your town, it likely meant you were in trouble with the Lord. (They had probably heard the chilling tales of what he did to King Agag of the Amalekites. 1 Samuel 15:32-33) It’s a lot like the warning our dad issued to us, filled with a mix of love and authority. We adored him, but the thought of him climbing the stairs to discipline us filled us with dread, making us think twice about our mischief.

For the last few months, we’ve been studying 1 Samuel at our church, especially Israel’s battles with the Amalekites and Philistines. At the same time, I’ve been watching Amazon Prime’s new series, House of David, which doesn’t shy away from portraying the brutality of war. It’s reinforced the reality that spiritual warfare is just as real and fierce.

At the climax of the battle between David and Goliath, the actor who plays David in the Amazon series is portrayed as praying one of the most powerful prayers we can say: “God, Give Me This Ground.” I’ve been leaning into this prayer more and more, especially as I become increasingly aware of the daily spiritual battle we face for taking and reclaiming ground for the Kingdom of God.

Demonic powers quiver in fear at the sight of authentic followers of Jesus, fully aware that their reign is coming to an end. We do not arrive with gentle intentions; we march forward purposefully, determined to reclaim the ground the enemy has taken. Once a part of the Kingdom, this territory will soon be restored to the rightful King of the world, a proclamation of love, hope, and victory that echoes through the ages.

Samuel commanded respect wherever he went because of the spiritual authority granted to him by Almighty God. Those young boys who were full of mischief and warned by their father to settle down finally did so not out of fear, but from a desire to obey and please their dad.

By the power of his love, death, and resurrection, Jesus destroyed the works of the devil, conquered sin and death, and won all authority over heaven and earth. Authority and love he shares with his followers. As his apprentices, we take ground from the enemy with every divine appointment.

Run The Play … with love, boldness, and authority.

Finding Our Place in the Story

Where do you see the battle lines being drawn in your community, and how might God be inviting you to advance His Kingdom there?

What ground have you surrendered that God is now calling you to reclaim?

How can you exercise spiritual authority with love and purpose in everyday spaces?

Link to: House of David

Comments

One response to “Taking Ground”

  1. Henderson Avatar
    Henderson

    Thanks, Mike. I saw the below from Ken Boa’s daily email. Made me think of you! Run the play! God bless everyone. Get to know the coach!

    Get to Know the Coach
    (Hebrews 12:5–11)

    Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of football’s Green Bay Packers, once said of the rigorous training he put his players through, “I’ve never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn’t appreciate the grind, the discipline.”*

    When Lombardi’s bulldog voice barked across the practice field during twice-a-day spring practices—“Run it again! We’re going to do it until you get it right!”—some players probably resented his demanding ways. But what they resented during practice, they respected in the postseason. Why? Because there were few years during the Lombardi era when the players didn’t take home a championship of some sort.

    But life doesn’t work like the National Football League. The pressure doesn’t end after a nine-month stretch; we don’t get three months to catch our breath. Nor does the stress evaporate at the end of the day when we can get away from the coach for a few hours. For the Christian, God is always there. The practice sessions last a lifetime, and the rewards are to be appropriated by faith, not by sight.

    It’s no wonder that many Christians, probably like some of Lombardi’s players, get tired of the discipline God imposes on His “team.” But there’s a simple reason why: They haven’t taken time to get to know the Coach.

    The writer to the Hebrews, quoting the wisest king who ever lived, says that no children think at the time that their fathers’ discipline is either deserved or necessary. After all, who likes pain? And yet, when we get to know our heavenly Father, we discover that He never—never—disciplines us except for our good. He never trains us to learn anything that we don’t really need to know.

    The next time you feel like you’re in the middle of one of God’s twice-a-days, just remember that the righteousness and peace you’ll experience later will make a Super Bowl trophy look like a cereal-box toy by comparison.

    God’s Promise:
    God’s discipline of you is proof of His love for you.

    Reply

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