Certainty


2 Samuel 5:17-25
17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.
18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
19 And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.”
20 And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.” Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim.
21 And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.
22 And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
23 And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees.
24 And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”
25 And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.


No sooner does David take the throne of all Israel when the Philistines decide to come against him. Saul was defeated, why not David too? Strategically, it was probably a good idea. But David had something the Philistines didn’t understand. He had the hand of God moving in his favor. David asked for God’s instruction and then he followed it. What a blessing it is to be certain that God is leading you in a specific direction! David asked, “Shall I go?” and twice God answered “Go!” Lest anyone give the credit for the victory to David, God clearly takes control of the second attack by the Philistines by directing exactly where David should launch his attack. God also goes ahead of David’s army so that they were basically doing a mop up job after God did all the work.

Now the question for us; does God lead us this clearly today? I don’t have the Urim and Thummim in my back pocket to pull out and inquire of God whenever I am seeking His direction. That’s unfortunate. But I do have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and He is always willing to share God’s will with me. The question still seems to remain for all of us – how do I know what God wants me to do? I have always been taught that 4 things need to line up:

1.    What does God’s Word say? Whenever I am making a decision about any topic, I need to make sure that I am not violating any of God’s Laws or doing anything that falls outside what is acceptable by Biblical standards. That means the justification of “well God would want me to be happy, right?” is probably not going to work as a basis for decision making.

2.    How are the circumstances lining up? Are there doors opening or closing in regards to the situation? Are your resources up to the task at hand? Is the timing right? All of these questions should be answered easily and will all give guidance to the final decision.

3.    What do your trusted and godly friends have to say about your decision? We never make important decisions alone. God placed us into community for a reason – we are here to support and help one another.

4.    What does your ‘gut’ say? Are you experiencing God’s peace with your decision? If you have an uneasy feeling or are just not sure, it is not time to move. The mistake happens when we put this particular test as the first line of defense. If I “feel good” it must be a good choice, right? Wrong. I can feel real good about sin sometimes. Let this be the last litmus test for your decisions, but do take it into account.

When all four of these markers line up in a straight row, you are probably walking inside of God’s will. When your heart is striving after His will, even if you make a mistake, He will redirect your thinking. And remember, even when we mess it up, God is always merciful and kind. He wants to speak into our lives and keep us inside of His will. He is always willing to help you make a mid-course correction.

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