READING: 1 Chronicles 18-21
I’ve studied spiritual warfare for many years, and today’s text reveals what I believe is one of Satan’s strongest strategies against believers in North America. Read on to hear my thoughts.
David, the king of Israel, was quite the victorious warrior. He defeated people after people, doing so because “the Lord gave David victory wherever he went” (1 Chron 18:6). In fact, the Word repeats the same phrase in 1 Chronicles 18:13. Joab, too, recognized that even as the Israelite warriors fought their battles, it was God who ruled sovereignly over it all: “Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people, and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight” (1 Chron 19:13).
But, then Satan got involved and enticed David to take a census of Israel. The purpose for the king’s census is not clear, but the fact that Joab reported the “fighting men” (1 Chron 21:5) in David’s forces certainly implies that David wanted to know how strong he had become. He who had previously recognized that God was his warrior had now determined that he and his own forces had become the warriors. His dependence on God had turned to self–dependence; victory from the hands of God had become arrogance in the human heart. God then plagued the entire nation for David’s sin.
You and I are no different than David. When we’re young in our faith, all we know to do is trust the Lord to fight our battles. We lean heavily on Him, believing that we cannot take a step without Him. After He grants us some victories, though, we gain a bit of confidence in our spiritual abilities. We add our training and our experience, and we become convinced that we can fight our own battles.
If you don’t think that’s the case, consider our most common prayer pattern: we fight our battles first, and then turn to prayer only if we must. That’s self-dependence. That’s being our own warrior. That’s risking God’s judgment.
ACTION STEPS:
- Be honest about your own prayer life. What does it tell you about your dependence?
- Spend some time remembering the days when you simply trusted God, even if He were leading you into a difficult battle. Thank Him for victories.
PRAYER: “Father, I lean on myself too much. Forgive me, and help to rely on You.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 1 Chronicles 22-24
