“I FLED FROM THE BATTLE TODAY!”

1 Samuel 4:12-18                                 (ESV)

“12 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head.

13 When he arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ARK of GOD. And when the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out.

14 When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, "What is this uproar?" Then the man hurried and came and told Eli.

15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were set so that he could not see.

16 And the man said to Eli, "I am he who has come from the battle; “I FLED FROM THE BATTLE TODAY." And he said, "How did it go, my son?"

17 He who brought the news answered and said, "ISRAEL HAS FLED before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ARK OF GOD has been captured."

18 As soon as he mentioned the ARK OF GOD, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was OLD and HEAVY. He had judged Israel forty years.”

Most people have never heard the names Hophni and Phinehas.  They were sons of Eli, the High Priest of Shiloh.  Having two sons myself, it is astounding that Hophni and Phinehas were not better examples of living for GOD, especially since their father was the High Priest.  Samuel, although he was born of Elkanah and Hannah, was raised by Eli, but he had a great testimony of obedience to his CREATOR.  The thing that Samuel had in his favor was he was consecrated as a promise to GOD by his mother Hannah before he was conceived.  Samuel’s father, Elkanah, simply said “...only, may the LORD establish his word!” (1 Samuel 1:23).  

Samuel was given to the LORD before he was conceived, but Hophni and Phinehas weren’t.  Hophni and Phinehas were of the blood line of Eli, but they didn’t serve GOD, but their own interests.  Hophni and Phinehas were killed in a battle where the ARK of GOD was captured by the Philistines, and the nation of Israel was defeated.  When “a man of Benjamin RAN” to inform Eli that the defeat had occurred, AND THAT HOPHNI AND PHINEHAS HAD DIED, and the ARK of GOD was lost to the Philistines, he also informed Eli that “I FLED FROM THE BATTLE TODAY."  Not that he had fought for the ARK of GOD, but “I FLED FROM THE BATTLE TODAY." 

What will I have to tell ALMIGHTY GOD when I stand before HIS Judgement Seat about how I defended the ARK of GOD?  Will I tell HIM that HIS reputation of being worth dying for was dropped into the hands of the enemy?  Did fear of losing my earthly life concern me more than guarding HIS NAME?  Or will I have to admit that “I FLED FROM THE BATTLE TODAY?”  

GOD FORBID!  May my commitment to GOD ALMIGHTY be so devout that I will proclaim HIS EXCELLENCIES to a lost and dying world with my last breath!  May “I FLED FROM THE BATTLE TODAY” never cross my lips, not be said of my actions!!!

“SEPARATE FROM THEM!”

2 Corinthians 6:14-18                          (ESV)

“14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

15 What accord has CHRIST with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?

16 What agreement has the temple of GOD with idols? For we are the temple of the living GOD; as GOD said, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their GOD, and they shall be MY people. 

17 Therefore GO OUT FROM THEIR MIDST, and be “SEPARATE FROM THEM”, says the LORD, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 

18 and I will be a FATHER to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to ME, says the LORD ALMIGHTY."”

GOD calls for HIS CHOSEN to live “separate” from this world!  So why do I constantly find myself doing everything I can to assimilate myself into the exact same pattern that the so-called successful people in this world have set, trying to be “one of them”?  Or what about even doing what other believers say that I should be doing?  While I am a part of the family called the local church, GOD still has a direct line of communication with me that HE uses.  Usually, the main interference I experience is that I won’t SLOW DOWN and listen to HIM, instead trying to be a success in “this world”!  

So what if I become a success by the standard of this world?  JESUS (GOD IN THE FLESH) said in Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”  How will you justify earthly riches at THE JUDGEMENT SEAT?  The wealthiest person alive reportedly has over $100 Billion dollars, but one day he IS GOING TO DIE, and then the JUDGEMENT (Hebrews 9:27)!  How much wealth can you send on before you?  Only by investing in HIS KINGDOM can you receive ETERNAL REWARDS!  

Recording what we earn/make in “this world” is mandated by most governments.  We are required to pay taxes on the earnings we are blessed by ALMIGHTY GOD with, to the authorities (Matthew 12:21).  But ALMIGHTY GOD is recording what our account is in HEAVEN, not what we accumulate here on earth!  It is totally SEPARATE from what we see on an earthly Balance Sheet!  That is because we are CALLED to be “SEPARATE FROM THEM” in our lives and actions.  

Being “SEPARATE FROM THEM” will most likely appear to cost us in earthly terms!  But GOD keeps a different set of books than the ones our bank or government does.  The system HE uses is totally “SEPARATE FROM THEM”, and most of us are unable to SEE that.  OPEN MY EYES, O GOD, and cause me to be “SEPARATE FROM THEM” in everything I do!!!

“IF YOU SHOULD SUFFER!”

1 Peter 3:13-17                                      (ESV)

“13 Now WHO IS THERE TO HARM YOU IF YOU ARE ZEALOUS FOR WHAT IS GOOD?

14 But even “IF YOU SHOULD SUFFER” for RIGHTEOUSNESS' SAKE, YOU WILL BE BLESSED. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,

15 but in your hearts honor CHRIST the LORD as Holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with GENTLENESS and RESPECT,

16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in CHRIST may be put to shame.

17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be GOD’S will, than for doing evil.”

Living a life representing JESUS WILL BE DIFFICULT!  We are promised a bed of roses if we place our FAITH IN HIM, rather that we WILL endure persecution (Matthew 10:22) for HIS sake.  People, even people we think are Christians, will be used by the enemy just as Peter, the man who penned this passage of Scripture, was used in Mark 8:33!  

ALL of us are imperfect.  There is NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO NOT ONE (Romans 3:10; Psalms 14:3), so we can stop with the belief that we are better than others!  The only thing that is “different” about me is that GOD SEES my Substitute (2 Corinthians 5:21) when HE judges me and I am pardoned because of CHRIST.  It is because of NOTHING THAT I HAVE DONE (2 Timothy 1:9), but because of HIS OWN PLAN that HE doesn’t SEE how wretched I am!

So “IF YOU SHOULD SUFFER” for RIGHTEOUSNESS SAKE, YOU WILL BE BLESSED, according to the Scripture above.  Acts 5:38-41 tells us that the disciples of JESUS were beaten, yet REJOICED that they were counted worthy to SUFFER FOR THE NAME of JESUS.  We have to erase the misconception that SUFFERING is a sign of sinful living and that all Believers will live lives in comfort and no difficulty.  

Just because “IF YOU SHOULD SUFFER” doesn’t mean that we should walk around in sackcloth and ashes.  Difficulties are not meant to do anything but magnify THE LORD!  YOU WILL BE BLESSED does not necessarily indicate that we will gain financially through our struggles, rather that our BLESSINGS may be a longer life or a HEAVENLY REWARD?  Let there be no misunderstanding though, “IF YOU SHOULD SUFFER”,  for righteousness sake, YOU WILL BE BLESSED!!!

“OPEN THE EYES THAT ARE BLIND!”

Isaiah 42:5-8                                                        (ESV)

“5 Thus says GOD, the LORD, WHO created the heavens and stretched them out, WHO spread out the earth and what comes from it, WHO GIVES BREATH TO THE PEOPLE ON IT and Spirit to those who walk in it: 

6 "I AM THE LORD; I have CALLED you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 

7 to “OPEN THE EYES THAT ARE BLIND”, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 

8 I AM THE LORD; that is MY name; MY glory I give to NO OTHER, nor MY praise to carved idols.”

Dealing with grief from a loved one that has completed their earthly mission is not something that we look forward to.  Death is coming for ALL of us, outside of the second coming of CHRIST.  There is no getting around it.  We can exercise and remain fit, eat the best diets, watch our weight, yet still we cannot control how many breaths we have left.  When ALMIGHTY GOD determines that our tasks are completed, ONLY THEN will HE literally take our BREATH away!

WE ALL are Created by GOD.  WE ALL have deficiencies that we attempt to overcome.  Everybody that HE has Created, from Adam all the way to the ones who have yet to be conceived, has since died, or soon will because WE ALL have SIN, with the exception of JESUS, the CHRIST.  I AM THE LORD can ONLY be said of HIM, Nobody else!  

Our mission on this earth is to be used to “OPEN THE EYES THAT ARE BLIND” to those who cannot Spiritually SEE.  Only HE can “OPEN THE EYES THAT ARE BLIND”, man cannot do that.  We don’t have the abilities, nor the inclination, to make someone else SEE, we can only reflect HIS LOVE to a lost and dying world.  

A dear Brother of mine finished his assignment recently and was called HOME Wednesday morning.  He is with I AM THE LORD now and will NEVER be separated again.  The ONE WHO CREATED him has already said “...'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your MASTER.'” (Matthew 25:23).  My prayer is that I will be used to allow JESUS to “OPEN THE EYES THAT ARE BLIND” to as many as HE calls, and then HE will cease giving me BREATH!  

“GET BEHIND ME, SATAN!”

Mark 8:31-33                                         (ESV)

“31 And HE began to teach them that the SON of MAN must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.

32 And HE said this plainly. And Peter took HIM aside and began to rebuke HIM.

33 But turning and seeing HIS disciples, HE rebuked Peter and said, "GET BEHIND ME, SATAN!” For you are not setting your mind on the things of GOD, but on the things of man.”

Having the ability to identify the enemy, especially in times when your loved ones are involved, is where most of us can do a better job.   The Apostle Peter loved the LORD ALMIGHTY more than I have the words to describe.  Yet how many times was Peter used to be use as a teaching instrument for us to learn from.  His deficiencies were many, but thinking he KNEW what was going to happen was one of the things that he needed to work on! 

When Peter “took HIM aside and began to rebuke HIM (JESUS), did he realize that he was speaking to the ONE WHO CREATED the world, and everything in it?  Surely he didn’t KNOW that our CREATOR was in flesh in his midst and that HE could escape from any of the suffering HE was predicting?  Surely Peter thought that JESUS CHRIST would not be subjected to humbling HIMSELF to the Roman authorities and being sentenced to death?  SURELY!!!

But JESUS heard where the unbelief was coming from and said “GET BEHIND ME,  SATAN!”  How could Peter be used by the enemy to reflect fear and doubt when his CREATOR was right in front of HIM.   JESUS had been with them for some time and the disciples had to have known that JESUS was unlike other people they had met?  But Scripture states in John 16:7 “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”  They didn’t have the Comforter (HOLY SPIRIT) yet to guide their lives.  They didn’t have an internal alarm that recognized the enemy!

When JESUS spoke “GET BEHIND ME, SATAN”, HE was able to SEE that Peter was being used as an instrument by the enemy, camouflaged as a Chosen one, to attempt to stop GOD’S PLAN.  To accomplish that would mean that satan was more powerful than GOD.   Our redemption was CHRIST was about to purchase, and HE knew the price was going to be great!  “GET BEHIND ME, SATAN” was a sign that satan had no authority over JESUS and GOD’S Plan, even if he uses a chosen one to speak through!  JESUS IS GOD and HE is victorious!!!

“HEAR AND UNDERSTAND!”

Matthew 15:10-20                                (ESV)

“10 And HE called the people to HIM and said to them, "HEAR AND UNDERSTAND”:

11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; THIS DEFINES A PERSON."

12 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"

13 HE answered, "EVERY PLANT that MY HEAVENLY FATHER has NOT planted will be rooted up.

14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit."

15 But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us."

16 And HE said, "Are you also STILL without understanding?

17 Do you not SEE that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?

18 But what comes OUT of the MOUTH PROCEEDS FROM THE HEART, and THIS DEFILES A PERSON.

19 For out of the heart come EVIL THOUGHTS, MURDER, ADULTERY, SEXUAL IMMORALITY, THEFT, FALSE WITNESS, SLANDER.

20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."”

JESUS CHRIST spent the better part of HIS three year ministry speaking in PARABLES to HIS disciples and others.  What HE shared with them was precisely what they needed, but sometimes they weren’t HEARING what was said!  It wasn’t that people were unable to physically hear HIS words, but they needed to “HEAR AND UNDERSTAND” HIS WORDS! 

A lot of times in my life, I operate in such a fast paced environment that I physically hear words delivered to me on GOD’s behalf, but I do not Spiritually “HEAR AND UNDERSTAND” what has been said to me.  It seems that I cannot come to grips with the possibility of ALMIGHTY GOD speaking to me, a lowly salesman with no college degree or “formal learning”!  But GOD speaks to those HE CHOOSES (James 2:5), not the “elite” who think highly of themselves.  

Far too often the actions that have come from me have been “...EVIL THOUGHTS, MURDER, ADULTERY, SEXUAL IMMORALITY, THEFT, FALSE WITNESS, SLANDER....”.  No, I have never killed anyone, but more than I care to admit I have held people in contempt, and sometimes for a very long time!  Thankfully GOD continues to put me through HIS refining FIRES that purify me to become more like HIM.  

What is PROCEEDING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH?  Is it LIFE, or “...EVIL THOUGHTS, MURDER, ADULTERY, SEXUAL IMMORALITY, THEFT, FALSE WITNESS, SLANDER....”?  Don’t do as I have done before and let these words be sifted like wheat (Luke 22:31) by the enemy.  SLOW DOWN and “HEAR AND UNDERSTAND” what our CREATOR is trying get into our thick skulls!  Yes, HE could cause us all to hear, but HE has chosen to have us CHOOSE to listen for HIM, to “HEAR AND UNDERSTAND” what HE is saying!!!

“A PERSON WHO STIRS UP DIVISION!”

Titus 3:9-11                                         (ESV)

“9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and QUARRELS ABOUT THE LAW, for they are UNPROFITABLE and WORTHLESS.

10 As for “A PERSON WHO STIRS UP DIVISION”, after warning him once and then twice, HAVE NOTHING MORE TO DO WITH HIM,

11 knowing that such a person is WARPED and SINFUL; he is self-condemned.”

Identifying weak traits in others seems to be not one of my stronger abilities.   Maybe it is because I have so many of my own faults to deal with that my time is pretty much consumed with confessing my sins???  

However, there are those who seemingly always see where everyone else is less than perfect, but can’t seem to identify any weaknesses of their own?  They always can find time to analyze the problems of others, but never can SEE that they have deficiencies themselves.   

Near the end of Paul’s letter to Titus, the Apostle writes that we should AVOID “A PERSON WHO STIRS UP DIVISION”, for they are UNPROFITABLE and WORTHLESS! How does it benefit the Kingdom of GOD if we are constantly finding faults with others, instead of cleaning our own lives up?  

Until I started to SEE myself as a broken sinner in need of CONSTANT forgiveness, I too has the disease of being critical, “A PERSON WHO STIRS UP DIVISION”!  Winning an argument with another human isn’t a great feat!  It may only means that we have outlasted the other side?  We might be “A PERSON WHO STIRS UP DIVISION”???