When I came out of prison in 1994, E.V. Hill gave me a prophetic word from the Lord that I would raise up a “David’s Army”. From the scriptures, we know that this is a fairly ragtag bunch, yet God used them in mighty ways to protect and restore His beloved Israel.
In the Last Days, God is using whoever has a heart after Him. You may think “well yes, He always did” and that’s a true statement. But David’s Army came together in a time when the illegitimate authorities of the day were failing. Saul had tried to win Israel’s battles but he did it in his own strength and with his own wisdom and he failed – but there was a time that all of Israel was enamored with him.
If you will remember, Saul’s kingship was the result of the proud and rebellious demands of a disobedient Israel that was much more concerned with how the king looked than with whom God had chosen. The Bible says Saul stood a head taller than most men and was very handsome. David, on the other hand, was a ruddy kid that God chose when He sent Samuel the Prophet to anoint him as King. David was God’s choice – and Saul was the people’s choice.
Well, God gave Israel just what they asked for, but told them they would regret that choice in the years to come and they did. But only after many of their sons had lost their lives because Saul was proud and disobedient, and he went out to battle and made other decisions without consulting the God of Israel. Eventually this disobedience caused him to be so hardened that he even consulted a witch. Saul, in the end, committed suicide in a battle he could not win because God was not with him.
David, on the other hand, always consulted God before he went out to battle the enemies of Israel. One such incident is recorded in 2 Samuel 5:24 when God spoke to David and said, “And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” The principle is this: Always seek God’s wisdom before you do anything and wait for His answer. Ask God “what should I do?” When you do that, He will go before you and move in your behalf!
In the Last Days, the true leaders of the Lord’s Army will arise, and they will inquire of the Lord what they should do. Many of them will have been stripped of any self-importance in the valleys of life as David was, yet they go forward to do battle with the enemies of God because their heart belongs to Him alone – and God Himself has ordained them! Man did not do it, and man cannot undo it.
As the leaders of the Lord’s Army arise, the Lord is going out before them to move in their behalf!
Pastor Jim, You have written much wisdom. When look at who Jesus chose in the first century AD to follow him according to the culture of that day we see the ignoble professions of fishermen, a tax collector, and etc..
According to a Barna in 2009:
“For the purposes of the survey, a “biblical worldview” was defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview.
National Results
Overall, the current research revealed that only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview. Among the sixty subgroups of respondents that the survey explored was one defined by those who said they have made a personal to commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today and that they are certain that they will go to Heaven after they die only because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior. Labeled “born again Christians,” the study discovered that they were twice as likely as the average adult to possess a biblical worldview. However, that meant that even among born again Christians, less than one out of every five (19%) had such an outlook on life.”
The Bible
A new research report from the Barna Group examines recent nationwide studies on how different generations of American adults view and use the Bible. For the purposes of this research, the Mosaic generation refers to adults who are currently ages 18 to 25; Busters are those ages 26 to 44; Boomers are 45 to 63; and Elders are 64-plus.
There is also significant generational overlap regarding people’s views on the nature of the Bible. Similar proportions of the generations embrace the most conservative and most liberal views. For instance, the “highest” view of the Bible – that it is “the actual word of God and should be taken literally, word for word” – is embraced by one-quarter of Mosaics (27%), Busters (27%), and Boomers (23%), and one-third of Elders (34%). The extreme view on the other end – that the Bible is not inspired by God – is embraced by proportions that are also statistically close to one another, including Mosaics (25%), Busters (19%), Boomers (22%), and Elders (22%).”
The statistics can be manipulated but Barna is usually pretty reliable. I believe they point to a “fallen away” of the mainstream organized church. Let us remember the church are the people who are the many membered body of Christ. That means us!
The Apostle Paul writes we are to self-examine and test ourselves to see if the Spirit is truly in us. Bearing my own cross I had to look deep inside myself to see what my position was in accordance with the Barna statistics. Those stats are what has influenced the prophets you bring on you show and your cry for the church to wake up from its numbness, slumber, and worldly pursuit.
I believe as you do by glimpsing at how God thinks according to what is written in the major and minor prophets in the OT. I do not think it will be the preachers and teachers of the present day organized church who are the proclaimers of “what itchy ears want to hear”. God will raise up people most would suspect the least for the end times harvest. Keep preaching!
Good and encouraging word for today. Stripped of any self importance, yet doing battle for the Lord. Period.
Thank you and God bless you brother Jim.
from a shepherd boy tending sheep, to the mighty warrior King.
ENCOURAGED! Thanks!!
David’s Army Pt. 1
Dear Sir,
When we believe in Jesus, Jesus as we know gives us a heart as courageous as David’s heart. We go forth into the big world and proclaim the gospel to our fellow brethren, being Jesus is the way and the only way to god our father’s heaven. I believe we are yellow and cowards on our own, yet with Jesus in our hearts we find strength to move forward in this world fallen from Christ, and try our best to think and do the second commandment.
David said to Saul in 1 Samuel 17:36:-
Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. (KJV)
David was so courageous in his heart, he took on the giant Goliath without armour, slaying the giant with just a sling and smooth pebble.
Please make us brave dear Jesus like David, in order for us to do your father’s wishes and help the lost sheep in the big world out there. Amen.
Thank you Sir and Morningside. Have a great Christmas.
God bless.
Stephen
Stoke-on-Trent
UK