Fear Not! A Guide to Living a Fearless Lifeਨਮੂਨਾ

Read the Red and Do What He Said

“So David inquired of God again, and God answered him, ‘Do not go straight up, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.’ So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. So David's fame spread throughout every land, and the Lord made all the nations fear him” (1 Chronicles 14:14-17, NIV).

David had just defeated the Philistine army in another battle at the Valley of Rephaim. However, before he made one move, David always did one thing: he first sought direction from the Lord. “So David inquired of God: ‘Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?’ The Lord answered him, "Go, I will hand them over to you" (1 Chronicles 14:10, NIV).

David was a great leader because he knew where to go to get good advice. David made a great soldier because he knew how to follow the orders. He sought out the Lord before each battle, and God granted him victory. David could have gotten the big head after the first battle and told God, “I’ve got this next one,” but he didn’t. He once again sought out the Lord before he moved against his enemy. In the second battle, God told David to wait until he heard marching on the tops of the trees. Can you imagine David telling his military leaders that we are going to wait until the angels march through the trees overhead, and then we’ll follow them into battle?

You may not know it yet, but you’re going to face an enemy today. So the question becomes: What are you going to do about it? Will you follow David’s lead and seek direction from the Lord first? The fear of David came as a result of what God did. David was just following orders, being obedient even when the orders didn’t make sense.

Have you sought the Lord today? God’s waiting by the phone to hear from you. “It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24, NKJV). There is an old saying about being obedient to Jesus’ words; it goes like this…“Read the red and do what He said.” Life would be much easier on us if we could just follow that simple phrase.

Prayer: Jesus, may I be obedient to what You tell me to do in Your word. In doing so, I will not have to fear any evil because I know You are directing my steps. Lord, help me to seek Your direction before any big decision in my life. In Jesus name, amen.