What Happens When Things Do Not Go The Way You Thought!
“When you have relationship with The Lord, He will tell you; Go Get Your Stuff”

The difficulty for the family in the 21st Century comes down to balancing family, work, social demands along with keeping up with the house, car, insurance, dog or whatever other demeans. Our spiritual development or time with God has suffered the most because what we intrepid as important, often time is not. I remember when my daughter Lashawnda was in high school; some 7 years ago; as we were teaching her the riggers of life; children, taking care of the home and dealing with the world system and keeping The Lord as the center of her life.

Her reply always was, “Jesus would have come back by then”; meaning before I will have to deal with my children not listening or the girls having to deal with relationships with boys, being a wife, husband or just deciding how to keep a grounded relationship with The Lord. 7 years and 4 children later she calls me; crying many times seeking advise on “how did her mother Felicia and I get to where we are today?” Things really seam different, yet the Word of God tells us; Ecclesiastes 1:9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Regardless of what we are seeking as balance, it (life demands) has made living more difficult to manage, and dealing with life affairs will take self-discipline to follow Christ.

1 Samuel 30; "Is one of those type of days" David and the men that followed him where having much success, going to battle the enemies of God. In and out, in and out; (Deuteronomy 28:3) yet one day they came back in from battle and the enemy had come to their house and took their stuff. Wives, children and burned their homes down.

1 Samuel 30:
1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

Pursue Your Ziklag (Go Get Your Stuff, but Ask the Lord!)
This Old Testament lesson is very important to us today, living in the 21 Century because what we must learn is that we serve an eternal God; He gives us success over our enemies so that our lives, whether we are going out or coming in; it all should reflect our overcoming the world and The Lord as the center or the one that directs our steps. Ziklag had been given to David because of the gratefulness of the governor that David had defeated their (Ziklag’s) enemy. David almost forgot, it was the Lord that giveth and the Lord can take it away (Job 1:21 ).

1 Samuel 30:
6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.

The Lord Is MY Shepard
David did not defeat their enemy because he was a great warrior, David was able to defeat their enemy because he had relationship with The Lord (23 Psalm: The Lord Is My Shepard and I shall not want). What happened; did David forget when he got home and all was not well? Deuteronomy 6:7-9, tells us to “Teach our children the ways of The Lord”. After The Lord has given you all these victories, are the riches of our victories suppose to teach us that how we live is more important than “The One That Gave You The Victories”

Shall We Pursue?
Ziklag, represented David’s approval from The Lord, and He (The Lord) know that David would use it to bring Him Glory. What the Lord has allowed you to achieve, in this world represents your victories in The Lord; “when your enemies are allowed to come into your house and take or mess with your children, distract your husband or repossess the car, or even the dog” like with David and his men, he may just want to see if you are going to (Ask Him), just let your enemy take your stuff, as if your enemy gave them to you! So now, the only question left is will you learn the lesson, that David almost forgot or will you submit your life; whole heart, and soul before The Lord.

For More of Elder Larry' Teachings
Making The Case for Faith Based After School Programs
http://socialchangenow.blogspot.com/2003_12_28_socialchangenow_archive.html

Web site: www.TheElderLarry.org