The pattern established throughout the book of Judges for the leaders of Israel was as follows. The Spirit of God would come upon them in power and then they would go out and win some great victory. This had happened to Saul also. We are told that “the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him” and he then led Israel to defeat the Ammonites (1 Samuel 11). We now see that David’s anointing was greater than those who came before him because the Spirit of God did not just come upon him temporarily. The Spirit remained upon him all his life, as would be the case for all God’s people when the New Covenant would be inaugurated after Jesus’ resurrection. This pattern of power and victory, however, remains the same for David and it would be the same for Jesus, who after his anointing at the hands of John the Baptist, would go and win his own decisive battle (see Matthew 4:1-11). God always wants his anointing upon us to be proven in battle. Not the kind of battle that David fought but the kind that Jesus fought. You will find that whenever you have a moment of personal spiritual revival this will be followed by an opportunity to prove what you have been given. As you are filled to greater measure with God’s Spirit so you will be tested in greater personal battles. At one time David was called to fight wild animals to protect his father’s sheep but now he would face an armed giant. Those who fight God’s battles win. If you fight the tempter you will win. As James says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you”. The question is not, ‘Will I win?’ but, ‘Am I willing to fight?’
What battle is God calling you to fight today?
Read 1 Samuel 17
