THE TABLE OF GOD
My dear friend,
Peace be with you.
During the Second world war, at the time of the invasion of the Allied forces in Normandy, there was severe loss of life on the side of the Allied forces. The German forces expected an attack, but they expected the attack somewhere else. Although German forces were deployed at the place of the landing, the loss of life on the Allied side was exceptionally high. It was much higher than expected.
What went wrong? The Allied forces were well prepared and also well trained in handling their weapons. The question is: ‘Why did so many thousands of the well prepared Allied forces lose their lives?’
The Generals were not able to accurately predict the human element in this situation. Although the soldiers were well prepared, they went, regardless of their training, into this attack as ordinary men. Research has showed that only one out of every five soldiers had actually fired their weapons. The ‘men’ in them was not prepared and actually ‘froze’ when they had to kill. All the training and preparation was not enough to let them function effectively on the task at hand. Thus four out of every five soldiers, did not even take action to attack, never mind thinking of winning and victory.
Each one of us is daily engaged in a ‘spiritual war.’ If you are one of those who think that ‘spiritual war’ is only a myth or that it does not concern you, think again and wake up!!!!
You are like one of the four soldiers that did not even fire one shot and, like them, the enemy will wipe you out of the way. These soldiers were worthless in the war situation and you will also be worthless in your spiritual war situation.
The weapons of so many children of God are worthless and powerless because they choose not to use them. In the hour of bereavement or temptation they are defeated and taken away as prisoners.
The Word of God states in James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” When you resist the devil in the name of Jesus, he has to flee. Why is the opposite true in the lives of so many believers? Why do so few of Christians fire their weapons?
In Psalm 23: 5 David says: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. If there is one man out of the history of the Bible who understood spiritual warfare, it is surely David.
Let us look at what he says here: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies”: God prepares a feast for you. He will serve you. He gives to you food and on account of that, strength. At the table of God, you can relax and enjoy what is given to you. Hard work and love is necessary to lay the table, to prepare the food, and to serve it. You just sit at the table, God provides and you enjoy.
Where is the table for this feast situated? “In the presence of my enemies” the Bible states. It seems to me that this table is right there where you can look your enemy right into his eyes.
When we look at this situation as a war situation, this table will be in the front lines. It is so near that weapons are ineffective, hand grenades are too dangerous, you cannot ask for air attacks or canon fire. The enemy is so near that you can only use knives and short range weapons and it is here that God wants to spoil you with a feast.
Can you enjoy this feast in the command bunker, or in your camp, or back in your comfort zone? No! This feast is destined to be in the front line of the battle. It is where people are being hurt and others die. You can choose: Do you want to take part in this feast of God, or not? If you choose to partake, see to it that you are in the fighting line. It is the only place where the table is being prepared.
Ps 23 : 5 “thou anointest my head with oil;” In the times of the Bible, whenever your head is oiled, you are anointed. To be anointed, means to be empowered. God wants to empower you at His table to resist the devil so that you can gain the victory.
Who is the person who receives all the glory after a war has been won? It is the commander, of course. In the times of the Bible the commander or general usually was the king.
So, apart from the fact that God wants to empower you at His table, he also wants to anoint you and appoint you as king. A king has power or authority. Also here God gives His authority and power to you. He gives you the ability to take authority over a situation, over attacks on you and your family, over the power of Satan and to destroy them and declare them nil and void.
“My cup runneth over.” God provides for me. God promoted me from a soldier to a general. A king. God restored me to the position for which he has created me.
If these texts are real to you, your cup will overflow. This only happens after you have taken up your seat at the table of God. The words of James also now will become clear to you where he says in James 1:2 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.”
We can now go on our way knowing that we need not fear any temptation. If temptation comes your way, just realize that your promotion is at hand!!
Let us look at the story of David and at the temptations that he had to confront.
God ordered Samuel to anoint David as king.(1 Sam 16:1-13). As the anointed one, David’s father sent him to take food to his brothers who fought with Saul against the Philistines as we read in 1Samuel 17.
There he heard what Goliath, the enemy, shouted to the army of Israel to challenge them. He also saw the fear that Goliath instilled into the army of Israel with his great posture and hard words. Goliath was more than 3 meters tall and David was just a young boy. If the harsh words and posture of Goliath brought so much fear to the hardened soldiers, how did David feel?
Notwithstanding what David knew, what did he do? He did not hide in fear and shudder under the words of Goliath. No, he faced him and took up the challenge! After he discarded the heavy arms with which Saul equipped him, He went to the creek below, picked up five smooth round stones and went to Goliath. We all know what happened there. When Goliath fell down, David ran to him, took the sword of Goliath and beheaded him with his own sword.(1 Sam 17:51)
The weapon that the enemy used to threaten David, was taken from him and, in the hands of the warrior of God, and became the weapon that brought victory to the warrior of God.
This victory came to him after he had been anointed and after God prepared for him what he wrote in Psalm 23: 5: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil.”
Had David not been in the presence of Goliath, God could not have given him the victory.
I refer you to what I have said about Psalm 23.
This same principle was put into practice by Jesus. Satan attacked Him with the weapon of death from the garden of Gethsemane right up to Calgary. He, Jesus, died on the cross and descended to hell where He conquered Satan by raising from the dead.
There He took the keys of death from Satan and conquered both Satan and death and made them the footstool under His feet.
He expects us to also conquer the enemy in our lives, using the same principle: Take his weapons from him and defeat him with them.
Jesus says in John 15: 20: “… If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you;…” He also says the following to those who depend on Him and are steadfast in Luke 6:48 (Amplified Bible) “He is like a man building a house, who dug and went down deep and laid a foundation upon a rock; and when a flood arose, the torrent broke against that house and could not shake or move it, because it had been securely built or founded on a rock.” Here He talks about storms that came and tested the house.
In Ephesians 6: 11 (Amplified Bible) Paul says the following: “Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.” Jesus also says in John 15: 18 “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” These are just more confirmation of the attacks that will come.
We will conquer these attacks by anchoring ourselves on the rock Jesus Christ, by taking up His weapons and be firm in our belief. On the cheque that Jesus wrote in His own blood to buy your freedom, is written the words: NOT NEGOTIABLE.
Is that also what is written on your cheque to Him or are you still willing to enter into compromises with the world?
I want to challenge you! Stop running away when temptations come your way. It you take hold of your authority in Christ, resist the devil and take the weapon that he uses to attack you, and use it against him, Jesus Christ will give you the victory.
My friend, I invite you to pray the following prayer with me and then to stand up for Jesus.
“I come once again, to announce myself for service, o Lord,
I bring myself so that You can use me.
Lord, God of my fathers
Show me how to lead Your people,
Give me the wisdom to do what I have to do
The ability to see what is possible
And help me to accept my own shortcomings.
Teach me to understand my place in Your great plan.
Amen
My prayer for you is that our heavenly Father will prepare your table and that you will sit at His table, enjoy His sacraments and, with the power from the ‘food’ that you enjoy, take from him, the weapons that Satan wants to use against you, and, in the name of Jesus Christ, destroy your enemy with his own weapons.
“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26
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