Today’s Devotional: “Check It Out with God”

Just because something worked once doesn’t mean it will work again. Just because we’ve always done things one way doesn’t mean we should always do them that way.

What a message for the church. We often hear, “Well, that’s not the way we do it at our church.” This is a recipe for disaster because it means people are doing things out of rote or tradition without taking time to seek the Lord.

When the Philistines came up against Israel, it says that David inquired of the Lord about how he was to confront them. And God gave them the victory. The Philistines then came back a second time, exactly as they had the first time. But instead of using the same strategy, David inquired of the Lord again, and the Lord showed him a different way. God told him to circle around behind them and wait for the sound of marching troops in the treetops. David listened and received the victory (2 Samuel 5:17-25).

The moral of the story is simple. Quit trusting in what worked before and put your trust in God, and listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit, the “Ruach,” the wind or breath of God.

Regarding the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth … the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:16-17b, 26)

When difficult times come, let’s not go the way we’ve always handled situations; instead, let’s check it out with God first. Maybe the Lord will tell us to keep doing things the same way, or maybe He will give us a new way.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7,11,17)