Drama Ministers Fasting and Prayer Day 30: FIGHTING WITH AN OVERSIZED ARMOUR
THURSDAY 31ST JANUARY 2019
DRAMA MINISTERS’ YEAR OF OVERFLOWING EXPANSIONS
“FIGHTING WITH AN OVERSIZED ARMOUR”
1 Samuel 17:38-40
38. So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet
on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail.
39. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul,
“I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.
40. Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth
stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.
David had told Saul that he was able to defeat Goliath the way The Lord had given him victory over the lion and the bear that came against his sheep. Israel and her king had listened to the blasphemies of the giant for forty days and had been tired of the daily lectures without strength and boldness on their side to shut the mouth of the giant.
However, The Lord had sent David to the camp of Israel and he had discovered a mission on the war field. A mission to shut the mouth of a giant from contaminating the air with his inglorious words. A mission to lift up the glory of The Lord and defend the God of Israel in the sight of the ignoble Philistines. So he had told Saul he would go and fight the giant.
Next, King Saul had kitted him with his full military armor. The helmet, the breastplate, the coat of mail, the royal spear and the palace shield and brass war shoes of the king. He had been offered a royal armor to pursue his mission. But David said something very strategic and significant for contemporary missions and ministries:
“David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul,
“I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.
He took off the royal armor. He rejected the kingly offer that would have made it easy for the giant to kill him. He put off the royal armor that would have hindered him from running fast towards the giant. The Bible says in Verse 48:
“So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
How could David have been able to hurry and run towards the Philistine if he had jumped at the oversized armor of Saul. A shepherd boy, suddenly “promoted” to wear the armor of Saul to fight a war. Some Promotions are oversized promotions for some children of God.
Some people would have still been alive today if not that they wanted to fight the war of God with an oversized armor. Do you know, that if not that David was discerning in the spirit, he would have thought the Armor of Saul was an Open Door or a divine provision or an unmerited favor. But he discerned and he put off the armor. What next did David do?
1 Samuel 17:40
Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth
stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.
He put off the royal, prestigous, glamorous, enticing and fascinating armor of King Saul, and bent down and pick some “stones” from the brook, put them in his shepherd bag, and brought out his sling and drew near the Philistine.
OH! Lord give me this spirit, I pray! The Spirit that will not jump at every offer!
The spirit that will discern when to say no and reject a deadly and leprous gift as Elisha rejected the gifts of Namaan.
Several years ago, I knew a minister of God who was presiding over a large nationwide christian organization. He was highly respected and his teachings and messages are sought after. During the political season, he was offered the position of a commissioner in one of the states in the West. His lifestyle changed and that was all. He never lasted that term. He died and everyone was shocked. He died unceremoniously. He took up an oversized armor. He ran with an armor he never tested before. The armor slowed down his speed and enemy arrows hit him.
Some offers of Prestigious positions are oversized Armor for some children of God. They would rush at it and call it Open Door, unless they are discerning in the spirit. Such positions would eventually slow down their spiritual pace and make them easy targets of enemies’ arrows.
Few years ago, a minister of God was sent to me to come and deliver a message from a College of Bishops. He had been sent to tell me they wanted to make me a Bishop, I laughed. Bishop! Bishop? I asked him, “Have you heard of a Drama Bishop before?” I told him, the title may be good for some people, but it is not good for me. How would I still fulfill destiny as a drama minister? I asked him if he had seen a Bishop running around on film locations, joking and gisting with other drama ministers and drinking Gaari and Kuli-Kuli on film locations or drama mission fields before. He left my office satisfied.
Some titles or positions or promotions are not profitable for you. They slow down your pace on the journey of life and ministry.
So David discerned the right thing. he put his hands on some smooth stones and laid his hands on the sling and hanged over his shoulder, his shepherd bag, And ran towards the gaint. Many times, we sang and echoed that David killed Goliath the gaint, but we never considered the spiritual principles that gave him the victory.
This is one of those principles:
HE BEGAN HUMBLY WITH WHAT HE HAD IN HIS HAND – what he had was what The Lord had trained him with. And with what he had, The Lord still gave him the victory. The tree of the Lord grows from root to the top. Many people love fast-food miracles.
They do not want to grow into maturity. They want formulas that will give them quick success and breakthrough and not interested in the spiritual process of achieving the breakthroughs. So, many of our breakthroughs never lasted, because they were oversized armors of Saul, which would give the enemy easy access to victory over us.
Listen to this short story.
A young lady once sang beautifully with a wonderful sonorous voice before a spellbound congregation. Everyone agreed, The Lord would use her extensively for the expansion of the Kingdom of God and for the revival of God’s people if she continued using her gift for The Lord . Soon, she was approached by a CEO of a Record Label who promised to sign her on and gave her an agreement fee of 5million Naira and then, project her music all over the nation and make her an international music star. It was an overwhelming offer for the christian lady.
She fell for the offer and soon, her life changed and her spiritual focus altered. She entered into the music scene and faded out of the Lord’s programs. Shortly after, while her star began to rise, her candle light was blow off and that was all. She faded off into the world and God never used her again.
So, my counsel: Aspiration is good. But do not aspire to wear An Oversized Armor, the Armor of King Saul, in order to parade yourself before the military Generals of Israel who had been soldiers long before you were born. When The Lord has given you a rare privilege to stand before kings and royalties in the course of your ministry, or career, or business, or academics, be careful to tread softly in humility.
IF YOU LOVE THE EASY WAY, YOU WILL GO OFF THE WAY EASILY. The Narrow way is always the BEST WAY. So, which armor would you rather choose? Saul’s armor or David’s Stones?
May the Lord help me to always discern His ways and His Offers.
May He empower me to discern the enslaving offers of the devil that slows down the journey.
What is your prayer point?
– MIKE BAMILOYE
#mikebamiloyedevotionals
