Choosing Not to Fight

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. —John 13:35

God knows exactly what He’s doing because He is sovereign. The carnal mind cannot understand the mind of the Spirit, because His ways are not our ways nor are His thoughts our thoughts. They are so much higher. David loved God and everything associated with God: worship, His House, the Word, and the people of God. God loved that David would never raise his sword against His own people, even when he had every right to. David only fought for his people, never against them, because of his love for them. 

Key Scriptures

II Samuel 15:13-14, 23-26; I Samuel 17:3; I Corinthians 11:27-28

Two things David Never Did

1. He never worshipped false idols. One of the greatest struggles many of the kings of Israel had was chasing after and worshipping idols and false gods, which led to the country being led astray. David never did that, even through his lowest seasons. 

2. He never raised his sword against his own people. When Absolem raised an army to go against his own father, David, David chose not to go to war in order to protect the city. He didn’t let his own personal feelings destroy the city and its people. 

Powerful Lessons

1. Sometimes the cost to fight is too high, even though you are “right” and it’s a fight you can win. Sometimes reconciliation is a greater goal than to win an argument or insist upon justice. 

2. The enemy is trying to bring a wedge between God’s people. The devil seeks to divide God’s people and stir up contention in the church. You can disagree with someone without raising a sword against them. Sometimes we have to surrender our right to be right in exchange for reconciliation.

3. Your thirst for revenge must be laid down in exchange for God’s command to love one another. Can you love people you totally disagree with? You must. Can you forgive your enemies AND your friends? There has been too much division in the church over things that do not have eternal value and at the expense of sacrificing important relationships.

4. Is there not a cause? What’s important is that there is an eternity where there is a heaven and a hell and people will go to one or the other. There IS a cause, and it is a great cause — a matter of heaven and hell.

5. You can have the right doctrine and the wrong spirit. Just because you are right does not mean you should say it in every situation. 

6. When we “unfollow” people we are saying “go to hell!” Why unfollow someone because we disagree with them? We may never agree but we are not to use the sword of our tongue to hurt them or to cut them off.

7. There are some battles that it does not take a sword to win — It takes a crucifixion. There are some battles that require us to die to our own agendas. Are you willing to lay your life down for another? 

8. Anointing always supersedes ambition. There is a difference between anointing and ambition. When you are anointed you don’t seek out the position, it comes after you. 

9. The ambitious always target the anointed. When you are anointed, you don’t have to fight for position, but when you are ambitious only, all the striving you can muster will not bring God’s anointing or even the position.

10. Don’t smite your household. Parents do not provoke your children to wrath. You have to choose not to fight in your family. At some point your children will just put up a wall and walls always result in separation. You have to use wisdom and discretion when it comes to disagreement with family members and especially your children. You have to use wisdom and grace. Is there not a greater cause than to always be right? Put your sword down with your own family. 

11. To be kind is to be holy. You cannot be unkind and be holy. Holiness requires an extraordinary kindness. 

Final Thoughts

We need to have the spirit of Jesus. We have to have common-union (communion). We are the body of Christ. We cannot swing a sword at everyone who disagrees with us and think we are acting in God’s will. Strife only stokes the fire of hatred and division. We must protect our families and our churches from the sword of disagreement. While we are arguing with each other, people are dying without Jesus. More than I want to be an American, I want to be a Christian. They will know we are Christians by our love. YOUR love. 

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