Every Sunday, join me here as I leave the words to those who have come before me – inspired writers from the Bible as well as others who followed in their footsteps. I pray the portions of Scripture, commentaries, and songs you find here will bless you as they have me.

Pursuing Victory | The Engrafted WordIn 1 Samuel 30, David and his men return home to find their city burned and their families taken captive. He enquires of the Lord whether they should pursue the enemy and God answers, “Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.”

A few verses later, it tells what David did.

“And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day; and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither son nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.

Beth Moore writes in her devotional study David – Seeking a Heart Like His, “Assured victory does not mean easy wins. God told David in advance he would ‘ certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue ‘ yet we see references to exhaustion, hard work, a nonstop 24 hour battle, and four hundred escapees. God was absolutely true to His word. The end was exactly as God had promised, but what we often don’t count on is the means. God often gives us a victory that requires blood, sweat, and tears. Why? Because He is practical. When He can bring about a victory and strengthen and mature us all at the same time, He’s likely to do it.

That day God not only worked a victory through David but He also worked one in David. The man after God’s own heart came out of battle with grace and mercy and a little better grasp of God’s sovereignty.

We constantly fight an unseen enemy. God has assured us the victory, but He has told us to take an aggressive stand against the evil one, covering ourselves in His armor. We’re going to win, but victory is going to take blood, sweat and tears – His blood, our sweat, and tears from both of us.