1 Chronicles 14:10 And David inquired of God, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up, and I will give them into your hand.”
As we grow in intimacy with God, it becomes difficult to imagine a life without His presence. A life with His presence goes beyond merely being aware that He abides with you all the time. It is one that has all of life fully immersed in the things of God – where we seek His thoughts and ways, all the time.
David’s decision to go into battle with the Philistines was not born out of haste or a deliberated strategy. He had a top class fighting force of mighty men, each of whom has a place in the roll of honours in the Bible.
Taking down a Philistine contingent was just another command away.
However, to David, God was not just an afterthought when he had already made the decision. He did not “backtrack” to seek God’s approval for something that he had already set his mind to do. In fact, David sought two things from God – His thoughts on the matter (“Shall I go up against them?”) and His favour upon the matter (“Will You give them into my hands?”)
A life of success in Christ is not about us praying for God to bless and grant us favour in our decisions, but instead, for Him to be overall in-charge in the decision making – His thoughts first. His Kingdom first. Success begins when He comes first (not just us seeking Him first).