Are you observing your times & seasons?

I am currently studying the book of 1st Chronicles and the verse below stood out for me as I studied the bible today:

1 Chronicles 20:1- "In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, Joab led out the armed forces...but David remained in Jerusalem."

The story of David & Bathsheba is elaborately given in the book of 2 Samuel 11-12.  Both the authors of the two books of 1st Chronicles and 2nd Samuel chose to introduce David & Bathsheba's story by informing us the time in which David was in- spring.

Kings went out to battle following the spring harvest since during that season, farm work had eased off and therefore the armies could fully devote themselves without distractions.  During the winter, the armies took time to plot and plan for future conquests.  When it was fair weather, the armies went to war (NIV Commentary).

Although it was time for kings to go to war, David decided to stay behind in Jerusalem and he delegated the armies' leadership to Joab.  This was at a time when David was experiencing victories over his enemies; also his kingdom was established and was growing.  However, David chose to be inactive at a time that had been set out for battle.  This inactivity became the devil's foothold for tempting David.  The consequence of the inactivity was dire: he gave in to temptation and committed adultery with Bathsheba. 

• Are you sensitive to times & seasons in your life?  
• Has God been prompting you to do something in this season? 
• Are you obeying His promptings?  
• Have you given the devil any foothold by failure to understand and observe times & seasons? 
• Have you been observing your daily time of prayer and bible study? 
• Have you obeyed to the Spirit's promptings to launch deeper in prayer and wage war in the spirit?

God is reminding us of the importance of spiritual discipline of consistently obeying God in doing what He desires us to do, in set times and seasons.  Our submission to God to observe times and seasons, releases the grace to resist the devil and causes him to flee (James 4:7- Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you). 

The story of David also teaches us that each believer has to daily work out their salvation with fear and trembling.  We ought not become familiar with God that we forsake spiritual disciplines: prayer & fasting, study of God's Word, worship and fellowship.  1st Corinthians 10:12 states, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall".

My prayer today is that I will be sensitive and obedient to observe the times & seasons that God has set for me.  I pray that I will be found at the place of prayer when I ought to be; that I will be found at the place of worship when I ought to be; that I may be found in the mission field when I ought to be. 

This means that you and I can no longer take our quiet time casually; our response to God's clarion call to  prayer on certain issues in our lives, family, church and nation cannot be done as a "by the way".  May God's grace be upon us (believers) to daily deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Christ.