[S]o David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you.” . . . Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees . . . So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. (2 Sa 5:19–25)
David asked God before going to battle against the Philistines. God promised David victory and told him to go up. Later, when the Philistines again invaded the Valley of Rephaim, David asked God again. Unlike last time, however, God told David to go attack them from behind instead of attacking them from the front. As a result of following God’s word, David gained great victory. Although the same enemy forces had invaded the same place, David did not rely on his own thoughts or previous experiences but asked God each time. And even God gave a different way to lead him to victory.
The gospel is the same. Relying on previous experiences or our brilliant preaching skills won’t lead us to victory. We are to win victory when we follow God’s lead. I would like to be a child who wins spiritual victory by following God’s word each time.