Hand Me My Clothes

It’s been a while.  Today I was confronted with a situation that would have normally set me off.  In my spirit, however, I felt the Lord saying, “Shhhh….it’s not even worth a response.”  I got stirred up in my spirit and thought about this Word.  Enjoy…

I Samuel 30

Anybody who knows me knows that I like to laugh, have fun, crack jokes, and I talk loud. Real loud! I was a freshman at FSU, the greatest University in the entire world -- but I digress. It was about 7:00 in the evening and I already had on my night gown. I had an 8:00 class so I always went to bed early. Got that from my mama.

Anyway, I was actin' a fool one night and I walked into my friend's room talkin' loud. Ya know... like I do. I didin't know that another young lady, we'll call her Natalie, was in my friend's room and she was on the phone. So when I burst into the room talkin' loud, Natalie, said, "B!@#*, don't you see I"m on the phone!"

Me: "Who you callin' a B!@#*"

Natalie: "I'm callin you a B!@#*!"

Me: "Ok, well, if you see a B!@#* then spit on her and I guarantee that B!@#* will whip yo a**!"

We had a heated argument for a few minutes. A small crowd had gathered outside the room and then we ended up in the hallway.

Finally, I said to Natalie. "You know what. I'm through talkin."

She kept runnin' her mouth.

I said, "Hey. I said I'm through talkin'."

She was still runnin' her mouth.

So I turned and started walking to my dorm room, went inside and closed the door. Natalie thought she had won and by that time some of the football players had made it to our floor so she really started showin' out then.

But little did she know, I did not walk away in acquiescence. I was on the other side of that door changing my clothes. I took off my gown and put on a tee shirt, some shorts and some tennis shoes. I wasn't about to fight in my night gown and give the football team a peep show. Natalie was just sellin' out. Talkin' bout what she was gonna do to me. But as soon as I walked out of my room, her eyes got big as quarters and she finally closed her mouth. I didn't have to say a word because my clothes did the talking.

I looked her dead in her face and my eyes told her that I didn't come to talk. The next exchange between the two of us was going to my fist knocking her teeth down her throat. She politely took her fanny back to her room. Um huh...I'm from Polk County. She wasn't crazy.

In I Samuel 30, King David essentially did the same thing. David and his men returned to Ziklag to find that their wives and their children had been taken by the Amalekites while they were off fighting with David. The men were hurt, angry and they were grieving. And the Bible says the men spake of stoning David because they were in so much pain.

Oh, but David didn't try to plead his cause to the men. He simply turned to Abiathar the priest and said, "Bring me the ephod."

Now, the ephod was a sacred linen garment worn by the high priests of Israel. On the ephod was among other things, a breastplate hung by golden chains and rings. The priest was adorned in this fashion to symbolize the presence of God with his people.

So in other words, David said, I don't have time to argue with y'all and I don't have time to explain nothing. BRING ME MY PRAYER CLOTHES!

I write to tell somebody this morning, that you don't have time to argue, fuss, cuss, or try to explain anything to anybody. Your response to any trouble, any situation, any struggle you may be having is to close your mouth to the people and put on your prayer clothes.

Get in the presence of God.

Inquire of the Lord, like David did, and ask God, "Lord, what should I do? Which way do I go? Do I hang in here with this job, this marriage, this ministry? Or do I go in another direction? Should I start looking for another job? In another city? The next time this trigga pack up and leave do I let him back in or do I move so he can't find me? Lord, what do I do?

I promise you, if you seek God, really seek Him, He will give you the answers that you need but you've got to adorn yourself with the spirit of prayer and you've got to get serious about your prayer life.

Put on your prayer clothes. Put on the breastplate of righteousness. Put on the helmet of salvation and pick up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

Turn your plate down and fast like Big Mama used to do. I know it's not popular but fasting is a lost art that produces miraculous results when done properly.

You were a fighter in the world. You would slap somebody for looking at you wrong. So why would you get over in God and let the enemy take what's yours without giving that rascal a fight? Stop being so pitiful and recognize who you are in God. Just make sure that what ever you are tryng to hold on to is really yours. Some of y'all fightin' for stuff that don't belong to you and that's why you can't hang on to it but that's another teaching.

Get out of your flesh. Get over in the spirit and fight your enemies on a level that they can't win. When you do that. When you pray like David prayed and obey like David obeyed, God will give you the answer, the open door and the victory.

Til next time, may the Lord God bless you real good.