Written on 5:20 PM by www.StreamingPraiseRadio.com
ZIKLAG
T H E F I N A L R E F O R M A T I O N
Created by Samuel Buckner
WHAT IS ZIKLAG?
Ziklag was the place where David lived while on the run from King Saul. He lived in many places during his years as a fugitive running from the enemy of his destiny. However, Ziklag was David’s final address before he walked through the door of God’s purpose for his life and became the King of Judah in Israel. While held up in Ziklag, David experienced one of the most devastating setbacks of his entire life. This obscure passage of scripture marks the end of David’s state as a fugitive and the beginning of his reign as King. Many bible scholars overlook Ziklag and it is seldom preached. These few verses of scripture contain a simple, yet remarkable revelation of personal and spiritual triumph that liberates the vanquished souls of men, and catapults them to their called place in the Kingdom of God.
Saul’s purpose was to prevent David from entering into the place God had ordained for him. This final destination or personal destiny of David was the office of the King of Israel. David’s battle began at the tender age of young boy when the Prophet Samuel anointed him. It was from this day forward that the battle for his destiny began.
So often in our lives we are beset by the devices of the enemy that try to wipe us out before we come into our purpose, calling and destiny. The adversary is always at work to this end and has many tricks and traps and may even work through and operate in people around us to throw us off course. In the book of I Sa. 16:23 we discover that Saul was driven by an evil spirit that entered into him as a result of his own rebellion and this spirit sought to kill David. It is important for us not to mistake flesh and blood as our true enemy when we encounter the opposition that stands between us and our destiny. Saul was operating under demonic influences from the moment David was anointed as a young man.
The word of God declares that an evil spirit from the Lord was sent to torment Saul. Strikingly this occurs directly following David’s anointing by the Prophet.
God puts one in position and gives him anointing to do a thing and at the same time God removes it from another who had failed at the task.[1]
I am sure many would agree that they have experienced attacks similar to this when true destiny is near. The enemy increases the fight when he recognizes the destiny of the called believers. Therefore, if you are a man or woman of God with problems and adversities in your life, rest assured that it is because of your awesome destiny in God. The enemy wants to keep you from your appointment with destiny and your Ziklag experience.
Ziklag was given to David by King Achish of Gath when he was running from Saul. David found refuge from King Saul here in the enemy’s camp. David used Ziklag for a home base for raids against various groups who threatened the southern borders of Judah (I Sam 27). Although it was under Philistine ownership through King Achish, it was given to David as a place of refuge and separation from the Phillistine army.[2]
Ziklag was originally given to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:20,31). Ziklag means winding as in springing from a fountain. Ziklag was a place of transition, a place of regeneration, preparation and it was a hiding place for David. It was David’s final address before becoming King and in Ziklag he spent his last nights as a refugee before being crowned as a king.
While David was with King Achish preparing for the battle the Amelekites invaded Ziklag. The Amalekites ransacked his home base and took off with all his stuff, including his family[3]. When David returned he found his home and his stuff in ashes; smoke bellowing from his roof. All had been lost, including his family and the wives of his 600 men or war. Smashed by the devastation, David and his men cried until they had no more power to cry[4]. David was looking at his entire life’s worth in ashes. I can see him standing there looking at his home still smoking and just falling in the still smoldering ashes and weeping for hours. This kind of devastation will bring you to your knees and cause you to wonder if God is alive.
This situation is very much like what has happened to the church. We have gone about with the mind set of “business as usual” and have not realized that the enemy has made off with our stuff and has left the church in ashes. The power and the wonder of the church was ransacked by the enemy. In this hour we are seeing a recovery of our spiritual gifts, biblical methods, and supernatural Holy Ghost power.
Have you ever wept at what the enemy has taken from you or have you just accepted the lie of the enemy that you will never get your breakthrough? Have you ever just felt that all was lost and your stuff was gone? Isn’t that just like an enemy; all that could not be carried off was burnt up to add insult to your injury. In this hour the church of America is crying out to God for what has been lost and is yearning for God to give the strategy for the recovery of the lost power in these last days.
The 600 men that followed him during his time on the lamb wept also. Once they stopped weeping they were ready to fight. They just didn’t know who to fight so they turned their anger on the one they loved. The Bible says they spoke of stoning David. These were men who trusted David and honored him as their leader and followed him even into the camp of the Philistines who were the enemies of Israel for hundreds of years. These were men that had trusted their lives unto David and they now wanted to kill him.
Have you ever had someone you loved and trusted turn on you in the heat of struggle? It seems like when things can get no worse our loved ones and trusted friends often turn on us and want to walk away; or worse yet stone us for their misery.
In large, what remains in the church world of America is a crop of divisive, complaining, powerless, gossiping, small minded and selfish people who are ready to fight but are focusing their fight amiss. They are not focusing the fight on the enemy. The churches fight each other and refuse to work together and set up denominational borders and territories. The Christian cold war, of who can amass the largest choir, building and Cadillac is being waged by preachers all around America. The church of North America has no concept of spiritual warfare, like David’s men they are looking to fight each other and not the true enemy. The true enemy of the North American Church is greed, envy, lust, apathy and complacency.
America has sat high on the hog for the last 80 years without a major economic depression and has grown more and more affluent each decade. America has it’s problems to be sure, but compared to other countries we remain the homeland of choice for the inhabitants of the world. The affluence and lack of dedication to the lost and prayerfulness of our spiritual leaders has allowed the enemy to come in slowly and steal the true substance of a once great church. Where are the miracles? Where are the wonders and signs that the Bible says the church should operate in? I here of them happening in foreign lands, but not in America; we are still bound in complacency and asleep. God will soon wake us up to the fact that we can recover all. This is not too far off in our future.
When David heard the news he told the resident priest to go get him his prayer cloth and the bible says that he encouraged himself in the Lord his God[5]. (I Sa. 30:6). I can see David with dirt and ashes on his face and mud and dirt between his fingernails reaching up towards God and saying “My God shall provide all my needs, He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High God shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” David began to sing songs and worship God and revive his spirit.
The difference between what he was doing and what his 600 mighty men were doing is the determining factor. David praised and sought God for a plan. What are we doing in America as it relates to moving the people of God towards the promises of God for end time believers? Have we become so content with trappings of this life that we no longer earnestly yearn for the true manifestations of the sons of God? We can go on to recover the power that once inhabited the church of the living God or go on pretending that it doesn’t really matter. Will we grow up and go up to what God is calling us to become or stand in a perpetual holding pattern and continue making excuses for our lack of spiritual power, authority and kingdom results.
Great man made results are easily dwarfed by kingdom miracles. Those results draw millions to the Lord. Who’s results are we yearning for? Have we been hoodwinked by the enemy to think that our results are supernatural? What is our measuring stick? Since we compare ourselves against ourselves we limit and restrict faith of God to expect supernatural miraculous results when laboring in kingdom business.
THE CHARGE – GO GET YOUR STUFF
David began to encourage himself in the Lord and once he felt encouraged and lifted up and had some hope about his situation he then turned to the lord and asked shall I go after this troop? What troop are you pursuing? David asked God about the specific situation and God responded. “Pursue: for you will surely overtake them and without fail, recover all!”
Wow! What a word from God. God said to David that he would not fail and would recover all. How long will the church sit complaining and fighting one another and trying to one up one another? When will we pinpoint the true enemy, which is, prayerlessness and lack of dedication. God requires a sold out individual through which to channel his glory and his power. This person does not have to be perfect, just sold out and fully committed to live like Christ in every way. No excuses! The Church has too many self made plans going out to battle that simply do not render results.
We are fighting each other while we think we are binding devils. It’s time to get the Lord’s battle plan for America so that we can operate in full kingdom authority. David was anointed to be King at the age of thirteen and did not become king until he was 30 years old. During this 17 year process God was shaping David to be the King. He was 30 years old with 17 years of King’s schooling baked in before he was ready to carry the calling. Even then he only got a portion of the promise as he was anointed king over Judah only at age 30. It was 7 years later that he was anointed King over all Israel. Therefore, the promise took 24 years of preparation before he could carry the calling/commissioning.
Once the battle plan was in hand David moved without hesitation. David did not wait a week or a month to act. He acted immediately. The very next verse starts off with, “So David went, he and six hundred men that were with him.” David got up and went off to execute the battle plan! How many times have you heard the word of the Lord come into your spirit in a service or a book or tape or perhaps God spoke directly to you about a battle plan and you stood still in fear and apathy? How many days, weeks, months and years have crept by us as we have held on to this battle plan and knew that it was from God. God gives out battle plans that may cause you to suffer or endure hardship but, he offers a full guarantee in that you will not fail! Failure is not an option with God’s battle plan for your life. I Sa. 30:8 says you will not fail if it is the battle plan of the Lord. Prophetically, I can tell you that there are some reading this right now with supernatural destiny and ministry callings that have refused to sell out completely.
As a result of complacency and making excuses they have not entered into their calling or commissioning. It is all on hold until they develop the character and the discipline required to carry the calling. God will wait until the appropriate time before he builds; being the master builder and the potter he does not go to work until we are ready. Are you ready? When will you be ready?
THE FINAL REFORMATION BEGINS
It is time for the church to rise up and put the plan in place that God has given us to work. The church of America is impotent when compared to the first century church. We are in dyer need of a reformation movement. The people are merchandise and the ministers are compromised and there is no demonstration of God’s power because there are no true Apostles in our midst. God is raising them up, even now to restore the church back to it’s pristine position of power and preeminence. This restoration move of God will bring back the Apostle and Prophet ministries.
Ziklag is the place of final preparation and is the launch pad for kingdom ministry. This form of ministry is full and complete and is built upon years of foundational preparation. The body of Christ as a whole is converging upon Ziklag and the call to order is being made. The body is waking up to the fact that we have been burglarized by the enemy and the spiritual gifts and power that were bestowed on the bride are all but gone. The church of America has been burglarized of it’s supernatural power and we must inquiry of God as to how to recover it from the enemy. Men and women of God are mobilizing all over the world and recovering what the enemy has stolen. North America is being prepared and the Pastors are being shaken and God is going to perform a mighty work between 2005 and 2008 in North America. There will be an incredible surge of revolutionary ministry sparked all around the country in 2007 and 2008. Men will rise up and call the church to arms against truth compromisers and challenge them to go and recover the pure truth’s of God’s Word. A new standard against spiritual compromise is being raised in this hour and the stuff being recovered is the supernatural power of the Spirit of God in operation where signs, wonders, and miracles are manifested.
[1] I Sam. 16:13-14
[2] I Sa.27:5
[3] I Sam. 30:1
[4] I Sam. 30:4
[5] I Sam. 30:6
