Most people will loathe the thought of being thrown into jail. Strangely, many people are
already in “prison” without knowing it. It is easy to be a prisoner of one’s past. An
experience inspired this. I had occasion to visit the Nigerian Immigration Service at the
Federal Secretariat, Port Harcourt sometime ago. The last time I was there, they had a
single gate open for motorists and pedestrians. The other gate was firmly shut. That
was ingrained in my mind. So when I went this time around, I drove through the same
gate. Unfortunately, I did not know things had changed. The other gate, which actually
is the point of entry was now open. Locked up in the mindset of the past, I contravened
driving code inadvertently.

“Walking with God demands that we stay in touch for regular updates.”

Oftentimes, we interpret issues in the light of previous experiences, forgetting the
dynamic nature of things. We make the same mistake even spiritually. We are quick to
think that God will bless or lead us exactly the way He did on previous occasions. David
could have made this mistake. He had defeated the Philistines in a previous battle by
following God’s directives. When war broke out again, he wanted to go the same route
as before. God stopped him and gave him a new guideline. Always keep in mind that
God can choose to do things in a new way. Walking with God demands that we stay in
touch for regular updates.