7 Ways to Trust Your Wings in Conflict and Trial
Before diving deep into these seven strategies, make sure you go back and read 8 Ways to Trust Your Wings (Part I) to understand how David first handled the initial heartbreak at Ziklag before pursuing his divine mandate.
You have a false sense of what is in the world if you always stay in your own camp and are unwilling to fetch new ideas and face challenges. When somebody challenges your ideas, you feel like they are challenging you personally because you have not been separated from your ideas. That is why your ideas do not grow—because ideas grow in conflict.
You may have been stuck in the exact same place for ten years because of a conflict avoidance pre-wired in you by your history or your DNA, convincing you that your sole job is to keep the peace. But a life built on dodging confrontation is a life lived on the margins. When you refuse to step out, society pushes you to the wall until you barely have bread to eat.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Action Step
“When branches break, trust your wings. When trials come, trust your wings. When you cannot tell light from pain, and when you cannot tell a friend from a foe, trust your wings.”
David faced overwhelming conflict when his own men were ready to stone him after Ziklag burned. Yet, he dealt with the conflict head-on. God does not want you to think that the branch beneath your feet is your sustenance. Your power was never in the branch; your power is in the wings He gave you.
Section Note: Conflict is inevitable for destiny; true peace is not passive avoidance, but active alignment with God’s disruptive truth and accommodating diverse perspectives.
1
Learn to Get Along Only with God
To reach your full spiritual potential, you must break free from the trap of people-pleasing and learn that divine approval is the only foundation that will never shake beneath you. So many believers spend their entire lives trying to mediate every dispute and keep everyone happy, only to realize they have compromised their own calling in the process. True alignment with God often requires stepping into uncomfortable environments, standing firm in your convictions, and accepting that spiritual progress will naturally create friction with those who prefer the status quo.
POINT A
Disruptive Grace: We often speak of Jesus as the Prince of Peace, yet He boldly declared, “I came not to bring peace but a sword.” To reach your God-given destiny, you must be willing to disrupt comfortable patterns and risk getting on people’s nerves.
POINT B
The Inevitability of Conflict: You will never get along with everyone in this life. Keeping quiet while ugly things are done around you just to avoid making waves only starves your future.
POINT C
Accommodating Disagreement: True relationships last not because you are always right, but because you know how to accommodate someone else’s ideas. Businesses and ministries explode with growth when surrounded by bright people who sharpen one another through disagreement.
❖ 1 Samuel 30:7–8 (NKJV)
Scripture Spotlight
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” — Matthew 10:34 (NKJV)
“Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, ‘Please bring the ephod here to me.’ And Abiathar brought the ephod there to David. So David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?’ And He answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.’” —
Biblical Context
The Greek word for “sword” in Matthew 10:34 is machaira ($\mu\alpha\chi\alpha\iota\rho\alpha$), referring to a short sword or dagger used for precision cutting. Christ’s arrival forces a division between divine truth and comfortable earthly traditions. In 1 Samuel 30, David sought God using the ephod—a sacred priestly vestment housing the Urim and Thummim—demonstrating that before taking action in earthly conflict, believers must align directly with God’s divine counsel.
Discover how provoking the mercy of God can shift the atmosphere in your favor.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Action Step
Identify one area in your life where you have remained silent simply to avoid conflict. Schedule a respectful, open conversation where you share your true perspective, allowing room for disagreement while grounding your identity entirely in God’s approval rather than human consensus.
Section Note: Victory requires God’s Spirit (Ruach) to discern tailored purpose, avoiding irrelevant arguments and battles God never assigned.
2
Bring God into Your Daily Stories
Integrating faith into your daily experience means acknowledging God in every conversation, decision, and unexpected crisis rather than treating Him as a Sunday-only resource. When David lost everything at Ziklag, he did not immediately consult his generals or map out a human strategy; he brought God into his pain first by calling for the ephod. Bringing God into your personal narrative safeguards your spirit against fighting petty, unnecessary battles that consume your energy without producing eternal fruit.
POINT A
Protecting the Anointing: David’s ultimate prayer was for God never to take His Holy Spirit away. Without God’s Spirit, you are left devoid, vulnerable, and fighting battles you were never meant to enter.
POINT A
Customized Victory: Victory cannot look like your neighbor’s success. Stop imitating others or pretending to be someone else. You must discern what victory tailored specifically to your spiritual gifts looks like.
POINT A
Refusing Unnecessary Arguments: Do not waste precious time arguing with Sanballat and Tobiah over why the walls lie in ruins. Seek God’s presence before getting into your car, boarding a plane, or walking into a boardroom.
Learn more about avoiding spiritual distractions so you can keep your vision fixed on God’s direction.
❖ Psalm 51:11–12 (NKJV)
Scripture Spotlight
“Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”
Biblical Context
In Hebrew, the word for spirit is Ruach ($\text{רוּחַ}$), meaning breath, wind, or vital force. In the Old Testament, the Ruach came upon individuals for specific empowering tasks. David understood that losing the divine presence meant losing the capacity to discern and conquer. His prayer reflects an acute awareness that human talent without divine power yields zero spiritual victory.
Before you can overcome external critics or conflict with those around you, you must first master the internal dialogue. For practical strategies on guarding your thoughts, see our lesson on winning the internal battles against your mind.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Action Step
Begin every morning by taking five minutes of quiet prayer before checking your phone or speaking to others. Ask God specifically: “Lord, which battles are mine today, and which ones am I meant to walk away from?”
Section Note: Stability rests in God alone; spiritual maturity means learning to flourish in both abundance and lack while trusting internal spiritual renewal.
3
Allow Yourself to Be Flexible with God
Walking with God requires an adaptable heart that can pivot whenever divine instruction demands a shift in direction or posture. Spiritual rigidity causes believers to break when unexpected trials shake their outward circumstances, whereas spiritual flexibility allows you to remain grounded regardless of external economic or relational shifts. When you realize that God—not your job, your platform, or your current support system—is your true source, you can navigate both seasons of plenty and seasons of lean without losing your faith.
Surviving Every Season: Maturity requires learning both how to abase and how to abound. You must know how to thrive in seasons of abundance and how to maintain joy during seasons of temporary lack.
The Branch Is Not Your Sustenance: A bird sitting on a tree branch is never afraid of the branch breaking because its faith is not in the wood—its faith is in its wings. The only truly stable foundation in your life is God.
Inward Renewal: While the outward circumstances or physical strength may perish, the inward spiritual man must be daily renewed through active fellowship with Christ.
❖ Philippians 4:12–13 (NKJV)
Scripture Spotlight
I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Biblical Context
The Greek word Paul uses for “I have learned” in Philippians 4:12 is memyēmai ($\mu\epsilon\mu\acute{\upsilon}\eta\mu\alpha\iota$), an initiatory term used in ancient times meaning “I have learned the secret.” Paul’s strength was not self-reliance; it was an internal initiation into Christ’s divine sufficiency (autarkeia), enabling spiritual stability regardless of fluctuating economic or physical conditions.
When the branch beneath you breaks, your spiritual survival depends entirely on the faith foundation you built prior to the storm. If you are struggling to build that inner confidence, review our foundation guide on trusting your wings through life’s trials
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Action Step
Write down a current trial or resource limitation you are facing. Next to it, write Philippians 4:13 and declare aloud that your ability to endure is anchored in Christ’s strength, not in the stability of your circumstances.
Section Note: Complete restoration comes when following divine direction, requiring believers to release offense so God can use former adversaries to fulfill purpose.
4
With God, Your Wings Cannot Fail
When God commands you to step forward into a challenging situation, defeat is off the table because His promise guarantees complete recovery of all that was lost. The greatest obstacle to executing divine commands is often our own emotional baggage—holding onto grudges against those who hurt us or doubted us in previous seasons. When you prioritize God’s direct word over your personal offense, you open the door for miraculous restoration that turns past pain into leverage for future dominion.
POINT A
Total Recovery: When God gives you the command to pursue, He guarantees full restoration. You will recover everything you wept over, every night you suffered, and every moment you did without.
POINT A
Releasing Personal Feelings: David led 600 men who had just contemplated stoning him into battle. He refused to let personal feelings or offense prevent him from executing God’s direct instruction.
POINT A
Enemies as Footstools: Do not discard people prematurely just because they hurt you in one chapter. God often uses former adversaries or challenging personalities as footstools to elevate you to your next dimension.
❖ 1 Samuel 30:18–19 (NKJV)
Scripture Spotlight
“So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.”
Biblical Context
The Amalekites were opportunistic raiders who preyed specifically on the weak, the weary, and the vulnerable at the rear of Israel’s march (Deuteronomy 25:17–18). In 1 Samuel 30, God’s command to “pursue” (radaph in Hebrew, $\text{רָדַף}$) is a military directive carrying absolute divine backing, ensuring that human vulnerability under divine guidance leads to total reclaim of stolen goods.
When you feel completely exhausted by continuous trials, focus on seeking divine help in desperate times to experience His restoring grace.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Action Step
Forgive a person who offended or hurt you recently. Pray for them by name today, acknowledging that holding onto resentment keeps you tied to past chapters instead of moving forward into total recovery.
Section Note: Rely on tested experience and proven faith rather than shiny, untried methods; true dominion requires stepping beyond comfortable boundaries.
5
Trust Just the Proven Wings
In times of intense pressure, you cannot afford to rely on superficial tools, flashy methods, or untried strategies simply because they look impressive to others. Saul attempted to deck David out in heavy, traditional armor, but David recognized that unproven equipment would only hinder his movement in battle. True spiritual confidence comes from relying on what God has already tested and refined in your life through private victories—your sling and stone—rather than borrowed tools that carry no real weight in the spirit.
The Value of Tested Weapons: When David stood before Goliath, Saul offered him bright, sharp, impressive armor. David turned it down because it was unproven. He chose his humble slingshot because he had already tested it against the lion and the bear.
Prioritizing Substance over Polish: Do not go into major spiritual battles with unproven tools or unvetted allies simply because they look shiny on the outside. Value history, longevity, and spiritual depth over superficial glam.
Stepping Outside Your Comfort Circle: Stepping into your destiny requires stepping outside of your traditional camp, overcoming the fear of human disapproval, and becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable.
❖ 1 Samuel 17:38–39 (NKJV)
Scripture Spotlight
“Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, ‘I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.’ So David took them off.”
Biblical Context
The Hebrew word for “tested” in 1 Samuel 17:39 is nasah ($\text{נָסָה}$), meaning to try, prove, or put to the test through experience. Saul’s armor represented worldly reliance and physical stature, whereas David’s sling represented a tested track record of reliance on God’s covenant power developed in complete privacy.
Stepping into your next level requires taking an active step of faith even when you feel stripped of worldly support.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Action Step
Reflect on past victories where God brought you through difficult times. Write down two specific instances where God proved His faithfulness to you, and use those memories as your foundational confidence for your current challenge.
Section Note: Active declarations of faith override fluctuating emotions, releasing supernatural restoration and joy over your circumstances.
6
Live in Proclamation of All the Good Things
Your words carry extraordinary power to shape your atmosphere and reinforce your covenant with God during moments of severe trial. When feelings dictate that defeat is near and finances or friendships fail, speaking God’s promises out loud establishes spiritual boundaries against fear and despair. Living in active proclamation means aligning your tongue with God’s ultimate victory, calling forth restoration, and letting the sound of praise break out in your home before the physical outcome is even visible.
POINT A
Covenant Over Emotion: Enter into a firm covenant with God to trust your spiritual wings when you cannot trust your feelings, your friends, or your temporary financial status.
POINT A
Spiritual Dominion: Prepare your mind for a new realm where limitations are stripped away. God is orchestrating a divine intervention in your life as you choose faith over panic.
POINT A
The Power of Your Mouth: Speak joy and restoration over your home, your family, and your career. Victory begins when the proclamation of faith breaks forth from your mouth.
❖ Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV)
Scripture Spotlight
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Biblical Context
The Hebrew phrasing for “power of the tongue” is b’yad lashon ($\text{בְּיַד לָשׁוֹן}$), literally meaning “in the hand of the tongue.” This vivid idiom attributes physical agency and direct control to spoken words, establishing that spoken declarations actively shape spiritual realities and outcomes.
If negative thoughts or anxiety are paralyzing your faith, read our guide on overcoming mental conflict to realign your mind with scripture.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Action Step
Spend two minutes making explicit declarations of faith over your life today. Speak peace over your home, clarity over your mind, and divine restoration over your work or ministry.
Section Note: Leadership requires creating environments of trust where differences refine vision, prioritizing strong covenant relationships over disagreement.
7
Create an Atmosphere of Trust
Great leadership and personal maturity are demonstrated by your ability to foster an environment where people feel secure enough to express differing perspectives without fearing isolation or conflict. David managed a team of six hundred disgruntled, distressed men in the wilderness, transforming them into a formidable army because he cultivated real leadership through shared trial and trust. When you value relationships above immediate agreement, you open yourself up to collective wisdom, sharper ideas, and sustainable innovation that propels everyone into higher realms of purpose.
Leading in the Midst of Conflict: David was not yet sitting on the throne in Jerusalem, but he was actively practicing kingship in the desert. You cannot lead a great vision if you insist on staying isolated or demand complete agreement from everyone.
Relationship Over Disagreement: Build environments where people feel secure enough to challenge your ideas without fear of destroying the relationship. Innovation is born at the intersection of constructive disruption and mutual respect.
Welcoming Brilliance: Do not run away from the brilliance of others just to feel important in your own small circle. Surround yourself with proven, capable people and build a culture where truth can be spoken in love
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Action Step
Invite feedback from a trusted colleague, friend, or mentor regarding a project or idea you are working on. Listen actively without interrupting or defending yourself, taking note of insights that can improve your vision.
“You have got to be willing to step into your destiny and your purpose, and you have got to be willing to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.” ~TD Jakes
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PERSONAL REFLECTION QUESTION
In what specific area of your life have you been relying on a fragile “branch”—such as human approval, temporary security, or conflict avoidance—rather than trusting the God-given wings of faith and divine guidance within you?
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✝ A Prayer to Strengthen Your Spirit
Father in Heaven,
I come before You acknowledging that You are the true source of my peace, my strength, and my victory. Forgive me for the times I have avoided necessary growth out of fear of conflict or human disapproval. Lord, take anything from me, but do not take Your Holy Spirit away. Teach me to trust the wings of faith You have given me whenever the branches of life begin to break.
Give me the wisdom to surround myself with sharp, proven people and the humility to embrace constructive challenges. I declare today that every lost joy, every stolen season, and every delayed blessing is coming back through Your power. I step boldly into my destiny, confident that with You, my wings will never fail.
In Jesus’ powerful name,
