Read the Bible in a Year (01APR19)

 

1 SAMUEL MOMENT – (01APR19) God had given David favor with the missions that he had been sent on with the Philistines. His popularity amongst the people was growing and Saul became jealous of his success. Saul was so jealous of David that he wanted him to be defeated by the Philistines and even tried to have him marry him off to his oldest daughter in hopes that it would make him more appealing to being captured by the Philistines. Even though David eventually married Michal, Saul’s other daughter, things did not go as Saul had hoped. His son, Jonathan, had a loving friendship with David and Michal oved her husband David very much. Therefore, they both did what they could to protect him from their father. 

  It is sad when those who should love you be the ones who reject you. You can possibly imagine the pain and hurt that David felt knowing that Saul had a hatred for him despite having won against Goliath and being victorious over many of his Philistine enemies. David had not done anything wrong to deserve such treatment and yet, Saul could not find it in his heart to love him. Many people are walking around feeling rejected by those who are supposed to love them. They search for love from place to place never quite finding it and never feeling as if they fit in. For many, all they have ever wanted was for someone to love them, but on every corner, all that they found were notices of rejection. Many people end up feeling lonely and hopeless because they go through life never having anyone to genuinely love them. Even some Christians feel unloved and though they know that God loves them, they feel as if the whole world is an ice-cold lonely place because they have never found a place to call home or be loved. Yet, they try to hold on to God, because to give up on Him would mean giving up on life itself. Something to ponder…

QUESTION OF THE DAY – (01APR19) David had not done anything wrong to Saul but jealousy entered Saul’s heart and he was determined to kill him. Saul knew that God’s spirit was no longer with him and that He dwelt inside of David, and Saul’s insecurity caused him to go after David with a vengeance. Have you ever been disliked by someone whom you had never done anything wrong to? Has someone spewed out angry words at you just because of their jealousy towards you? Sometimes, you do not have to do anything to a person to dislike you. Some people will hate you just because you have a certain gift, talent, or that they can see God operating in you. You cannot make a person like you, but you can pray for them and ask God to give them a change of heart. We as Christians will always have enemies, but our love must grow that much more. Something to ponder…

1 SAMUEL MOMENT – (01APR19) Jonathan was a good friend to David despite the actions of his father. He did not feel threatened nor was he jealous of David in any manner. The Bible says that a friend will stick closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Jonathan was such a friend to David. He too could have felt threatened due to his succession to the throne being at risk, but Jonathan stood by David and helped to save his life. There are not many people who can say that they have true friends such as what Jonathan and David had. Yet, Jesus is the closest Friend that any of us will ever have. When others forsake us, God is always there. All we have to do is hold on to Him and never lose faith in that He will always be there for us in our time of need, pain, loneliness, and/or despair. God has promised to never leave nor forsake us. We can always rely on Him because He is always there. Something to ponder…

Knowing the Times We Are In

Read the Bible in a Year (31MAR19)

 1 SAMUEL MOMENT – (31MAR19) The Lord had told Samuel to instruct King Saul to destroy the Amalekites and to not leave or take anything alive. Saul, however, thought that he would do things his own way and took the King of the Amalekites alive as well as keep the best of the animals for himself and his men. God told Samuel what Saul had done and regretted choosing him as a king, but He had decided upon another who would rule in Saul’s place. When Samuel caught up with Saul, the king tried to lie and claim that he had done all that the Lord had said, but Samuel knew better and ended up killing the Amalekite king himself. Samuel let Saul know that obedience was better than sacrifice when Saul claimed that he took the best of the animals to offer sacrifices to God. We too must be obedient when God tells us to do something. For example, many people are being called out of today’s Babylonian churches and yet, they choose to remain in them because of the positions they hold within them. Some people are called to leave a job and yet, they hang on for fear of losing their income. God may have told some parents to pull their children out of the public-school system and yet, the parents refuse to obey because they do not wish to home school. There are many things that God may have told people to do, but they allow fear, doubt, and pure defiance to keep them from being obedient to God. Nevertheless, we must ask ourselves the question, “Is it more important to satisfy our own desires, or to be obedient to what God is telling us to do?” It does not matter how many good things we do, if God tells us to do something and yet, we defy His commands, our good works are being done in vain. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Something to ponder…

 QUESTION OF THE DAY – (31MAR19) God had chosen another man to be king to replace Saul. The Spirit of the Lord had totally left Saul and God was about to fill another with His Spirit. Samuel had been told to anoint one of Jesse’s sons and upon seeing them, Samuel thought for sure that he was in the presence of the one who would be the next chosen king of Israel, but God had rejected all seven of them. The Lord told Samuel that man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. Therefore, when David was called from the shepherd’s field, he was not the one whom Samuel would have thought to be king and yet, God chose the youngest one to kill a giant and later to lead His people. Have you ever made the mistake of overlooking someone or something just because they or it did not appear to be able to handle the job? Have you ever overlooked a church because it was small or did not have a well-known pastor? Have you overlooked ministering to certain people because they lived in the wrong part of town? Have you passed up giving a person a chance because they did not look the part? There is a saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” We sometimes tend to judge others by another’s opinion, the latest gossip, their social status, or their appearance, and yet, God may have chosen that person as a weapon of spiritual mass destruction against the forces of evil. Always use spiritual discernment when making decisions because what my look like a diamond may be cubic zirconium and what may appear as gold may be nothing more than spray-painted steel. Something to ponder…

SATURDAY PRAYER (30MAR19)

SATURDAY PRAYER – (30MAR19) Our Most Gracious Father, we come to you this day and give praises and honor for all the things that you have done in our lives, and for what we have seen you do in the lives of others. We know that we could not do anything apart from you, so we bless your Holy Name. Where some fear the Name of Jesus, we invite you JESUS into our heart, into our mind, into our soul, and into lives. We pray that we honor you well and always stand for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the GREAT I AM, Immanuel, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father, and Yeshua Hamashiach. Lord, we ask that if there is anything that we have done against you and/or against others, knowingly and unknowingly, willfully and unwilfully, that you will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Lord, we would like to ask for your hand in helping to save those who are lost and do not know you – our friends, family, loved ones, coworkers and those we may not know. We ask that you help them to be receptive to you as their Messiah and that the enemy will not be able to have a permanent hold on them, but they would be freed from his demonic grip. We pray for those who are in the prisons, jails, and other state institutions. We pray that they too will be saved and during their time of confinement, they will come to the knowledge of who you are and will experience your everlasting love. We pray for those who are battling cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other ailments, that you would heal them wherever they are rather they are at home, on the sick bed, on the operating table, in a nursing home, or some other place where they are in need of you. We know that you are the Balm in Gilead who can do what medicine cannot. We pray for the healing of families, marriages, finances, friendships, and broken relationships, so that the enemy cannot have a footstool to enter. We pray against the sins of this nation for they are many. We ask that you reestablish those who are in you to continue to stand against the evils being done and for those who love their sins, we ask that you will convict their hearts and change their minds. We pray for the protection of our president and vice president as well as their families. We pray for the widows, elderly, poor, and homeless to be provided for. We pray that your coming is soon and that we be found with our names never being blotted out of the Book of Life and ready for the Banquet of the Lamb. We ask all these things in the mighty Name of JESUS, Yeshua Hamashiach. Amen!