by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
I Samuel 22-24
What character we see in David! He is having to spend every day running and hiding from the madman Saul, who is obsessed with jealousy. Yet we don’t see fear on this man of God, but faith.
Just as David had the faith to kill Goliath, he continues to have faith that God will deliver him from Saul. As he darts here and there, changing hiding places, he inquires of God. Okay, God, now what? Then he follows through with obedience. Amazing!
Another amazing moment is when David is hiding in a cave where Saul comes. With his guard down, Saul is easy prey for the younger man. So David secretly cuts off the hem of Saul’s garment to prove that he could have taken the king’s life.
“And it came about afterward that David’s conscience bothered him, because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe.”(v.5). Wow! After being chased by the king continuously, David still has honor for Saul’s office. He recognizes the king as “God’s anointed,” and as such, should not “stretch out his hand against him.”(v.6)
Through it all, we see honor, humility, and faith. It must have been hard, but we don’t see whining.
David’s character, which comes from years of worshipping God while out on the hillside tending sheep, shines during this test.
There’s one thing about a trial: it will show your character.
I say, Lord, I want you to develop that character in me. The faith, the honor, the humility, the unflinching trust that your hand is on my life – no matter what!
Luke 12:1-31
Jesus is promoting quiet trust in God as He speaks to the crowds. That trust which comes from keeping our eyes fixed on our Father above and not on the earthly realm.
We live in this world, and need to mind the affairs of our lives, but if we are consumed by earthly pleasures and pursuits, we get into serious trouble.
The rich man, who just built bigger barns for his abundance but wasn’t rich toward God, is a man to be pitied. The key here is that he thought of this world – and only this world. All of his desires and energies were toward riches of this world – a big mistake.
We see this so often today. There are many who spend all of their time and energy seeking material wealth. Houses, travel, luxurious living, and building of their empires are the things which receive their constant devotion. What a pity.
Even a long life is a tiny dot compared to eternity – and we will all live for eternity. To seek only the things of this world is a hindrance in the long run. The attitude that leads to death.
The other side of the same coin is that, if we are those who want to walk with God, we must trust Him for provision. As we continue in our devotion to Him and His Word, we will “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto us.” (V.31)
I’m casting away any worry about my provision. I know that my God will supply my needs – and that He will direct my paths into paths of provision. I praise Him for that!
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
I Samuel 19-21
The Lord’s path may not always be easy, but it is sure. If the Lord has made a promise, He will keep it, but, as I said, the path may not be easy.
David surely discovers this after he has been anointed King of Israel. Saul’s jealousy and the demonic influence in his life cause great discomfort to David. Saul is determined to kill the newly anointed king.
Yet you can see God’s hand faithfully giving David favor and discernment, so that his escape is sure.
Favor comes to him through Micah, his wife, and Jonathan, his friend. Each of these defy their father, Saul, in order to save David’s life. They each risk the king’s wrath as they help David escape.
Discernment is what David needs as he runs throughout the land, trying to find safety. Saul’s henchmen are scattered all around so that David has to fabricate his mission – and even his sanity, in order to move freely.
God’s hand is sure, however, and the schemes work out for David’s good. He might not be comfortable, but he is safe.
In our lives, we might see the same thing occur. Our paths might not be comfortable, but God’s plan for us will be sure if we continue to listen to Him and obey. Our God is faithful, and He will bring us to the security of His Word.
Again, our job is to trust and obey.
Luke 11:29-54
In every generation, there have been those who try to turn their worship of God into an outward display of goodness – a show for all to see. Unfortunately, that evil still exists in our generation. It’s part of the fallen nature of mankind.
Pride is the problem. People wanting to be seen as great in the eyes of others will surely fall into this trap. Humility is the key to our walk with God, and that’s so hard for many to understand.
The Pharisees and lawyers who encountered Jesus, flaunted their holy garb and and their positions of authority, yet they were not sincere in what they were doing. They pretended to be pious, for everyone to see, but in reality, they were phonies.
This can be a problem today also. There are many who go to church, dressed in fine clothes, looking great on the outside, whose hearts are not truly to God. They are filled with self-righteousness, gossip, slander, and all sorts of sin. Yet they try to appear holy to those around them.
One of the attributes which stands out with people who are truly holy is their simple faith in their Father. These authentic ones will be like the Queen of Sheba and the people of Ninevah. They will earnestly trust God’s goodness and His Word. They will also see the fruit of that faith as they continue.
I want to be one of the authentic ones. I want the Lord to reveal any areas of my life which are not honest and holy, and I want Him to cleanse me of these things.
The true believers are rising up in this day, and I want to be one!
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
I Samuel 17-18
How do you obtain a heart that pleases God? And how do you get the faith to fight giants?
These attributes don’t come over night. They come with a history of worshipping God and getting to know Him.
David’s father and brothers discounted David because he was the youngest, and because all he did was keep the sheep…they thought.
Actually, as David sat out on the hillside watching the sheep, he was looking up around him at the beautiful nature, and he was worshipping his Creator. As you read the Psalms of David, you see a man who was very mindful of God’s hand in everything. And you see a man who was continually praising God.
As he approaches the battle with Goliath, you also see a man who had a history of trusting God. This faith didn’t come over night. There had been a time when a bear had tried to attack the sheep, and God delivered the bear into David’s hands. Then there had been a time when a lion had tried to attack the sheep, and God had delivered the lion into his hands.
So here is Goliath taunting the armies of Israel. Day after day, the grown men would fear and tremble as they were being taunted, but David saw it differently. “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine to come against the armies of the living God?”(17:26) He doesn’t see the battle as man’s battle, but God’s.
Later he tells Saul that just as the Lord had delivered the lion and the bear into his hands, so will He deliver this Philistine. And he will do it with his own armor, which he has tested. He doesn’t need swords and spears, he will do it with a slingshot.
Such faith. We want it, but it only comes one way. It doesn’t pop out of nowhere; it comes from a life lived with our Father. A history of having won battles by His hand, and of knowing that God is on our side, and it is He who is our deliverer.
Are you going through a battle right now? Let this be part of your history with God.
Trust Him and be obedient, knowing that, as with David, the battle is His when you do it His way.
Luke 11:1-28
Are you praying for someone to come to know the Lord, and it seems that they never will? Well, don’t stop praying.
You are like the person who comes to acquire some bread for another. You have to be determined that you will not give up.
The verses which say, ” ask, seek, and knock,” have a different nuance in the Greek. The Word actually says, “keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking.” Persistence is the key.
Why isn’t asking one time enough? Well, when we are praying for others to come to God, we are dealing not only with God but with them – and their wills. Our Father won’t violate their wills, but He will wait for the opportune moment to deal with them.
In the meantime, Satan is trying to deal with them also, so we have a battle in the heavenlies going on over your loved ones. God always wins, if we do things His way. So don’t give up.
If you feel the unction to pray, do it. If you feel the unction to speak to them, do that also. Follow His lead, but above all, don’t stop!
“Everyone who asks, receives; everyone who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks, it shall be opened to him.” (v. 10) What a promise.
I don’t know about you, but I am holding that one close!
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
I Samuel 15-16
God puts down one king and raises up another.
Success becomes a temptation to Saul and his character stands judged. Once again he wants to “do his own thing,” even though God had clearly sent instructions not to bring back spoils from the latest battle.
Samuel calls it “rebellion,” a sin which is like witchcraft.
Why is that so important? When someone wants to follow their own ideas, ignoring God’s, they open themselves up to be following Satan himself. That’s why it’s like witchcraft. Satan is sitting there waiting for God’s man to rebel – then he has an entrance to whisper directions to him.
Many men of God over the years have fallen into this trap. That’s why there is such a worldliness and humanistic bent over many churches today. The leaders have denied God’s instructions and made up their own – often unknowingly following the instructions of Satan.
There is a standard – a plumb line – set up by our Father above. It’s His Word. When people begin to deny His plans and choose their own way, they are in trouble, even if they don’t realize it. They, like Saul, are about to lose God’s anointing on their lives.
In our dispensation (after Jesus), however, we can repent. We can turn our hearts back to God and choose to follow Him completely. That’s when we will see the heavens open again over our lives – and the fruit that will follow.
I pray today that you and I will hear clearly and follow His plan – without wavering. I want to be in the dead center of His will, and I know that you do as well.
Luke 10:25-42
I think that all Christians have a Mary and a Martha living inside them. There is the part of us which wants to worship Jesus and sit at His feet. Then there is the part of us which wants to work, work, work for Him.
Each of us has a tendency to lean more to one than the other.
Obviously, if all we do is sit at His feet, there will be many aspects of His work which will never get done. We will never witness or visit the sick or cast our demons. We will be like monks, sitting at His feet.
Yet that is where all ministry should start. If we are out there ministering to others without sitting at His feet, we will burn out – and we will be ineffective.
All ministry should be from the overflow of what our Lord has deposited within us. The anointing which emanates from us is what will set the captives free. It’s not our goodness, but His. Not our Word, but His. Not our anointing, but His.
So we start with a good dose of “sitting at his feet,” and we go out from there. If every day we can start out by worshipping and listening to His voice – sometimes through His Word and sometimes through His speaking to us, our lives will bear much more fruit.
Jesus is the source of our life, our faith, and our works. When we start with Him, we’ll finish our assignments the right way.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
I Samuel 13-14
It’s amazing what a little success can do to a man’s character. Saul, who was taken from the smallest tribe and the smallest family, is getting prideful.
He’s the king, and not the priest. He has no business making priestly sacrifices to God, but he does. He over steps his bounds.
Obedience, and not sacrifice is what our Father wants from us.
Our Father is the one with the plan. We aren’t even capable of knowing all that He has for us, so we need to follow His scheme of things.
Yet, it’s so easy to do as Saul does, and “do our own thing.” Even in the name of religion.
Some of the greatest errors in our modern society emanate from this character flaw. So many ignore what God says about an issue, and make their own rules.
Proverbs says, “There is a way which seems right unto man, but the end of it is death.” (Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25). It’s there twice – must be important.
It seems right to Saul to offer the priestly sacrifice since Samuel is a little late. Yet he loses the kingdom because of this decision. After his death, the kingdom will go to another lineage – one which will honor God and be obedient.
Listen closely to what your Father is telling you. Look closely at His word. Don’t try to make up your own rules, but honor His.
That’s the way of life.
Luke 10: 1-24
What makes Jesus rejoice? We have it right here.
As He sends out the seventy disciples, armed with His delegated authority, they return with a tremendous report. His plan is truly working. People are being healed and demons are fleeing as they go in His name.
Jesus rejoices that He sees Satan fall from heaven. This one who has tortured mankind will soon be thrown from heaven for good.
Then Jesus says something interesting. He praises God for “hiding these things from the wise and intelligent and revealing them to babes.” (v.21).
Why would that be? Humility is required in God’s kingdom. Only those who are willing to listen to Him are to be His representatives in the earth.
The wise and intelligent are not very teachable, because they want to believe only what comes to them personally. They get caught up in their own minds and leave God out of it.
God wants people who are malleable in His hands – people who know that they need to depend on Him. These are the ones to which He can delegate His authority. These are the ones He can send in His name.
Yes, Lord. Send me.
