INQUIRING FROM GOD
1 Samuel 23:1-12
Then David inquired of the Lord once again… 1 Samuel 23:4
To inquire is to address a question and expect an answer from; it is the wish or desire to know something. To inquire from the Lord is to seek out His will or decision concerning a matter. Most will claim the Lordship of Jesus Christ over their lives but will never seek His will concerning their actions. For God to be Lord indeed over us, we must seek His will and His opinion about all that concerns us. If God is our owner, then we must search out His will concerning the words we speak, the kind of relationships we keep, the actions we take, the things we listen to, and the thoughts of our hearts. This is “acknowledging Him in all your ways” and trusting Him to direct your path.
It is common with us to start a project, create a vision, organise a program, design a plan and then demand that the Lord bless it. This is akin to putting the cart before the horse. Knowing the will of the Lord must be the first consideration before asking for His blessing. The Lord’s backing and blessing are in His will. David understood this truth. Also, David did not mind finding out God’s will for each situation, no matter how similar it was to a prior situation. The lesson here is for us not to be presumptuous and take it for granted that because God said yes to a thing or program yesterday, He will say yes to it today. Inquiring of the Lord is a demonstration of dependence on Him. It portrays loyalty to Him and His word. It is a reflection of the state of our hearts. Do you inquire of the Lord before making a decision or taking a step?
Prayer
Father, deliver me from leaning on my understanding. Help me to have the wisdom to always inquire from You in Jesus’ name. Amen.
ONE YEAR BIBLE READING
DAY 118 Joshua 13, -Josh 14; Luke 24:36-53; Psalm 52;1-9
HONOUR FOR AUTHORITY
1 Samuel 24:1-6
Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Romans 13:7
There is a set of protocols that determine the acceptable code of conduct when we are around certain personalities. For the child of God, one of such protocols is honour, especially when it has to do with our leaders in the house of God. Honour is beyond respect; it is fundamentally a thing of the heart, and could eventually be demonstrated in substance. There are certain dimensions of God’s plan for our lives that we may never step into, except we make the effort to honour the people He has placed around us. Saul was anointed by God as the first King in Israel; he was not a mere king, but he represented God’s institution of royalty, and David acknowledged that, therefore, he had honour for Saul –God’s anointed King. This was a vital reason David avoided harming Saul each time the opportunity presented itself.
People in authority may not be perfect, but we must understand that they are a tangible extension of an institution. They are the custodians of the legacy and tradition of a system. When honour is discarded, systems fail and institutions end up in chaos. Honour people in leadership as a testament of your honour for God, who commands you to do so. Do you honour the authorities in your life?
Prayer
Father, enable me to accord honour to the persons You have placed in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.
ONE YEAR BIBLE READING
DAY 119 Joshua 15; -Josh, 16; John 1:1-28; Psalm 53:1-6
BE YIELDED TO GOD
1 Samuel 24:1–10, 17–18
Neither yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Romans 6:13
After several attempts by Saul on David’s life, one would think that if David had the slightest opportunity, he would take the life of Saul, but that was not the case. David gave Saul a close shave; he had a golden opportunity to slay Saul but chose not to do it. He did not fail to recognise that Saul was still God’s anointed despite all his evil acts. He knew that God would not delight in the act of killing Saul. He rather chose to yield to God’s Spirit and not be overtaken by his emotions or influence from men.
No matter the circumstances we face, God always desires that we yield to the leading of His Spirit. Being moved by our emotions of anger and pain can lead to actions we would regret for life. We are walking in the flesh when we do so. Just like David did, rather than yield to the flesh, we must learn to give ourselves over to God’s leading at all times. It is not a seasonal activity. We carry the Holy Spirit within us, and we should always allow Him to lead and direct our lives. All we have to do is yield ourselves to Him.
Prayer
Lord, help me yield myself daily to Your leadings. I refuse to give in to the flesh. Today and always I choose to walk in the spirit in Jesus’ name. Amen.
ONE YEAR BIBLE READING
DAY 120 Joshua 17, -Josh 18; John1;29-51; Proverbs 10:31-32,-prov. 11:1-8
COULD IT BE A TEST?
1 Samuel 26:1-12
So David took the spear and cruse of water from Saul’s bolster…and no man knew it…because a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them. 1 Samuel 26:12
It seems to be a norm that when God wants to move us into the next phase of His plan for our lives, He puts us through a test; however, some people are insensitive to the purposes of God. It is evident from the scripture that it was God who orchestrated the vulnerability of Saul and his men. The Bible says God caused a deep sleep to fall on Saul and his men. By this, David had another excellent opportunity to put an end to the life of his ‘enemy,’ but it was all a test. God was making David go through a test. David could have killed Saul under any guise. For instance, he could have killed Saul in the guise of avenging the blood of the priests whom Saul had killed.
Let’s give some more consideration to the fact that it was God who orchestrated the vulnerability of King Saul. Indeed, it could only be supernatural that Saul’s squads of three thousand (3000) soldiers were all asleep and none of them noticed David’s presence in their camp. Let’s think for a moment, if you become very powerful today, how will you use your powers? Some people already have a list of those who treated them wrongly, and they are simply waiting for the slightest opportunity to unleash their plans on those they have already blacklisted.
Prayer
Father, I forgive those who may have hurt me. Help me not to fail any of Your divine testings that come my way in Jesus’ name. Amen.
ONE YEAR BIBLE READING
DAY 121 Joshua 19, -Josh 21:1-19;John 2:1-25; Psalm 54:1-7
PEOPLE WHO SOW DISCORD
1 Samuel 26:1-4
There be six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him…And one who sows discord among brethren. Proverbs 6:16 & 19
Some people complicate their lives by allowing the wrong set of people around them. Certain people should not normally have express access to you. Take, for instance, people who almost always instigate you against others, especially when you hold a position of influence or authority.
Our opening verse discloses that news about David’s whereabouts was brought to King Saul. This immediately triggered something in Saul; he immediately summoned an army of three thousand (3000) men to go in search of David. This was the second time the Ziphites had fueled Saul’s desire to destroy David. When we read further down the chapter, we see that Saul eventually had his life at the mercy of David. People who constantly instigate you against subordinates, contemporaries, and/or superiors are not well-meaning individuals. Today, we have accounts of such occurrences in our offices, business places, homes, and congregations. These sets of persons are out to fuel ill-affections and confrontations against others, thereby making us unnecessarily suspicious of others.
Prayer
Pray against every spirit of discord within our homes and congregations in Jesus’ name. Amen.
ONE YEAR BIBLE READING
DAY 122 Joshua 21:20- 45,- Josh 22; John 3:1-21; psalm 55:1-11
CALLED UNTO EXCELLENCE
Daniel 1:1-6
Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Daniel 6:3.
Excellence is the quality of being outstanding. To excel is to go above and beyond. God is excellent in everything He does and to be made in God’s image means that He has imparted some of His character to us (Deut. 32:4). The call to Christian living is a call to excellence. When the people of Judah were taken captive, the king sought skillful people to work in the palace. In short, he was looking for people who exhibited excellence. As representatives of God, we have been called to be outstanding in whatever we do, both in our service to God and mankind. We should not produce mediocre work but strive to show God’s excellent nature in all we do.
Being exceptional at what we do points back to the One who gave us the ability to do our work. It brings glory to God. We will make a lot of impact as believers if we decide to be outstanding in all we do. Excellence is living as a shining example for those around you. We owe it to our creator to pursue excellence in everything He has given us to do. God honours excellence. In your service to God and humanity, are you giving your best?
Prayer
Father, give me the grace to show Your excellent character in all I do in Jesus’ name. Amen.
ONE YEAR BIBLE READING
DAY 123 Joshua 23, – Josh 24; John 3: 22- 36 psalm 55:12-23
STANDING FOR GOD 1
Daniel 1:7-14.
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore, he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Daniel 1:8.
Most people would see Daniel and his friends’ selection as a great promotion, but it was a great challenge and test. Challenges come to test our faith. The change of names, food and education was an effort at indoctrination into a heathen culture. But Daniel and his friends insisted on looking to God even in unfamiliar territory with unfavourable laws. Satan uses a similar strategy against believers today, wanting to indoctrinate us into the system of the world.
Daniel and his friends understood this strategy and decided to remain true to Christ- a stand against defilement. The food and wine served to the king would first be offered to the Babylonian gods and eating this would be against God’s law. These Hebrew youths would have to face the king’s wrath if their request was discovered. We should learn to stand for Christ no matter how uncomfortable or threatening the situation may be. Choose to stand for God even in strange conditions and places. Are you standing for God where you are? Is there anything stopping you from identifying with and standing for the Lord?
Prayer
Father, give me the grace to be faithful to You in Jesus’ name. Amen.
ONE YEAR BIBLE READING
DAY 124 Judges 1,-Judges 2:1-5; John 4:1-26;Proverbs 11:9-18
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