Stand Your Ground

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 17:28-29, Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?” 

Here is a situation that we can relate to from both sides of the fence. David, who was faithfully serving his family and being obedient to his father’s orders to bring food to his brothers, is being rebuked by his oldest brother. What was the root cause of this rebuke? The root cause was fear and judgment. This is where we must use extreme caution when dealing with others. Yesterday we said that we can get a glimpse of what is in a person’s heart by the words they speak, as what is in the heart comes out in what they say (Luke 6:45). However, this is where the danger exists for us to overstep our position and find ourselves in a place that belongs only to God. Jeremiah 17:10 clearly says, “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” Eliab falsely accused David of what his motives and intentions were, based on making a judgment about what was in David’s heart. In making the accusation, he showed his own insecurity about himself and his ability to fight against Goliath, as he too was possibly a good choice among the men to face the enemy, based on the description given of him in 1 Samuel 16:7. There is an anger that comes through when we are put in a position to face the fear that we are trying to mask. When someone stands up and speaks truth, or calls us out to be courageous, and we know in our hearts that they are right, we generally lash out at the person and try to mask it with angry false accusations against them. Many of us have probably experienced this as both the receiver and giver of such false assumptions and accusations. However, no matter how much we try to hide what is in us, God knows the truth, and no matter what we think we know about the other person’s intentions, some day we will give an account for our words spoken against them. The real test for David came long before he faced Goliath. Think about this for a moment. Goliath’s strategy in facing Israel was to discourage them and cause fear with his words, a strategy that worked well for him because of his stature and appearance. David was facing this same challenge as his own family used the same approach against him in this very instance. How discouraging is it when we, with the best of intentions, and in following God’s will and plan, have been discouraged by the words of our closest family members, friends, and even other “so-called” godly Christians? How often have we been shot down by those who are supposed to come up beside us and serve side by side with us? Before we begin to take on the role of the victim here, let me ask this, “How often have we been the ones to shoot down someone else, simply because we did not have the courage ourselves to step out in faith to do something?” If David was going to have victory in his battle against Goliath, he would first have to have victory in this battle of words with his own brothers. Eliab’s words may have even caused those who were standing around to laugh at this young man, who for all intents and purposes, did not look like much of a warrior, never mind look like someone who could take on this seasoned giant warrior who was threatening them. How many of us would have been discouraged and simply walked away sulking because others laughed at us when we chose to take a stand for God? How often have we discouraged and embarrassed others who were trying to stand up for the LORD? Nonetheless, David had a victory before a victory because he chose to stand his ground, knowing that his intentions were pure, and that it was better to deal with this persecution than to back down from doing what he knew was right to do before God. The fact of the matter is that there will be times when the devils will try to use those closest to us, and those who are suppose to go into battle with us (other Christians) to discourage us and disappoint us. But if we keep our eyes on Jesus, and move forward in accordance to what His will and plan is, it does not matter what man thinks. Remember what we are told in Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.”

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Devotional Audio Track: Materially Minded vs. Spiritually Minded

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Materially Minded vs. Spiritually Minded

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 17:25-26, So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.” Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

We already discussed how perspective made the difference in how Saul, Israel, and David, reacted to Goliath’s challenge and threat. Along a similar line of thinking, I would like to focus on what was in their hearts, based on what they were saying. Although only God can truly judge what is in our hearts and what our true motives are in doing what we do, we can catch a glimpse of what is in our heart, or the hearts of others, based on what they are focused on. In Luke 6:45 Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Note the difference between the focus of Israel and David. Israel was all about the material, the here and now. They concerned themselves with their reputation as a nation, and what the material reward would be for gaining victory over Goliath and the Philistines. David’s primary concern, however, was in protecting God’s reputation. David saw this as a threat made against God, and their failure to stand up would make it seem as if God was weak in comparison to a mere man. Although we see that David asked what would be done for the man who stood up to Goliath, we see his primary focus on the spiritual, and not the material. Jesus also promised us that if we focus on the spiritual, God would be faithful to fulfill the material. Matthew 6:25-34 promises that if our primary focus is the Kingdom of God, then God will take care of our physical needs. In verse 33 of that same chapter we read, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” It is not wrong to desire certain things in this life, but we must be careful that those desires do not become what drive us. We must guard our hearts from becoming covetous, and from making the material things our gods. Matthew 6:24 reminds us, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Hebrews 13:5 also admonishes, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” What motivates us? Do we view our life from a material point of view, or a spiritual point of view? The answer to this question is simple and will become evident by what our life goals are and by how much of our life is focused on living for own glory or for God’s glory.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Devotional Audio Track: All In How We See It

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All In How We See It

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 17:26, Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

What was the secret to David’s courage in facing Goliath? The short answer? Perspective. Yes, perspective made the difference between how Saul and Israel responded to Goliath’s challenge and threats, and how David stood up to Goliath. In verse 25 we read, “So the men of Israel said, ‘Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.’” Note how the men of Israel saw the threat, “Surely he has come up to defy Israel”. Whereas David saw it this way, “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” Israel made this fatal error when God was trying to lead them in to the Promise Land. In Numbers 13:31-33 we are told, “But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.’ 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, ‘The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.’” In both these instances Israel compared their challenges to themselves, and saw themselves dwarfed in comparison. David, on the other hand, compared Goliath to God which dwarfed Goliath. As God’s children, as Jesus followers, we must remember what we are told in Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Isaiah 54:17 also says that “No weapon formed against you shall prosper”. When we put faith in our own ability to accomplish a God-sized tasks, or when we view life’s challenges from the perspective of how big we are in comparison, we will always set ourselves up for failure. When we view life’s challenges, circumstances, and tasks, in comparison to how big God is, we cannot help but go forward with confidence, not in our ability to overcome, but in God’s ability to do what needs to be done to have the victory. In Christ, we can overcome whatever obstacles stand in our way, as long as we are walking intimately with Jesus, living out His will and plan for our lives. Jesus told us in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” The bottom line? Our failures or victories will often be determined by our perspective. Are we putting our faith in ourselves or in God?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Devotional Audio Track: Humility and God's Timing

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Humility and God's Timing

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 17:13-15, The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul. 15 But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

Proverbs 18:12 tells us, “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honor is humility.” What an amazing picture of this verse we have here in the life of David. The three oldest sons of Jesse were passed over by God. David, their youngest brother, was chosen to be anointed the next king of Israel. As the Philistines challenged Israel using their champion Goliath, the three sons of Jesse, who were probably hoping to prove themselves better than the chosen brother, stood by silently while Israel was threatened. However, what I would like us to note is what David is doing while all this is taking place. Let us be mindful that David has already been chosen, by King Saul, to be his armorbearer. He could have been here, on the field with Saul, also ready to prove himself. Instead of letting his position, and honor, before the king make him think more of himself than he should have, we find David back among his father’s sheep, still in the role of a servant. Such humility is honorable amongst God’s people. Romans 12:3 admonishes us, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Galatians 6:3 warns, “For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” More importantly, James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 also warn that God resists the proud. What we see in David is a young man who did not see tending to his father’s sheep as being beneath him, simply because he had been given such a great honor in the palace. Far too many of us let our position in society or our position in the local church go to our heads. We also expend far too much energy going after something God may not have intended for us to have. It would be wiser for us to invest our time doing the things we are already doing, with humility, and trusting God and His timing in achieving that which God has called us to. Everything that was taking place was leading to God opening up an opportunity for David to shine, but it had to happen in God’s timing. I believe that we frustrate God’s plan for our lives because we allow our pride and ambition to supersede what God wants to do in our lives. Proverbs 16:9 clearly says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” 1 Peter 5:6-7 also promises, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” I am not saying that we cannot have plans and ambitions when it comes to serving the Lord or trying to succeed in life. However, as God’s children we must be careful that our plans and ambitions do not become the idols in our lives. We must be willing to allow God to direct and change the course of our path as He sees fit. The best course of action any of us can take is to remain where we are until God moves us. When we seek after that which God has not chosen to give us, or that which God does not intend for us to have yet, we not only frustrate God’s plan for our live, but we will lead ourselves down the path of frustration, depression and the possibility of straying from God because He is not giving us what WE want, on our timetable. The three brothers, regardless of what they might have tried to accomplish in following Saul, were not going to frustrate God’s plan for David’s life; and David, because of his humility in serving God by serving his family, allowed God to work out His plan for him on the Lord’s timetable. For any of us who are followers of Jesus, the ultimate state of humility we should be striving for is expressed in Philippians 2:5-8, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” When we surrender our pride, and live humbly before God, we open up the door for Him to continue to write the story of our lives, in His way and His time, for His glory.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).