God Our Refuge - Closet Reflections

Monday, June 10, 2019

Do Not Allow Hate to Flourish

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 19:1, Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David; but Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted greatly in David.

Sadly, Saul’s hatred for David was so strong that he wanted everyone to hate David. In doing so, Saul was putting everyone in a difficult position, as they would now have to divide their loyalty between Saul and David. As followers of Jesus, we must be very careful that we not allow our insecurities, fears, prejudices, or fleshly desires, cause us to hate others and be divisive amongst God’s people. We cannot be the type of Christians who claims to love Jesus while hating our own brothers and sisters in Christ. As a matter of fact, we cannot even excuse hating those who are not of the faith. Why, you ask? We cannot justify hating those whom Jesus loved and died for. John 3:16 is very clear that Jesus died for the world. He did not die for a particular group of people, a particular culture, or a particular type of person. What God does hates is sin, not the sinner. He loves the sinner, and proved it on Calvary. Romans 5:8 clearly states, “But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 John 2:9-11 says, “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1 John 4:20-21 also reiterates, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” In his desire to kill David, Saul put others in a difficult position, who both admired and loved David. When we let our own foolishness and pride cause division amongst God’s people, we put others in a difficult position. More importantly, when we cause division, we do something that God absolutely hates. Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us, “These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 a false witness who speaks lies, and one who cause discord among brethren.” Like Jonathan, we ought not buy into other people’s hatred and divisiveness. When someone comes to us gossiping about others and attempting to cause division by using us to spread such divisive hatred, we need to be bold enough to stop it right in its tracks, with both humility and love. I heard it once said that anyone who talks to you or me about someone else will talk about us to others when we are not around. In David’s case, we see that the love of Jonathan toward him was greater than Saul’s hatred toward him. We must keep from allowing hatred, for anyone, to creep into our hearts; and if we are the ones on the receiving end of someone else’s hatred, always remember that God’s love for us is always greater than the hate some will have for us. Especially the hatred that we will face for stand up for what is right, and living for Jesus. Ultimately, it was God’s love for David that protected him from Saul’s hate. As God’s children, let us not allow hatred to flourish in our hearts, or allow ourselves to infect those around us.

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).

Sunday, June 9, 2019

Devotional Audio Track: God Sets the Boundaries

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God Sets the Boundaries

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 18:28-29, Thus Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him; 29 and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy continually.

When we read how often Saul failed in his attempts to cause David’s death, it should encourage us to know that regardless of what our enemies try to do against us, God is always with us and is the One who sets the boundaries. I am reminded of Job and how the Lord set the boundaries within which Satan could work in persecuting Job. Job 1 and 2 clearly show God setting boundaries that Satan was not to cross, and amazingly, did not cross. With that said, there will be times when God will allow us to face trials and challenges that are meant to be blessings. Some may not see the logic in that, and even see God as being cruel in allowing suffering in the life of one of His own, but James 1 and 1 Peter 1 put this in the proper perspective for us. James 1:2-4 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” 1 Peter 1:6-8a also reminds us, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love.” King Saul had nothing but malice in his heart toward David. Yet, David, in continuing to be faithful to both God and the king, went out and did whatever needed to be done to prove that faithfulness, and God protected him. When Saul could not takes David’s life directly, he resorted to trying to manipulate circumstances so that David would be killed by the Philistine (v. 17-27). As God’s people, we must be mindful of the fact that no amount of manipulating will get us what God has not intended for us. In 1 Kings 22, Ahab, King of Israel, tried to manipulate circumstances by going into battle, disguising himself so that he would not be recognized, and the King of Judah, Jehoshaphat, would instead be pursued by their enemies. 1 Kings 22:33-34 recorded the results of this failed attempt at manipulating situations. It reads, “And it happened, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. 34 Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, ‘Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.’” Verse 37 begins with, “So the king died…” Again, a twofold reminder here; first, we will never outsmart God. When we try to manipulate circumstances to try and get what WE want, all we will do is frustrate ourselves. Secondly, in those times when we are not aware that someone is trying to interfere in God’s plan for our lives, we can rest assured that no amount of manipulation on their part will thwart God’s will and plan. Even when we are made aware of such actions toward us, the best avenue we can take is to remain prayerful and faithful to what we know God has called us to, and let Him deal with the circumstances and the people who dare to oppose Him, by way of trying to interfere in our lives. The best way for God to get glory from this kind of conflict, should it come our way, is for us to trust Him to see us through, so that when those who oppose us see that God is with us, the fear of the Lord will fall upon them, just as it did with Saul. Isaiah 54:17 is a great reminder that our enemies will not succeed against us, “‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,’ says the LORD.” When all is said and done, trust God to set the boundaries.

Sunday, June 2, 2019

Devotional Audio Track: Do Not Be A Victim

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Do Not Be A Victim

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 18:16, But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

I want to focus on this verse because it is the end product of David’s refusal to be a victim. Saul has determined in his heart that he wants to kill David because of his growing popularity. We saw yesterday that Saul had already made two attempts on David’s life and failed. Saul clearly saw that God had forsaken him and was now working in David’s life. This caused him great fear, as we know from verses 12 and 15. As we continue to see Saul’s attempts at persecuting David, we see God frustrating Saul’s attempts and lifting up David more and more. This is a clear and perfect example of what James wrote in chapter 4, verse 6, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” In verse 10 of that same chapter, James also wrote, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” Stop and think about what was happening in David’s life. Saul, who once loved David, now hates him. In order to get him away from the palace and throne, he put him in charge over a thousand men; probably in hopes that he would be killed in battle. David was not ignorant of the fact that Saul wanted him dead, as he escaped Saul’s two attempts to kill him with a spear (verse 11). This was certainly a great opportunity for David to get discouraged and give in to a “victim mentality”. “Woe is me! Here I am trying to do that right thing before God and this man is trying to kill me!” “Oh woe is me! Does God not care that this is happening? Will no one feel sorry for me and my circumstances?” How often have we met, or been, this person? Instead of making himself a victim, or allowing Saul to victimize him, David chose to behave wisely (verses 14-15). Although Saul tried to manipulate circumstances to persecute David and make life difficult for him, David’s choice to live wisely and not feed into a victim mentality was used by God to frustrate Saul’s feeble attempts. Instead of causing fear and discouragement in David’s life, Saul’s plan backfired. Verse 15 tells us, “Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him.” The fact of the matter is that no one can frustrate God’s plans for us if we choose to continue living a life that honors the Lord. Will there be moments of feeling discouraged, or moments of sorrow due to suffering? Yes, there will be. However, that should not overshadow the peace and joy we have in Christ Jesus. In John 16:33 Jesus said, “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.” When we find ourselves in the crosshairs of those who seek to do us harm because of their own insecurities, or jealousies, or who seek to derail us, remember Proverbs 26:27. It reads, “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.” God had a plan for David’s life, and even though David would have to run for his life for many years before he would actually be crowned king, God protected him, and lifted him up in those dark days of discouragement. All along the way, David continued to faithfully serve God, and even remained faithful to King Saul. We may be tempted to take on a victim mentality when it seems like life is persecuting us, but for those of us who have Christ, we already have the victory. David may not have been “officially” crowned king, but he was already anointed by God to be king. We may not be where we should be, or need to be, but we are already a child of God. Eternity is already ours in Christ, and the devils have already been defeated. We have the Word of God and know the end of the Book. Let us live out our Christianity like we truly believe that we have victory in Jesus. We must not let the devils convince us to give in to the “woe is me” attitude or latch on to the “victim mentality”. In Christ, we have already won.

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Devotional Audio Track: The Devil Made Me Do It

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The Devil Made Me Do It

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 18:10-11, And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. 11 And Saul cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice.

Some of us may not be old enough to remember Flip Wilson, who was well known for the phrase, “The devil made me do it!” Although many may not know him, I’m sure that are many who have heard the statement. Sadly, too many of us use the devil as an excuse for the sins we commit. Like Adam, who blamed God for giving him Eve, we point the finger at Satan and his devils when we do not want to take responsibility for our own sinful actions. This is not to say that the devils do not tempt us. What I am saying is that the devils may tempt us, but it is our own sinful desires that we choose to give in to. Note that I said that we “choose” to give in to them. As I was writing this, someone posted something that read, “‘The devil is really working today!’ The devil responded, ‘Actually, I’m on vacation. That’s all you, chief.’” Although this is meant for comic relief, there is a bit of truth to it. Before the distressing spirit came upon Saul again, he was already feeling insecure, and was already jealous and upset with David because he received greater praise than he did. When the distressing spirit came upon him and Saul cast the spear toward David (twice), Saul already had in his heart that he would cause David harm. Verse 9 of this chapter tells us, “So Saul eyed David from that day forward.” We often blame the devils for the things we do that were already deep in our hearts. What we harbor in our hearts, if we contemplate them for too long, will manifest with a bit of prompting. If we go back to the Garden, Eve also blamed Satan for her choice to eat of the forbidden fruit. Genesis 3:13 tells us, “And the LORD God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’” However, let us not forget what Genesis tells us before she made her decision to eat of the fruit that God forbade. In Genesis 3:6 we were told, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” Note that once Eve set her eyes on the fruit, Satan is nowhere to be found. He put the temptation before her, and then stepped aside. Her own desires drove the rest of that tragic event. So it is with us. James 1:13-15 clearly states, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” We need to acknowledge that all that is in our hearts is not always pure. Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” When we find ourselves being tripped up by sin, the possibility may be that the devils are tempting us, but the fact of the matter is that when temptation comes, we do not have to follow through and sin. The Word of God is clear of this in 1 Corinthians 10:13 which reads, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” When we sin, the LORD does not want our excuses; He wants our repentance. In Matthew 5:4 Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Psalm 31:10 says, “For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.” If we choose to blame the devils for our actions, rather than see our sins for what they are, and for how God sees them, we will never truly come to that place of repentance where we are honestly confessing before the LORD. The next time we are tempted to say, “The devil made me do it”, we need to stop and consider that the only one who may be at fault, and is most likely at fault, is self. Praise be to God that we have a Savior who not only died to pay for our sins, but is our Advocate before the Father and is always ready to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1 & 2).