Thursday's Devo - Kill Doeg before He Kills You!

Read 1 Sam 22
The people that followed David were the same kind of people that followed Jesus: those in distress, those in debt, and everyone that was discontented with their lives. (Just a thought.)
Saul, on the other hand, does not know how to make friends or influence people. He scolds his men because noone told him that his son, Jonathan, and David had made a covenant with one another. He uses intimidation, reminding his men that David wouldn't give them fields and vineyards and make them all captains like he did. So Doeg steps forward to cheer the king and get the kings favor. He tells Saul of seeing David back at Nob and how the priests gave David and his men bread and Goliath's sword. Saul is livid and has all the priests brought to him to interrogate. They plead innocence but Saul will have no mercy. He tells his men to kill all the priests and their families. When his men refuse, Doeg steps forward again and administers the blood bath--85 priests along with their wives, children and animals. Only one of the priests sons escapes to tell David. David feels responsible for letting Doeg live.
"Doeg" means "anxious". Fear can be a very dangerous enemy. It is the opposite of faith. When we let it come and go without killing it, it will cause chaos in our lives like it did for David. When David had a glimpse of "Doeg" he should have gotten rid of him. When we feel the beginings of faith fading, we need to kill the fear before it comes back with its army of "doubt", "intimidation", "discouragement", "illness", etc. It will not only wreck havoc in your life, but in others you are responsible for. It cost the lives of all the priests. Fear is like a contageous cancer that spreads to others quickly.
Lord, show us the first signs of fear so we can silence its whispers before it becomes a shout. We put on the helment of salvation to cover minds and ears.