Read 1 Sam 20
The Bible is full of prophetic acts. They seem like a waste of time and a little foolish for the carnal mind, but are powerful acts that bring about results. Today's reading is an example of this. David is discussing with Jonathan about Saul's great hatred toward David. Jonathan has a hard time believing that Saul would want to kill David and not tell him. So David comes up with a plan to settle the issue once and for all. He decides not to show up for his monthly dinners with Saul. He knows that this is going to strike a very deep chord with Saul and Jonathan will be a witness. They pick out a time and place to meet, only they will do this prophetic act. Jonathan will shoot 3 arrows - close if it is OK for David to come close to the king again. If Saul is mad then Jonathan will shoot the arrows far to show David to depart away from Saul. Then they renew their covenant of friendship and loyalty to each other and their heritage.
Jonathan goes to the new-moon dinners and on the 2nd night Saul inquires about David. When Jonathan tells him he has gone home to be with his family, Saul looses any restraint he has had with Jonathan and he reveals the evil in his heart. He curses Jonathan and tells him that David is a direct threat to Jonathan's future as the king. He gets so out of control he throws his own javelin at Jonathan. Jonathan now has the picture. He leaves the table and the next morning he goes out to give David the news. He shoots the arrows beyond the boy, then tells the boy to leave. David comes out of his hiding place and he and Jonathan hugged and cried on each others shoulders. They parted with Jonathan's blessing.
So I ask, why did they have to go through the whole arrow scene? Why couldn't Jonathan just tell David. I think that our actions, like our prayers set things in motion. First the natural, then the spiritual. Truth is, David would go farther than Jonathan. David was going to be the next king and Jonathan knew this in his heart. This arrow was a departing for David, he would now go be Saul's enemy and join the Philistines.
I know that we live prophetic acts without realizing it. God allowed a circumstance to come into my life - being rear-ended by the truck to get me to go to a chiropractor and get realigned. I feel like that is what he is doing in my spiritual life. He is realigning me and my thoughts which sometimes comes with a jolt! Lord, open our eyes to see that we are living epistles living out your Word.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday's Devo - Blessed are the Peacemakers for They Shall be Called the Children of God.
Read 1 Sam 19
Saul has tried to kill David, first with his own spear, then the spear of the Philistines and both times David has prevailed. Now he tries to tell Jonathan and all his servants that they should kill David. Jonathan comes to David's defense and tries to change Saul's heart toward David. He changes his mind for a short time, but not his heart. David gets to come back to the palace until he has to leave for another battle against the Philistines. He is, of course successful and comes back to the palace with even more honor. Saul's evil spirit comes back on him and he tries once again to kill David. David manages to avoid Saul's javelin and runs home. His wife, Michal knows her father and tells David he is not safe here. She sends him away and buys some time with a goat-haired idol she puts in his bed to trick Saul's messengers. It gives him enough time to get to Samuel in Ramah. Samuel had a school where he trained prophets to hear the Word of the Lord and speak it. When Saul found David's where-abouts he sent messengers to Ramah. When they arrived, the Spirit of God fell on them and they prophesied. So Saul sent some more messengers and the spirit of prophesy fell on them and they prophesied. He decided to go himself and when he got there, he stripped off his clothes and prophesied naked all that day and all that night.
So what does this mean to us? If you are in David's shoes and you are being attacked unmeritedly (is that a word?) then flee when it gets too dangerous and let God take care of your enemy. He is great at revenge. If you are Saul and envy has caused you to murder people with your words, then repent. If you refuse to repent on your own, God will humiliate you in front of the very ones you want destroyed. Believe me, you don't want that senario. Hopefully, we are Jonathan, who is the peacemaker. He sees the conflict and chooses to stand up for righteousness, even if it means possible rejection from the one he most needs his blessing from --- his father.
Saul has tried to kill David, first with his own spear, then the spear of the Philistines and both times David has prevailed. Now he tries to tell Jonathan and all his servants that they should kill David. Jonathan comes to David's defense and tries to change Saul's heart toward David. He changes his mind for a short time, but not his heart. David gets to come back to the palace until he has to leave for another battle against the Philistines. He is, of course successful and comes back to the palace with even more honor. Saul's evil spirit comes back on him and he tries once again to kill David. David manages to avoid Saul's javelin and runs home. His wife, Michal knows her father and tells David he is not safe here. She sends him away and buys some time with a goat-haired idol she puts in his bed to trick Saul's messengers. It gives him enough time to get to Samuel in Ramah. Samuel had a school where he trained prophets to hear the Word of the Lord and speak it. When Saul found David's where-abouts he sent messengers to Ramah. When they arrived, the Spirit of God fell on them and they prophesied. So Saul sent some more messengers and the spirit of prophesy fell on them and they prophesied. He decided to go himself and when he got there, he stripped off his clothes and prophesied naked all that day and all that night.
So what does this mean to us? If you are in David's shoes and you are being attacked unmeritedly (is that a word?) then flee when it gets too dangerous and let God take care of your enemy. He is great at revenge. If you are Saul and envy has caused you to murder people with your words, then repent. If you refuse to repent on your own, God will humiliate you in front of the very ones you want destroyed. Believe me, you don't want that senario. Hopefully, we are Jonathan, who is the peacemaker. He sees the conflict and chooses to stand up for righteousness, even if it means possible rejection from the one he most needs his blessing from --- his father.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday Afternoon - Black Holes Part 2
After I wrote "Black Holes" I laid down on the sofa and took a nap. I had been thinking about what that hole represented and if it was vain imaginations. I had repented of everything I could think of. I dreamed I was in a house that was suppose to be a house Dave and I had just moved into. (We still had our new house.) It was an older house that needed repairs. I went into the bathroom and the commode was making a lot of noise. It was full of toilet paper and the water was overflowing the tank. I called out to Dave to come see and noticed a water spiket high on the wall that water was gushing out of onto the carpet. I turned it off. Then I looked for something to soak the water up with. I ended up going out the back door. Charm was there and jokingly said, "Her bathroom is full of water and she goes out to get the mail."
I tried to explain why I was going to get mail, even though that didn't make sense to me either, and that I was also going to get something to clean the water up with, but words were not coming out right so I abandoned the explanation. I went out to look in the storeroom. There were 3 of them and they all had boxed picture frames with cool 3-d things inside them. I remember one was black with mostly black things in it. They were like the ones outside the Cinemark that have posters in them of coming movies. These were new and didn't go with the run-down appearance of the house. Charm and I heard some noise and looked on the roof. Dave was on top of the roof with a shovel. He was knocking off these dark green, rotted sheets of plywood. I realized that he was working on the 3rd floor. I didn't know there was a 3rd floor and thought it must be the attic. As he worked the front side of the attic fell off also. Charm and I were going to go around to look at it when Dave woke me up to tell me I had 20 minutes till church started. Thanks Dave!
As I have meditated on this dream I realized that this was the answer to my prayer. I had asked God if my hole in the other dream was vain imaginations. The answer is "yes". This dream has to do with my "old man" since I was in an old house. It started in the bathroom to relate the two. I am being called attention to the toilet where waste is put and it is overflowing on to the ground. I have needed to repent of some things for quite a while since it is now a problem. The water coming out of the wall was another source of destruction, but I immediately turned it off. (Maybe because I repented before the dream.) I did to go get mail (God's revelation on the subject). I saw Dave (God) on the roof casting down the old rotted boards of the attic. The attic has to do with your mind. God was doing a complete renovation of my mind and thoughts. Praise God!!!
Now I need to discover what the boxed pictures were about. Usually pictures have to do with memories. The storehouses were locked so I need to figure out the memories to open the storehouses and recover my things. That is my new prayer. Lord, show me the memories of what I need to forgive or cast down in my life.
I tried to explain why I was going to get mail, even though that didn't make sense to me either, and that I was also going to get something to clean the water up with, but words were not coming out right so I abandoned the explanation. I went out to look in the storeroom. There were 3 of them and they all had boxed picture frames with cool 3-d things inside them. I remember one was black with mostly black things in it. They were like the ones outside the Cinemark that have posters in them of coming movies. These were new and didn't go with the run-down appearance of the house. Charm and I heard some noise and looked on the roof. Dave was on top of the roof with a shovel. He was knocking off these dark green, rotted sheets of plywood. I realized that he was working on the 3rd floor. I didn't know there was a 3rd floor and thought it must be the attic. As he worked the front side of the attic fell off also. Charm and I were going to go around to look at it when Dave woke me up to tell me I had 20 minutes till church started. Thanks Dave!
As I have meditated on this dream I realized that this was the answer to my prayer. I had asked God if my hole in the other dream was vain imaginations. The answer is "yes". This dream has to do with my "old man" since I was in an old house. It started in the bathroom to relate the two. I am being called attention to the toilet where waste is put and it is overflowing on to the ground. I have needed to repent of some things for quite a while since it is now a problem. The water coming out of the wall was another source of destruction, but I immediately turned it off. (Maybe because I repented before the dream.) I did to go get mail (God's revelation on the subject). I saw Dave (God) on the roof casting down the old rotted boards of the attic. The attic has to do with your mind. God was doing a complete renovation of my mind and thoughts. Praise God!!!
Now I need to discover what the boxed pictures were about. Usually pictures have to do with memories. The storehouses were locked so I need to figure out the memories to open the storehouses and recover my things. That is my new prayer. Lord, show me the memories of what I need to forgive or cast down in my life.
Sunday's Devo - Black Holes
I had a dream a few nights ago. I was in my bathroom with a can of Comet. I was sparingly sprinkling Comet in the sinks, tub, shower and commode. I only had a small amount in my can. Dave walked in with a new can of Comet and liberally sprinkled it in one of the sinks. Then I noticed a huge hole in the floor of our bathroom. The tile people had left a sample board concreted in the ground. It was a mess. I just kept wondering how the builders didn't catch such a flaw and why we had never gotten them to fix it in our first year of warranty.
As I have meditated this dream, I picked up the book I am going to be teaching for Women's Bible Study. It is called Reclaiming Surrendered Ground. I picked it up and started reading the Introduction about how we as Christians allow Satan to take some of our ground. Once in the door, Satan will reek all kind of havoc in our lives and the lives of our family.
So now I am praying for discernment about what this hole is in my life. Your bathroom signifies your prayer closet. I think the Comet is God's grace. I think I have a limited amount but God has an abundant amount. I have a huge hole in my prayer life where the devil has stolen some ground. God has left me a "sample" of every kind of prayer in the Bible. It is in the foundation. I know this is a picture to prepare me for what I am going to be teaching. I am being given a personal testimony to work on in my own life so I can share it with my class.
Lord, show me the foundational prayers I should be claiming for my family and myself. Help me name this ground that has been stolen and get it back.
As I have meditated this dream, I picked up the book I am going to be teaching for Women's Bible Study. It is called Reclaiming Surrendered Ground. I picked it up and started reading the Introduction about how we as Christians allow Satan to take some of our ground. Once in the door, Satan will reek all kind of havoc in our lives and the lives of our family.
So now I am praying for discernment about what this hole is in my life. Your bathroom signifies your prayer closet. I think the Comet is God's grace. I think I have a limited amount but God has an abundant amount. I have a huge hole in my prayer life where the devil has stolen some ground. God has left me a "sample" of every kind of prayer in the Bible. It is in the foundation. I know this is a picture to prepare me for what I am going to be teaching. I am being given a personal testimony to work on in my own life so I can share it with my class.
Lord, show me the foundational prayers I should be claiming for my family and myself. Help me name this ground that has been stolen and get it back.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Saturday's Devo - Image...Imagine...Imagination
2 Co. 10:5 "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ..."
I have to "cast down imaginations" a lot!. Around Christmas I was asked by my biggest client to make curtains for his mom. So I did. I even bought the rod and hung them myself. They turned out just what she wanted and everyone was happy. But I was left with the dilimma of how to charge them. I owe 75% of my business to this person and love him dearly. I prayed about the price and felt good about it till I told him. I had left the ticket at home which showed how much discount I gave him so instead I just gave him the bottom line. I couldn't quite read his face, but he seemed distant instead of his jovial self. I felt a little devastated and tried to think of all the ways I could "redeem" the situation, like: giving him a new ticket with the price and his discount, not cashing the check and giving it all back, or nothing. After losing sleep over it, going over and over the cost, and basically feeling lousy, I decided to bundle the whole thing up and throw it in God's lap. I guess this was my way of "bringing it into captivity". God reminded me that He helped me come up with the price, it was very fair, the devil loves condemnation, and I should rest in peace. Well, I felt fine untill I had to go face this person this week for the first time since I had gotten his payment. I said a quick prayer about letting me act normal and walked into the store. The first thing out of his mouth was, "my mom is ready for some more curtains!" I was sooooooooooo relieved. "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus". What had I been so afraid of? That imagination was a waist of worry. Most of them are.
So what makes us always think the worst of ourselves. It is our lack of faith in God. He made us for success, not failure and he is working in us to bring us to success, not failure. The devil, on the other hand wants us to fail, not succeed and he is working in us to bring about failure. His greatest weapon is intimidation. Didn't he do that to Jesus in the wilderness: "If... if.... if... you are the son of God." He WAS the son of God and WE are his children sent to do his work so we need to use the Word of God on the devil and cast down his imaginations.
Thank you Lord, for teaching us everyday to walk closer to you. When we draw near to you, You are tangibly close to us. Help us to cast down our imaginations and chose yours.
I have to "cast down imaginations" a lot!. Around Christmas I was asked by my biggest client to make curtains for his mom. So I did. I even bought the rod and hung them myself. They turned out just what she wanted and everyone was happy. But I was left with the dilimma of how to charge them. I owe 75% of my business to this person and love him dearly. I prayed about the price and felt good about it till I told him. I had left the ticket at home which showed how much discount I gave him so instead I just gave him the bottom line. I couldn't quite read his face, but he seemed distant instead of his jovial self. I felt a little devastated and tried to think of all the ways I could "redeem" the situation, like: giving him a new ticket with the price and his discount, not cashing the check and giving it all back, or nothing. After losing sleep over it, going over and over the cost, and basically feeling lousy, I decided to bundle the whole thing up and throw it in God's lap. I guess this was my way of "bringing it into captivity". God reminded me that He helped me come up with the price, it was very fair, the devil loves condemnation, and I should rest in peace. Well, I felt fine untill I had to go face this person this week for the first time since I had gotten his payment. I said a quick prayer about letting me act normal and walked into the store. The first thing out of his mouth was, "my mom is ready for some more curtains!" I was sooooooooooo relieved. "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus". What had I been so afraid of? That imagination was a waist of worry. Most of them are.
So what makes us always think the worst of ourselves. It is our lack of faith in God. He made us for success, not failure and he is working in us to bring us to success, not failure. The devil, on the other hand wants us to fail, not succeed and he is working in us to bring about failure. His greatest weapon is intimidation. Didn't he do that to Jesus in the wilderness: "If... if.... if... you are the son of God." He WAS the son of God and WE are his children sent to do his work so we need to use the Word of God on the devil and cast down his imaginations.
Thank you Lord, for teaching us everyday to walk closer to you. When we draw near to you, You are tangibly close to us. Help us to cast down our imaginations and chose yours.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Friday's devo - Be a Blessing
Read 1 Sam. 18:5-30
When God's hand of blessing is on a person, everyone eventually notices. God's hand of blessing was definitely on David and everyone saw it. Saul certainly saw it and put David in charge of his soldiers and honored him in front of the people and in his private palace. But when he returned from war and the new song of the day was about how he killed thousands and David ten thousands, he started throwing spears. When he couldn't kill David he started fearing for his kingdom. He knew God's presence had left him and was with David.
So Saul came up with a plan. He would promise his oldest daughter to David and for return David had to defeat Saul's enemies. Surely he would get over- zealous and be killed in battle. (Hadn't Saul learned with Goliath? How quickly we forget God's power.) Being married to the king's eldest daughter would make him a shoe-in for a place of importance in the kingdom. But instead of siezing the opportunity, David went low. He couldn't accept such an honor because he unworthy. So Saul gave his daughter to someone else. But wait! Saul has another daughter, Michal; and Michal loved David. Poor Saul, he lives in a family of David-lovers. So Saul finds an angle...he will let Michal be a distraction to David so when he is out fighting, he will be thinking of love not war. And to motivate him to fight more dangerously, his dowry would be 100 Philistine foreskins. (I can't even let my imagination go there!)
When God's hand of blessing is on a person, there is nothing he can't do. So he gave Saul his foreskins and Saul was obligated to give him Michal.
If we are a child of God then His blessings are on us and should be visible for all to see. It will either draw them to us to be blessed or repulse them to jealousy. God is dealing with both sets of people in His own way and our response should be prayer not stones.
When God's hand of blessing is on a person, everyone eventually notices. God's hand of blessing was definitely on David and everyone saw it. Saul certainly saw it and put David in charge of his soldiers and honored him in front of the people and in his private palace. But when he returned from war and the new song of the day was about how he killed thousands and David ten thousands, he started throwing spears. When he couldn't kill David he started fearing for his kingdom. He knew God's presence had left him and was with David.
So Saul came up with a plan. He would promise his oldest daughter to David and for return David had to defeat Saul's enemies. Surely he would get over- zealous and be killed in battle. (Hadn't Saul learned with Goliath? How quickly we forget God's power.) Being married to the king's eldest daughter would make him a shoe-in for a place of importance in the kingdom. But instead of siezing the opportunity, David went low. He couldn't accept such an honor because he unworthy. So Saul gave his daughter to someone else. But wait! Saul has another daughter, Michal; and Michal loved David. Poor Saul, he lives in a family of David-lovers. So Saul finds an angle...he will let Michal be a distraction to David so when he is out fighting, he will be thinking of love not war. And to motivate him to fight more dangerously, his dowry would be 100 Philistine foreskins. (I can't even let my imagination go there!)
When God's hand of blessing is on a person, there is nothing he can't do. So he gave Saul his foreskins and Saul was obligated to give him Michal.
If we are a child of God then His blessings are on us and should be visible for all to see. It will either draw them to us to be blessed or repulse them to jealousy. God is dealing with both sets of people in His own way and our response should be prayer not stones.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Thurs. Devo - Jonathan - My Hero!
Read 1 Sam. 18: 1-4
Jonathan is one of my favorite people in the Bible. He was rightfully in line to be the next king, yet he was always deferring to David. He loved David as he loved himself. Who is this king's son, Jonathan, that would make a covenant with a lowly shepherd boy, strip himself of his robe and give it to David along with his clothes, sword, bow, and belt? What is Jonathan a type of? The Holy Spirit? Jesus? Us? The Bride? I can see all of them working, so I think I'll ask myself who Jonathan is to me. Jonathan is my mentor and example, he sees potential in the most unlikely and strips himself of his pride, position, and resources to elevate them to the place God has ordained for them. He is willing to give them his rightful place and ride off into the sunset, so questions asked. He sees the big picture...and he's not in it. What humility! What faith in God's plan.
Isn't that what Jesus did when he humbled himself to come down to earth, be made a little lower than the angels; strip himself of all that was heavenly and all that was earthly, to die that we might live eternally? Did Jesus understand that if he laid it all down, some of us, a remnant, might pick it back up and through the power of the Holy Spirit, let Jesus live through them? He multiplied himself over and over in us. What an awesome priviledge and responsibility!
Lord, raise us up to have the spirit of Jonathan that would see the anointing you have placed on others and be more interested in their promotion than ours. It is you and you only that gives promotion so please humble us.
Jonathan is one of my favorite people in the Bible. He was rightfully in line to be the next king, yet he was always deferring to David. He loved David as he loved himself. Who is this king's son, Jonathan, that would make a covenant with a lowly shepherd boy, strip himself of his robe and give it to David along with his clothes, sword, bow, and belt? What is Jonathan a type of? The Holy Spirit? Jesus? Us? The Bride? I can see all of them working, so I think I'll ask myself who Jonathan is to me. Jonathan is my mentor and example, he sees potential in the most unlikely and strips himself of his pride, position, and resources to elevate them to the place God has ordained for them. He is willing to give them his rightful place and ride off into the sunset, so questions asked. He sees the big picture...and he's not in it. What humility! What faith in God's plan.
Isn't that what Jesus did when he humbled himself to come down to earth, be made a little lower than the angels; strip himself of all that was heavenly and all that was earthly, to die that we might live eternally? Did Jesus understand that if he laid it all down, some of us, a remnant, might pick it back up and through the power of the Holy Spirit, let Jesus live through them? He multiplied himself over and over in us. What an awesome priviledge and responsibility!
Lord, raise us up to have the spirit of Jonathan that would see the anointing you have placed on others and be more interested in their promotion than ours. It is you and you only that gives promotion so please humble us.
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