Sat.’s Devo - Judgment and New Life

Read: 1 Kings 2:1-3:3, Acts 5:1-42, Ps. 125:1-5, Pr. 16:25 David’s last words to Solomon were to follow the Lord and all his commands and to get retribution on all of David’s enemies, namely, Joab, Shimei, Adonijah, and Abiathar. David was closing the end of one dispensation and judgment came next. Solomon’s reign would mark a new dispensation. Solomon’s kingdom was established and immediately he made an alliance with Egypt and married the Pharoah’s daughter. What was he thinking? In Acts, they were beginning a new dispensation also. It was one of power and fulfillment. Ananias and Sapphira were still living in the old. They tried to impress the disciples by lying about the price of their property. They kept back some of it for themselves. It would have been okay if they had just told the truth. Lying cost them their lives because they were lying to the Holy Spirit who knows all. God’s judgment brought about the fear of God on the people. The disciples did it God’s way and He miraculously got them out of jail and confused the enemy. The Sanhedrin didn’t know what to do with men they couldn’t hold in prison. When we are operating under the power of the Holy Spirit, the devil cannot hold us in his prison. Depression won’t stick. Fear has no power and death has no sting! Lord, we want to walk in the realm that the disciples walked in. We refuse to let the devil hold us in his invisible prison of fear and intimidation.

Fri.’s Devo - David's Successor

Read: 1 Kings 1:1-53, Acts 4:1-37, Ps. 12:1-8, Pr. 16:24 David had promised Bathsheba years ago that Solomon would be the next king. It was his payback for what he did to Bathsheba and her husband. Solomon was also God’s choice so, of course, the devil devised a plan to stop it. The devil used Adonijah to try to usurp the kingdom in secrecy. Nathan was told about it and had the plan stopped and Solomon’s kingdom made secure. Solomon would be a type of Jesus just like David was only he would be a type of Jesus in his glorified sense. David was a warrior and had to fight for his kingdom. Solomon would be the king of peace and prosperity. He is a type of the Millennium where the lion will lie down with the lamb and God’s children will rule. We are getting closer and closer to that kingdom in the natural but we can have that kingdom in the spiritual right now. It is a kingdom of peace no matter what is going on in the world or in our world. Hebrews called it ‘entering into God’s rest’. In Acts, Peter has just finished explaining that they healed the cripple man by the name of Jesus, the one they crucified. The priests are not happy with Peter and his disciples because what they are preaching makes them look bad and worse than that…wrong. They bring Peter and John in for questioning and put them before the Sanhedrin. What would have been intimidating to them before was not now that they had been baptized in God’s Holy Spirit. They now had a new boldness that astonished the Sanhedrin. Instead, they were the ones afraid of Peter and John. All they could do was give them threats and send them home. Once home, they met with the other followers of Jesus and prayed for more boldness. The place they were in shook and they were filled even more. Lord, let the boldness of Peter and John be on us as we go a proclaim Your name.

Thurs.’s Devo -God is in Control

Read: 2 Sam. 23:24-24:25, Acts 3:1-26, Ps. 123:1-4, Pr. 16:21-23 It is interesting to note that Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba’s husband is listed in the thirty mighty men of David’s. Another interesting thing is that God was angry at David and moved David to want to number the men of age that fit the requirements to fight for him if he needed them. It is easy for us to say that God is in control, but today we see that he really is in control. He moved David to count the men so he could discipline them. The fact that David wouldn’t listen to the advise of his men showed the condition of the heart of Israel. It had become proud and powerful and was drifting away from God. God revealed their heart and then had to discipline them. David chose to be disciplined by God instead of men and like he was hoping, God was merciful. He stopped the plague at the threshing floor of Araunah, but not before 70,000 had died of the plague. David bought the land from Araunah for fifty shekels of silver. Silver is the metal that means redemption. This would be the land the temple would be built on. In Acts, the lame beggar beside the gate was looking to the disciples for money, but received total healing instead. He went into the temple for the first time in his life walking, leaping, and praising God. Now that he was not cripple he was acceptable to God…according to Jewish law. According to the law of the spirit, he was always acceptable to God. When the people were perplexed, Peter saw this as a great opportunity to witness the power of Jesus and his resurrection. He explained that the one they rejected and refused was in fact the Messiah and they have been given His name to do the same miracles He did. We’ll see their reaction tomorrow. Lord, help us to be discerning and wise of heart.

Wed.’s Devo - The Feast of Pentecost Fulfilled

Read: 2 Sam. 22:21-23:23, Acts 2:1-47, Ps. 122:1-9, Pr. 16:19-20 In Acts we are seeing the fulfillment of the Feast of Pentecost. Every feast will have literal fulfillments on its date. This was a big one. Jesus had died on Passover, was buried on Unleavened Bread, rose of First Fruits and sent His Holy Spirit on Pentecost. People are still living all of these fulfillments when they get saved, die of their sins, live for Jesus and get filled with the Holy Spirit. One of the signs of Pentecost was that the disciples had flames of fire on their heads and they spoke different languages. All of these still happen. The fire is the same fire that was on the mountain of Sinai when God gave his law. That was the first Pentecost. The mountain represented God and the fire was His presence. Now the mountain is God’s people. The Holy Spirit was given to give the people the same power Jesus had when He walked on the earth. The law ended up killing 3,000 people where the Spirit ended up saving 3,000 people. We can still experience this and be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak a new language. Tongues are a powerful tool because it is a language of the spirit that we can’t understand. It allows us to pray things we don’t know need to be prayed. It is the perfect prayer according to God’s will and not ours. When Peter stood and preached to the people he explained a Psalms that was given to David but was fulfilled in Jesus. David’s song he sang to the people starting in yesterday’s passage was also a Messianic Psalms. I have come to believe that it was what happened on the cross when darkness was over the land for three hours. I don’t have time to explain it so ask the Holy Spirit to show you. Lord, your Word amazes me. It helps me to understand even greater that You have our lives planned from the beginning and it is our joy to walk in Your ways.

Tues.’s Devo - Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Read: 2 Sam. 20:14-22:20, Acts 1:1-26, Ps. 121:1-8, Pr. 16:18 Joab pursued Bicri to a walled city. Joab had his men working on taking down the city wall when a woman intervened. When she found out Joab would spare the city if they gave up Bicri, she talked the city into throwing Bicri over the wall to Joab. They did and the city was spared and Joab returned to Jerusalem and was restored to his position as commander of the army. This is the power of intercession. When we are being attacked we need to seek to know why. Sometimes it’s something we need to get rid of or repent of. Once we surrender that, we get relief. David followed this when there was a famine in his land. He knew there was a reason his people were living in lack. Once he took care of the source, the blessings could flow again. For him it was the Gibeonites that Saul had killed in his zeal. He didn’t honor the fact that the Gibeonites had helped them generations before and they had promised to not kill them. David had to make things right. There are things in our family tree that have not been done correctly, and we can be the ones to right the wrong or repent for our ancestors. Since Saul had done the offense, his family had to pay the price. Many people are paying the price of the sins of their fathers. We can break that cycle with repentance and by making new covenants for our families. Mercy triumphs over judgment. In Acts, Jesus gave his disciples instruction to wait in Jerusalem to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. They had received John’s baptism in water which was a picture of being baptized in the Holy Spirit. First the natural, then the spirit (1 Cor. 15:46). In Matt. 3:11 John said, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” This baptism in the Holy Spirit would give them power to be witnesses. After saying this, Jesus rose to heaven. We need this baptism. Lord, baptize us afresh in Your Holy Spirit.

Mon.’s Devo - The Breath of God

Read: 2 Sam. 19:11-20:13, John 21:1-25, Ps. 120:1-7, Pr. 16:16-17 Crossing the Jordan is mentioned several times in today’s passage. Crossing the Red Sea was a picture of salvation. Crossing the Jordan was a picture of being baptized in God’s Holy Spirit. Friday we read about Shimei, the one who cursed David as he fled Jerusalem. Once he crosses the Jordan he falls prostrate before the king and repents. When David’s men wanted to kill Shimei, David offers him pardon. The king has returned to his kingdom and it is not a day for retribution but grace. We live in this realm if we have allowed Jesus to breathe on us His Holy Spirit. I used to think that this was a one time experience, but I have come to see the need to be baptized over and over in the Holy Spirit. David also pardoned Ziba who had deceived him into thinking Mephibosheth was a traitor. He also received Mephibosheth’s humble request. Bicri, one of Absalom’s followers led a rebellion against David’s returning reign. David had given Joab’s position of leading his army to Amasa since Joab had killed Absalom. Joab saw an opportunity to kill Amasa get his position back. He lead David’s army against Bicri. In John, the disciple’s boat was like the Jordan River in the Old. One side was fruitless, like the law and religion. The other side was full of life and potential, teeming with souls waiting to be caught. On this side, the possibilities are endless and without restraint. Notice that once Jesus came back glorified, no one seem to recognize him. When we are walking in the spirit, we are so different than what we were before that we are almost unrecognizable. Jesus always walked in the spirit, but now he was glorified which was a whole new dimension. We can walk in this dimension too if we ‘cross over the Jordan’. Ask Jesus to breathe on You His Holy Spirit. Lord, breathe on us afresh Your Holy Spirit!

Sun.’s Devo - Forgiveness

Read: 2 Sam. 18:1-19-19:10, John 20:1-31, Ps. 119:153-176, Pr. 16:12-13 The people decided that David should wait in the gate and not go to war because he was the reason they were fighting. If he died it would all be in vain. He agreed and they defeated Absalom’s men and Absalom was killed. David had commanded that he not be killed so when David learned of Absalom’s death he was full of grief. He had wanted to meet with Absalom and have some sort of closure but that was not possible now. As he grieved, his army felt betrayed. They had lost friends and family to fight for a king whose only concern seemed to be the head of the enemy. Joab finally talked some sense into David and David agreed to speak to the people. David had had his kingdom usurped just like Jesus had by the Jews and Pharisees. I wonder if Jesus feels the same way about Satan as David did about Absalom. Satan had once been one of Jesus’ friends or brothers and now they are arch-enemies. I do know that Jesus wept over Jerusalem and forgave his accusers. When Jesus appeared again to his disciples he breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit. Then he told them that if they would forgive others, they would be forgiven, but those we don’t forgive, don’t get forgiven. That is the power of forgiveness. Forgiveness brings peace. One of our Psalms says that great peace is for them that love Your law and nothing shall offend them. Lord, We love Your law. Help us to speak truth.