Month: January 2023

Scripture 1 Sam 8:7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.

Observation: Whenever we go against God’s will, which is sin, we reject our God. Whenever we put our needs and desires above God’s we are saying we are more important than Him. So often in a day do we reject God? When we say something hurtful to someone, a lie, lust, personal ambition and the list goes on. We are not only sinning, but we are rejecting our Heavenly Father, because we do not listen to His instructions for our life. God is love and has blessed us so much more than we can ever possibly deserve, but I bet a day doesn’t go by that we turn our backs to Him, I know in my life unfortunately that’s true.

Application: I need to realize my thoughts and actions are much more than an expression of my wants, but so often they can be a rejection of my God, who should be my first true love. Rejecting Him is the same as telling Him he is not as important as the things I want to do and that needs to end. I’m on a journey to Heaven and I will be held responsible for all that I say, think and do and I don’t want to hear about all the times I rejected the one who has created and saved me. It’s time to start a commitment to giving myself a hundred percent to my Father and to never reject Him again. At least if this is my goal and target in life I have a much better chance of hitting it then never having anything to shoot for.

Prayer: My Lord I am a sinner and selfish man. My desire is to never reject you anymore. I know I have a very difficult time controlling my thoughts and I need you to help me with the way I am. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and get me through this life without dishonoring you anymore. I do love you, may my life prove it.

Scripture 1 Sam 7:3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”

Observation: What is it to return with all of your heart? That God is your everything, He is your heart, mind and soul and that you will live for Him. God should be the master of us, everything that we have and are needs to belong to the Lord. Before we do anything we should see if it honors God, we need to die to ourselves and then live for our Lord. It seems like a lot to ask, but it’s the very least we can do. Everything we give Him He gave it to us first and we are simply giving it back. Our hearts need to be prepared for God, which makes Him our main focus and since we love Him we desire to serve Him, it’s no longer a chore to serve, but becomes an honor.

Application: I still need to return to my Lord with all of my heart and rid myself of this self-centerness. I need to prepare my heart and get my life into perspective. I’m still living as if this life is for me, when in fact it has always belonged to my Lord. I need to serve more, because when I serve I know I’m in His presence and in His will. I need my Lord to deliver me from this sinful existence and get my heart ready to glorify Him.

Prayer: I can’t do it by myself, my Lord. I’ve tried and always fall short and go back to focusing on me. Help get my heart ready for service to You. In my heart I do want to be the man you call me to be, but I continue to stray off the path. Give me a strong heart and take this laziness from me so that I may serve.

Scripture 1 Sam 6:9 And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us–it happened to us by chance.”

Observation: How many times have we made our own game of if this happens it’s God and if this happens it wasn’t. If God rules our lives then His hand is in everything and we won’t have to toss a coin. Our goal is to be in God’s will and ask for His direction and we know as His followers He will answer. Our Lord answers in different ways but He doesn’t allow chance to guide our lives. I once heard the definition of coincidence is only a miracle God didn’t get the credit for. We should never let chance decide our future the future belongs to God.

Application: I keep thinking that things are just going to come in the right time. I need to be more aware of how God is working in my life. I need to stop taking chances and seek God’s direction. God is the ruler of my life not pure chance. It’s not as if I’m here by chance, but I’m here because God desired it so. However I do need to be taking chances on what to do when God leads me in a direction and not sit idly by.

Prayer: My Lord speak to your servant and direct me on what to do. Open doors for the things you want of me and give me the courage to do them. I’m so tired not doing anything for you show me what to do. You have given me gifts and talents use them for your glory. Show me how to please you.

Scripture 1 Sam 5:7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.”

Observation: As I was reading this I see how God is showing His powers and how He destroyed the statue of their god, Dagon. They didn’t say that the God of Israel was God or get rid of their false god Dagon, but they said get rid of the ark, which is of God, He is harsh with them and their so called god Dagon. They had this god for so long it hasn’t dawned on them that this really wasn’t God, as a matter of fact they were trying to protect it from God. Were like this not wanting to give up on our idolatries, even though God has proven Himself the one and only God worthy of our worship. It may not be a statue, but it can be money, job, relationship, pride or even something else. At times we wonder why God’s hand is so harsh towards us, probably right in the middle of our worship to a false god.

Application: I’m no better than anyone else when it comes to idol worshipping. Sometimes it’s my pride, my abilities that God has given me, possessions and my desires, instead of God’s desires for me. I need to bow down to my Lord who has given me everything that I have and worship Him only. I need to ask for His guidance and listen to how He wants to direct me. I need to burn the gods of my life and realize they are nothing and offer my whole self to my Lord.

Prayer: Dear Lord and Master of my life. You are the only thing that I should be worshipping and you are so worthy of all my love praise and worship. Please take these distractions from your servant and open my eyes to your desires for my life. I love and want to obey you in everything my God.

Scripture 1 Sam 4:3 And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.”

Observation: How come when things go wrong it’s God’s fault? Not once do you see in these scriptures that the Israelites asked God if they should go up to battle. They made their decision and proceeded the way they wanted and when the result wasn’t lined up to what they thought it should be they blamed God. How often do we do that, I know I’ve done it a lot. When my life falls apart it must be God’s fault, even though I never asked for His guidance or timing. We assume God will watch over us no matter what, but if we are outside His will we are on our own.

Application: I need to call upon my Lord and ask for direction and guidance in my life. When things don’t go well I need to ask God what He is trying to say to me. There is always a lesson and God doesn’t waste a hurt. Our lives are not supposed to go perfect, because we are only here a little while and our faith will be tested in adversary. We need to praise God in all situations and lesson to His voice in every circumstance.

Prayer: My Lord speak to your servant and tell me what you desire of me. Open my eyes each day to what you desire of me. May I be patient and always call upon you before I move forward. Help me finish this race in a way that pleases you.

Scripture 1 Sam 3:9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Observation: Maybe we don’t ask for the Lord to speak, because we know that we might not hear Him. I know I don’t stay still long enough to hear His voice. Maybe the Lord is speaking today, but none of His servants can hear Him. We try to blame God at times for the wrongs in this world that we create. We may pray to our God, but if we don’t listen to His answer how do we know if our request have been granted? We have become so busy doing nothing that will last, which the devil is happy with, that we don’t take time for the things that will outlast us. God wants us to know, but are we listening?

Application: I know my mind goes a hundred miles an hour and I accomplish very little with the time I’ve been blessed with. I need to spend more time listening to what God desires of me and less time making plans that won’t last. My purpose is eternal and I don’t have the wisdom to establish plans like that. Only God, my Lord knows what I was created for and reading His instruction are great, but I still need to listen to my Lord for the details.

Prayer: Speak to me my Father and tell me what you want of me. I give you the time you have blessed me with use it for your glory and not my amusement. I want my life to mean something when I’m gone, I want to meet people in heaven that I helped introduce you to. I want to see the fruit that I bore here on earth in heaven and I want to see the treasures you have set aside for me when I get home. Speak and keep me silent to hear your word.

Scripture 1 Sam 2:1 And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

Observation: No matter what happens here on earth we should always rejoice because of the salvation that is coming. There is nothing that can happen to us that can compare to the salvation Jesus has given us. We are going to have an eternity of pure joy because of the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior. This should give us all the strength that we need, our heart should rejoice every day, there isn’t a person in this place that can dampen our love, because no matter what happens we know how the story ends.

Application: I should never let my anxiety get the best of me, as a matter of fact I should use any opportunity especially the darkest ones to bring my Lord glory. When people see my hope and that I can rejoice in bad times, this will give me the opportunity to show others the power of my God. I can tell others then that I rejoice, because no matter what happens to me here my Lord is with me now and I’ll be with Him forever.

Prayer: My Lord I thank you for your love, mercy, grace and for my salvation. May I never forget the price that was paid by you for that precious gift, a gift I can never repay. Help me show others of your unending love and mercy and that they too can rejoice in your love. I love you Lord and look forward to the day to be with you forever.