Scripture: 1 Kings 6 – 7.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Kings 6:11-13 (NLT)

11 Then the Lord gave this message to Solomon: 12 “Concerning this Temple you are building, if you keep all my decrees and regulations and obey all my commands, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father, David. 13 I will live among the Israelites and will never abandon my people Israel.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

These two chapters relay the story about the great temple that Solomon built for the Lord. I believe that he had a pure heart about building the very best for the Lord and sparing no expense. However, during the construction God gave a message to Solomon, and this is what spoke to my heart today. In the verses mentioned above, God basically told Solomon: hey, I appreciate what you are doing, but it’s a broken and contrite heart that I am looking for, one that is obedient to me and follows my commands. I believe that many times in churches today, including mine, we spend so much time worrying about the physical appearances of the place that we worship, that it might appear to God like we are worshipping it instead of Him. I believe that if we spent as much time in preparation for worship, in preparation of Sunday School lessons, in preparation of our hearts and souls for worship, as we do in gossiping, in planning parties, in things that tend to please us, then God might just listen to our heart-cry knowing the sincerity of our hearts, knowing that our aim is to worship Him and that we are looking for ways to better understand His will for our lives so that we may be obedient to Him. I believe that all the extra-curricular things that we do are for our selfish satisfaction and pleasure, not for pleasing God or proving to Him that our desire is to draw closer to Him through these things. I am not advocating that we should be stuck in a box with no type of fun as a Christian, but I am convinced that we should show where our priorities are. God desires our heart and our obedience. To align our heart with His, we must be in a constant learning mode with every effort to learn about Him and His character and His will, as relayed to us through His Word. Psalms 51:17 (AMP) : My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, Your Word is awesome and written to get to the hearts of man with clarity and ultimate direction. I believe that this Word was specifically brought to my attention for a special reason this morning. I believe that folk that will read this today will, like me, be reminded of the importance and priority that must be placed on our study of Your Word, listening to the teaching and preaching of Your Word, so that we might be directed along a right path to righteousness and total obedience of Your will for our lives. Please help me today to be obedient to what I know of You and to follow Your commands and will for my life. You told Solomon that then You will fulfill the promises given to his father and bless Your people. I see this as the same promise to us today dear Lord, so please help me to do my part personally and through the leadership role that I have at my church, do my part in leading them to obedience and pure worship of You. Thank You for Your Word today dear God.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: John 16.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

John 16:33 (NLT)

33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

In this chapter Jesus had laid a lot on the minds of the disciples, because He knew that He would soon go to be with His Father. I think of the times that I am about to go on vacation, or leave my family for a short trip. I try to fill them in on what to expect during my absence and then train them on how to handle various things that may come up. Jesus was doing something like this, but the important thing is that much of this still applies to us today. We may relieve ourselves through a sigh of relief when we surrender our hearts and lives to Jesus, as we find ultimate peace there. However, our earthly trials and sorrows will not cease. What Jesus is telling us here is that we can still take peace in knowing Him and we can still confidently place our faith and trust in Him because He has the ultimate victory over these things. So friend, know today that we can have confidence and peace even in the most troublesome times, because of our relationship with the Victor, the King of Glory, the Master of the sea, the resurrected One, our Father and soon coming King, Jesus. Know my Friend (Jesus) today and know peace and victory over the challenges of this world!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, what a comfort it is in knowing You! You have been there, done that, and been victorious over that. In fact, You have told us in Your Word that You have also prepared the way so that we may be victorious over these things that we face each and every day, and Lord do we ever face them! Thank You for the reminder today that You overcame, that You paved the way for us to safely, confidently and victoriously travel the roads of this life and that we can have peace in knowing that no matter how bad, or how tough things may get, yet we can know that as we ask anything in Your name, the Father will answer our prayer and help us to know that He is in control over the situation. What awesome peace this is! What an awesome comfort it is to know that even though we may sometimes feel like we have little control over the things of this world, yet we personally know the One who does! Thank You Father for giving me this kind of peace!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: 1 Kings 3.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Kings 3:10-14 (NLT)

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. 11 So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies – 12 I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! 13 And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! 14 And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I believe that God is extremely happy with His kids that are unselfish in their requests to Him and who not only show an unselfish love towards Him, but also to the people that they come into contact with. You see, I am fairly confident that most of us will push for the best job that is available, even if we knew that it would bring unnecessary burden on us and/or our family; we would take the bigger and better vehicle, even if we knew that it would be a burden to us in payments; we would rather be first in line at the buffet so that we could get the choice foods, even if we knew that others may not have eaten in the last two days, or may not have eaten as good as we have. As the son of a great king, Solomon had been used to the having his own way, and many times at the expense of seeing many under the reign of his dad, go without. Even in this position, Solomon could very easily have found more to ask for in order to fulfill the normal lusts of a man in charge, like he was. Instead, he knew that he was challenged with an awesome responsibility, and because he wanted to make sure that he had all that he needed to properly, and fairly rule his people, he asked for wisdom to do an even better job of ruling and leading his people. Oh that we would do more of this today as we take on leadership roles. We may have tremendous amounts of talent to use in our leadership roles, but when dealing with other people, we have no idea what it takes to truly meet their needs and best utilize their God-given skills. Let’s stop and think about our role, then let’s get with the Master and ask Him to lead us and guide us, and to give us the wisdom it takes to lead unselfishly, beneficial to all that we lead and honoring to the Master. God saw Solomon’s heart and He gave him much more than he asked for. It would be joyous to look at our day, or week or year and thank God for blessing us with much more than we ever asked for. But that’s the kind of God that we serve, so let’s not be surprised when we see things like this happen! Praise be to God!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father You are awesome! You have made us to be like You and even though I could only imagine that You must look on us in disgust or disappointment many times. Yet I believe that You will honor the sincere, unselfish requests that we may make of You, all because of Your love for us. It is evident from the story of Your servant Solomon that You will honor and bless the soul that seeks after Your heart and has a desire to be like You in every way. I pray that this may be a day in which You will honor the sincere prayer of my heart to grant me the wisdom to deal with my fellow man in a way that will honor You; to make right decisions for those over whom I may have leadership responsibilities and the wisdom to make those decisions in a way that will not only be honoring to You, but also beneficial to them so that they too may be drawn closer to You. I pray for the wisdom to discern the man You have chosen to lead my church as pastor. Many things are made to look good on paper in a resume, but Father I know that You are very familiar with the hearts of each man behind the resumes and You know the man that is needed to lead a peculiar flock such as ours, so I place my sole dependence on You to guide my team and I to the right man for this leadership position. I want Your kingdom to grow in Avon Park and I would really like for our church to be a vital contributor of that growth, please bless us with everything we need to make the right choices in our future leader so that Your work may be accomplished.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: ^.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

John 14:21 (NLT)

21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

John 14:23-24 (NLT)

23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. 24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I believe that one of the main reasons that our world is in such bad shape today with crime, hatred, murder and ill-will is because many have chosen to do their own thing, and follow their personal desires, always looking out for number one – self. If we truly love Jesus, then we will follow His commandments, follow His will, practice His teachings and follow His example. When we don’t follow this principle, we are identified in verse 24 as not loving Jesus. Where am I at today? Which side of the pendulum do I fall on dear Jesus? What about you friend? I am seeking identity with Christ, and in this passage I am reminded that a major part of fulfilling this goal is to prove my love for Him by following His commands and honestly obeying all that is taught in His Word. With God’s help we can do it friend! Every day we find ways to show our love to our spouse, or those that mean a lot to us here on this earth. Won’t you join me in recommitting ourselves to also proving our love for Jesus by not only learning His Word, but also being obedient to all that He teaches us through His Word? Friend, obedience is how our love is measured for Jesus!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father You proved Your love for us by sacrificing Your very own son at Calvary so that we may have eternal life with You in glory. You have reminded us of what is necessary to prove our love for You. Today, as I recommit myself to following Your will and way, with ever increasing faith I must also seek Your power, Your wisdom, Your strength and the will power to overcome the wishes and desires of my earthly friends who may otherwise tend to pull me down and hold me back from becoming more like You. In sincerity I seek Your hand upon my life this day, so that I may gain new strength to follow Your every command, in spite of the worldly influences to do otherwise. Please touch the hearts of those that may read this today so that they too may also catch a glimpse of what You desire from them.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: John 12.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

John 12:35-36 (NLT)

35 Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going.

36 Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.” After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

When someone walks into a room that is totally dark and turns on a flashlight they brought with them, everything is revealed. There may be furniture, or people or any combination of things in that room. Jesus likens our Christian walk with this scenario. We are to follow Christ, as He followed the will of His Father, God. Letting our light shine is the same as doing the will of God, obeying His commands and living our lives as an example of Jesus. In doing so, we help those who are walking in darkness (sin) to see the wrong they are doing, and by seeing our example, show them the right/acceptable/way of God that they should also live. How’s your example today, friend? For me, this is something that I must stay in close communion with God on, study His Word daily, pray to Him so that He may respond with appropriate answers that will be in accordance with His will. In and of ourselves, we are very selfish and want everything our way. When we listen to, and follow the will of God, we will be doing what He wants us to do, and what He wants from the person we are witnessing to. Many times we don’t even know the darkness that might be hidden in the lives of individuals, but God knows all things, even those things we think that we are doing in private. Let us therefore be children of the light, or children of God, following His will and direction, so that we may be shining examples to those that refuse to let go of their selfish desires. Verse 36 tells me that I should waste no time in doing this, for I never know when it will be too late. While there is still time, I want to be a child of the light representing Jesus in everything that I do and say, so that others may catch a glimpse of my Father and want to know Him personally. For those who know Him as Master and Lord, let us band together to be children of Light to the darkness that is all around us. For those reading this who would like to know about this ‘Light’ of which I write about here, please respond to this post and allow me to shed some ‘Light’ on the subject for you. It will truly be a blessing to me!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, thank You for being a shining light for me and all those who have allowed Your light into our lives. Please help me today to be more committed in allowing Your light to shine in and through me, so that those who still walk in darkness may see Jesus in all that I say and do, and they would want to know You in a very personal way also.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: John 13.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

John 13:34-35 (NLT)

34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

35
Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

During His ministry here on earth Jesus showed love in so many ways for people. In this particular chapter Jesus showed His love for His disciples in several ways, including the intimate time that He spent with them at the last supper. Although He knew what would happen with Judas betraying Him, yet He loved him anyway. Although He knew that Peter loved Him an awful lot, He knew that Peter could not withstand the temptation that would confront Him with being recognized as a follower and pinpointed to the extent that his life was possibly threatened, yet Jesus loved Peter anyway. This reminds me of our situation today where I know that Jesus must look on us with disappointment about all that we could be doing for the enrichment of His kingdom, yet we selfishly look for personal satisfaction and happiness in every other aspect of life, rather than sacrificing ourselves for the good of the kingdom. Praise be to God though, that this lesson teaches me that God will not give up on His children for He loves us anyway. Oh that I may have that kind of love – a forgiving spirit and a love that outlives and outweighs all the hurt and bitterness that could possibly come against me. In fact, it is incumbent that I follow Jesus commandment to love one another just as He loved me, so that I may show evidence that I am one of Jesus’ disciples. Friend, I pray that as you read this devotional today that you may join me in this commitment to show proof daily that we are His followers and we can be counted on as one of His disciples.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, I know that this is a tall order today, but I know that it is possible, because You commanded it of us, and You have assured us in Your Word that You will never put more on us than we are able to bear, or accomplish. So this day, I pray that You will give me the boldness to show love for the unlovable, or those that may treat me in less than a loving way. Help me to prove that I am Your disciple following Your practice of loving those that I come in contact with, not just those that show their love for me. Thank You for loving me this much and for showing me the way to love those around me.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: 2 Samuel 12-13.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

2 Samuel 12:9-12 (NLT)

9 Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife.

10 From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own.

11 “This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. 12 You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

When we disobey God’s laws and His commands we may tend to feel like no one knows about it, or no one will ever find out about it, or no one could possibly care about it. In this passage today we see the awful result of sin that began when David saw, wanted what he saw, forcefully got what he saw, and committed an act of sin by sleeping with Bathsheba, who was another man’s wife. This followed with David having to kill one of his best soldiers, Bathsheba’s husband. But friend, God didn’t let this go unnoticed. The results of David’s sin had long reaching effects on himself and on his family, including the death of the child he and Bathsheba conceived; his very own son committing a similar sin by forcing himself on his half-sister Tamar; then one of David’s sons killing his brother for his shameful act with his sister, and on and on and on. The bottom line is that God knows our every move, our every evil intention and every time that we disobey Him. Often the consequences are not pretty. Often the consequences result in long periods of what we may sometime call ‘bad luck’, but ultimately God is putting us in our place, and showing His displeasure with our actions. Many times we use the excuse “well no one is perfect”, and while that is a true statement, we who know Jesus, know the only One who is perfect. He has given us a book of instructions to help guide us towards a life of perfection. He told us in the New Testament that He even sent the Holy Spirit to be our guide and our comforter, and that He will be with us until the end. While there may be imperfections along the way, we must always keep our eyes focused on Jesus, always seeking the strength and guidance of the Comforter to help us along the way and to follow the commands of Jesus as given to us in His Word. Jesus wants us to be like Him, and that includes living without sin. When we sin we may be able to hide it from those around us, but my God is all knowing and we can’t hide a thing from Him. Where’s your heart today? If you’ve given it to Jesus, then He wants you to be like Him. If you’ve accepted the gift of Jesus to rule, direct and reign over your life, then I encourage you to do just that today, for He loves you more than anyone else and will do anything to show His love for those who are His. If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus, why not respond to this post today and let me pray with you and give you help and direction in this very important step? I want you to know my best friend!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, thank You for loving me so much that You gave everything for me. Thank You for sending the Comforter to be my guide and my friend through each and every day, every temptation, every challenge and every trial. Satan is on the attack, but I am convinced today that You are greater and will guide me through this life to be like You. In the name of Jesus, I ask that today You keep me from sin, and that instead You fill me with Your love and compassion, so that I may reflect the true image of Christ to those that I have contact with. Someone will need encouragement, someone will need love and compassion shown towards them because of the challenges they are facing right now. May I be Your hands and feet today as I reach out to others, all for Your precious honor and glory?

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: John 11.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

John 11:33-39 (NLT)

33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.

34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.”

35 Then Jesus wept.

36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”

37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.

39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I believe that there are two ways that one could interpret verse 36. In one instance it looks like the people may have been mocking that Jesus didn’t love Mary, Martha and Lazarus enough to immediately come and save Lazarus from dying, yet in another sense they may have been drawing attention to the fact that Jesus really loved Lazarus so much that it hurt Him to know that Lazarus actually passed away from that life or their presence. Regardless of this friends, my heart was drawn to the fact that Jesus loved these folk so much that it stirred His heart to see the sisters hurting, and to know that the brother had left the world of the living. This, I believe, shows us that Jesus is still concerned about His children even today. When a child of the King is saddened by the impending death of a loved one due to cancer, I’m sure that Jesus is also saddened and wants to reach in and make it all better for us. When a parent is saddened by the events and actions of a child that they (the parents) worked so hard at bringing up in the right way and introduced them to Jesus as they should have, I believe that Jesus is saddened because He would rather see none perish. Friends, regardless of the awesome job that we may do in raising our kids, it is ultimately their personal decision to accept Jesus as Lord and to allow Him to rule and reign in their lives. My point here is that Jesus really loves us so much that He not only died so that we may have eternal life with Him and the Father, but He is also concerned about our everyday hurts or sadness or disappointments. Think about it, we become troubled when our kids are saddened or disappointed, imagine all the more that our heavenly Father cares for us? The situations that we find ourselves in, or the challenges that we sometimes face may seem very smelly to us at times, but as children of God, be reminded today that Jesus cares a lot about us. It stirs His heart to see us hurt. Therefore, let’s be determined today to surrender our cares to Him, and if, as in the case of Lazarus, Jesus sees our situation as an opportunity for God to receive glory, He will work in miraculous ways. He really loves us friend!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Thank You for loving me so much that You gave everything so that I may look forward to life eternally with You. Thank You for reassuring me today that You do not ignore the times that I am saddened by the events of this life or the times that events may not always go the way that I feel they should go. Lord, I pray that You will give me strength to look full into Your wonderful face and give You praise for ALL that You allow me to walk through here in this life. Because of Your love for me, I know that every little thing is gonna be alright!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: 2 Samuel 7-8.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

2 Samuel 7:18-22 (NLT)

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord? 20 “What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord. 21 Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant. 22 “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Wow, catch a hold of this, won’t you? David was so overwhelmed with what God did in his life, and now with the additional things God was promising to do in and through David’s family. David was blown away. He couldn’t imagine why an all-knowing God would bless him and go on blessing even his family, considering the human-ness and obvious failures that surely must be apparent to God. This really resonated with me today, because although I know that I pitch a very strong effort into serving God and doing all that I discern He wants me to do, yet I know that I fail Him and my fellow Christian brothers and sisters in so many ways. It made me stop and think about why God would consider someone like me to allow His precious Son Jesus to suffer at the hands of Pilate and his bunch, and then die such a cruel death on the cross at Calvary? Why would He bless me with such a fine family, when there are so many marriages that fail in divorce, and children who kill their parents physically or emotionally? Why would He bless me with a nice job and co-workers who bless me daily, when there are so many who are unemployed and barely making it through in providing for themselves and their families each day? But praise be to God, He comes through every time and in every way! I serve an awesome God!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Who am I Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that You have brought me this far? You know what I am really like, yet You bless me in so many ways each and every day. How great You are Sovereign Lord! There is no one like You! Thank You for Your daily love and provision. You are awesome!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Scripture: 2 Samuel 5-6.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

2 Samuel 5:17-19 (NLT)

17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him. But David was told they were coming, so he went into the stronghold.

18 The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim.

19 So David asked the Lord, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord replied to David, “Yes, go ahead. I will certainly hand them over to you.”

2 Samuel 5:22-23 (NLT)

22 But after a while the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim. 23 And again David asked the Lord what to do. “Do not attack them straight on,” the Lord replied. “Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

“What Shall I Do?” These are probably very popular words of a person who is truthful with themselves and who realizes that they don’t know it all or have all of the answers. In the above verses we can see two examples where David didn’t dare make a move against the Philistine army until he consulted with God. Now, David could have based his decision on past successes and led his army into battle with a certain degree of confidence knowing that he had overcome this army on several occasions before. However, David always fought his battles the way that God instructed him to. In each instance he:

1. Asked God if he should fight, or not;
   
2. Followed instructions carefully, and
   
3. Gave God the glory (see verse 20 for a prime example)
   

When we are faced with decisions and wondering which way to turn next or what we should say or how we should handle ourselves, it would behoove us to follow David’s example. Remember, there’s a reason God wanted this particular story/example in His Word – for His people of all generations to follow. We are daily faced with important decisions that could not only affect ourselves, but those that we love, or those that we work with, or those that we influence. Let’s get in the habit of consulting with God first, following His instructions carefully, and then celebrate the results by giving all the glory to God.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Dear God, please help me to place full dependence on You each and every day and with each and every important decision I need to make. It never ceases to amaze me of all the answers that I find in Your Word. It always amazes me of the excellent examples You have shown to me through those servants of Yours in times past. There really is no excuse for me to do it alone, for I believe that as I place my full dependence in You and listen to You speak through Your Word, I will not only find answers to my dilemmas but I will be assured of success with You in control of the situations I find so tough to handle many times. David was such a fine example of this, and I thank You for reminding me of this again today. You are awesome, most powerful, almighty to save, and One in whom I can safely place my trust and dependence. Please remind me of this each and every day, and give me wisdom to follow Your will for my every decision. Thank You Lord for all You can, and will do!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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