Wednesday, March 25, 2015

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WANT WISDOM?

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 18

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

 

Here is a spear and shield carved into what was a mantle in the ancient city of Philippi, Greece.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

 

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 18:14

And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him.

The Lord promises wisdom to all who ask Him for it. James 1:5 gives us this guarantee. Here is a New Testament reading for today (James 1:1-12). David not only behaved wisely himself, but he taught his son Solomon wisdom (Proverbs 4:1-9). Saul’s successes caused him to become arrogant. David’s successes brought him closer to God. Saul lived for self. David lived for God. Because Saul lived for himself, he became jealous of David. Saul’s focus was not on God’s future purpose for Israel but on protecting his own position. Many leaders have fallen into this trap over the years. There are at least three lessons to be learned from today’s reading: (1) God will fight our battles. (2) We don’t have to strive to further our own cause. (3) Serve God wholeheartedly.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, Your Word teaches me that “He who wins souls is wise” (Prov. 11:30b). You’ve called me to be a soul winner. Therefore, I pray for wisdom to be given to me so that I may win someone to You. I believe Your Word, and I believe that when I engage someone in conversation, I will speak wise words. I pray this through Jesus Christ, Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

From personal experience I know that when I’ve not prayed first for wisdom, I’ve done more harm than good. My passion is to win souls to Jesus. After He had given “living water” to the woman at the well, she brought the people of her village out to meet Him. As they approached, Jesus said to His followers, “Lift up your eyes, and look at the fields, for they are already ripe for harvest” (John 4:35b). I’m deeply moved as I think of that scene. Jesus was so very wise. This precious woman had been married to five husbands, and at that point she was living with a man who was not her husband. Jesus didn’t condemn her. He quenched her thirst with living water. His Words are that “living water.” He changed her life forever! I’m drinking every morning and throughout the day by thinking of His Words which I’ve read earlier. Read with me if you have time from John 7:37-38.

Yours for winning souls to Jesus,

David

P.S. God surely gives our telephone prayer partners soul-winning wisdom. Feel free to give someone you want to bring to Jesus the toll free telephone number 1-866-273-4444. Every day and every night, without fail, precious people are being led to Jesus on those phones. If you need someone to pray with you about any concern, feel free to call. As the promotional slogan on the 100 Huntley Street telecast says, “We’re here for you!” For anyone who might want to help us out by becoming one of our telephone prayer partners, here is some info.

P.P.S. Yesterday’s blog had a picture of a poster signed by Mickey Rooney. Tomorrow, God willing, I’ll tell you about the wisdom which brought Mickey to Jesus. He called our prayer lines. Please encourage others to call us too!!!

David and King Saul, as depicted in the TV miniseries THE BIBLE.

21 thoughts on “Wednesday, March 25, 2015”

  1. Praise You God, for the promise of the Holy Spirit.

    On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37-38

    Wishing all saints a blessed day!

    Reply ↓

  3. I’m always curious & surprised to read that God SENT an evil spirit to torment Saul. Many people believe that God does not send sickness/evil – that’s satan’s territory. I believe it was to accomplish God’s plan to bring David close to Saul to be a great eye opener to him – to witness a life of one with faith.

    Reply ↓

    • God sent a distressing spirit, there’s nothing in there about it being an evil spirit. Sometimes distress of conscience will bring about repentance, so whether God sent or allowed the distressing spirit it was most likely meant for good–to do lead Saul to change his heart back toward God, but Saul was too stubborn to listen.
      The distressing spirit did not cause Saul to sin, his own nature caused that. Saul threw the spear, Saul was jealous– all his own choices, God did not directly or indirectly cause Saul to chose anything.
      God does not send evil, He may allow it like with Job, but when He does He always has a plan in mind that if we trust Him, it will lead to good. Other than that, evil comes into our lives most times because we allow it by own choices and blaming God for it, or the devil is pointless– we need take responsibility for own choices, we can repent or we can continue like Saul to feel like victims and blame everyone else, but ourselves for the consequences of our own sins.

      Reply ↓

    • I had the same question as you, Doreen; wish I had time to post it Monday (1 Samuel 16:14-15). 1 Samuel 16:14-23 (KJV): 14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. 15 And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

      It depends on the version; i.e. NLT and KJV state “evil spirit”. It is best to use a commentary in these situations of interpretation. I will post what I find. God bless you!

      Reply ↓

  4. There is joy in heaven! Carole has arrived and is now in the Presence of our Loving Father. See you later Carole! May family and friends be comforted by this knowledge.

    Reply ↓

  6. Question: “Why did God send an evil spirit to torment King Saul?”

    Answer:First Samuel 16:14says, “The Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.” This is also mentioned in1 Samuel 16:15–16,23;18:10; and19:9. Why did God let an evil spirit torment Saul? In what way was the evil spirit “from” the Lord?

    First, the evil spirit was “from” the Lord in that it was allowed by God to harass Saul. Ultimately, all created things are under God’s control. It is likely that this evil spirit was part of God’s judgment upon Saul for his disobedience. Saul had directly disobeyed God on two occasions (1 Samuel 13:1–14;15:1–35). Therefore, God removed His Spirit from Saul and allowed an evil spirit to torment him. Likely, Satan and the demons had always wanted to attack Saul; God was now simply giving them permission to do so.

    Second, the evil spirit was used to bring David into the life of Saul. This account is recorded immediately following David’s anointing as the future king of Israel. The reader would be wondering how a shepherd boy would become king.First Samuel 16reveals the first step in this journey. When the king’s servants saw the torment Saul was enduring, they suggested, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better” (1 Samuel 16:15–16).

    One of the king’s servants referred David to the king, describing the youth as a great harp player, among other things (verse 18). Saul called David to come and found him to be a great comfort: “David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, ‘Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.’ Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him” (1 Samuel 16:21–23).

    It is important to note that this evil spirit that troubled Saul was only temporary. The final verse notes that the evil spirit came on multiple occasions to bother Saul, but also it departed from him.

    A related question is, does God send evil spirits to torment people today? There are examples of individuals in the New Testament being turned over to Satan or demons for punishment. God allowed Ananias and Sapphira to be filled with the spirit of Satan as a warning and example to the early church (Acts 5:1–11). A man in the Corinthian church was committing incest and adultery, and God commanded the leaders to “hand him over to Satan” to destroy his sinful nature and save his soul (1 Corinthians 5:1–5). God allowed a messenger of Satan to torment the apostle Paul in order to teach him to rely on God’s grace and power and not become conceited because of the tremendous abundance of spiritual truth he was given (2 Corinthians 12:7).

    The New Testament reveals how God can use the presence of evil spirits to reveal His power. Jesus showed His power over demons on multiple occasions; every time Jesus cast out a demon, it was an affirmation of the Lord’s authority. The account of Jesus’ casting out the demons who entered a herd of pigs indicates that perhaps as many as 2,000 evil spirits were present, yet they all feared the power of Christ (Mark 5:1–13).

    If God does allow evil spirits to torment people today, He does so with the goal of our good and His glory (Romans 8:28). And, just as in Job’s case, Satan and his minions can do only what God allows them to do (Job 1:12;2:6). They never act independently of God’s sovereign and perfect will and purpose. If believers suspect they are being tormented by demonic forces, the first response is to repent of any known sin. Then we should ask for wisdom to understand what we are to learn from the situation. Then we are to submit to whatever God has allowed in our lives, trusting that it will result in the building up of our faith and the glory of God.

    Evil spirits are no match for the power of God. AsEphesians 6:10–12commands, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

    Recommended Resources:The Serpent of Paradise by Erwin LutzerandLogos Bible Software. Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/evil-spirit-Saul.html#ixzz3VPNECFVf
    http://www.gotquestions.org/evil-spirit-Saul.html

    Reply ↓

    • Insightful information. One wonders about what purpose there is for the recent airliner crash with the pilot intentionally killing all on board. Or, the beheading of Christians by ISIS. Evil exists, however there is no easy explaination for its purpose. We must only trust Our Father completely.

      Reply ↓

  7. Question: “Why did God send an evil spirit to torment King Saul?”

    Answer:First Samuel 16:14says, “The Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.” This is also mentioned in1 Samuel 16:15–16,23;18:10; and19:9. Why did God let an evil spirit torment Saul? In what way was the evil spirit “from” the Lord?

    First, the evil spirit was “from” the Lord in that it was allowed by God to harass Saul. Ultimately, all created things are under God’s control. It is likely that this evil spirit was part of God’s judgment upon Saul for his disobedience. Saul had directly disobeyed God on two occasions (1 Samuel 13:1–14;15:1–35). Therefore, God removed His Spirit from Saul and allowed an evil spirit to torment him. Likely, Satan and the demons had always wanted to attack Saul; God was now simply giving them permission to do so.

    Second, the evil spirit was used to bring David into the life of Saul. This account is recorded immediately following David’s anointing as the future king of Israel. The reader would be wondering how a shepherd boy would become king.First Samuel 16reveals the first step in this journey. When the king’s servants saw the torment Saul was enduring, they suggested, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better” (1 Samuel 16:15–16).

    One of the king’s servants referred David to the king, describing the youth as a great harp player, among other things (verse 18). Saul called David to come and found him to be a great comfort: “David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, ‘Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.’ Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him” (1 Samuel 16:21–23).

    It is important to note that this evil spirit that troubled Saul was only temporary. The final verse notes that the evil spirit came on multiple occasions to bother Saul, but also it departed from him.

    http://www.gotquestions.org/evil-spirit-Saul.html

    Reply ↓

  8. A related question is, does God send evil spirits to torment people today? There are examples of individuals in the New Testament being turned over to Satan or demons for punishment. God allowed Ananias and Sapphira to be filled with the spirit of Satan as a warning and example to the early church (Acts 5:1–11). A man in the Corinthian church was committing incest and adultery, and God commanded the leaders to “hand him over to Satan” to destroy his sinful nature and save his soul (1 Corinthians 5:1–5). God allowed a messenger of Satan to torment the apostle Paul in order to teach him to rely on God’s grace and power and not become conceited because of the tremendous abundance of spiritual truth he was given (2 Corinthians 12:7).

    The New Testament reveals how God can use the presence of evil spirits to reveal His power. Jesus showed His power over demons on multiple occasions; every time Jesus cast out a demon, it was an affirmation of the Lord’s authority. The account of Jesus’ casting out the demons who entered a herd of pigs indicates that perhaps as many as 2,000 evil spirits were present, yet they all feared the power of Christ (Mark 5:1–13).

    If God does allow evil spirits to torment people today, He does so with the goal of our good and His glory (Romans 8:28). And, just as in Job’s case, Satan and his minions can do only what God allows them to do (Job 1:12;2:6). They never act independently of God’s sovereign and perfect will and purpose. If believers suspect they are being tormented by demonic forces, the first response is to repent of any known sin. Then we should ask for wisdom to understand what we are to learn from the situation. Then we are to submit to whatever God has allowed in our lives, trusting that it will result in the building up of our faith and the glory of God.

    Evil spirits are no match for the power of God. AsEphesians 6:10–12commands, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

    Recommended Resources:The Serpent of Paradise by Erwin LutzerandLogos Bible Software. Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/evil-spirit-Saul.html#ixzz3VPNECFVf
    http://www.gotquestions.org/evil-spirit-Saul.html

    Reply ↓

  9. A related question is, does God send evil spirits to torment people today? There are examples of individuals in the New Testament being turned over to Satan or demons for punishment. God allowed Ananias and Sapphira to be filled with the spirit of Satan as a warning and example to the early church (Acts 5:1–11). A man in the Corinthian church was committing incest and adultery, and God commanded the leaders to “hand him over to Satan” to destroy his sinful nature and save his soul (1 Corinthians 5:1–5). God allowed a messenger of Satan to torment the apostle Paul in order to teach him to rely on God’s grace and power and not become conceited because of the tremendous abundance of spiritual truth he was given (2 Corinthians 12:7).

    The New Testament reveals how God can use the presence of evil spirits to reveal His power. Jesus showed His power over demons on multiple occasions; every time Jesus cast out a demon, it was an affirmation of the Lord’s authority. The account of Jesus’ casting out the demons who entered a herd of pigs indicates that perhaps as many as 2,000 evil spirits were present, yet they all feared the power of Christ (Mark 5:1–13).

    If God does allow evil spirits to torment people today, He does so with the goal of our good and His glory (Romans 8:28). And, just as in Job’s case, Satan and his minions can do only what God allows them to do (Job 1:12;2:6). They never act independently of God’s sovereign and perfect will and purpose. If believers suspect they are being tormented by demonic forces, the first response is to repent of any known sin. Then we should ask for wisdom to understand what we are to learn from the situation. Then we are to submit to whatever God has allowed in our lives, trusting that it will result in the building up of our faith and the glory of God.

    Evil spirits are no match for the power of God. AsEphesians 6:10–12commands, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

    http://www.gotquestions.org/evil-spirit-Saul.html

    Reply ↓

  10. Hi everyone, This morning l was pondering the incredible relationship between Jonathan and David., as they made a covenant with each other,Jonathan taking off his robe,giving it to David with his armour, even his sword,bow and belt.(1 Samuel 18:4) My mind went back to a bible study l attended, when suddenly l felt led to take off my red plush jacket, take it off and give it to a lady sitting there. It was a very unusual thing for me to do, but l was compelled to do it. This morning as l read about Jonathan taking off and giving David his robe, l tried to make sense of it,l thought maybe it signified that she was protected, covered in the blood of Jesus, as the jacket was red,or maybe l was being used by God to lay a special anointing on her, then l sensed the Lord saying , don’t try to make that say anything other than, that l love her with an Agape love. So laid aside all my analysis, and suddenly thought l should call her. l hadn’t seen her for quite some time and was surprised to find her phone number so easily in my address book. l called and told her what had happened, when l heard her burst into tears. She said , The Lord’s timing is so perfect, my father died yesterday, and here you are giving me this wonderful reminder that he is my Heavenly Father and loves me with his agape(unconditional) love…..l was blown away!……..What a marvelous God we serve!……..Love to all……This was all God!

    Reply ↓

    • YEP! I have had the Holy Spirit experience also, 20 years ago April 16 my friend Eva said to me “We have the Holy Spirit that enables us to do morwe than we ever thought!” and IMMEDIATELY I threw the tobacco and papers in the water and that was the end of smoking and alcohol for me! AMAZING GRACE! That indeed was all God! God bless all the information on this blog!

      Reply ↓

  11. Thank you Christine for sharing the special story!! Yes, God’s timing is perfect…the Holy Spirit’s prompting is right on…as He know the Father’s heart and the need of His children!!!

    Saul’s pride and self-centredness and hardnrss of heart, and disobedience is why he lost his peace of mind…and became emotionally distressed.

    I read John 7:37-38 you suggested and was truly blessed…to drink of the “Living water of Life” Jesus gives us!!! Thank you Rev. David.

    Thank you for the photo of David and Saul…what a contrast!!!

    Reply ↓

  12. Thank you David for the lovely tribute to my sister-in-law Edith Osborne I have fwd. it to some of the family who may not get your Blog.

    Reply ↓

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