Notes:
(1) I preached a message yesterday entitled, “How to Receive from God.” Here is the link, if you would like to watch: https://youtu.be/Aa-72c4sWnA?si=u9G9scf8LvgsQXEF
(2) ATTENTION ALL WOMEN! My wife is inviting you to attend VCMI Woodbridge’s Virtuous Women’s Fellowship (Virtual Event) tonight at 7pm ET. Please visit https://www.vcmi.org/woodbridge and click on WOMEN’S MEETING to join a Zoom call with Apostle Cynthia Brazelton. Believe me, you will be blessed!
Today, we continue our series entitled “Laser Focus,” emphasizing living with a Laser Focus on the Fixed Purpose God established for us before the world began.
(Proverbs 4:25 TPT)
Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions.
Scriptures for today:
(James 1:2-4 TPT)
2 My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can!
3 For you know that when your faith is tested, it stirs up power within you to endure all things.
4 And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.
(Ecc 3:1 ERV)
There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time
(I Samuel 18:17-22 ERV)
17 One day Saul said to David, “Here is my oldest daughter, Merab. I will let you marry her. Then you will be like a son to me and you will be a real soldier. Then you will go and fight the Lord’s battles.” Saul was really thinking, “Now I won’t have to kill David. I will let the Philistines kill him for me.”
18 But David said, “I am not an important man from an important family. I can’t marry the king’s daughter.”
19 So when the time came for David to marry Saul’s daughter, Saul let her marry Adriel from Meholah.
20 People told Saul that his daughter Michal loved David. This made Saul happy.
21 He thought, “I will use Michal to trap David. I will let Michal marry David, and then I will let the Philistines kill him.” So Saul said to David a second time, “You can marry my daughter today.”
22 Saul commanded his officers to speak to David in private. He told them to say, “Look, the king likes you. His officers like you. You should marry his daughter.”
Setting the Stage.
As we learned in Friday’s message, King Saul was sending David out on combat missions, hoping that he would die in battle. Saul’s plan backfired, and David became more popular. So, one day, Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife.” That sounds very strange. Saul clearly wanted David dead, so there had to be an ulterior motive behind his offer, and there was. Saul went on to say, “But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the Lord’s battles.” This caveat was wrong on multiple levels.
First of all, by killing Goliath, David had already earned Saul’s daughter’s hand in marriage. If you remember, in the previous chapter, when David was running an errand for his father, taking lunch to his brothers, he learned of the reward Saul offered anyone who would kill Goliath. The Soldiers present told David, “The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!” (1 Sam 17:25). Based on the reward for killing the giant, David should not have had to do anything else to earn the princess’s hand in marriage. Second, David did not have anything to prove where combat was concerned. David had killed the tallest, meanest, most terrifying man Saul had ever seen. Therefore, telling David to “prove himself” was ridiculous. Lastly, David had already led men in combat, submitting to the assignment of the king and winning every battle he engaged in. What else did David have to do?
The Bible tells us Saul’s real reason for making the offer. The Bible says, “For Saul thought, “I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.” Time after time, attempt after attempt, Saul was trying hard to have David killed in a way that would not make himself look bad, but no matter how hard he tried, David kept coming out on top. And David was not doing it for personal gain. David did not even see himself as worthy of marrying a princess. David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king’s son-in-law? My father’s family is nothing!” David was sincere in his humility. I am sure Saul did not truly want David to marry his daughter anyway, so when the time came for Saul to give his daughter Merab in marriage to David, he gave her instead to Adriel, a man from Meholah. Saul was calculating, conniving, and underhanded, but David remained faithful to God and to Saul.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Divine Justice Prevails Over Personal Vengeance.
God’s justice system is far superior to our human attempts at revenge. As David refrained from retaliating against Saul’s schemes, we, too, are called to entrust our grievances to God. His perfect justice ensures that every action, good or bad, receives its due recompense. In other words, we don’t have to get people back. God will see to it that they get what is coming to them.
How this applies to you:
— Trust God’s perfect justice rather than seeking personal revenge.
— Release offenses to God, knowing He will handle them justly.
— Focus on your own integrity rather than others’ wrongdoings.
— Allow God’s peace to guard your heart against bitterness.
— Pray for those who wrong you, trusting God to work in their lives.
— In the end, David became the King of Israel, and Saul got what was coming to him. David did not have to make it happen.
2. Embrace Divine Patience in the Process of Becoming the Man/Woman You are Called to Be!
True success in God’s kingdom is a journey of patient development. David’s path to kingship was filled with challenges that shaped his character. Similarly, our journey to fulfilling God’s purpose requires endurance through trials, knowing that each experience is divinely orchestrated for our growth.
How this applies to you:
— Recognize that challenges are often God’s tools for your development. While He does not create the challenges, He surely uses them to help mold us into the person we are destined to be.
— Embrace the process of growth, even through trials, knowing it’s preparing you for your destiny.
— Trust in God’s timing, even when success seems delayed. His timing is perfect.
— Use waiting periods to develop your character and skills. What David learned in the 13 years he was on the run helped to develop him into a man who was ready to reign and rule as king when that time came.
— Draw on God’s grace daily, both in trials and triumphs, because all of it (highs and lows, ups and downs, victories and valleys) is preparing you for your destiny.
3. Maintaining Integrity Amidst Adversity.
Despite unjust treatment, David’s unwavering loyalty to Saul showcases the importance of maintaining integrity in the face of adversity. This steadfast trait is a cornerstone that God uses to help build the character of those who truly trust God’s sovereignty.
How this applies to you:
— Choose to act with integrity, even when others treat you unfairly. Remember, their poison cannot stop your purpose.
— Trust that God sees your faithfulness in difficult situations and you will reap a harvest on the seeds you are sowing.
— Resist the temptation to compromise your values for short-term gain. Whatever you compromise to get, you will have to compromise to keep!
— Allow your trials to refine your character rather than embitter you. You can get bitter, or you can get better. Choose the latter.
— Remember that your integrity is a powerful testimony to God’s work in your life.
— David could have killed Saul on several occasions, but he did not. His integrity spoke volumes then, and it still does today.
4. Recognizing God’s Sovereign Protection.
Throughout David’s trials, God’s protective hand was evident. Saul tried and tried to kill David, but God consistently ruined his plans and protected David from his attacks. This divine protection is available to all who place their trust in God.
How this applies to you:
— Trust in God’s ability to protect you from unjust attacks.
— Know if you truly did nothing wrong, and people are attacking you without cause, not only will God protect you, but He will deal with them at just the right time.
— Recognize God’s intervention in situations that could have harmed you and give Him the praise for protecting you.
— Maintain an attitude of gratitude for God’s constant protection.
— Rest in the peace that comes from knowing God is your ultimate defender.
— Share testimonies of God’s protection to encourage others in their faith.
— Enter every day, declaring that God is ON you, IN you, WITH you, and FOR you. Therefore, He is more than the entire world against you!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I trust in Your divine justice, releasing all desire for personal vengeance into Your hands.
I embrace each challenge as an opportunity for growth, knowing You’re shaping me for my divine purpose.
In the face of adversity, I choose integrity, reflecting Your character in all my actions and decisions.
I rest confidently in Your sovereign protection, declaring that no weapon formed against me shall prosper.
Your grace sustains and empowers me through every trial, molding me into the person You’ve called me to be.
Your love guards my heart against bitterness, filling me instead with Your peace that surpasses understanding.
I enter this day knowing that You are ON me, IN me, WITH me, and FOR me. You are more than the entire world against me!
Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!????????????????
