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.
Scriptures we have been looking at all year:
(Proverbs 4:25 TPT)
Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions.
(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.
Focus for today:
Setting the Stage. (From 1 Samuel 24:16-22)
After David confronted Saul, making it clear that he had caught the king with his pants down (literally) and that he could have easily killed him in the cave, David made two things clear to Saul. First, David told Saul that the Lord Himself would judge between the two men and see to it that each of them received what they had coming. Second, David was confident in the Lord Almighty, and he was convinced that every one of Saul’s attacks would fail. Saul had thousands of men, but David had the protection of the Almighty God.
When David had finished speaking, Saul was convicted. To this point, Saul had somehow convinced himself that he was right and David was wrong. I believe deep down inside, Saul knew it was not true. I am sure he knew he was outside of the will of God. But as people often do when they are in error, he did an excellent job of convincing himself otherwise until this incident brought his error to the forefront of his mind and heart. Saul said, “Is that really you, my son David?” By calling him “son,” he acknowledged that David had not really done anything wrong to him, and as he thought of David as his daughter’s husband and his son’s best friend, Saul began to cry. The king was crying in front of his 3,000 elite Soldiers, and in tears, he said to David, “You are a better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil. Yes, you have been amazingly kind to me today, for when the LORD put me in a place where you could have killed me, you didn’t do it. Who else would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the LORD reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today. And now I realize that you are surely going to be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will flourish under your rule.”
Saul broke down and acknowledged that David was the better man, finally accepting that David would be his successor as King of Israel. Any illusions Saul had of Jonathan taking over fled his mind as he realized that the Lord’s hand was on David to rule the nation. With that understanding, Saul asked, “Now swear to me by the LORD that when that happens you will not kill my family and destroy my line of descendants!” David promised this to Saul with an oath. Then Saul went home, but David and his men returned to the cave.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Sooner or later, your enemies will wind up acknowledging the favor of God on your life.
Even though Saul had been trying to kill David for a long time (years), he finally had to acknowledge that God was with David and that there was nothing he could do to stop him. I have personally experienced this. I have had people rise up against me, without me doing anything to them, only to later acknowledge that I had not done anything wrong and that they were the ones in error. These same people also reluctantly acknowledge that I am a blessed man. They may not even know God, but they recognize the fact that there is something/someone greater than me operating in my life, opening doors that no man can close. If this has not happened to you yet, keep pursuing your purpose, and it will.
How this applies to you:
— You may face challenges because God never promised it would be easy. However, divine favor ultimately prevails.
— Trust in God’s timing for vindication and recognition.
— Remain steadfast in your faith, even when facing opposition. If you are doing what God told you to do, stopping you would mean stopping God, and God cannot be stopped!
— Let your actions speak louder than your words in demonstrating God’s favor.
— Be prepared for God to use unlikely sources to confirm His calling on your life.
— Understand that your perseverance can lead to powerful testimonies of God’s faithfulness.
— Paul said, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (Gal 6:9 NLT). In other words, the only way you can lose is if you quit!
2. God’s ‘Yes’ Trumps Man’s ‘No.’
When God ordains a path for your life, no human opposition can ultimately prevail against it. Saul, despite his royal authority and military might, was powerless to stop God’s plan for David. This truth holds tremendous encouragement for believers today. It reminds us that our success is not determined by human approval or earthly circumstances but by our alignment with God’s will. However, it’s crucial to understand that our cooperation with God’s plan is essential. While external forces cannot derail God’s purpose, our own choices can hinder or facilitate its fulfillment.
How this applies to you:
— No one can put a final “NO” where God can put a final “YES” in your life. No one except you, that is.
— When you fail to cooperate with God, you make it hard for Him to operate in your life, but when you are submitted to His will and pursue His purpose, no man can stop what the Lord starts in your life. No one!
— Saul was a king, and he could not stop David. The same will hold true for you. Your boss cannot stop what God started in your life!
— Align your goals, ambitions, and actions with God’s revealed will for your life.
— Stand firm in faith when facing obstacles that seem impossible.
— Recognize that human opposition often serves to test your faith.
— Seek God’s guidance in discerning the difference between closed doors and temporary setbacks.
— Remember that your greatest limitation is often your own lack of faith, not external circumstances.
— If God said it, since He cannot lie, it SHALL come to pass!
3. Refuse to violate the commandment to walk in LOVE.
Even though Saul repeatedly attempted to kill David, and even though he had made David’s life miserable, when Saul asked David to show kindness to him and his family, David obliged and took an oath to do so. David did not hold a grudge. David did not allow Saul’s actions to cause a callousness to develop over his heart. David resisted bitterness and unforgiveness. David operated in LOVE, and if you want to experience God’s best, you must, at all costs, maintain the commandment of LOVE. Once you are out of LOVE, then you are clearly outside of God’s will. But you may say, “Hold on Rick. You don’t know what they did to me!” I will respond, “God’s LOVE is one-sided, so it does not matter what they did or failed to do. The Father expects you to walk in LOVE every day of your life. LOVE opens the door to His best.”
How this applies to you:
— David’s response to Saul showcases the power of God’s love. Despite enduring years of unjust persecution, David chose to show kindness and make a covenant of peace with Saul.
— God’s love is not based on the worthiness of its recipient but on the character of the one giving it. It mirrors God’s unconditional love for us.
— Cultivate a heart that responds to hostility with kindness. A soft answer turns away wrath (Prov 15:1).
— In one sense, we must recognize that love is a choice, not merely an emotion. In another sense, we can also recognize that love is a person. God is love! So, to walk with God, we must walk in love.
— Walking in love positions you to experience God’s best.
— Allow God’s love to heal your heart from past hurts and resentments.
— View difficult relationships as opportunities to demonstrate Christ-like love.
4. God will even make your enemies confirm His promises to you!
Saul had been trying to kill David for years, but in today’s passage, Saul had to acknowledge the fact that God’s hand was on David and that David would ultimately take his place as the King of Israel. Saul was crying when he confirmed what God was doing in David’s life. This moment reminds us that God’s words never return void; what He has decreed will come to pass. Despite years of adversity and seeming setbacks, David never lost sight of God’s promise. This steadfast faith was vindicated and validated, not just through supernatural intervention, but through the very words of his persecutor.
How this applies to you:
— Hold fast to God’s promises, even when circumstances seem contrary.
— The very essence of faith is believing something God said to you (on the inside) whenever everything you see and hear (on the outside) is contrary to it. This is the essence of “walking by faith and not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7).
— Faith believes what God revealed in the unseen without any sense-realm evidence to support it.
— Understand that delays are not denials when it comes to God’s plan. No matter how long it takes, if God said it, it must come to pass.
— Not only will God provide you with words of confirmation, but sometimes, these confirmations will come from the most unexpected places.
— We serve a God who will make your enemies your footstool. They will acknowledge, sometimes in tears (as with Saul), that God’s hand is on you and that what you expect SHALL come to pass.
— If you hold on long enough, you will see what God said come to pass.
— Living by faith boils down to expecting every promise from God to come to pass WHILE you are in the Land of the Living!
— Say this, “I believe I will live long enough to see what God said to come to pass!“
— Even though it was hard, and even though it would take many more years (from the date of our passage today), David ultimately became the King of Judah and later the King of Israel, just like God said. What happened for David will happen for you!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I declare that Your favor will shine through me, even in the face of opposition.
I stand firm, knowing that Your ‘Yes’ for my life cannot be overturned by any human ‘No’.
I choose to walk in love, even towards those who wrong me, aligning myself with Your perfect will.
I trust that You will make even my enemies acknowledge Your hand upon my life.
Your promises are unshakeable, and I cling to them regardless of my current circumstances.
I have faith in Your perfect timing for the fulfillment of every word You’ve spoken over me.
I embrace the refining process of opposition, knowing it prepares me for Your greater purpose.
The power of Your love transforms me, healing and restoring every area of my life.
My journey is a testament to Your faithfulness, and I walk confidently on the path You’ve set before me.
I declare that as I align with Your will, GREATER IS COMING for me in every aspect of my life.
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it, and prosper!
