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 28)
In the 28th chapter, the Philistines mustered their armies for another war with Israel. David had been lying to King Achish, telling him that he had been fighting the Israelites when he was actually fighting the enemies of Israel. David’s lies caught up with him when the king said to David, “You and your men will be expected to join me in battle.” David had no other choice. He was out of place, so he would be forced to fight against his own people. David responded, “Very well! Now you will see for yourself what we can do.” The confidence of his words was a disguise for the discomfort or flat-out fear he must have felt. Then Achish told David, “I will make you my personal bodyguard for life.” While the king would have loved for this to happen, David knew he was destined to be the King of Israel, but since he was living a lie, the king expected something different from David.
Meanwhile, Saul was preparing his men for the impending war, but he truly missed Samuel. Whenever Saul (the king) needed to make a major decision, he consulted with Samuel (the Prophet). With Samuel dead, Saul had no way of hearing from God, and even though he was a king, he knew he needed divine insight. Consequently, while Samuel was alive, Saul banned all psychics and mediums from consulting with the spirits of the dead. But since he now needed help, Saul dressed up as an ordinary man, put on a disguise, took two bodyguards, and visited a medium/psychic at Endor.
Saul asked the medium to call up a spirit from the dead for him. The medium made it clear that she could not because King Saul banned it. The king revealed himself to the medium and asked her to communicate with the spirit of the Prophet Samuel. She did, and the spirit asked, “Why have you disturbed me by calling me back?” Saul replied, “Because I am in deep trouble. The Philistines are at war with me, and God has left me and won’t reply to me by prophets or dreams. So I have called for you to tell me what to do.” The spirit said, “Why ask me, since the LORD has left you and has become your enemy? The LORD has done just as he said he would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. The LORD has done this to you today because you refused to carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites. What’s more, the LORD will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me. The LORD will bring down the entire army of Israel in defeat.” That is definitely not what Saul wanted to hear. The king fell flat on the ground, paralyzed with fear, not knowing what he would do. He wanted to know what was going to happen, and he found out — he and his sons were going to die!
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Living a Lie Will Lead to a Life of Compromise, and it Will Catch up with You Eventually.
David had been lying about fighting his own people, so he was placed on the spot to do just that. If you lie long enough, people will expect to see action behind those lies. So, the best thing to do is to tell the truth. That way, you will find it easy to live a life of integrity because you don’t have to try hard to be yourself.
When we choose to live dishonestly, we create a web of deception and eventually get caught in the very same web we created. David’s deception of King Achish put him in an impossible position – being asked to fight against his own people.
How this applies to you:
— Recognize that every lie requires another lie to maintain it.
— Understand that deception always leads to more significant compromises.
— Accept that living authentically may be challenging but is always better than living a lie.
— Remember that your integrity is worth more than temporary comfort or convenience.
— Choose truth, even when difficult, because it keeps you aligned with God’s purpose.
— Understand that as a leader, your deceptions affect not just you but everyone under your authority.
— Remember that leaders set the moral tone for their entire organization.
— Recognize that leadership amplifies the consequences of compromised integrity. If a follower lies, it only impacts them. If a leader compromises, they are putting everyone and everything under their authority at risk.
2. Living Outside Your Purpose Will Cause People to Have Misaligned Expectations of You.
When we operate outside of our divine purpose, we open ourselves up to expectations and demands that don’t align with God’s plan for our lives. David found himself in this predicament when King Achish expected him to serve as a lifelong bodyguard – a role completely disconnected from his destiny as Israel’s future king. When we’re out of position, people will naturally try to fit us into their plans rather than God’s plans. These misaligned expectations create pressure to become someone we were never meant to be and to fulfill roles that could actually delay or derail our destiny.
How this applies to you:
— Recognize that being out of position leads to misaligned expectations from others.
— It’s dangerous to get comfortable in the wrong place. It can cost you your destiny.
— Remember that saying “yes” to the wrong things means saying “no” to the right things.
— Accept that following God’s purpose might mean disappointing people’s expectations of you. But it’s better to be a God-pleaser than a man-pleaser.
— Choose to face the pressure of becoming who God called you to be rather than who others want you to be.
— Realize that when leaders operate outside their purpose, they lead others astray too.
— Acknowledge that misaligned leadership creates confusion throughout the organization.
— Consider how your conduct and character as a leader impact those following you.
3. Divine Counsel is Essential for Godly Leadership.
Kings in the Old Testament knew they were in charge but only made major decisions by consulting Prophets and Priests. Why? Because they understood the importance of divine counsel. If you are a leader today and the Father has graced you to lead many, you must make every effort to seek divine counsel before major decisions. The counsel may come from the scriptures, from God Himself, or from key people the Lord has placed around you. The Father strategically places people around you, many times under your authority, so that you can call upon them to hear from Him. Don’t despise divine counsel, and don’t underestimate the importance it can make in your organization. Hearing from God makes a world of difference!
Saul’s desperation stemmed partly from his inability to receive divine counsel after Samuel’s death. This emphasizes the importance of having godly advisers and maintaining a clear communication channel with God.
How this applies to you:
— Seek godly counsel before making significant decisions.
— Maintain relationships with spiritual mentors who can speak truth into your life.
— Value the counsel of those God has placed in your life for guidance.
— Create space in your life to hear from God regularly.
— Remember that isolation often leads to poor decision-making.
— Accept that great leaders acknowledge their need for divine guidance.
— Understand that spiritual authority requires spiritual accountability.
— Build a network of godly advisors (the people you need in your life) who can speak truth into your leadership.
4. You Will Reap What You Sow.
Saul’s tragic end was a direct result of his previous disobedience. The spiritual law of sowing and reaping cannot be violated. When Saul consulted the medium, he heard what he didn’t want to hear – the consequences of his actions were coming due.
How this applies to you:
— Accept that every action has consequences, whether immediate or delayed.
— Understand that God’s grace doesn’t eliminate the law of sowing and reaping.
— Consider carefully what seeds you’re planting today.
— Take responsibility for the harvest your actions will produce.
— Trust that sowing good seeds will eventually yield a good harvest.
— Recognize that the harvest a leader reaps will affect their entire organization. Conversely, leadership mistakes have multiplied consequences.
— Consider how your leadership decisions today will impact those God has graced you to lead.
5. The Spiritual Realm is Real, but God’s Power Is Greater.
The reality of the spiritual realm cannot be ignored. While God strictly forbids His people from engaging with mediums and psychics, their existence and ability to tap into dark spiritual forces is acknowledged in scripture. The medium at Endor demonstrated this reality.
As believers, we can access something far greater than any dark spiritual force – the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with God’s Spirit, we have access to power that makes any other spiritual force pale in comparison. The Bible says, “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
How this applies to you:
— Acknowledge the reality of the spiritual realm but stay exclusively aligned with God’s Kingdom.
— Remember that having the Holy Spirit gives you access to divine wisdom and unlimited power.
— Recognize that God’s power is superior to any dark spiritual force or practice.
— Stay vigilant against spiritual deception and occult practices, knowing they are real but powerless against God.
— Trust in God’s guidance rather than seeking answers from forbidden sources.
— Exercise your spiritual authority through Christ Jesus with boldness.
— Stand firm in the knowledge that God’s authority is absolute and final.
— Know that leaders are primary targets for spiritual warfare.
— Rest assured that when you are walking with God, nothing in the spirit realm can successfully come against you.
— Enter each day declaring, “No devil, demon, or demonic force has any power over me. No hex, vex, sorcery, or spell can touch me!“
— Understand that spiritual authority comes with spiritual responsibility.
— Remember that your spiritual alignment affects those under your authority.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I choose to walk in complete truth and reject every form of deception, darkness, and evil.
I align myself with Your divine purpose and resist all misaligned expectations.
I declare that I will seek Your counsel first in every significant decision of my life.
I acknowledge that I will reap what I sow and choose to sow good seeds daily.
I walk in the full authority of Your Kingdom, knowing no dark or demonic force can stop me.
I rely completely on Your Holy Spirit for guidance, wisdom, direction, and protection.
I declare that greater is He that is in me than any force that could come against me.
My God is FOR me, and He is more than the entire world against me.
I walk with You, and You walk with me. Therefore, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it, and prosper!
