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 30:20-26)
Yesterday, we saw how the Lord blessed David and 400 of his men to fight the enemy and recover ALL. I need to highlight something I don’t want to overlook. 200 of David’s 600 men were exhausted by the time they made it to the Besor brook, and they had to stay behind. The 400 continued to pursue the Amalekites for some time, and by the time they found the enemy’s camp, it was safe to assume that they were also tired. Furthermore, they found the enemy’s camp in the evening, so it is safe to assume they had been in pursuit all day. Also, remember that they had spent six days on the road before even finding Ziklag burned down. So, they were seven full days into their journey by the time they found the enemy, and they arrived there at night. And then, without any rest, David and his men rushed into the enemy’s camp and fought them all night and the entire next day until evening. So, they fought for 24 hours, but they had probably been awake for at least 36 hours and on the road for a week. I point this out to further emphasize the power of God’s grace.
There is no doubt in my mind that God’s grace was on David and his men for the victory. Not because they deserved it (because we know by now that they should have never been living with the Philistines in the first place), not because they were so righteous (because David had made his fair share of mistakes), but simply because God is so good. God was blessing David and keeping him for his purpose, even though he was not perfect.
Not only did David and his men recover everything the enemy had taken — the Bible says, “Nothing was missing: small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been taken. David brought everything back,” — but they also came back with overflowing plunder. In other words, they returned with their stuff and all the stuff of the Amalekites.
As they journeyed back, David’s 400 men met up with the 200 who had been left behind. David greeted the men joyfully, but some of his men were not so happy to see them. Some men from within the 400 said, “They didn’t go with us, so they can’t have any of the plunder we recovered. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone.” Now, consider that these 200 men had been with the other 400 through thick and thin. They had fought, laughed, cried, and enjoyed victories together, but because of this one time when they were too tired to go on, some of David’s men were ready to let them go. Thankfully, David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the LORD has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us… We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.” From then on, David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, which is still followed today.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Grace Empowers You Beyond Human Limits.
We all get tired, and many of us don’t get sufficient rest. But when faced with something the Lord is leading you to do, the Father can give you supernatural power that can manifest in physical strength. When God’s grace is flowing in your life, you can accomplish things that far exceed human capacity. David and his men fought for 24 hours straight after being awake for 36 hours and traveling for a week. This wasn’t human strength – it was supernatural empowerment through grace. God’s grace doesn’t just forgive you; it empowers you to do what you could never do without Him.
How this applies to you:
— Ask God for supernatural strength when facing seemingly impossible tasks.
— Remember that with God’s grace, you are not limited by human capacity.
— Trust that God’s power is made perfect in your weakness.
— Expect to accomplish more than you could in your own strength.
— Recognize the difference between striving in your power and flowing in His grace.
— When you are flowing in God’s grace, you tap into His power so you can make the most of each day.
— There is one aspect of God’s grace where you do nothing, and God does everything. But there is another aspect of God’s grace that empowers you to do all things!
— When you are flowing in God’s grace, you will get more done, and it won’t be you doing it.
2. Recipients of Grace Must Become Channels of Grace.
When grace comes TO you, the proper response is to allow it to flow THROUGH you. When you truly understand how much grace God has extended to you, you naturally become an extender of grace to others. Some of David’s men wanted to completely cut off their brothers – men who had fought countless battles with them – just because they couldn’t participate in one fight. They were ready to dismiss years of brotherhood over one moment of human limitation. But David, having received God’s grace repeatedly, refused to be so harsh and instead extended grace to the exhausted men who couldn’t continue. This reveals a profound truth: your treatment of others should reflect how God has treated you.
How this applies to you:
— Let God’s grace flow THROUGH you TO others.
— Remember God’s patience with you when dealing with others’ failures.
— Choose to extend grace even when others don’t “deserve” it.
— Make grace your default response to others’ shortcomings.
— See yourself as a conduit of God’s grace, not just a recipient.
— As a Godly leader, learn to be gracious towards those you lead.
3. Grace Transforms Social Dynamics.
Grace changes how we interact with others. While some of David’s men wanted to exclude those who stayed behind, grace led to inclusion and unity. As you grow in understanding God’s grace, your social interactions and relationships will be transformed.
How this applies to you:
— The more you learn about God’s grace and attempt to live #TheGraceLife, the more God’s grace will impact every area of your life.
— Allow grace to influence how you treat everyone, not just those who “earn” it.
— Let grace guide your leadership decisions and team dynamics.
— Build unity through grace rather than division through judgment.
— View relationships through the lens of grace rather than performance.
— Create an atmosphere of grace in your sphere of influence.
4. Grace Produces More Than Restoration.
The power of God’s grace doesn’t just restore what was lost – it produces abundance. David and his men didn’t just recover their possessions; they gained additional plunder. When God restores something in your life by His grace, He often adds more to it than what was originally lost.
How this applies to you:
— Get this in your head: the Father wants to bless you because He is good, not because you have earned it. That’s GRACE!
— Expect God to do more than just fix what was broken.
— Trust that God’s restoration comes with additional blessings.
— Know that loss is often the setup for supernatural increase.
— Believe God for overflow, not just recovery.
— Stand in faith for God’s “exceeding abundantly above” provision.
5. God’s Grace Will Lead You to Establish New Standards.
David turned this moment of extending grace into a lasting statute for Israel. What started as a one-time decision to share the spoils equally between those who fought and those who stayed with the supplies became a permanent law in Israel. David established that those who stay behind to guard the supplies would share equally in the spoils with those who go to battle. This was revolutionary for its time. Most armies only rewarded those who fought, but David institutionalized grace. He created a new system that valued both the front-line warriors and the support personnel equally. This standard recognized that victory requires both those who fight and those who support, and that grace-based leadership acknowledges and rewards both.
How this applies to you:
— When you operate in grace, you establish new precedents and standards that can impact generations. — Grace doesn’t just change individual moments; it transforms cultures and systems. It changes the trajectory of bloodlines.
— This one grace-based decision changed how the entire nation of Israel would handle the distribution of spoils of war from that day forward.
— Look for opportunities to establish grace-based practices in your sphere of influence.
— Create systems and policies that reflect God’s grace.
— Be willing to challenge status quo thinking that opposes grace.
— Think generationally about the impact of grace-based decisions.
— Champion grace as the new standard in your environment.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, Your supernatural grace empowers me beyond my natural limitations.
I thank You that Your grace produces more than mere restoration in my life. You give me restoration and You provide restitution as well!
I receive Your grace freely and extend it readily to others.
Your grace transforms how I see and treat every person in my life.
I establish new standards of grace wherever You place me.
As a leader, I normalize grace in the environment I oversee.
I create atmospheres of grace that transform relationships and systems.
I am a catalyst for Your grace-revolution in my generation.
GREATER IS COMING FOR ME as I live as a conduit of Your grace in this world.
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it, and prosper!
