Weekly Devotion

After reading a daily devotion by Joseph Prince God placed the prodigal son on my heart. Imagine the prodigal son lived today and you see him there in the pigsty, filthy, full of mud, hungry and totally depleted. You feel so sorry for him. You, as a well-meaning Christian go over and help him. You give him food to eat; you negotiate with the owner of the pigsty to give him a wage and to look better after him. You feel so good about yourself that you helped him. You uplifted his situation somewhat. Even though he is still in the pigsty, he is at least fed.

Now do you really think you helped him? The thing is you didn't really. You simply gave him a reason to stay in the pigsty, you made it a little bit more comfortable, just enough to keep him there. It is still a terrible place to be in, but now he is not at that point that he will go back home to his father's house. He will get comfortable in the pigsty and simply stay there, far away from God's best for him. If you had left him, he would have come to the end of himself and gone back to his father's house, back to where he truly belongs. His father wants to give him a ring on his finger, a robe, shoes to wear, a position in his house. And if he went there, he would be much better off than staying in the pigsty.

God then spoke to me and said that that is what He is doing in the world today during this coronavirus time. He is not intervening, but allowing us to stay a bit longer in the pigsty so that we can come to the end of ourselves. He wants us to come to a point where we realize that we cannot fix this, we cannot go on, and that we then turn to Him. He wants us to come to our Father's house, He wants to clothe us and give us a position in His Kingdom. He wants us to grow and become the person that He destined us to be. He wants us to be finished with the things of this world and to grow into the true spiritual beings that we are. For:

"Cursed is the man who trusts in man." Jeremiah 17:5

We cannot continue to trust that the government, our boss, our superiors will help us and look after us. They won't. Only God will.

So do not get tired of praying, do not think that God has forgotten us and that He will not help us. He is waiting for the right moment. He so loves the world and wants the best for us. He didn't send the virus, He didn't cause it, remember the prodigal son left home all on his own. But God is now waiting for us to come to the end of ourselves in the pigsty. If He intervenes too soon, He will do us an injustice. He doesn't want to leave us in the pigsty any longer. He wants to clothe us in white and wants us alongside Him, looking forward to a better future.

Now, even though I am saying that we need to wait a while before God intervenes, He will help us during this situation on an individual basis.

"Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7, 8

In other words, if we trust in God, we will still bear fruit and still have green leaves even though we are in the drought with the rest of the world. He will look after us when we draw on the fresh water of His Word and His Spirit. We needn't fear or be worried; He is with us in a mighty awesome way.

The point is, God wants us to be finished with the pigsty. He wants us to be finished with the mud. He doesn't want us to wallow in it any longer. He wants us free, to be the created beings we were destined to be. He has good plans for us, a future and a hope and all of it is in His Father's house. Jesus died to open up the way for us. We simply need to enter in. Therefore get up out of the mud and run to Him. He will welcome you with open arms. Trust fully in Him and be like a tree by the river, full of green leaves and fruit! The time is now. The sooner the better. This world has nothing to offer us. Our riches and glory is in Him!!

Thank you Jesus for opening up the way for us so that we needn't wallow in the mud any longer. Thank you that we can go to our Father's house and be filled with His love and life! We trust in You alone. You are our God and King. We surrender and give over. Amen

God gave me '100 days' in my spirit. And when I counted 100 days from 26 March when the lockdown started in South Africa I came to the 4^th of July, which is Independence Day in the US. Now it doesn't matter where in the world you are, we all know that 4^th of July is symbolic of independence. And that was so profound for me. God is molding us in this time, He wants us to conform to be more and more like Him during this time. He wants us to be who we are in the Spirit, because that person will live on forever and have a specific purpose in the life to come. But He wants us to grow into that person now already, because then we can have a profound impact on this world! He wants us to use this 100 days to become more and more the person that He wants us to be, a person of light, love, charity, hope, courage, joy, mercy, grace and compassion. He wants us to use this time wisely, so that at the end of the 100 days, we would have grown significantly in Him, independent from this world, and more intertwined in the spiritual world.

He gave me the following text verses for this time:

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like deer and the tongue of the dumb sing." Isaiah 35:5, 6

This verse was meant to be taken literally by the Jews, because all of this will be signs that the Messiah has come. Jesus indeed gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, He raised the lame to walk again and He opened the mouths of the dumb. He was wonderful and healed all who came to Him.

And today God gives these verses to us to be used on a spiritual level.

God wants to open the eyes of the people spiritually. He wants people to see who they are in the spirit. He wants them all to grow in their spirit man, because He knows once they do, they will be unstoppable in the natural. They will have a profound impact on this world. He also want them to look at the world differently, to see the world as He sees it, to look beyond the negative, but into the spiritual and what He is doing at the moment in the world.

God wants people's spiritual ears to be opened. People are normally so busy, rushed and under a lot of pressure, that they don't hear His still voice calling out to them. He wants people to be still and to know that He is God. He wants to talk to them, to direct their lives and to give them guidance on the pathway ahead. They simply need to stop running and hear what He wants to say to them.

He wants those that have been 'lame' in the spirit to rise up and do what He has called them to do. He wants those who were reluctant to give or to do the right thing, to stand up and be counted. He wants them to be His hands and feet. He wants them reaching out to others and to give them hope.

Then God also wants our mouths. He wants our mouths to glorify Him, to exalt Him on high. He doesn't want our mouths to spread negativity. Rather He wants us to encourage others with our mouths and to shout praises to His Name, as He knows that praise and worship is a very power tool in the hands of a believer.

I encourage you to allow the Lord to work in your life, to open your spiritual eyes, to hear what He wants to tell you, to then do what He wants you to do and to praise Him all the way, exalting Him and encouraging others in the process.

Then this following word will come true in your life, it is a promise from Above:

"The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad. And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing." Isaiah 35:1, 2

In other words, those areas in your life that was a wilderness and wasteland or your future that might look like one, will no longer be. The desert will start to blossom like a rose and in your rejoicing and praising of God, you will have in abundance. All glory on High!!

God is always with us, He never left us nor forsook us, He is here. Allow Him to do His perfect work in you. He wants to. He wants to lead you by the still waters; He wants to anoint your head with oil until it overflows. Allow Him to. He has a future and a hope for you. Hold on to that. Grow with Him and give Him free reign to change in your life what He wants to change. It will not be a pleasant process and it might hurt, but oh boy, the benefits that will come will be glorious and you will be so glad. A diamond is only formed out of hard ship. Your time to shine will come, it is near, keep on keeping on. He is with you!

Father thank you so much for this wonderful word. Have your way in my life; mold me to become who You created me to be. I want to, I give over. Help me to see spiritually, help me to hear clearly, help me to do what You want me to do and help me to speak only Your truth and Word! I glorify You and praise Your Name. Amen

Last week we saw that we shouldn't fight against the plans of God. It doesn't help as it only frustrates us and make our lives miserable. We should rather take hands with God and walk this pathway with Him leading the way. Then whatever comes our way, we can be assured that He is with us every step of the way.

Now whilst David was still living in Philistine, the Philistines gathered together to go to war against Israel. They gathered together and encamped at Shunem. Saul was terrified when he saw the army of the Philistines. He desperately wanted confirmation from the Lord that all will be fine:

"And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets." 1 Samuel 28:6

So when Saul couldn't hear the voice of the Lord he became even more desperate and sought the guidance of a spiritual medium. They told him of a woman at Endor. He immediately went there. What made this quite ironic is that Saul had banished all mediums and spiritists out of the country, and here in his moment of need, he turned to one.

Now he came in disguise to the woman and didn't reveal his identity. He asked her to call up Samuel for him. And the moment she did, she knew he was Saul. After putting her at ease, he spoke to Samuel. Samuel confirmed his worst fear. His end has come. The whole of Israel, the King and his sons would be delivered into the hands of the Philistines the very next day. Saul's end has come. Samuel told him that he would be with him the very next day.

Saul was paralyzed with fear and fell down on the ground and refused to eat. After some persuasion, they convinced him to get up and to eat and to 'face the music'. It was a very dark day for Saul indeed.

I have also witnessed, experienced and seen Christians getting desperate when they feel that they don't hear from God. I know of Christians going from 'prophet to prophet', to hear what God is saying about their future. I know of Christians who read the star signs every day to determine what is going to happen in their near future. I know of Christians believing in the star sign they were born under and building their whole lives around the 'personality type' that they are according to their star sign. It is absolute nonsense and God is not pleased. He wants us to hear directly from Him. That is why Jesus came. He came so that He could release us from the power of sin and impart unto us righteousness so that His Holy Spirit can come and live inside of us. And because He is living on the inside of us, we can personally hear His voice. We can know what He wants us to do.

But one thing that I have learned through the years is that God doesn't necessarily show us exactly where He is leading us. He isn't going to reveal His exact plan and detail all at once. Step by step He will guide us on the way. Unfortunately we as humans don't like that. We want to know months and years ahead and therefore we resort to going to our modern day 'mediums and spiritists'. But look at what happened to Saul. God doesn't honor that. He wants us close to Him, walking this pathway with Him. He wants to guide us step by step. We should learn to take His hand and to walk this pathway and not run ahead of His perfect timing as we are used to in this rushed world, especially now during this COVID-19 epidemic. We want to know when all this will end, we want to know when we can go on with our lives. We want to desperately see into the future, but we can't. Fortunately we know the ONE who does. All we need to do is to trust in Him one day at a time and not fear. He is in control of our lives. We must just surrender to Him and allow Him to do His perfect work in us.

God knows best, we can trust Him and His timing. There is no need to run to all sorts of other people or signs. God will provide all we need to know for the present moment. And that should be enough for us. He knows it will not be good for us to know the future. We simply need to take one step at a time, hand in hand with Him. He will lead us unto the right paths. All glory to Him on high!

Dearest Father, I am so sorry that I get so impatient at times, wanting to know my future and to where You are leading me. I want Your Spirit to consume me to such an extent that Your patience will overwhelm me, that I can be content waiting for Your gentle leading hand to guide me. Thank you Jesus for making it possible to hear Your voice loud and clear. Amen

Last week we saw how Abigail saved all the men in their household from certain death, because she was prepared to humble herself and to give what she had to David and his men. She was a peacemaker in a dire situation. She allowed God to use her in a mighty way. In the end her actions was rewarded. She saved their household and became the wife of David.

David was however still in hiding. He was in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul heard about this. Apparently he totally forgot about the previous time that David saved his life. He was back in full force, with three thousand men to kill David and his men. David sent spies and they confirmed that Saul was encamped close to them. David went himself and saw Saul and his commander Abner, lying asleep within the camp. He and Abishai crept closer. Saul's spear was stuck in the ground by his head and everyone was sleeping. Abishai immediately said that they should kill him. But once again David prevented him:

"Do not destroy him: for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him." 1 Samuel 26:9, 10

David was honorable once again. He trusted God without any doubt. He didn't hurt Saul, but he took his spear and the jug of water by Saul's head. God helped them during this process as the Bible tells us that God had made them all fall into a deep sleep. When David was far enough away he called out to the people sleeping. Saul immediately recognized the voice of David and repented once again when he realized that David could have killed him again and yet he saved the life of King Saul. Saul again realized that the mighty hand of God was upon David.

Saul stopped chasing David for that moment, but David knew that it wouldn't last long before he chased him again. And he was right. So David fled to the land of the Philistines as he knew that Saul won't come to look for him there.

Saul didn't learn his lesson. He has experienced time and time again that God was with David, he even spoke about it how he saw that God was with David. And yet he didn't give up pursuing David, trying to kill him. Saul was in fact fighting against the will of God and of course he never succeeded. And in the process he made his own life miserable. He could have been home in luxury as king and here he was running after David from the one wilderness to the next. It was not the most comfortable of places, evn if you were king. And yet he did it to himself.

We might also be fighting against the will of God in our lives. And in the process we might be in the wilderness where things are not as comfortable. It is solely our choice to be there. We could have been 'most comfortable at home', but because we chose to fight against God's plan for our lives we are struggling. It made me think of Jonah again. He also fought against the will of God. He didn't want to go to Nineveh, so he travelled in exactly the opposite direction. And we all know how that turned out for him.

Rather learn from Saul. Learn that it doesn't help to fight against what God want for you. I believe a lot of suffering in the world is because people are rebelling against what they know God wants them to do. They ignore Him instead and rather follow the fleeting pleasures of sin. And before they know it heartache and pain have knocked at the door.

Do not be like that. Do what you find before you to the best of your ability and then as the cross roads come, place it before God and allow Him to lead you. He will, He wants to, you are His special child. Do not fight Him, but rather walk with Him. It is a very special road.

Father thank you that we can know that Your plan for our lives are the best. We don't always understand and we don't always know why it would be the best for us, but You see the bigger picture. You see way into our future and will provide for us. We love You. Amen

Last week we saw how Nabal immediately jumped to conclusions about David without having all the facts. He judged David, without even listening to his own shepherds testifying of David. He judged him and refused to give even a crumb to him. We learned that we should be different and rather gather all facts and allow God to be the Judge. He and He alone knows best. And to share with others from all the prosperity that we have.

Now Nabal's reaction made David very angry. He immediately called four hundred of his forces together and advanced towards Nabal and his household. He was ready to kill all the males in Nabal's household. One of the young men of Nabal's household ran to Nabal's wife, Abigail and told her what had happened. She immediately reacted and prepared two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep, one hundred clusters of raisins, two hundred cakes of figs and roasted grain and sent it to David. She also went after the supplies to personally meet with David. She apologized profusely for her husband's bad behavior. She had the correct facts about David and praised him as the future ruler of the land. David relented from going on and killing all the men in Nabal's household:

"For indeed, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you have hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!" So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, "Go in peace to your house. See I have heeded your voice and respected your person." 1 Samuel 25:34, 35

David relented because one woman was brave enough to humble herself and to give freely of what she had. And what is wonderful to me yet again, is that David glorified God as the One keeping him from hurting them. He looked past Abigail and saw God working through her.

God wants to work through us too. Jesus is our Mediator; He is the One mediating on our behalf in the Throne room. And we are part of His body, therefore to mediate between men is part of our heritage. We are to shine God's light and bring peace to potentially explosive situations. God's Spirit will flow mightily through us and give us the wisdom on how to act in certain situations. We simply need to be willing to be used. You might literally save lives by your actions.

But having said that, there are moments where the tempers have flared too much, and in the heat of the moment it might not be the wisest thing to intervene. That is why I am saying that you must go where, how and when the Spirit leads you.

Abigail definitely moved with the Spirit. She did what she could to alleviate the situation and left the judgment of her husband to God. The very next day the Bible tells us:

"….Nabal's heart died within him, and he became like a stone. Then it happened, after about ten days that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died." 1 Samuel 25:37,38

God will intervene on our behalf. We must just do what He places on our hearts and then leave the rest to Him. He knows best and knows what timing will work.

Plus God looked after His daughter that acted so wisely. The moment David heard that Nabal had died, he sent for Abigail and made her his wife. And today He will look after us too, we needn't fear.

Father, please give us the wisdom to know when to intervene in a situation and when to leave it. Help us and lead us onto Your pathway for our lives. We want to be obedient in all things. And thank you very much that You are looking after us, and that You will be the Judge on our behalf. We rest in You. Amen

Last time we saw how courageous David truly was. When his men urged him to get even with Saul and to kill him, he refused. He knew better than to touch the anointed of God. He made the wise choice to rather leave it in the hands of our Almighty God!

David however still lived in exile. Even though he refused to kill Saul, Saul was still not on friendly terms with David. So David went to live in the wilderness of Paran. Now there also lived a man close by named Nabal. He was wealthy and during that time that David lived close to him, he and his men protected the flocks of Nabal. David never stole anything from him; in fact he was like a wall of protection around Nabal's flock.

As it happened one day David sent 10 of his men to Nabal to ask if he would give them anything for the Jewish feast at hand. David told the men to be kind and to bless the house of Nabal and to just ask for whatever he found in his heart to give. But Nabal wasn't very kind in return:

"Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?" 1 Samuel 25:10, 11

Nabal jumped to conclusions without having all the facts. He immediately assumed the worst of David without even knowing all the circumstances. He didn't even ask his shepherds if it was true that David helped them. He didn't care, he had his own opinion. And then he also was stingy and didn't want to give with a willing heart. He didn't want to share his prosperity with anyone.

Isn't it sad? Next week we will see that it didn't work out too well for Nabal in the end. God dealt with the hardness of his heart.

But are we not the same sometimes? We often jump to conclusions and form a picture in our minds concerning someone without knowing all the facts. We often judge based on one side of the story that we heard. We often times label someone just like Nabal did here. We often do not make the effort to actually hear the full story. Especially if the wrong doing involves people close to us, we must truly make an effort to hear the full story and not just jump to conclusions.

A story always has two sides that we need to hear. Always. And even then, who are we to judge? We are just the clay in the very capable hands of the Potter. Who are we to cast a sentence? Why not leave it rather to the Judge of the Universe? He alone is the One who knows the whole story, the One who knows the past, no one else truly knows. And if our judicial system is necessary in certain instances, then it is fine, but leave the judgment out of your heart. The only one you are truly hurting is yourself.

And then when God prods you to give to that party, then give, give with a willing heart. Whether it is forgiveness that you need to give or whether it is a blanket or food. Whatever the Lord places on your heart. He loves a cheerful giver and will bless you in abundance for it!

Father, please help us to stay neutral and to see certain circumstances from Your perspective. We need Your perspective on things. You and You alone are the true Judge. We are so sorry that we assume that role so many times. Lead us unto Your pathway and prompt us to give where we should. We will always follow You. Amen

I came to give you life and life in abundance. I came to set you free. In Me is everything you will ever need. You don't need anything more. I am standing with all the supply in My hands. I want to give it all to you, you must just take it. Unfortunately your arms are full of earthly thing. You are holding on tightly to so many things. Your health, your children, your career, your success, your dreams, your disappointments, your relationships, your possessions, your looks, your intellect and so I can go on. Lay it all down at the cross. For you are heavy laden. Give over to Me. Lay it at My feet. I will pick it up, and mold it into the diamond that it could be for you.

I have so many plans for you, plans for good, to provide you with a future and a hope. Make time for Me so that you can hear these plans. Open up your schedule to hear My voice calling out to you. Allow My voice to internalize and to lead you unto new paths, higher roads, leading to My Shalom in your life. I know what is best for you. I know what would work best. Surrender all and walk in My footsteps. Therein lies true success. Earthly acclaim might last for a moment, but My success will last for all eternity. Your destiny is so much more than this life. It is much higher than your brain can fathom. Therefore you need to trust Me, you need to have faith in Me. Faith is what pleases Me.

I died so that you can have access to this calling on your life. I died so that you can come into the Presence of Holiness and not disintegrate. I died so that you can share in Our eternal life. I died to open the door for you. I am the ladder between Heaven and earth. I am the connection, the only way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. So the invitation is there, come. Even if you have accepted Me as your Savior, I want you to make Me the Lord over your life. I want you to live on top of the ladder with a heavenly perspective. I want you to see the way I see. I want you to look at your life with Heavens' eyes. Then life will make sense. You will see clearly the road to take and you will know which way to go. Your stress levels will be much less as you will be in good Hands.

Celebrate a new outlook in life this Easter. Live with your heavenly destiny in mind, knowing that My pathway during this earthly life is a training ground for what lies ahead. I will never leave you, nor forsake you. I will train you to be the best you can be. And when you are fully walking in My ways, following Me, doing your best, you will be amazed by what lies ahead. You will be pleasantly surprised, rejoicing that there will be more for all eternity to come. Allow this knowing to wash over your soul and to anoint you to walk in the fullness of who you are in Me. My anointed bride, My loved one, a royal citizen of heaven and a son of God. What more can you possibly want? Give over, surrender. You will love the life that I am planning for you.

The following message comes from the prophetic group that I am part of in Midrand South Africa. May it bless you all:

I AM that I AM. I am filled with love, life, hope, health, provision, goodness and grace. I overflow with it all; so much is available to you. Like a waterfall, you simply need to come and stand under it. Cling to faith and all you know to be true. Come and be drenched with all that I want to give to you. You are allowed to come, because your King-Priest, Jesus Christ, the Son of God opened up the way for you. He is the first and the last, the Living One. He was dead, but He is alive forevermore, with the keys to death safely in His hands. He understands humanity, for as a Man He was tempted just as you are, yet He didn't sin. He opened the way so that you can receive mercy's kiss and discover the grace that you urgently need to strengthen you in this time of weakness.

During this corona epidemic you might feel as if you are down in a very, very dark pit. But I am lifting you out of it, slowly but surely into My loving arms. It will be light all around you, because I am there. And in My light, you will see light. Think about it and you will know that this is true. And in this light you will see the answers, the solutions, the way forward. Remember that in effect nothing has changed. You are a spiritual being and in the Spirit I am still the same, yesterday, today and forever. I am the Rock you can believe in.

This resting period, lockdown, is a good time to reflect and refine. To live a life filled with gratitude, contentment, humility and love for your neighbor. This physical resting is also much needed by My children; therefore I ordained it to be so. During this time and time ahead you need to spend time with Me and not just talk ABOUT Me, but WITH Me. This is a holy time, take off your sandals in the Spirit and spend time in My Holy Place. This time is symbolic of a new birth. In the Spirit many things are happening, many miracles are manifesting. Your defining moment is here. I know that you are where you need to be for such a time as this. Place your trust in Me.

After this physical resting period, I want you to continue with an attitude of rest in Me, knowing that I am in control of your life. Everything might feel upside down in the world, but I am your Commander, I am in charge of heavenly armies, in charge of your life. Therefore surely there is a future and a hope, with Me there always is! I will walk in front and pave the way. Do not fear. Do not be discouraged. Barren fields will turn into lilies; empty pits will overflow with fresh spring water. Rejoice. Do not be sad. I am mightily with you. Just stay with Me, walk with Me, and do not run on the merry-go-round of worldly fear. My grace is not there. Stay close, under My wings, trust in Me, I say it again, trust in Me. Enjoy all the gifts that flow from Me to you. You all have differing gifts, but you are one body in Me. Use your gifts to lift up one another and to build up the Body of Christ. I am transforming each of you into the Holy of Holies, My dwelling place, through the power of My Holy Spirit living in you. You will then be like a tree planted by the river, that bring forth its fruit in season, whose leaves will not wither and whatever you do shall prosper.

All will be well, more than well, you will see. I say it again, do not fear. Testimonies will rise up and be proclaimed all over the world of My goodness and grace. The devil tried to steal, kill and destroy, but I will never allow that to happen to those standing under My waterfall of grace. It cannot, because they are protected from all sides. Walk around with that knowing in your heart that you are protected. Be drenched with Me, overflowing in abundance. I have so much to give. Take it from Me as a gift. Let Me instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; allow Me to counsel you, My eyes are on you. I want to bless you with more than enough, a life flowing with abundance. Together we are victorious. Go and be an example of Me to the world, joyful and filled with peace no matter the circumstances. Proclaim to them how a mighty God looks after His children. Be a living example of My love and peace. In My light you will see light, your path is illuminated. Stay on that path, close to Me. Let the excitement mount, breakthroughs are coming. I am there for you and I know best. I love you.

"Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light."

Psalm 36:7-9

Last week we learned that God is the One protecting us. If we dwell and abide with Him, all the promises in Psalm 91 are ours for the taking. God wants us close to Him, He wants to look after us. But if we are like wayward sheep running for the cliffs, He will certainly come after us and look for us, but we might have a few 'speed wobbles' in the process J. He wants us to avoid those 'speed wobbles', He doesn't want to see us hurt. So the best is to rather stay close to Him and His perfect will for our lives.

Now, back to David. He and his men went to dwell in the strongholds of En Gedi. Saul heard of it and after fighting with the Philistines he and three thousand men followed David there. Saul was searching for David and in the process he had to tend to his needs. He went into a cave alone. Now as it happened this was the exact cave where David and his men were hiding. David's men got very excited and urged David to go and kill Saul as he was very vulnerable at that very moment. They believed that God placed him in David's hands. But David refused:

"The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord." 1 Samuel 24:6

David simply cut off a piece of Saul's robe. And when Saul left the cave, David followed him out. He stooped to the ground and bowed before Saul and showed him the piece that he cut off. He declared that he could have killed Saul, but he didn't, because he wouldn't lift his finger against the anointed of God. Saul realized that he could have been dead, and if it had been him in the same situation he would certainly have killed David. Saul showed remorse and even declared that he now knew for certain that David would be king of the land. He left for home and for the time being stopped chasing David.

David's act here was just as heroic to me as when he defeated Goliath. He could have buckled under the pressure of his men. He could have believed them when they told him that this was from the Lord, but David had such a close relationship with God that he knew it was not the right thing to do. He stood up under group pressure and did the right thing, which is truly amazing, given the situation Saul has placed David in.

Today people might urge us to do things that we don't feel is from the Lord. They might even quote verses and proclaim that what they are saying is from God, but it is always important to hear from God yourself. You have the ability to hear Him even better than David did, because His Spirit lives within you. Do not buckle under the pressure, even if it is something that you really want to do. I am certain that David wanted to go home and didn't want Saul to chase him anymore, but he knew that this wasn't the way to do it. We need to also listen to the Voice of God and make sure that what people are urging us to do is certainly from Him.

Then just another thing I want to point out here is that David knew that he couldn't touch the anointed of God. And today we are His anointed. Jesus is the Anointed One and He lives within us therefore we are anointed too. And because we are anointed the enemy can't touch us either. He cannot do anything to us. It is only when we allow him to that dire things happen to us, when we do not abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Do not allow that to happen. Anoint yourself with oil on a daily basis if need be to remind yourself of your standing in the spiritual realm. You are anointed as royalty, children of the Almighty God and no evil can prevail against you. Hold on to that truth.

Father, give us the wisdom to know when to act, when something is from You and when it isn't. We need Your Divine guidance on a daily basis, please speak clearly to us. And thank you so much that we can walk with our heads held high, knowing that we are royalty, Your anointed! Hallelujah! All because of Your wonderful Son, Jesus. Amen

Last week we saw how David and his men went and saved Keilah from the Philistines. But the minute the Saul heard that David was there he wanted to go there and kill him. God also revealed to David that the men of Keilah would deliver him to Saul even though he just saved them from the Philistines. We learned that we cannot put our trust in men. God alone is to be honored and trusted with our lives.

Poor David had to flee again and he stayed in strongholds in the wilderness of Ziph. The Bible tells us that:

"Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand." 1 Samuel 23:14

God was like a wall of protection around David. And not only that, God sent Jonathan to encourage David and to affirm again that he was going to be King:

"Then Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, "Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows it." 1 Samuel 23:16, 17

Once again isn't it wonderful how Jonathan didn't fight the will of God. He was supposed to be king, but he submitted himself to God and even went to encourage the one who will be king instead of him. I really have so much respect for him!

In the meantime Saul heard where David was and pursued him there. So David had to go to the wilderness of Maon, but Saul pursued him there as well. This time Saul was succeeding in closing in on David. He and his men were on the one side of the mountain and David and his men on the other side.  Saul was so close, he and his men were encircling David and his men preparing to capture and kill them. It was a dire situation for David. But just then a messenger came and told Saul that the Philistines were invading the land. Saul then had to call off his pursuit of David and rush back to fight the Philistines. Of course it was all God's plan and His doing, saving his future king yet again.

God will also protect us in the same way. He will make sure that no enemy can close in on us if we walk on His pathway for our lives. And when we get discouraged like David, thinking that this situation will never end, He will send someone to encourage us! I have personally experienced this many times in my life. Just when I really get discouraged God sends someone to encourage me to continue.

God's protection encircles us and that is such joyful news to me. It made me think again of Psalm 91. Allow me to quote verse 1-7 for you:

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, My God, in Him I will trust." Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and armor. You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you."

Isn't it stunning? It shall not come near us. Why? Because God is for us. And notice verse 1. These promises are to those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High and who abide under His shadow. Now to dwell and to abide means to stay there, to make your home there. Plus to be able to be in someone's shadow you need to be close to him. Therefore see in this Psalm that we need to stay close to Him, just like David did. David trusted God without a shadow of a doubt. He knew that without God he was nothing. And today we need to have that same realization. We are so self-reliant and independent, but God is calling us to depend on Him and Him alone. He wants to protect us and help us, but if we run away and go on our own pathway, we are not abiding in His Shadow. Rather come back and stay close to Him. So close that you can breathe Him in. Then you will experience His protection and His abundance freely available to us all.

Father thank you for everything that You have provided for us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for protecting us, thank you that we can trust in You and be at peace. You are our Good Shepherd and will always look out for us. We praise Your mighty Name! Amen