Category: Strength for Today

1 Kings 15:5
“Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.”

If we were to look at people and relationships through the eyes of God, we would find that we could get along with most people. God says about David in the verse above, “…David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life…” It is interesting that God says this about him. I know, I left one little line out, but if you were to read this about David and not know anything about that last line, you would think that David was a great man.

However, there is that last line that says, “…save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.” Sadly, this is a part of David’s life but God chose to look at the whole percentage of David’s life. When He did, He saw a winning percentage. Certainly, David had a small percentage of his life that was not worth talking about, but do you throw the whole life out because of the small percentage or do you take the whole life into consideration and see that he had a winning percentage? God chose to look at the winning percentage when judging David. Thankfully, when we consider God’s character, He chooses to judge all of us the same way.

You would do yourself a lot of good if you could do the same thing. There are many marriages that could be much better if each spouse chose to look at the winning percentage instead of the small percentage of negatives. Instead of dwelling on the negative percentage of your spouse, you could look at all the good and thank God He has given them to you. Most marital problems come when a spouse doesn’t look at the winning percentage.

Likewise, if children would look at their parents through percentages, they would find that their parents probably have a winning percentage. There is no perfect parent, and I don’t think any parent claims to be perfect; however, many children ruin their relationship with their parents because they focus on the negative percentage instead of on the winning percentage. You could be thankful for your parents if you stopped dwelling on the negatives and realized they have a winning percentage.

This could be said about every relationship. Whether you look at your church, employment, friendship or even yourself, don’t dwell on the negative percentage, but look at the winning percentage. You will find that you could enjoy life much more if you stop dwelling on the negatives of every person or institution.

Moreover, just because people choose to look at the winning percentage doesn’t give you an out to stop working on your negative side. Instead of being satisfied with a winning percentage you should try to improve on your percentages. Looking at the winning percentages and working to lower the negative percentage will help you to keep your relationships strong and life will be more enjoyable.

1 Kings 8:47
“Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;”

Solomon had finished building the temple and he took time after it was finished to have a dedicatory prayer to God. During this prayer he asked God to hear the prayer of His people whenever they prayed to Him in the temple. Solomon also asked that if they sinned against God and are taken captive, that “if they shall bethink themselves” in their captivity and call on Him, he asked that their prayer be heard.

The word “bethink” means to think on reflection. In other words, if the people were to think about their condition and reflect upon what their sin caused. Solomon was asking God to hear their prayer if they did this. Certainly, there must come repentance before God would hear, as seen in the verse above, but the first step was to bethink themselves.

We live in troubled times when people have done that which is right in their own eyes. This has resulted in sin running rampant throughout our nation. It has resulted in young people not wanting anything to do with church. It has resulted in Christian liberties slowly being taken away from God’s people. It has resulted in God’s judgment upon our nation. The only hope that we have is for God’s people to bethink themselves.

Preacher, bethink yourself and look at what a little compromising has done to our nation. Letting up a little to gain bigger crowds has done nothing but move us further away from God. Preachers ought not to be worried about getting the large crowds, but they should be concerned with pleasing a holy God. I ask you preacher, have you bethought yourself and seen some things that you need to correct.

Christian, bethink yourself and look at how backing off from the LORD has caused the heartache in your life, career and family. It was not God’s way that caused you the heartache, but it was sin that caused the heartache. All you have to do is bethink yourself and you will see where the changes started happening. When you start bethinking yourself, the Holy Spirit will show you what led you into your condition.

If you are going to bethink yourself, you must look at yourself honestly. Friend, stop trying to blame others and look honestly at your own actions. Bethinking yourself won’t help you if you are not honest with yourself. Continually lying to yourself will only keep you in your current condition. I challenge you to honestly bethink yourself. Take an honest look at yourself and reflect upon the actions that have led to where you are.

Moreover, repentance is in order when you see what has caused your condition. Bethinking yourself does you no good if you are not going to do something about it. I challenge you to take an honest look at yourself today and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any action that needs to be changed. Once the Holy Spirit reveals that action, I challenge you to take the right action so that you can receive God’s blessings on your life again.

1 Kings 2:45
“And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever.”

In most of Solomon’s reign, he truly desired to please God and to have His blessings upon his life and kingdom. This is especially seen in the early years of his reign. He also knew that if he was going to get God’s blessings upon his kingdom and life that there were some things from the past that had to be dealt with. What is interesting about God blessing Solomon in the next chapter is that the blessing came after Solomon dealt with the skeletons of the past.

Your past will either be a blessing or a hindrance. It is a blessing if you have done everything right, but it will be a hindrance if you have not done right. If you want God’s blessings on your life, ministry and family, you are going to have to make sure that your past doesn’t become the hindrance to those blessings. There are three areas you must deal with if you don’t want anything to keep God’s blessings from coming.

First, you must deal with past unresolved sins. There is something about unresolved sins in that they tend to rear their ugly head at the most inopportune time. Past sins that have never been dealt with usually come back to haunt a person when they are about ready to be promoted. The Devil is a master at throwing the past at you at the most inopportune time. If you don’t want this to happen, you must deal with those past sins. Solomon dealt with Joab the same way his father should have dealt with him. Let me ask you, is there some sin in your past that you think you got away with? Let me warn you that if you don’t deal with that sin, it will rear its ugly head at the most inopportune time of your life.

Second, you must deal with past character flaws. Solomon removed Abiathar from being a priest because he followed Adonijah which showed his lack of character. You will never have God’s blessings upon your life until you fix your character flaws. Character is a big ingredient to obtaining God’s blessings. A person of character is guaranteed God’s blessings because character will obey God’s commandments at all times. If you find yourself lacking character in some area of your life, you would be wise to start working on that area so that it doesn’t hinder you from God’s blessings.

Third, you must deal with past troubled relationships. Solomon had to deal with Shimei. Shimei is certainly symbolic of a troubled relationship. You may obtain God’s blessings on your life and ministry, but if you have wronged someone or have ought against someone in your past, it will hinder you from realizing God’s blessings to their fullest. Let me encourage you to do your best to mend the broken relationships from your past. Be sure that everything is right between you and them.

Friend, dealing with your past shortcomings is a key to setting yourself up to get God’s blessings. If you want God to bless your life, family and ministry, you must make sure these three areas are resolved. Don’t wait another day to start dealing with them. It may be uncomfortable at times, but it will be worth it when God pours His blessings upon you.

Ephesians 1:3
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”

Every Christian should desire to live a victorious Christian life. As you read in Ephesians 6, it is going to be a battle to live victoriously. I find throughout the Book of Ephesians that there are six keys to experiencing the victorious Christian life.

The first key is comprehending God’s grace in your life. You will never live victoriously for Christ when you are constantly trying to work yourself into favor with God. Ephesians 2:8-9, clearly shows us that salvation is not of works, but of grace. When you get it settled in your life what God’s grace has done for you, you are on your way to living victoriously.

The second key is learning to love one another. When you settle what God’s grace has done for you, you will find it much easier to love one another. God says in Ephesians 3:17, that He wants us to be “rooted and grounded in love.” When you understand that God was gracious enough to love you then loving others in spite of their weaknesses will become much easier. You will never live victoriously for Christ without having His love manifested in your life towards others.

The third key is to have an attitude of meekness. There is only one way you will be able to love others, and that will be by having a meek attitude. Ephesians 4:2 says, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;” When you have the right attitude towards yourself, you will have the right love for others.

The fourth key to living victoriously is to serve. Ephesians 4 shows that God gives each person a gift “for the work of the ministry.” Living victoriously will only come through serving God. You will never have a victorious Christian life sitting on the sidelines. You must be actively involved in the work of the ministry if you want God to help you live victoriously.

The fifth key to living the victorious Christian life is to keep the faith. God makes it clear that He doesn’t want us to live being “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” You are going to have to live within the confines of God’s Word if you are going to experience a victorious Christian life. The faith is what gives us the victory, but if it is compromised defeat will be the only thing you will experience. Let me make it clear that the faith never changes. Be sure to let the faith of God’s Word guide you in all that you do for Christ.

The sixth key to living the victorious Christian life is holiness. Ephesians 5 shows the importance of living a holy life. Holy living is the key to having a good testimony. If the world sees you living the same life they live, you will fail in your walk with God. The world needs to see that you have overcome the flesh. When you live a holy life, the world sees there is a different power working in you which they will want. Living a holy life allows the Holy Spirit’s power to work clearly through you without sin blocking His effectiveness.

Friend, God gives you the wherewithal to live the victorious Christian life. These six keys are imperative to experiencing victory. As you employ these six keys in your life, you will find that it will be much easier to put on the whole armour of God.

Galatians 1:23
“But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.”

Nobody would be saved without God’s grace. According to Ephesians 2:8-9, it is by God’s grace that we are saved. Works can’t save us because we can never be good enough to earn salvation. The power of God’s grace is amazing. You see in this chapter what the power of grace can do.

First, grace comes to where we are. Paul said in verse 15, that he was called by God’s grace. In order to be called, that means God had to come where he was. Paul knew he was unworthy of the God’s grace, so grace had to come to him so that he could get saved. Aren’t you glad that we didn’t have to go to God, but He came to us? Grace is so powerful that it compels the one who is worthy to go to the one who is unworthy.

Second, grace places us where we should not be. God’s grace is what allowed Paul to be a preacher of the Gospel. He didn’t deserve to be a preacher, but grace allowed him to be a preacher. There isn’t a Christian alive who deserves to do what God allows them to do, but grace is so powerful that it allows someone to do what they are not worthy of doing. That is what grace is all about. Grace shows what God can do through someone’s life.

Third, grace changes us from who we were. Paul once destroyed Christians, but God grace changed his destructive attitude and desires to be one who builds those whom he once destroyed. That is the power of grace. God’s grace is what changes anyone. When someone who is unworthy sees another who is willing to be gracious towards them, then that challenges them to change who they are.

Now imagine if you practiced this same grace with those around you. If grace was practiced in the home, then we would see more people getting along in the home. Grace is certainly not a license to sin, but grace gives the person who has done wrong another chance to do right.

Every marriage would be transformed if each spouse practiced grace. Instead of constantly berating your spouse, why not try being gracious towards them? You might find that if you were more gracious towards your spouse that they may give more of an effort to change those areas that annoy you and cause problems in your marriage. I have found that my wife is more apt to want to change if I practice grace and give her a chance to grow. When you love someone, you will be more willing to be gracious towards them when they mess up.

Furthermore, if Christians exercised grace towards each other, you would find churches would have a greater influence on the lost. Instead of being judgmental towards the fallen, be that person who is willing to restore them. When you practice grace, it motivates others to want to do better the next time.

Instead of condemning those who mess up, learn to be gracious towards them. Grace is the key ingredient that allows us to get along with each other and motivates the weak one to become strong. Let’s be Christians who are as gracious to others as God is to us.

2 Samuel 20:1
“And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.”

The war with Absalom was over, and those who were going to be disloyal to David had a prime opportunity to sow their discord because Israel was divided. The verse above says that Sheba blew the trumpet in Israel and said, “We have no part in David…” This is interesting because Sheba was of the tribe of Benjamin. It is interesting to note that Saul was also of this tribe. What happened was Sheba never accepted David as his king. He refused to move on from the past, and it was at this moment that he saw an opportunity to bring the past alive. Sadly, he was only hurting himself and those who followed him because the past could no longer be revived. His refusal to live in the present kept him from enjoying the reign of the greatest king in Israel’s history.

Many people have made the same mistake that Sheba made in that they want to live in the past because of the fond memories or loyalties they had to someone. What they don’t understand is that living in the past is living in a make-believe world. The past is a memory that you cannot make a current reality. Certainly, you can learn from the past, but you cannot make the past come alive.

Living in the past is truly a refusal of God’s will for the present. It was God’s will for David to be king, but Sheba refused to accept God’s present will because of his loyalty to Saul. He so badly wanted to have Saul’s family rule that he refused God’s will. You can refuse God’s will for your life in the present because of your fond memories for the past, but you are only hurting yourself and rebelling against God’s will. God’s will is never in the past. His will is always in the present. When you refuse to live in the present, you are refusing to accept God’s will.

Moreover, living in the past cheats today of its opportunities. I have watched so many Christians try to keep past leaders alive that they refuse to accept what God is doing in the lives of Christian leaders today. I do believe you should honor those whom God used in the past and remind people what God did through their lives, but God is still doing a work today. There are so many opportunities you are missing today when you choose to live in the past. God wants to do things today! God wants you to invest in the lives of those who are alive today. Stop cheating today’s opportunities because you refuse to leave the past.

Furthermore, living in the past robs tomorrow’s treasures. Do you realize that your refusal to move on from the past is taking away from God’s rewards for tomorrow? There are people whom you could invest in today if you would move on from the past. The future leaders of tomorrow will never be trained as long as you live in the past.

Friend, the past may have good memories, but you can’t live there. Take the memories and lessons from the past and use them as you live in God’s will today so that you can invest in tomorrow’s treasures. Let the past be your teacher, but don’t let it be your dwelling place.

2 Samuel 12:22
“And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?”

Everyone will face it someday. The life of a person who you love dearly will be hanging between life and death. Your desire is that the LORD would heal them so that you can enjoy more time with them on this Earth, but the doctors don’t give you much hope that they will pull through. What do you do when this happens?

David faced this situation with a little child. Yes, the child was born out of sin, but it was still a child whom David loved. He dearly wanted this child to live, but when you read the Scriptures you see that God took the child to Heaven. In this story you will find the answer of what you should do when a loved one is dying or if God chooses to take them.

First, ask God to intervene. The first action David took when the child got sick was that he prayed. Verse 16 says, “David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.” David knew that the healing of the child was up to God. He wanted to be sure he did what he could do to intervene for the child’s health. I believe there is nothing wrong with you praying for God to heal your loved one. Throughout the Scriptures you see that God healed sick people. Certainly, God has the power to heal your loved one because He has healed others.

Second, ask others to pray for the healing of your loved one. Don’t be so filled with pride that you won’t ask others to pray. James 5:14 says, “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:” There is nothing wrong with asking your pastor to anoint them with oil, but also ask the church to pray as well. It never hurts to employ as many people as you can to persuade God to heal a loved one.

Third, accept God’s will for whatever happens. I am not going to give you a false hope that God will always heal your loved one. There are times when God’s will is for someone to go to Heaven. David prayed in hopes that he could change the mind of God, but when the child died he accepted God’s will. You have to be willing to accept God’s will for your loved one. That is the only thing that will keep you from becoming bitter if the LORD chooses to take them.

Fourth, realize there is a real place called Heaven where they will go if they are saved. David said in verse 23, “I shall go to him…” He knew that Heaven was a real place, and he received comfort from knowing that he was going to see the child again. Heaven is real! If God chooses to take your loved one, then they are in a better place. Take comfort in knowing that you will see them again.

Fifth, move on with life. David didn’t stop living because his child went to Heaven. No, he moved on with life and God gave him another child. You must move on with life if God takes your loved one to Heaven. Don’t die before you are dead. Accept God’s will and move on. If David hadn’t moved on he would not have invested in the child God gave him which was Solomon. If you will move on with life, God has greater blessings for you. Don’t let bitterness stop your life and rob you of blessings; instead, accept God’s will and see that God has greater blessings in store for you.

1 Samuel 27:11
“And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines.”

David went through a short period in his life when he thought the only hope of staying alive was by joining the enemy. Every time he went to fight for the Philistines, he would completely destroy every person in the city. His whole reason for destroying everyone was so that nobody would “tell on us.” He was very concerned with word getting back to Israel about him fighting for the Philistines. He had hopes that one day he would be able to go back to Israel and he didn’t want his actions with the Philistines to harm this from potentially happening.

A very valuable lesson must be learned from this story. The lesson is: if it is right, why are you trying to keep it silent? There is always something that you are trying to hide when you don’t want others to find out what you are doing in secret. When someone comes to you and says, “Don’t tell anybody what I’m about ready to tell you.” You can be assured that what you are about ready to hear is something that is either dishonest or wrong. Truth doesn’t care if others find out about it. Truth wants everyone to know what it is doing. Dishonesty is usually done in secret. Deception must be kept private to keep its actions from being discovered. If what you are doing is so right, you won’t need to be deceptive in covering it up.

Moreover, the thought that nobody should find out is deceptive in its own premise. God always knows what you are doing. David didn’t think anyone knew what he was doing, but God knew which is evidenced by the fact that we read about it in this story. You may be successful in completely fooling everyone with silence, but you must take into account that God already knows what you are doing and will reward you accordingly. Luke 12:2-13 says, “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.” God promises that whatever you are doing in secret will eventually be known by all.

The best way to avoid any of this from happening is to learn to live a transparent life. In my household we have a code of ethics by which we live, “No secrets.” Everyone in my household knows that when someone is told not to tell anyone else then they are by that statement commanded to tell the other party what they were told. This keeps everyone honest and from living a deceptive life. Transparency will keep you living right and it will save you from much embarrassment later on when everyone finds out what you did in secret.

Let me encourage you to take this principle and apply it to your life. The only reason you would not want to live by this principle is if you are living in such a manner that is not pleasing to the LORD. The best rule of thumb by which to live is that if you wouldn’t want anybody seeing what you are doing then don’t do it. Someone will find out what you are saying and doing, so live your life accordingly and you never have to fear the day of revelation.

1 Samuel 19:1
“And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.”

One of the rude awakenings I had when I went into full-time service was when I discovered that everyone would not be happy with God’s blessing on my life. I should have known better because I grew up in a preacher’s home, but for some reason I just thought that people would be happy that the LORD was working through me. It didn’t take long before I found out that when God uses you that you will endure criticism and battles along the way.

David found this unpleasantry out very quickly. David was a man after God’s own heart, but even though the hand of God was upon him, there were many who didn’t want anything to do with him. He faced battles his entire life, but that was only a result of the jealousy of others who wanted what he had. When I study David’s life, I find that there were many different types of adversaries with which he had to endure.

The first adversary was Saul. You would think that his own boss would be thrilled when he was used to defeat Goliath, but he wasn’t. In fact, the verse above shows us that Saul wanted to kill David. When you experience victories in the Christian life, other Christians will not be as happy as you are about the LORD’s blessings upon your life. Some of the harshest criticisms you will face in serving the LORD will come from those who should be congratulating you on the LORD’s blessings, but don’t let their jealousy and criticism stop you.

The Philistines were another adversary David faced. When God starts using you, you will find that the enemies of Christianity will fight against you. When I talk about enemies of Christianity, I am talking about those who want nothing to do with the old paths. They have another way of serving their god, and you must not expect them to idly sit by as God blesses you. There are many people out there who would rather attack you for standing for right than praise the LORD for His blessings, but you must continue on.

Another type of person who wasn’t happy with God’s blessings on David’s life were those who thought they should have his position. One of those who was very jealous of David’s position was Shimei. Shimei thought the throne belonged to Saul’s children and not David. Everyone won’t be happy with God’s blessings on your life because they will feel they are more qualified than you to have your position. Don’t let their criticisms and attacks affect your spirit or deter you from doing what you are supposed to do.

The last type of adversarial person whom David faced was his own son, Absalom. This will be the hardest to take. When your own family or close friends turn on you, you must continue doing what is right. The battles from those closest to you will be the hardest because these are people with whom you have served the LORD side-by-side, and for whatever reason they have turned on you. Don’t quit when this happens.

I don’t want to discourage you, but you must realize God’s blessings will bring adversaries. The good thing is that you will find many who will be thrilled to serve alongside you. Let me encourage you to keep doing what you are supposed to do even when the attack of the adversaries is vicious. God’s blessings will always overshadow the attacks if you keep doing right.