May 10, 2020
BEWARE WANTING A GOVERNMENT THAT FIGHTS YOUR BATTLES When Samuel was getting old, the people of Israel came to him, asking for a king. The request displeased Samuel, so he went to the Lord with it. The Lord told him to give them what they want, for they had not rejected Samuel, but they had
May 9, 2020
GOD WILL NOT SHARE HIS WORSHIP WITH ANOTHER The Philistines had defeated the Israelites in battle and had captured the Ark of the Lord. They assumed that the Ark would make a nice addition to their temple to Dagon, so they placed it next to the idol of Dagon. The Philistines were a seafaring
May 8, 2020
DO YOU KNOW HOW TO LISTEN FOR GOD’S VOICE? While young Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle he was awakened a fourth time by the voice of the Lord calling him. The first three times he ran to Eli, thinking the old priest was calling him. He didn’t yet recognize God’s voice. After the third
May 7, 2020
HANNAH, A GODLY EXAMPLE OF MOTHERHOOD Hannah was barren. At her family’s annual visit to the Tabernacle at Shiloh to worship and bring offerings, she was so stricken with grief that she could only mouth the words to her prayers. Her lips moved, but no sound came forth. She cried out from her heart that
May 21, 2019
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN BOTH PROTECTED AND CORRECTED AT THE SAME TIME? In the season when David was on the run from King Saul, he allied himself with the Philistines. Yet, on the eve before they went into battle against Israel, they sent David and his men away. In this, God protected David. For the
May 18, 2019
GOD’S PROVISION AND PREPARATION IN THE WILDERNESS David fled from King Saul to live in the Judean wilderness of En Gedi, which provided both caves to live in and springs from which to drink. God provided for David in the wilderness. And although it was a very difficult time, it was also a time of
May 16, 2019
THE LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES SEEN IN DAVID AND SAUL David was an obedient and enthusiastic servant of King Saul. And God gave David success. At first, his success led to the king’s favor, but as his victories grew, Saul’s favor turned to jealousy. In all of this, God was at work, moving Saul out and David
May 15, 2019
IN WHOSE NAME DO YOU COME? What David said to Goliath as they closed for battle revealed his heart and passion for God’s great name. It was this same David who inspired of the Holy Spirit wrote, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our
May 13, 2019
KING SAUL, A STUDY IN LEADERSHIP FAILURE It’s heart-breaking to read the stories about King Saul, Israel’s first king. Although he reigned for 40 years, his leadership style was fraught with short-sighted and ill-conceived tactics, blustering, macho-inspired dictates, people-pleasing priorities, and most of all – a failure to seek God first in all things. Even
May 11, 2019
MUST THE ONE IN THE PULPIT BE CALLED TO PREACH? One of the confirming signs that God had chosen Saul to be king over Israel was that he would prophesy. Saul had gone to the prophet Samuel for help in finding his father’s donkeys. But he left with the prophet’s anointing oil dripping down from