Paul instructed that as New Testament Christians, we should accept God’s corrections and adjustments in our lives so we can escape the final condemnation with the world. (1 Cor. 11:32)

God corrects us because He loves us.  He loves us too much to leave us the way we are.

Don’t resist his discipline.  Rather, welcome it and allow His grace to provide protection from the bitter consequences of life’s harshness.   He always has our best interest in mind.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, I trust You when things get difficult.  Shelter me, refine me, correct me so that my life is a pleasant aroma to You.

DAILY READING:  2 Sam. 4-7;  1 Cor. 11

King Saul was dead.  David had such a profound respect for the whomever the Lord had anointed as king that he did his best to preserve their reputation.  Saul had tried to kill him, yet David didn’t want the inhabitants of Gath, where Goliath was from, to know that “The mighty have fallen.”

Even though we have enemies, its honorable to not speak evil of them and defer judgement to the Lord alone.

DAILY PRAYER: Lord, cleanse my mouth and don’t allow me to speak evil of anyone.  You alone are the Great Judge.

DAILY READING:  2 Sam. 1-3;  1 Cor. 10

Paul said, “I am all things to all men to win some.”  (1 Cor. 9:22 KJV)

Show interest in people.  Ask them questions … relate to them … be sincere in your attempt to understand where they’re coming from.  This wins hearts.  Then, redirect to the Lord, His Word, and His ability to touch their lives.

You can be their lifeline today.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, You love people.  Love them through me today.  Let me not be taken up with myself, but help me focus on others.

DAILY READING:  1 Sam. 27-31;  1 Cor. 9

I am sharing my stem cell transplant experience today in 7th grade chapel.  They are studying stem cells, and Mr. Sandefur, one of our science teachers, wants me to make sure they know I didn’t use stem cells from unborn children.  I used my own stem cells.

Please pray as I make this presentation.  They are so impressionable, and I want to encourage their faith in Jesus.

Thanks

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, please use me to encourage our 7th graders.  Help me to bring glory to You, my healer. It’s always in Your name, Jesus, that we pray.

DAILY READING:  1 Sam. 24-6;  1 Cor. 8

When fleeing King Saul, David’s creative resourcefulness inspired him to fake madness in the presence of Achish, King of Gath. His episode evidently dissuaded the suspicions of the men of Gath and allowed him safe passage from Saul.

Creative people write songs, do drama, and certainly add an element of spice to life.  There’s room for it in the Kingdom of God.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, thank You for the amazing stories of the saints of old in Your Word.  Let me live my life in such a manner that others see Your creativity in me.

DAILY READING:  1 Sam. 21-3;  1 Cor. 7

The Apostle Paul firmly instructed the early church believers that their bodies were made to please God, and that sexual impurity was the opposite.  They were actually instructed to disassociate with Christians who continued in immorality.

David and Jonathan were not gay, a popular argument for homosexuals claiming Christ.  David said, “I have sinned” when he fell with Bathsheba, but never concerning his relationship with Saul’s son.  “Men having sex with men” was spoken against by Paul in 1 Cor. 6.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, grace me to show my love to You by keeping myself from all moral impurity.  My mind and my body are for You and You alone.

DAILY READING:  1 Sam. 18-20;  1 Cor. 5,6

One of the great stories of the Bible, and I believe it.

Only God can take a shepherd boy and direct his little stone right into the forehead of the giant.

What is your giant today?  Are you taunted and belittled by someone or something?  Remember, we don’t fight with material weapons, but we do battle in the Spirit by praising the Lord, calling upon His name in prayer, and resting in the faith He gives us that He will conquer our enemies.

Please email me and share your victories.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord Jesus, in Your mighty name we tear down strongholds of sin and habits and ungodliness in our lives and in those we love.

DAILY READING:  1 Sam. 17;  1 Cor. 4

The Apostle said, “Don’t you know, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit? … We have this treasure in these earthen vessels.”

The care and appropriate maintenance of our bodies is more spiritual than we think.  Fitness and healthy eating to please God rather than our egos is an adjustment in thinking that is often needed.

Also, bricks and mortar pale in importance to the saints that gather in buildings made with human hands.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, lead me to pay more attention to the saints around me each day.  They are Your true dwelling place.

DAILY READING;  1 Sam. 14-6;  1 Cor. 2,3

In 1 Sam. 12:23, the great prophet Samuel links his responsibility to pray for and teach the Children of Israel what is good and right.

Herein is a model for parents, teachers, leaders: pray for those responsible to you and teach and model what is the right way to live.

As Paul said, “Be followers of me as I follow Christ.”  (1 Cor. 11:1)

DAILY PRAYER:  Father in Heaven,  I hereby mention to You all those to whom I am a leader.  Protect them, heal them, lead them, and reveal Yourself to them.  Grace me to be a worthy example to them.

DAILY READING:  1 Sam. 11-3;  1 Cor. 1

Please pay attention to the word gentleness in the following passage taken from the Gal. 6 Amplified Bible.

“Brethren, if any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also.”

Christians should be medics, not cannibals.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, let me be a restorer of others.  Forgive me for any air of superiority I may have transmitted, and may I humbly seek to encourage and restore others who have messed up.

DAILY READING:  1 Sam. 8-10; Gal. 5,6