Saul had been annointed by Samuel to be the new king of Israel. The scripture says God gave him a heart adjustment. It was needed for Saul had been more of a timid follower. His new heart of leadership was revealed to all when he mustered a large army to defeat the Ammonites. Saul’s heart of courage and leadership had been the Lord’s doing.

God gives special insights to leaders that are not shared with others. He wants His people to be led into victory.

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, thank You for setting leaders in the Body of Christ. Let Your wisdom be evident in their lives.

READING:  1 Sam. 9-12

The Philistines had captured the Ark and slaughtered Israel including Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas. It was a sad day in Israel, but woe also came upon the Philistines because they had stolen the Ark. Wisely, they sent the Ark back to Israel to avoid God’s severe dealings. Once back where it belonged, Israel again enjoyed prosperity and peace.

In our lives, God’s blessings can return when we remedy our backslidings and reinstitute God to His rightful place.

PRAYER: Father, restore to us the joy of our salvation, restore to us the joy of each new day. Bring us back to the place we once had in You and never let us fall away.

READING: 1 Sam. 3-7

Eli’s sons were a reproach to God’s Kingdom. They selfishly looked out for their interests rather than ministering in an honorable way before God’s people. This resulted in their devastation and the ultimate end to Eli’s privilege to serve the Lord. Before he was removed, though, God used him to train young Samuel in leadership.

The fate of self-serving leaders is in God’s hand. He deals with them in His own way. It’s not up to His people to do it.

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, keep our leaders close to You and tune their desires to remain faithful to Your standards of holiness.

READING: 1 Sam. 1,2

The beautiful love story of Ruth contains insight into the bloodline of Jesus, because He was in the lineage of David who claimed Ruth as his great grandmother. His great grandfather, Boaz, saw the beautiful Moabite widow as she harvested grain in his fields, and made her his bride. He took her in and gave her a life of meaning and blessing that could only happen in the divine providence of God.

We have been taken in and given meaning and blessing in life. Like Ruth, we are undeserving, yet blessed and accepted in the Beloved.

PRAYER: Lord, we praise and thank You for the meaning and blessing we have experienced being a part of Your Kingdom. We will humbly serve You in gratitude.

READING: Ruth 1-4

When the concubine of a Levite was abused and murdered in the town of Gibeah, a city in Benjamin’s territory, he cut her up into 12 pieces and sent them to the tribes to stir up a moral outrage. It resulted in a costly conflict between the men of Israel. Over 65,000 men lost their lives in this struggle.

Immorality tolerated by a culture always takes a costly toll. The immoral only seek to gratify their lust, while good men are willing to lay down their lives to preserve moral standards.

Please vote for the presidential candidate who will set moral, principled justices on the Supreme Court.

PRAYER: Father, hear the cry of Your people. Be merciful to us in this upcoming election. We cry out for a revival in our land.

READING:  Judges 17-21

Samson’s strength was conditional upon his obedience to the Lord … don’t cut your hair. His passion for Delilah placed him in compromising circumstances. As he lay in her lap of influence, his resolve to stay strong gradually eroded. It was his downfall.

The longer we lounge with and coddle our sin, the more vulnerable we become to its devastating power.

PRAYER: Lord, give us a clean break from the allure of sin. We separate ourselves unto Your purposes.

READING: Judges 12-16

Abimelech murdered his 70 brothers because they represented a threat to his leadership. His folly did not escape the Lord’s eye. After the course of time, he eventually met his fate when an anonymous woman dropped an anvil on his head.

When leaders rise to power using murderous methods, God watches in the heavens. He hears the cries of His people when wronged and avenges them.

It’s scary what some people will do to gain power.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, as we approach an election in our nation, Your people cry out for justice and relief from the ploys of ungodly leaders and political systems.

READING: Judges 9-11

The Children of Israel under Joshua’s command paid dearly for the hidden sin of Achan, a man who disobeyed God by keeping plunder from Jericho. They were turned back in battle at Ai and lost 36 men. The Lord quickly revealed the issue to Joshua and Achan and his family died because of the sin.

We have the option to die to self and forsake our sin, or cling to it, bury it where we think no one will find it, and suffer because of it. Get rid of it!

PRAYER: Father, we lay aside every besetting sin so we can run the race of life undeterred.

READING: Josh. 6-8

Deborah was one of Israel’s judges. Her leadership and strength of character caused many to come to her for judgement. Barak would only go to war if she went with him. She composed a song which is recorded in chapter 5 of Judges. She was a mighty woman used by God.

We read of another key woman in this chapter … Jael. She offered Sisera, the military leader of a strong Canaanite enemy army, refuge as he retreated from battle. While he was sleeping, she ran a tent peg through his temple.

PRAYER: Father, let Your Spirit rise mightily in the lives of women to do great exploits for Your Kingdom.

READING: Joshua 3-5

Canaanite tribes that were not driven out became a snare to the Israelites. The allure of their false gods caused many of God’s people to become idolaters, drawn away from worship of the One True God.

Sin, when coddled and allowed to remain, becomes a persistent deterrent to a godly life, like the Canaanite tribes. We are wise to cut sin at its roots and devote our allegiance to serving Christ.

PRAYER: Father, in the name of Jesus, we ask for Your grace to deliver us from sin and evil. We confess and renounce our sin.

READING: Josh. 24;  Judges 1,2