David ordered the most thorough system of priesthood ministry yet seen. It all originated in his personal desire to see the entire nation enter and experience the personal worship relationship he had with God. There was continual praise and prayer ascending to the Lord from the lips and instruments of the Levites.

This pattern is to be duplicated by us. We are all priests unto God.

“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” [ Heb. 13:15]

PRAYER: Lord, as the Levites in David’s Tabernacle offered praise and thanksgiving morning and evening, so will I remember to give You thanks and praise. You are GREAT!

READ: 1 Chron. 20-23

Upon the occasion when David desired to build God a house to dwell in, Nathan came to him describing one of his descendants who would “Be of thy sons; and I (God) will establish his kingdom.  He shall build me an house, and I will establish his throne for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son.”

God was clearly pointing to Jesus Who would build His Kingdom IN THE HEARTS OF MEN.

WE are God’s building, His dwelling place.

PRAYER: Lord, You have chosen to live in our hearts rather than in a building made of earthly materials. Give us Your perspective on people so that we can see them as place where Your Spirit can dwell. 

READ: 1 Chron. 17-19

David composed most of the book of Psalms as we know it.  This aspect of his ministry characterizes the relationship he had with God … he generated personal, creative efforts to show forth his zeal and respect for God. He was a worship leader, not a follower. No one was to be ahead of David when it came to singing or declaring their feelings about their relationship to God. This outgrowth of public praise was the product of David’s private, personal relationship he developed with the Lord as a lone shepherd boy watching his father’s sheep on the hills of Bethlehem.

Our public praise is likewise the fruit of the private, personal relationship we have with God in our secret devotional life. May we all be like David.

PRAYER: Lord, as David did when he composed and danced and sang his praises to You, may our lives likewise display our dependence upon You and the strength You bring to our lives.

READ: 1 Chron. 13-16

Soon after David was anointed King, he attacked Jerusalem to take it from the Jebusites. He announced, “Whoever leads the charge will become my army general.” Joab was the man who courageously took the lead. He thereby earned his leadership position.

Clearly, he risked his life when he did so. He put the importance of the mission above his own welfare. Such boldness and self depreciation are qualities essential for effective leadership. After all, the King had set the example when he faced Goliath alone.

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, give us all the grace to put Your Kingdom above and ahead of our own. We give our lives to Your purposes today. Use us to bring down our enemies.

READ: 1 Chron. 10-12

Sadly, the strength of nations was often measured in the number of fighting men they had.

Whereas in the Old Testament, God’s people were often involved in the struggles of war, we New Testament Christians also find ourselves in a struggle. Scripture makes clear that we don’t fight with the weapons made of material elements. Our weapons are spiritual, and the warfare we are engaged in is one of the spirit world. We attack and pull down strongholds that are powerful but cannot be seen … demonic forces and works of the flesh such as lust, anger, fear, wrong thinking … enemies that try to rob a Believer of their spiritual well-being.

Stay vigilant! Settle for nothing less than total victory.

PRAYER:  Lord, You have given us the mighty weapons of prayer and praise. We lift up Your Holy Name against all enemies. You give the VICTORY!

READ: 1 Chron. 7-9

The Lord knows each individual, and demonstrated it in passages such as 1 Chronicles. Precise care was given to include the names of members of each clan and their order of birth. It reveals God’s attention to detail when it comes to the people He loves.

The most important book to be in is the “Lamb’s Book of Life.” It is referred to in Rev. 13 and 21.

You may not be in 1 Chron., but you surely need to be in the Lamb’s book. God can spell your name.

PRAYER: Father, we are honored above every other one of earth’s privileges to be in Your Book of Life by accepting the sin-sacrifice of Christ’s blood. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive all honor and worship.

READ: 1 Chron. 4-6

God can see each person and all their lineage at once. It’s like a book to Him. He sees the present, beginning, and end at one time.

The family you are born into bears greatly upon your spiritual existence and well-being. Godly predecessors is like wind in your sails. It’s foolish and wasteful to disregard this asset. The prayer support of family members makes a great difference in combating the challenges of life.

Paul recognized this when he spoke of Timothy … ” I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”  [2 Tim. 1:5]

PRAYER: Loving and faithful Heavenly Father, we bring grateful hearts to You for the favor You give to Your children. We war the spiritual warfare of this life strengthened by the prayers of Godly loved ones and fellow members of the Body of Christ.

READ: 1 Chron. 2, 3

God’s people were hauled off to Babylon in large part because their leaders pursued sin and idolatry rather than following the Lord like David did.

We often find ourselves led off because of our selfish pursuits. When we realize that we’re in a form of captivity, only God can hear our cry for help and restore us.

Men don’t climb … they’re lifted.

PRAYER: Lord, lift us up out of the miry clay and put our feet on the Rock, Christ Jesus.

READ: 2 Kings 24, 25; 1 Chron. 1

Manasseh was a sinful king of Judah whose detestable behavior incited God’s anger against His people. Young king Josiah’s reign was an extreme contrast as he did all he could to rid Judah of sin and idolatry. His righteous deeds held off God’s judgments.

This example gives us insight into how critical our stance against sin is. Romans 6 warns, “Shall we continue in sin … God forbid!”

Our victory is in Christ Jesus. He said, “Be of good cheer! I have overcome the world.” [Jn.16:33]

PRAYER: Father, we receive the grace You brought through Christ to become dead to the allure of sin. We want to walk in Christ’s victory.

READ: 2 Kings 20-23

Isaiah was God’s prophet to Israel during the time of king Hezekiah of Judah. The king of Assyria had sent a message to Hezekiah threatening destruction if he didn’t submit to him and directly challenging his commitment to the Lord. Interestingly, Isaiah wrote about Lucifer’s tactics in association with the Assyrian challenge [Is. 14:25]. Both voices and messages were the same.

Hezekiah cried out to God who saved Judah by sending one angel to smite 185,000 enemy soldiers on one night. The evil king of Assyria was slain shortly thereafter.

We learn to recognize the enemy’s voice through whomever it comes. We cry out to God and watch Him destroy our enemy.

PRAYER: Lord, You are the great God. You are the ruler of the universe, and we submit ONLY to You. Give us a discerning ear to recognize the enemy’s voice and refute it through prayer and obedience to Your Word.

READ: 2 Kings 18, 19