Author: Pastor Mike

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 116

The men of David said to him, “Behold, this is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’” Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly.

1 Samuel 24:4

Sometimes things seem right, but they’re not right.  In those times, don’t let others be the voice of God to you.  Listen to your heart for God’s voice for your life.  What you’re sowing now you will reap later.  It’s easier to give advice than to live with it.  David listens to his own heart; he wants the drama to be over, and he is tired of running and hiding.  He’s got a chance to help God, but God doesn’t need our help.  What David does today will impact what he’s able to do tomorrow.  When it comes to hearing God, don’t let others be God’s voice for you or to you.  Listen for God’s voice, look for God’s peace. He is with you.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 115

Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats.

1 Samuel 24:2

Life is made up of many, many decisions, and you can’t really afford to be driven by things that get personal rather than purposeful.  When personal issues interfere with purposeful issues, we get distracted by lower priorities.  King Sual’s personal issues pulled him, and the best he had, away from the purposeful.  Later, we find out that King Sual was wrestling with personal paranoid issues, and that’s what happens when we lose sight of the higher purpose.  David will face the same issue that day.  Keep your purpose in God your priority for God. 

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 114

Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.”

1 Samuel 24:1

There is always an opportunity to make the right decision in life, but there are always people who want you to make the wrong decision.  It’s important to think about how you will decide and why.  Without a life after God, we find ourselves with a life after God.  Saul once knew what it was to have God’s direction and discernment, but now, after God, he was left to the counsel of mere men.  If it wasn’t for David, whose life was led by God, this choice would have been fatal.   Be careful about who you listen to and determine how and why you will decide what you decide. 

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 113

And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.

 1 Samuel 23:29

There are times when God gives us an oasis opportunity.  He knows what we need and when we need it.  God’s plans for our lives are good, and we will recognize that when we live thankful.   We must stay grateful for everything God does in our lives, looking for every opportunity God gives us.  This place too will become disrupted by a tormented man and king, but take the moment, stay thankful, and let God renew the soul.  Remember, God is working in our lives and in the lives of those who don’t care for us.  Be thankful today.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 112

But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid on the land.”

 1 Samuel 23:27

It often seems like God keeps us just a step ahead of our trouble when we want to be totally free from that trouble.  Just keep moving and trusting in God.  Get on the other side of your mountain and keep marching. We don’t know how God is going to save us.  King Saul was on the heels of David, ready to put an end to his adversary, and all it took was a messenger to change his focus.  Get on the other side of your mountain and quit thinking about it like everyone else.  There’s a reason why David is on one side and Saul is on the other side of this mountain; David’s following the Spirit, and Saul is following his own senses.  Ask God to send His messenger to your mountain.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 111

Then Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?                   1 Samuel 23:19

Betrayal will be one of the most difficult things we ever deal with in life.  Betrayal happens when others use us up for their own wants and worries.  And then there are those like King Saul who use that betrayal as if it were a blessing from God.  Saul said, “May you be blessed of the LORD, for you have had compassion on me. (1 Samuel 23:21) It’s purely selfish and dishonest.  Betrayal leaves us feeling exposed and vulnerable, but God doesn’t need anything natural to hide and protect us from our foe.  His hand is sufficient to bless and keep us.  We just must be willing to leave our hands in His, trusting Him all along the way.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 110

While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. ¹⁶ And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. ¹⁷ “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father, Saul, will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul, knows this.” ¹⁸ The two of them made a covenant before the LORD. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.

1 Samuel 23:15-18

There’s nothing like a friend when you’re in the fight.  Make sure your friends are friends.  David and Jonathan are friends who were in covenant with each other.  Trust comes from character, not covenant.  Jonathan’s father is in pursuit of David to kill him.  During that time, David’s friend Janathan comes to encourage David.  That takes trust on behalf of both men.  You see, they knew what they each treasured.  Trust is built on what we both treasure

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 109

David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.

1 Samuel 23:14

It’s an amazing thing how God can keep us one step in front of our foe.  God doesn’t give us up to our foe; our flesh does that for us.  When we live in the foolishness and fear of man, our flesh gives us up to the foe.  But when we live by faith with our Father, God keeps us a step ahead.  Our foe is not like our Father; he doesn’t know all things all the time.  Our foe hears about it and realizes that we’re no long where he thought we were.  God doesn’t give us up; He takes us up.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 108

Then David said, “O LORD God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account. ¹¹ Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand?

1 Samuel 23:10-11

Always trust the word of God before you trust the word of man.  Not every invitation ends with good intentions.  The flesh, the natural tendencies of man’s skin, is full of fear and faithlessness.  Don’t put your life in the hands of man but the hands of the Master.  Flesh will give you up, but faith will take you up.  Learn to pray about everything.  Philippians 4:6 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  That’s putting yourself in the hands of the Master.  Trust Him!  Listen for His voice.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 107

So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines; and he led away their livestock and struck them with a great slaughter. Thus David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah.

1 Samuel 23:5

The only way to fight fear is with faith, and that means taking action against fear.  Faith without works is dead. (James 2:26)   There’s that place where we have to obey the voice of the Lord, trust in Him, and follow Him to the end of the conflict.  God gives us His word, and we must take His walk, exercising faith.  Love and hope are what God does; faith is what we do.