Snuffed out

2 Samuel 21:17

…"You are not going out to battle with us again! Why risk snuffing out the light of Israel?"

Why do we go to battle?

Why do we take steps that put us at risk of our light being snuffed out?

We step into a battle and we don't carry all the armor that we need to fight the battle and we are at risk!

We step into the battle and we forget to let the Leader of the army tell us to step into the battle to begin the battle!

We forget to talk to the one that will fight the battle, so …our light goes out!

It saddened me so much to read about David in the battle. He was weak and exhausted. Imagine it..all the things he had faced! He had to be battle weary.

I know there are some days I think I can't put one foot in front of the other and rather than step back and rest and be refreshed – I step into battle and might light gets snuffed out. The devil knows when we are tired and exhausted and he uses it to his best advantage…We aren't doing Our Savior any good when we proceed in this manner. We let the Light that He gives us be put in danger!

Thank you Lord for this Mighty Word this morning!

Sweet Blessings,

Debbie

I am rescued!

Psalm 3:5

I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me.

Psalm 3 is so special to me and now it is even more special…

The day of my house fire this scripture was on the letter that God sent me. Today I read this Psalm with different eyes than that day, but it meant so much today.

You see I return tonight to my home church a little nervous about being back among the people that know me so well. The people that encouraged me to start this journey and taught me so much about myself and God and I want to share the things God is doing to the absolute best of my ability. I don't want to half share, I want to share with all my might and all my joy the things God is doing….

I know that God had the event fall on this reading today to remind me that He is a shield around me and that it is His Glory, and that He will be with me watching over me and it will be His words! God is so good. I know that God is going to do great things.

Today's whole reading about Absalom and his death, David's mourning and return was so powerful. David was mourning the loss of his son and yet he had to put that behind him and show the people it was okay. Wow, what a brave friend Joab was to David. Imagine it, put yourself in Joab's shoes…what a choice to make for the friend you loved and then you have to go and rebuke the king. You are the one that must remind him who loves him.

One of my favorite parts was the end of the reading today, when Mephibosheth came down to Jerusalem to meet the king. When he had to explain what happened with his servant Ziba. David then told him to divide the land equally and the reply from Mephilbosheth..give him all of it. I am content just to have you back safely back again, my lord the king!

So many powerful lessons and reminders today! Thank you Lord for reminding me this morning that you are my shield and that you will watch over me!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Conspire or Inspire?

2 Samuel 15:12

…Soon many others also joined Absalom, and the conspiracy gained momentum.

Have you ever sat on the sidelines and watched a conspiracy build?

One person begins by sharing something that may or may not be true, then another passes this along and before long you have a team of people gathered together fighting with all their might for their cause. It may be a good cause or it could be a bad cause, but it is gaining momentum.

Absalom had worked the people. He had conspired in good cases usually the word conspired would not be used, it would probably be inspired. David would have inspired the people where Absalom was conspiring on the other side. Absalom worked with tricks and David worked with God. Absalom was bitter and David was filled with joy. You see the difference building right?

Absalom had let the bitterness take root in his heart and he was conspiring to tear down good. Bitterness seems to always be at the heart of doing evil. What was done to Absalom's sister was wrong very wrong, but do you think Absalom was truly feeling anything good in his being? Watch the next time this begins to happen and usually the person conspiring is so filled with anger, hurt, bitterness that they are a miserable person and they are going to fill those around them with the same feelings.

David decides to leave and his words in 2 Samuel 25 and 26 show the difference between this father and son…"If the Lord sees fit, he will bring me back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle again. But if he is through with me, then let him do what seems best to him."

Wow, David knows God and he is obedient to God …David could have made the choice for bitterness here after all his own son is taking what is David's and yet he makes the decision that it is God's choice not his…truly inspiring!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Clean and create

Psalm 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God

Renew a loyal spirit within me

Today's reading was sad to me and yet it reminded me that David was like us. I've read the story many times. David sees a beautiful woman, desires her, sends for her, takes her and then wants to erase that it happened somehow…how do we erase the wrongs?

At times, I feel like we all need to get a huge cleaning bucket and scrub, scrub, scrub and still we will not ever be clean only by the blood of Jesus. We have power in us that we forget about…how we forget that God empowers us and that we are able through Him to do, to be, we just have to believe! Why is that so difficult? Is it our moments that we fail like David did?

Did you read on this morning about David? The LORD is upset with David and tells him that your family will live by the sword. He sent Nathan with horrible words about what was going to happen and the child dies. David fasted and wept until the child died, but immediately upon hearing that the child died, he got up washed and went to worship the LORD. Then he returned to the palace and he ate. One wonders how did he do this and the servants inquired – his reply as long as the child lived I knew that the LORD might be gracious and let him live…

David knows the LORD. David knew himself.

I ponder this morning do we know the LORD like David and do we know ourselves?

Is it just me that in today's world so much pretending goes on that sometimes we don't even know the real me? We put on so many layers that nobody knows the real person underneath all the layers.

Today, my prayer is that just like it says in the Psalm 51

Lord have mercy on us, wash us of the guilt, help us strip off the layers that we hide under and create the person we are each meant to be – the person that you created and desire! Amen

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Do you really know me?

1 Chronicles 17:18

…You know what your servant is really like.

David prayed and gave thanks remembering where God had taken him and where he was still going to take David's family. What did he do immediately? King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed!

Last time you had great success what did you do? What did I do? Did I immediately go before the LORD and give thanks?

David truly is a man after God's own heart! I am so falling in love with David this time around reading the Word. He truly is obedient, thankful, and yet so human just like us. He messes up, but He always knows who God is…He remembers that God knows him, that God loves him, and that God forgives him…David knows God…How he spends time with HIM!

Yesterday we saw David worship with abandonment and he didn't care who saw him, today we see him worship alone with God and talk…He opens his heart and tells God you know me God and yet you still do great things for me. He reminds God that HE alone is God and never will there be another like you. He knows God so well that David realizes he received an eternal blessing! Wow… so have we …we received an eternal blessing on the cross, but do we realize it?

I want to be more like David…

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Worship with all your heart

2 Samuel 6: 14

And David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a priestly garment.

David took off the royal robes.

David took off all pretenses.

David worshipped and did not care who watched.

David served God with all his strength!

David worshipped with all of himself!

I pondered this story today. I've read it many times and felt different feelings each time, but today it was more real to me. David only cared about the LORD – no one else…Do you worship like only the LORD matters?

I realized that at times I let other people and their thoughts interfere in my relationship with God. I don't worship with all my heart at times because of what others might think and I realized ouch….nothing should come between me and worshipping God.

Michal tried to rain on David's worship and he would not allow it. He told her that nothing and no one was going to interfere with his dancing before the LORD. David went on to say I will look foolish in my own eyes even but I will celebrate the LORD. WOW! Michal was punished because she talked about David and did not celebrate the LORD or put HIM first…it was still Michal's needs, her jealousy, her issues and it wasn't about the LORD.

Today, I look at this story with a whole new heart. A heart to worship only the LORD and never consider those around me and what they might think because after all only GOD'S thoughts matter when we worship HIM! A heart like David's – WOW!

Blessings,

Debbie

Listen

2 Samuel 5:24

When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the LORD is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army."

Wow, do we listen for our signals from the LORD?

God wanted to be sure that David remembered who was going to win this battle. He wanted David to have no doubts or to do the human thing and begin to puff up in his thinking about who won the battle…

What about us?

I sit here reflecting this morning thinking about David and then Debbie, David and then Debbie and here is what so far I've seen in Debbie while reflecting about David…

1. Obedience – am I being obedient to God like David
   
2. Listen – am I listening to God's desire for my life like David
   
3. Pride – am I keeping my pride out of the picture like David
   

What about you?

Reflection is good for us. We need to look in the mirror and take a good look, so that we are reminded who is going ahead of us and winning the battles! We need to listen to the instructions that God is giving us and we definitely need to remember who is truly winning the battles!

Listening,

Debbie

So Thirsty…

1 Samuel 23: 16

So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem and brought it to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the LORD.

The price was too high. The Lord alone is worthy of the sacrifice of blood that was shed to get this drink. So David poured it out. Awesome!

I studied this today with a thought – you cannot drink alone when so many are in want…So many desire the LORD and don't even realize what their hunger is about or for whom it is a hunger. How do we help? How do we help the people find the water?

Today, I was in the airport line the flights cancelled and listened to the people around me. The anger flying, the clerks who had nothing to do with the flights cancelling and the frustration of flying today and the tension mounted. The situation was so sad. I sat over to the side of the airport and I literally burst into tears. I am not a crying person in public. I cry alone. I didn't today and truly I believe God was showing me a bigger picture. I watched and felt helpless.

I prayed and it was so obvious that Lord was changing my plans along with all of these other people. I had looked so forward to this trip and yet I knew it wasn't the right timing. The peace that came over me was amazing. I got back up stood back in that line and cancelled my trip. The lady thanked me for being nice..for being nice isn't that something?

I sit here after reading thinking about this scripture and know in all my heart that God is sadden with the thirst around this world. He provides the water and yet so many would rather not drink. What do we do?

We let the LIGHT shine through us into this dark world! We are the nice ones in line that remind the people behind the counters that it isn't their fault and who knows why we aren't flying on that plane…maybe safety is an issue…I don't want a plane with mechanical issues flying me! We smile when it is hard to smile, we give a hug when we might not feel like hugging, we supply the water in a very thirsty world. We share The Word of God by walking the talk and remembering the sacrifice that Jesus paid for us! When you here sacrifice mentioned in today's world remember what it truly means and know that Jesus is the one that sacrificed – not us!!!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Nothing missing

1 Samuel 30:19

Nothing was missing; small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been taken. David brought everything back.

Not one thing was missing. Not one small piece in the puzzle was gone. God is amazing!

A few verses down they come upon the men that could not continue to fight the battle and immediately some of the battle weary men want to turn on the ones that did not fight. Imagine how tired David was the weight of everything was on him and yet HE remembers – Don't be selfish with what the LORD has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us.

I am reminded on the bone weary days that God fits every piece of the puzzle together not me! I am reminded that God is the one that will fight the battle for us, if we allow Him in to fight for us. Or we can get all puffed up in pride and think in our own little minds that we had something to do with the victory and then defeat will happen because of our bad choices.

David knew who won the battles!

Blessings,

Debbie

Collecting our tears

Psalm 56: 8

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.

David is wandering and misses where he belongs. Don't you feel it in this Psalm? He is under constant attack, they put words in his mouth that aren't his, they spy on him and he muses Lord you are keeping a record - aren't You?

Lord, you are writing down all of these trials and trips that I am taking for you? You will remember all the tears that I've shed along this journey?

In ancient times it was a custom in Greek and Roman cultures to collect tears shed during a time of death and to place them in a phial and bury them with the person. David knew the custom and he knew that God knew his feelings and He knew that God loved him, so ….He believed that God would keep a record of his tears and keep them in a book of purpose. God knew the big picture and David was so obedient and trusted God so much that he could cry out to God – I know you are keeping track of all my sorrow. I know that I can call on you God for you are on my side. I know your promises God and I trust you, so why would I ever be afraid? What can these mere men do to me?

Wow…I just love David and I feel the peace in his heart that his relationship with God brought to him. I love that God does care about our tears and record them in His book. He so loves each of us and He does collect our tears along this journey.

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Listening

1 Samuel 25:29

Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the LORD your God, secure in his treasure pouch!

I love this! Secure in God's treasure pouch. Most people wear a treasure pouch the safest place on them and think about it David is safe in God's treasure pouch!

So are we!

Abigail was so smart. Two men that were reacting with pride and no thought were about to proceed in a manner that would not be good, but she steps down off her donkey humble to remind David of his role in the LORD'S PLAN. David knew immediately that she was right and that God sent her to remind him of his important role.

Again, it was David's choice on how to respond. He could still decide to go and ignore Abigail's words or to turn back without hurting anyone. How often does God place someone in our path with words that He knows we need to hear and it is our choice which path we take? Do we take the words and be reminded that we are secure in God's treasure pouch or do we react on our own? After all, if David had reacted on his own by killing Nabal things would have looked different. The same is true of us. Listen for the words that God might be sending to you from someone that crosses your path today. I will be listening!

 

Listening,

Debbie

Hunted down, but praising God!

Psalm 57:

I look to you for protection.

I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by…

My heart is confident in you, O God;

My heart is confident.

No wonder I can sing our praises!

David is so honest, so obedient he just says it like it is and I love that!

Here David is on the run hiding in the cave from Saul and he is being hunted and yet he knows where he is protected and by whom and he sings his mighty praises to HIM and HIM Alone! I think about myself during difficult times and I am sad to admit that I'm not usually singing God's praises. Oh I am talking to Him and sharing, but one part that I might leave out is the praise that should be shared even in those difficult times. It hit me that God never leaves me during those times and that is when the praises should be heard the loudest! After, all how would we get through these times without HIM?

The last several days of reading about David have been so wonderful. I haven't written, I've been caught up in the reading and pondering of the Word. I love when David goes to fight Goliath. Here is a brave man and the only reason is because he knows that The Lord rescues him from lions and bears, so why not this Philistine! Don't you love it?

David is a hero and the ugly head of jealously begins to rear its head with Saul. It doesn't matter how much David loves and cares for Saul the damage is done. Human flaws are once again at work.

What a beautiful story beginning with the friendship of Jonathan and David. The love Michael had for David and the way her father ruined her life from jealously entering the picture. Saul begins to try and murder David. David escapes. David runs and all the while he is praising God. Look at Psalm 34…I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises…

Today and everyday let's sing HIS praises all the daylong!!!

Praising God,

Debbie

Refreshed or not?

1 Samuel 14: 27

…he dipped the end of his stick into a piece of a honeycomb and ate the honey. After he had eaten it, he felt refreshed.

Jonathan had fought a great, daring battle and won! Why because God was on his side and Jonathan knew in his heart the reason for victory. Do we?

Saul gave the crazy order that no one was to eat before night fall. Imagine you are about to fight a battle and you are zapped before you even begin the battle due to not eating. When you head out for each day do you prepare yourself for the battles that you will face? Do you rest? Do you eat the proper foods? Do you spend the alone time with God to know how to handle the battle you face each day?

Jonathan did. Jonathan exclaimed that his father had made trouble for them in this rule. He went on to say don't you see how refreshed I am now? How often are we like Saul and we get in the way of the great plans the Lord made?

Who should we be more like to prepare for the battles we will face today? Saul or Jonathan?

Preparing for the battles,

Debbie

Grace of God

Hannah's story

I was so touched by Hannah's story. The story of desiring a child, longing for a child, my story just ended differently than Hannah's.

The first thing that caught my attention was that Eli watching her immediately assumed the worst. He thought she had been drinking. She was praying and sharing her grief with the one that could heal her pain and yet the priest automatically assumed the worst. Why do we do that? Oh Eli isn't alone, we all do this rather than think the best, we think the worst…Think back I don't think I'm alone in admitting this sin.

Anyway, Hannah is in such pain, but she went to pour out her heart The Word tells us in 1 Samuel 1. Where do you go to pour out your heart? Do you go the Lord or do you go to a friend?

What touches me the most in this story is that Hannah gives her son to the LORD permanently. She gave Samuel to the Lord at the age of 3. Imagine it…feel Hannah's pain she desired a child so bad that she is sobbing and begging the LORD for a child and during this she promises the Lord that he will be dedicated to the LORD for a lifetime.

When Hannah took Samuel to leave him at the temple, what did she do? She sang a hymn of praise shouting the LORD made her strong and that she was rejoicing that He rescued her. The LORD saw her and HE healed her. He even gave her more children. Hannah was obedient and remembered her promise to the LORD!

Hannah the name means Grace of God. Wow!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Amazing

Ruth 2: 12

May the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.

Here is a young woman that proclaimed to her mother-in-law that wherever she went, she would go; that your people will be my people and that your God will be her God. Wow…what a proclamation of faith and who this young woman was in her journey.

Ruth was a loyal woman that loved deeply and trusted with all her heart in a God that she was her in-laws, but in a God that she decided she wanted for her own. A God that she took refuge under – Our God.

Do we live a life in our bitterness like Naomi did that other young women still see Our God, Our Savior and they want Him for themselves? Naomi isn't talked a lot about other than her bitterness, her sadness, her unhappiness, but she must have lived a life that God still showed through to this young woman. God must have still shined through Naomi even in the difficult times, because this young woman left all that was familiar to her and found refuge in the God of Israel. Isn't that amazing?

Isn't it amazing that even Ruth that wasn't familiar with the God of Israel still felt like she could take refuge in HIM? I love this story because indeed he rewarded her fully she was a part of the lineage of Jesus Christ! God is so amazing!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Let’s Make a Deal

Judges 11: 29 -40

Today, I was captured right off the bat. A story of a sacrifice that I've overlooked in the past, a story much like Abraham and Isaac, but this one had a different ending. Please take the time to read the whole story for yourself!

Let's make a deal went through my small brain reading this story. How often have you tried to make a deal with God? You know Lord if you just get me through this appointment with good news I promise that I will teach in Sunday school from now on. Lord, if you will just get me out of this bad situation, I promise I will never do this again. Knowing full well that you will not be able to teach Sunday school from now on and the possibility is that you will do something again.

Well Jephthah made a vow that if God would give him victory over the Ammonites then he would give whomever walked out of his house to him in a burnt offering. Several things got my attention right here...1) God would have been upset at the beginning of these words this was pagan to offer human sacrifice 2) who did Jephthah expect to walk out of the house – his wife, mother-in-law, cousin, he had to know somebody that lived in the house was who he was talking about!

Trust such a small word with such big meaning. If Jephthah would have trusted God in the beginning and not tried to make a deal this would not have happened. Fact is that if he would have trusted God he would have had victory and his daughter. Instead, the ultimate sacrifice was made with his daughter. Many question this story, but I don't. I believe that first off God was upset that Jephthah would have made such a vow and would have allowed this to happen for many reasons. First, the lack of trust and faith in God to give him victory. Second, this was a pagan ritual and God really would not have been pleased. Don't make a vow to God unless you intend to keep it.

Why wouldn't it have been easier to say Lord, I'm afraid. Help me with this battle. You know me I cannot do this without you. Trust and honesty with the Lord and this story would have had a much happier ending much like the Abraham story. Do you see the difference Abraham trusted the LORD with his son's life and Jephthah didn't trust the Lord with a battle much less his child…he was a dealmaker, not a leader of the people and follower of the LORD.

I'm still intrigued with who he expected to walk out of the house…Who do you think was okay to sacrifice? What a story to teach us to trust in the LORD always!!!

Trusting,

Debbie

Who wins the battles?

Judges 7: 7

The LORD told Gideon, "With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.

Well the team of 33,000 was taken down to 300 before the fighting started. Imagine you have a fighting crew of 33,000 with those odds its looks great, things are falling into place for the team. Gideon had to feel pretty good until He got word send the ones afraid to fight home ~ well 22,000 left immediately.

Still the team had 10,000 good men ready to fight. When God says ~ still too many…Why? God told Gideon that the people would believe they won the war because of their own strength, so God wanted no doubt in anyone's mind about who would win this battle. Only He would win the battle.

How often have we let ourselves think you won a battle and all along God won the battle? It saddens me to think that because of our human egos that swell on a moment's notice that God must continually remind us who really wins these battles in our life. I'm guilty…I admit it…It saddens me, but things will be going along great and I'm thinking wow Deb you are doing some pretty good stuff and quickly I am reminded that it is not me. Absolutely it is God and that He is just letting me tag along on this journey He called me to walk!

Forgive me Father for the times that I forget to shout from the top of my lungs to the tips of my toes who it is that truly wins my battles! My Father in Heaven fights for me daily and He also wins the battles – it's not me…Thank you Father for loving me in spite of me and for fighting my battles.

Forgiven,

Debbie

IF

Judges 6:36 -37

…If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.

 

If…If…If..

Think about it - If these walls could talk, If I could fly, catch me if you can, If I had wings…IF, IF, IF…

I picture myself sitting in Gideon's spot talking to an Angel of God that he already had already tested and then I want more proof. Not just one time but several tests that he ran on God.

We are all put through test to get through school, jobs, life in general, but this is special, isn't it? Gideon wanted God to prove without a shadow of a doubt that HE WAS GOD and God did. Only our loving Father would do just like Gideon requested so that Gideon would feel God's power and might and follow through with God's desires.

Ask God whatever it is that you need to know. God is big, God is huge and HE is ALL POWERFUL. He wants to show us HIS Power and MIGHT! So go ahead be like Gideon and make a request. It is so wonderful when God shows up to answer!

Requesting,

Debbie