Friday, March 25, 2016

OT DAY 444 - Everyone Was Against Saul (Please click here for English podcast)

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence
2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile
2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people
3.   Open your heart to praise the Lord

         Many are saying of my soul,
             there is no salvation for him in God.
           But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
              my glory, and the lifter of my head.
                                     Psalm 3:2-3

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html)

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

The Word (1 Samuel 18:17-19:24)


       
        Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand.And David was playing the lyre. 10 And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
11 Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped.                       1   Samuel 19: 9-12


Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"

My Listening

           God gave Saul a bad spirit trying to lead him to come into senses and change. But he was controlled by his bad temper, jealousy, bitterness, anger and rage. He just wanted to kill David his imaginary  opponent. More than that, his son against him, his daughter against him and everyone against him. Why?

Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us: 

           Saul has a bigger problem than his son's being against him and his daughter's being against him and his own stupidity's being against him: God is against him. The final note of divine ruthlessness and humour comes in the story of how once again Saul ends up prophesying. Once, way back at the beginning, this had been a sign that God really was with Saul. Now it is a sign that God really has abandoned him. Yet Saul still will not see sense and turn back.  
         
John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.92-93.






           So, are you in a similar situation that your son agains you, your daughter you, other people against you? Is there a possibility that God lets this to happen so that you can come into senses and change. Or, do you have anyone around you who are in similar situation that God prepares you to help? 


    Dear Lord Jesus,
    Help me to come into senses if I have similar situation as Saul did. Show me if there is anyone you want me to help who are in similar situation. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. 

Reflect on these questions:
    1. Do you have quite a number of people against you? Do you think you are in similar situation as Saul?

2. Do you think you have anyone around you in similar situation that God wants you to help? 

    3. What have you got from Jesus today?

 Praise and Thanksgiving

10,000 Reasons

Please click the link below to my new 40 days Break.Build site any time you like to having a 40 days "Break.Build" daily devotion with one to two people as a discipler to help those Jesus prepares for you to disciple. You need to know that the call and purpose of my Break.Build and this Discipler123 blog/podcast is for you to become a discipler to help more people to have a daily intimate relationship with Jesus and then they can become disciplers too:

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Daily Devotion on Fire: http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/

如何能在大難之中,作眾人父母親的榜樣?

  今日博客的錄影: https://youtu.be/U2jVoKcsCYA?si=IxUmVR0zbUGfOMVw Nicky Gumbel  牧師今日靈修博客: https://us17.campaign-archive.com/?e=590b90010b&u=60...