Time with Abba, Singing Praising 親親爸父，唱詩歌頌 : OT DAY 447 - The Blessing of Consulting God at The Right Time (Please click here for English podcast)

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

OT DAY 447 - The Blessing of Consulting God at The Right Time (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

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.

For you bless the righteous, O Lord;

you cover him with favor as with a shield.

Psalm 5:11-12

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 22:1-23:24)

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+21&version=ESV

Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” 2 Therefore David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3 But David's men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” 5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. 7 Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8 And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will surrender you.”13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. 14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.

1 Samuel 23: 1-14

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"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

My Listening

Do you know the importance of being able to receive God's YES or NO before you make important decisions? Do you know how to consult God at the right time and right moment? Do you know when you need to use your own decision trusting that God will back you up? Today we have a classical example of doing so.

Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us:

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) :

Abiathar's bringing the ephod means David can ask God whether he is to go and attack the Philistines who are troubling Keilah, and God's answer is affirmative. His men point out that this is a dangerous proposal, so David consults God again, and God confirms that things will work out okay. They do; the people of Keilah are presumably grateful, and David and his men settle there for a while…
David hears that Saul is planning to come and again consults God about whether Saul will actually come("Yes") and whether that will lead the people of Keilah to panic and surrender David ("Yes"), so he gets out of there.
So sometimes God does guide people about the details of what they should do. How does God decide when to do so? How do you know when to ask God what you should do? The story suggests two insights. One is that there is something special about David. He is the man after God's heart - that is, the man God has chosen…
The other insight is that even David doesn't ask God what to do every five minutes. Usually he makes his own decisions, takes responsibility for his own (and his men's) destiny.

John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.99-100.

So, do you know what to do now? When was the last time you consulted God for a YES or NO, or for more detail instructions?

What I received from Jesus today about this area is that it is all about RELATIONSHIP! The more closer you are with God, like how David being described as the man after God's heart, the more you know how to consult and when to consult! Let's try all our best into a closer and closer relationship with God! That's the only way!

Dear Lord Jesus,

Lead us close to you each day so that we know when and how to consult you before we make our decisions. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Reflect on these questions:

1. Have you suffered from the consequence of not consulting God before you made your decision? What have you learned from that fault?

2. What have you learned from today's message?

3. What have you got from Jesus today?

Praise and Thanksgiving

10,000 Reasons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

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:

http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

Please click these links to the app. Andy Ng wrote if you have an Android cel.:

Discipler123: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ideal.rec.app

Break.Build: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ideal.bb.app

You may choose to follow my other daily blog:

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