King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: See Clearly
Date: Thursday March 29, 2012
Today's Chapters: 1 Samuel 25-27

Hello My Friend,

It is very hard to deal with some of the circumstances we face, but we must not give up hope that they will subside, in fact, keep believing and they will subside much quicker. Unbelief hinders us from so many things that God has waiting for us. Jesus tells us why we cannot achieve some goals, “Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” - Matthew 17:20,21. I just got my first debit card with my business name on it, I cried when I saw it. I never really thought that I would become “a business”, after all, I have been doing this work for eight years, but in a matter of three weeks I went from being Christina to Designs by Christina. When my brother asked me how all this happened so fast my response was, “I do not know, I never actually thought I would get this far.” This coming from someone who encourages people to never stop believing.

Yes, it was unbelief that took me through eight years of vain praying and not expecting God to do anything, but the good thing about it is that God was working even through my disbelief. How? He really knew my heart, my judgment was just clouded around my circumstances. Once I gave it all to Him I was able to see clearly what I needed to do for Him to do what He needed to do. “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” - 1 John 3:20-22.

By now all of Israel knew who David was and whenever he came into their town they were afraid, wondering if he was just passing through out to get them. David knew a man named Nabal, his name actually means “a fool”, Nabal was a sheep wrangler, very rich and successful, as a result of David's help. Nabal needed help driving the Philistines away, which David did and the result was his success. Now, when David heard that Nabal was out shearing sheep in the wilderness he sought his help to feed the hungry men that were with him. Nabal lived up to his name as being a fool, he not only rejected David's plea to give food to his men he also pretended that he did not even know David, after all he had done for him.

“And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:..And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased. And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master. Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be? So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.” - 1 Samuel 25:5,9-12.

There are a lot of Nabal's in life, they only want you around when they want something, most are selfish, do not want to do anything for themselves, yet expect people to constantly help them prosper. However, seek them for help and they shun you as though they never knew you. While it is not our duty to keep helping those who do not help themselves, it becomes us to keep living our lives the way God wants us to live. God knows who are His and while we may not see the rewards for our putting up with ungrateful people right now, we will see them when we see Jesus. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” - Matthew 7:21-23.

David did not take Nabal's rejection very well, he became so angry that he wanted to destroy everything that he had. He gathered two hundred men with him and headed to Carmel to destroy everyone and everything in it. When Nabal's wife, Abigail, got word of the way her husband treated David, she bravely confronted David, but also brought provisions for him and his men. “And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord. I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days. Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling...And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.” - 1 Samuel 25:27-29,32,33.

The gift that Abigail sent was an atonement for Nabal's behavior, her humbleness and submissiveness to David was able to give him a chance to think about what he was about to do. She did not excuse her husband, but depended on the grace of God to soften David's heart and reason with him before he took away innocent lives out of anger, reminding him that he is also above someone as foolish as Nabal. Eventually Nabal's wickedness caught up to him, a few days later he died and eventually Abigail became David's wife. It is important that we do not act out of anger, we can destroy ours or even others lives if we do things out of anger. There have been many times that I did something out of anger before having time to think about it and it was usually something that I was wrestling within myself that was the cause of the anger not that particular incident. We cannot add fuel to the fire of our trials by acting upon them angrily, but we can find peaceful solutions when we have time to think about it. “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil...Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” - Ephesians 4:26,27,29.

No sooner than David made peace in Carmel, here comes Saul once again, out to seek him and kill him. David had another chance to avenge himself, but he was not about to take the throne by force. The temptation was very strong, but if he yielded, he would sin against God, therefore, he let him go. However, discouraged and distraught, David was beginning to lose hope that he will ever be king, coming to the conclusion that Saul would kill him before he had the chance to become king of Israel. He decided to reside in Philistine territory, believe it or not, he was received by the Philistines. David gains the kings favor, not by faith, but by his ability to defeat the apposing nations.

“And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand..And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife...And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months...And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.” - 1 Samuel 27:1,37,12.

Now Achish has the idea that David would always serve him, this will become a problem when David does become king of Israel. Unbelief is a sin that comes to those who have been undergoing long trials, it is of no advantage to us to become so depressed, that we cross over into the world for comfort. God can protect us when we are in His territory, but when we venture out into the devils it can be hard for Him to keep us out of danger. However, He even uses our clouded judgment to His advantage to help us see clearly. “For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” - 2 Corinthians 7:11.

Today's Psalm: 27:13 - ”I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

Today's Proverb: 16:20 - “He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.”

Today's Prayer: God, You know my heart and I know that no matter how much You do for me there are times when my faith in You becomes dim, so dim that I cannot see past the darkness of my circumstances. God, I do not want to be a faith by sight person, I want to be a faith by hearing and doing person. I want to keep going, believing and hoping that You will do everything You say You are going to do. Help my disbelief to be a thing of the past, break through the clouds and help me see things more clearly in every area of my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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