Many times trouble comes to our lives when we are un prepared. This may create panic in us while we look for ways to resolve the problem. Some people may become paralyzed with fear while others look for a scapegoat to blame for their misfortune.
David’s reaction when attacked by the Amalekites as reported in 1 Samuel chapter 30 reveals the best way to handle difficult challenges. David and his men in this particular incidence were not home when the unprecedented attack happened. They had gone to fight with the Philistines who turned them back because they did not trust David who had previously fought with Israel against them.
David was in exile at this time and lived with his men in the city of Ziklag, a Philistine territory, which the Philistine king Achish had bestowed on David and his men because David had found favor with him (1 Samuel 27: 5-7). David’s exile had been forced by King Saul’s threat on his life because of Saul’s insecurities.
They arrived back in Ziklag on the third day after being rejected by the Philistines to a scary scenario. The Amalekites had raided Ziglag, burnt it down and taken captive the women and anyone else they found there. “David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive” 1 Samuel 30: 3. So what do you do caught up in such a situation?
1) Express your emotions
It was a distressing moment and seemingly a hopeless situation. David and his men wept together “until they had no more power to weep” but the situation turned to be more distressing for David because “ the people spoke of stoning him” 1 Samuel 30: 5- 6. The men caught up in grief looked for a scapegoat for their misery instead of working together for a solution. Avoid looking for someone to blame or criticize for your predicament. It is useless to do so.
2) Find strength in the Lord
In the midst of all these David “strengthened himself in the Lord, his God” 1 Samuel 30: 6. David recognized that the Lord is our shepherd and a very pleasant help in times of need. Instead of focusing on who to blame or express his anger towards, David found his strength in the Lord. So instead of blaming others, recognize that nothing gets the Lord by surprise. Reach out to him in your weakness and He will strengthen you.
3) Enquire of the Lord
Consult the Lord on what to do before acting. The next thing that David did was to enquire of the Lord whether to pursue his enemies and the consequences of doing so (1 Samuel 30:7). The Lord answered David and said, “pursue for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all”1 Samuel 30:8. Do not be in rush to revenge but wait on the Lord and He will direct your path. Once you receive your answer, act as instructed.
Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/373610_6-ways-to-handle-unprepared-attacks#ixzz15CHE6cpO
My blogs are inspired by my faith and hope. My writing shows my philosophy of life, my concerns and my passion.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Have you entered the sabbath rest?
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His” Hebrews 4: 9-10.
Have you ever felt like the Lord was calling you for a conversation and when you obeyed you knew He was warning you or reminding you of something? Well that happened to me not long ago when I was feeling disturbed in my spirit but did not know why. I tend to be like apostle Peter sometimes, where I do mighty things in the name of the Lord but get overwhelmed when I take my eyes from the Lord and view my circumstances from a carnal mind and start drowning.
Let’s face it, the ways of the Lord are hard to fathom and only our faith in Him can sustain us. Sometimes one feels like the Lord does not take cognizant of time or has forsaken them and in the process worry unnecessarily. Jesus reminds us that “which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” Mathew 6: 27. This is where I was when the Lord called me for a conversation.
Sometimes the Lord closes certain doors in our lives that we perhaps previously found our self worth in. He makes us to be totally depended on Him living on a day to day basis. In the process God teaches us to trust in Him and to receive from Him. The Lord may do this by removing you from a place of comfort and move you to a foreign place away from your security. The challenges may be many but it is in this place that you learn to depend on the Lord for your sanity.
As believers we always claim to be depended on the Lord and it is easy to say that when we are financially alright, we are healthy, our relationships are working well, our children are doing what we expect of them among such issues. But what happens when such securities are taken away from us? Will our actions be compatible with what we say we believe? The only way we can know is when we are tested by having such confidence taken away from us.
According to scripture “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him’ Hebrews 11: 6. In the midst of our trials our faith conditions us to know that God is able to see us through and that He holds the key to our deliverance. It will be in the midst of these challenges that the Lord proves to us that He is all we need in the long run, for "He is".
James writes “ Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe -and tremble!” James 2: 18-19. James is saying that our faith will show in our works. It is not enough to have an intellectual assent about God, for even demons do that, but the truth of what we believe in will be manifest through our thoughts and conduct. And sometimes it is in our trials that our faith is proved.
Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/367661_have-you-entered-the-sabbath-rest#ixzz15CG0w5O4
Have you ever felt like the Lord was calling you for a conversation and when you obeyed you knew He was warning you or reminding you of something? Well that happened to me not long ago when I was feeling disturbed in my spirit but did not know why. I tend to be like apostle Peter sometimes, where I do mighty things in the name of the Lord but get overwhelmed when I take my eyes from the Lord and view my circumstances from a carnal mind and start drowning.
Let’s face it, the ways of the Lord are hard to fathom and only our faith in Him can sustain us. Sometimes one feels like the Lord does not take cognizant of time or has forsaken them and in the process worry unnecessarily. Jesus reminds us that “which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” Mathew 6: 27. This is where I was when the Lord called me for a conversation.
Sometimes the Lord closes certain doors in our lives that we perhaps previously found our self worth in. He makes us to be totally depended on Him living on a day to day basis. In the process God teaches us to trust in Him and to receive from Him. The Lord may do this by removing you from a place of comfort and move you to a foreign place away from your security. The challenges may be many but it is in this place that you learn to depend on the Lord for your sanity.
As believers we always claim to be depended on the Lord and it is easy to say that when we are financially alright, we are healthy, our relationships are working well, our children are doing what we expect of them among such issues. But what happens when such securities are taken away from us? Will our actions be compatible with what we say we believe? The only way we can know is when we are tested by having such confidence taken away from us.
According to scripture “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him’ Hebrews 11: 6. In the midst of our trials our faith conditions us to know that God is able to see us through and that He holds the key to our deliverance. It will be in the midst of these challenges that the Lord proves to us that He is all we need in the long run, for "He is".
James writes “ Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe -and tremble!” James 2: 18-19. James is saying that our faith will show in our works. It is not enough to have an intellectual assent about God, for even demons do that, but the truth of what we believe in will be manifest through our thoughts and conduct. And sometimes it is in our trials that our faith is proved.
Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/367661_have-you-entered-the-sabbath-rest#ixzz15CG0w5O4
Understanding the Peace of God
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” John14:27.
What is peace? When we call on peace what do we really mean? Can we have peace in the midst of injustice? Can we have peace without resolving our conflicts? Can we have peace without rights?
According to Dictionary .com, peace includes the lack of war, a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, freedom from civil commotion and violence in a community, freedom from strife, freedom of mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, and a state of tranquility or serenity. As observed from this defination, peace is dependant on something happening or in the change of circumstances
The peace of God on the other hand is not conditional to circumstances outside our being. The peace of God is a state of being regardless of the circumstances. When we accept Christ in our lives we receive the Holy Spirit whose work in us produces a deep and lasting peace. This peace ensures us a sound mind when we would be anxious and distressed under normal circumstances.
Sin, fear, uncertainty, doubt and numerous other forces are at war within us. The peace of God moves into our hearts and lives to restrain these hostile forces and offer comfort in place of conflict. Paul in his epistle to the Philippians says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God , which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7.
Peace in this regard is a condition of mind that releases you from fear, anger, anxiety and pain even when the circumstances in the natural would warrant a different response. The peace of God is a gift as Jesus said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” John14:27.
The peace of God is manifested in those who understand the sovereignty of God. They understand that God is in control of every situation and that there are times that He will allow things that we do not like to happen if it serves the bigger picture. The perfect example is that of Him allowing Jesus to suffer death in a most shameful manner as a way of reconciling human beings to Him.
Jesus who understood the domain of God manifested peace even at His death. This is why it was possible for Him to pray that God would forgive His killers “because they did not know what they do” Luke 23:34. A normal human being would have been angry and exasperated at being so humiliated and beaten for something he was no guilty of.
Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/357975_understanding-the-peace-of-god#ixzz15CEYKt3x
What is peace? When we call on peace what do we really mean? Can we have peace in the midst of injustice? Can we have peace without resolving our conflicts? Can we have peace without rights?
According to Dictionary .com, peace includes the lack of war, a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, freedom from civil commotion and violence in a community, freedom from strife, freedom of mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, and a state of tranquility or serenity. As observed from this defination, peace is dependant on something happening or in the change of circumstances
The peace of God on the other hand is not conditional to circumstances outside our being. The peace of God is a state of being regardless of the circumstances. When we accept Christ in our lives we receive the Holy Spirit whose work in us produces a deep and lasting peace. This peace ensures us a sound mind when we would be anxious and distressed under normal circumstances.
Sin, fear, uncertainty, doubt and numerous other forces are at war within us. The peace of God moves into our hearts and lives to restrain these hostile forces and offer comfort in place of conflict. Paul in his epistle to the Philippians says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God , which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7.
Peace in this regard is a condition of mind that releases you from fear, anger, anxiety and pain even when the circumstances in the natural would warrant a different response. The peace of God is a gift as Jesus said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” John14:27.
The peace of God is manifested in those who understand the sovereignty of God. They understand that God is in control of every situation and that there are times that He will allow things that we do not like to happen if it serves the bigger picture. The perfect example is that of Him allowing Jesus to suffer death in a most shameful manner as a way of reconciling human beings to Him.
Jesus who understood the domain of God manifested peace even at His death. This is why it was possible for Him to pray that God would forgive His killers “because they did not know what they do” Luke 23:34. A normal human being would have been angry and exasperated at being so humiliated and beaten for something he was no guilty of.
Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/357975_understanding-the-peace-of-god#ixzz15CEYKt3x
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