Tag: 1 Samuel

The Little Foxes

On By CarmenLeave a comment

I want to write about something that we all as Christians need to be reminded of.

This “something” is to be obedient to our LORD God by following His commands, no matter what.

Let me share a personal story that will explain today’s message.

As I was reading and studying the Bible this morning, I found that I could not concentrate clearly as I usually do. I was struggling to keep a fluid understanding of what I was reading.

I stopped and prayed that God would help me to refocus and be able to comprehend His message for me.

I was reading in 1 Samuel 12 which is not hard to understand if you have read previously from Genesis to 1 Samuel.

I believe that God did indeed help me to focus after I asked Him, and I then fully understood why I was faltering.

I had committed once again a sin He’s been working on me about for a while. I will explain later what this sin is.

First, I want to share what I came across that snapped me out of my muddled state.

If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king.

1 Samuel 12:14-15

This statement by the prophet Samuel to the Israelites was to remind them that they and their newly chosen king Saul were to obey the LORD in all they do.

Up until this time, God had delivered them out of slavery in Egypt, fed them, protected them, gave them His laws for their well-being, brought them into the promised land, defeated their enemies in battle, and showered them with countless blessings.

Did the Israelites obey the LORD after this warning? No. Not completely.

The Israelites wanted to be like their neighbors—they wanted a king to rule over them.

Samuel, being a man of God, was greatly displeased over this; but God told him to go ahead and anoint a king for them, one that He would choose.

God let them have their way, even though this was a rejection of God Himself to rule over them, especially after all He had done for them.

They had severe consequences that followed. If you’re interested in knowing what happened as a result of their disobedience, feel free to read the remainder of 1 Samuel—and the rest of the Bible for that matter.

As Christians, also God’s chosen, we are told to follow God’s word.

God expects our full obedience to Him and His ways.

The apostle James, tells his fellow Christ followers the same.

You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. Therefore, ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save our souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:19-25

As for me, the awkward feeling of not being able to feast on God’s word clearly was enough for me to go in prayer to the LORD.

He revealed to me that I was harboring unforgiveness toward a neighbor for something that I was truthful about after she kept wanting to know why my husband and I were or were not voting a certain way in the 2024 presidential election. Consequently, she decided that she wanted nothing to do with us anymore. There is more, but I’ll just leave it at that.

The LORD impressed upon me that it doesn’t matter what others do to me or say about me, it is my responsibility to forgive and give it over to Him.

As Christians, we cannot be effective in our service to our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ with a wrong attitude.

It is an entryway for Satan to step in and create chaos and destruction in our lives.

We must instead trust God, be obedient in our thoughts, speech, and actions, and leave it with Him.

We will be happier, more focused and competent to carry out God’s plan for us daily.

I must say that immediately after I repented, I felt better, and I was able to continue in my reading and understanding of His word.

Often, it’s the small things, what we consider the small sins—the little foxes—that trip us up. God is concerned just as much about these sins as what we would call big sins.

Sin is sin to God. He doesn’t measure how big or how small. Even the slightest disobedience to Him is sin.

“Catch the foxes for us,
The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards,
While our vineyards are in blossom.”

Song of Solomon 2:15

In this scripture verse from the Bible, we learn that the little things spoil the overall progress of what is planned.

In this case, our wrong thoughts become our actions if we don’t reign them in. These negative actions harm our testimony as Christians and could keep us from what God has planned for us.

So, we must be content to let go of hurts or wrongs done to us, and depend upon His grace, love, and sovereignty.

He loves us and will bless us immeasurably when we follow Him completely.

I pray that this message blesses you today.

Below is a song that echoes my thoughts about my place in God’s kingdom.

“Who Am I?” – Casting Crowns

 

Trusting God

On By Carmen1 Comment

What do you do when you feel deep inside that a life storm is on the horizon? You’ve seen the warning signs and you know that trouble is around the corner. You just don’t know if the trouble will directly affect you. I’m not writing about a person who has a habit of worrying, rather someone who has committed their life to Jesus and has walked with Him; someone who has acknowledged and experienced God’s blessings in their life, but now is in the middle of a storm. Life has been pretty good for a while, and now despite all your efforts a storm is heading in your direction.

This is what is going on in our life and I’ll explain, but first I want to share a scripture verse that can help bring perspective and assuage fear.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 
Isaiah 41:10

God gave us scripture (His word) for many reasons, one of which is to encourage us. His word is true and can be trusted. I know this personally because I have had occasion to deal with storms in the past and I have relied on God’s word to help me through each one. The anxiety could have done me in if I had not redirected my focus and belief to what God says. There were times during bad situations that fear would rise in me; I had to carry a notecard in my pocket with specific scripture to read several times daily. This helped me overcome my distress and although my future was unknown to me, God knew all about it—and He knows now. He also knows all about your situation that is causing you anxiety.

It helps me to really question my faith in times like this. I tell myself if I can believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, then I should be able to believe that He can protect me through a dark storm.

Reread the scripture verse above from Isaiah. He is telling us that He will uphold us, so we should hold on until God changes the situation or takes us through the storm. This means that we don’t give up if we don’t see results quick enough. It means that we trust blindly. A side note, we should also be open to what He tells us to do or gives us to do—even if it is hard or we don’t like it.

I remember many years ago listening to Dr. Tony Evans, senior pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas. I had a cassette series of his sermons on faith that I listened to while I jogged around my neighborhood that helped me tremendously. I remember Dr. Evans saying “Life is full of trials; you are either in a storm, coming out of a storm, or about to go into one.” There is no way to avoid them, so we must accept this fact and learn to grow in faith in God. Below is one of the scripture verses that I memorized and still use today, thanks to Dr. Evans.

But 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 6:11

This verse has always meant so much to me. It has helped me understand that I must have faith in God before I see His answer; that I have to hold on to His word; and that He will reward me for my faith. This is one of those verses that I wrote down and put in strategic places that would remind me daily of my part, which helped to relieve my fears. I have good news for you, my friend—God will do His part! I am happy to share that I’ve been there, done that. May this be a blessing to you while you are walking with God through your storm.

If you are a Christ follower and you are seeking God and His will, He will provide for you in good times and difficult times. This provision comes not only in our basic needs like food, shelter, and money to pay the bills; it also comes as messages to us through the Holy Spirit while we’re seeking Him. What I mean is that God will speak to us through the Holy Spirit to keep us on His path and He will provide a word in time of need. For example, recently one Sunday while eating breakfast before I started getting ready for church, I was watching Dr. Charles Stanley on TV. “It just so happened” that Dr. Stanley’s message was about levels of faith—exactly what I needed to hear and be reminded of. God’s timing is perfect!

Our Current Situation:

My husband was informed a few weeks ago that there would be layoffs in the company he works for and has been with for many years. We have seen this coming in the last couple of years due to loss in sales. My husband is a diligent worker who treats his job like it is his own business. There are a few employees that report directly to him and he likes all of them. He is very upset that he may be losing any of them because he knows that they depend on their income to support their family. He is also aware if sales don’t improve he may very well lose his job. He is a few years away from retirement and we still have a mortgage to pay as well as life goals we want to accomplish including goals for a business we want to start when he retires. Meanwhile, I have just determined what God wants me to do after having a previous career in corporate America 30+ years.  I am now starting to write this blog to share with others just how good God is. This means that my husband is the bread winner and sole provider at this time.

We both know that God is our provider and that everything good comes from Him. We have seen Him change our lives for the better when there were storms before. We trusted Him and prayed for His help and guidance. He moved on our behalf which was seamless and better than what we could have asked for. There are so many stories of just how good God is that I want to share as I continue writing.

Remember His Past Faithfulness:

Around twenty years ago, I personally went through a massive round of layoffs with a company I worked nine years for when I was single and needed every penny of what I made. I had little savings and no family nearby. The one thing I did have was my faith in God. I was already seeking after God prior to this scary event in my life and was learning about Him through reading the Bible and listening to men of great faith. Dr. Evans taught me to remember God’s faithfulness in the past just as the shepherd David said to King Saul when he encountered Goliath.

And David said to Saul, “May no one’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” But Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight him; for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior since his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a sheep from the flock, I went out after it and attacked it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth; and when it rose up against me, I grabbed it by its mane and struck it and killed it.  Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The LORD who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you.”                                 1 Samuel 17:32-37

God is pleased with our outrageous faith in Him! These teachings and truths are what got me through.

Within six months, I was rehired by the same company, but only part-time, which was okay with me as I had started working to build my own business as a wardrobe consultant.

As for now, my husband and I will go through this impending storm in our lives trusting God. This doesn’t mean that we are not concerned, it just means that we have another opportunity to grow our faith in God. It means that we will endeavor to learn from this experience and put it to good use. As a friend of mine used to say when a tough situation would occur, “I can’t wait to see what God is going to do.”

Going through a storm may not be easy, but God is always faithful! We increase our faith by walking with God through hardships so we can be a blessing to others who go through similar situations.

Heavenly Father, I pray for everyone out there today that is going through a storm in their life. Give them the encouragement that they need to follow You and to not fear. Help them to feel Your presence and to follow You in faith so that they too can see Your divine power at work. In Jesus’s mighty name. 

Below are some resources to help you through your walk of faith with God. I have listened to both Dr. Charles Stanley and Dr. Tony Evans for many years and they have always been on point in their teachings from the Bible. I consider them both godly men who have walked the life of faith with God. Even though Dr. Stanley passed into eternity last year and is now resting in God’s glory and peace, his teachings are still available. I have included links below to the messages that have helped me in the past to overcome my fear while walking with God through my life’s storms.

Dr. Charles Stanley – Levels of Faith in the Life of a Believer  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLuK_tSOxBk

Dr. Tony Evans – The Heroes of Faith https://www.ocbfchurch.org/downloads/heroes-full-series/

As always, I have a song to share with you that has been a great comfort and encouragement to me.

“Walk by Faith” – Jeremy Camp