1 Samuel 18:12 - No Weapon Formed Against You Shall Prosper

“Now Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul.”

1 Samuel 18:12

Sometimes when you walk closely with the Lord, others fear you as they see God’s hand of blessing is upon you. They feel “threatened” as they believe that people are going to like you more than they do themselves. Even if you love them with all your heart, they may develop a love-hate relationship with you. They want and need your love (your love may make them feel better), but the wrong feelings they have inside come to the surface in them and they may act out. Saul made David captain over a thousand. 1 Samuel 18:14 says that “David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him.” It went on to say in 1 Samuel 18:15 “Therefore Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him.” So it tells us in 1 Samuel 18:12 and 1 Samuel 18:15 that Saul was “afraid” of David. Perhaps you have experienced this in your own life as well. You walked with God and the Lord was with you. Other people, and even other believers, saw this and they felt “threatened” by you and the power of God that is in you. They were jealous, envious, and even attacked you and your character personally. They may have spread lies about you so that other people wouldn’t like you anymore. People may have believed for a short time, but I believe the Lord reveals your innocence to all those that were lied to in His due time. Sin always comes to light. Know that God has plan and a calling on your life. He plans on using you and the gifts and talents that you have. His plan for your life can’t be stopped. The enemy may attack. Other people may stir the pot, but ultimately they will be the one to fall in it. These people need our love. They need our prayers. They are walking in darkness. One thing that was great about David is that David still loved Saul. He did not strike back. He ran, but the Lord protected him. When given an opportunity came for David to kill King Saul, David didn’t take it. Saul ended up eventually taking his own life. God protected David and he became King. Be encouraged today. God is raising you up. He has things for you to do. Walk with Him. He will protect you and you will fulfill all that He wants you to do.

Father, we love You and we love others. We thank You that Your hand of blessing is upon us. We thank You that You are with us. Some of us have had Christian brothers and sisters come against us. They became afraid of us because You were with us. They felt threatened by us because we could see in the Spirit and we walked with You. They were jealous because others liked us. But we thank You today that You were with us through it all. You took care of them and You took care of us. You are good in that way. You kept us safe and you proved our righteousness, right standing with You, and integrity in the end. And they did not stop God’s will from coming to pass in our lives. You deserve all the praise, the honor, and glory for this Lord. We pray for everyone that may be experiencing this right now. We pray that You be with them. We pray that any lies from the enemy be silenced. We pray that the persons righteousness, right standing with You, and integrity shine brightly and be evidenced by all. May Your will for them come to pass. Continue to be with us all Lord. Continue to fill and use us. And may you never ever ever depart from any of us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Kimberly Lenz, Care Ministry Coordinator

Solid Rock Community Church

1 Samuel 18:8 Jealousy and Envy Destroy Us

Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him, and he said, ‘They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?’”

1 Samuel 18:8

David had defeated Goliath. The Israelites were filled with joy. They sang and danced to meet King Saul. “Now it happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing to meet King Saul, with tambourines with joy, and with musical instruments. So the women sang as they danced, and said ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.’ Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him, and he said, ‘They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?’ So Saul eyed David from that day forward” (1 Samuel 18:6-9). So we can see from these passages that instead of having a grateful and thankful heart because the Lord had delivered the Israelites through David, Saul focused on what he considered was a slight to himself. His self-focus eventually destroyed him. Self-focus can also destroy us. We are going to look at the two main means of self-focus that Saul had. They are envy and jealousy. Envy is a discontent or resentment because of another’s success, advantages, or superiority. Jealousy is resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage. It affects their feelings, disposition, state and mood. Their focus remains on themselves and their slight instead of on God and His greatness. God tells us in His Word that He abandoned the people that refused to acknowledge Him. He abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that never should be done. Romans 1:29  says that “There lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.” He goes on to say in Romans 1:30 that “They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. They are fully aware of God’s death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And, worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.” As you can tell … they have no respect for the Lord and no healthy fear of Him. God’s Word tells us that when we “follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). God wants us to inherit the Kingdom of God. God wants us to have the Holy Spirit controlling our lives. He wants His fruits in us, being active and alive. They are: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control” (Galatians 5:22-23). One way to be wise is to learn from other people instead of finding out yourself the hard way. We can learn from King Saul not to get jealous and envious of others. It destroyed him. It can destroy us. What can we do about it? Confess your jealousy and envy to the Lord. Be honest with Him. He already knows. Confess it as sin and then ask Him to take away those wrong feelings inside and replace them with His love instead. He is faithful and He will do it. You will have a clean heart and you will inherit the Kingdom of God. Praise God for that.

Father, we thank You for the written Word. We thank You for what it can reveal to us. Lord, we come to You and ask You to be with us. Help us to learn from Your Word. May we examine our own hearts. Is it full of jealousy or envy? If it is, may we confess it as sin to You and may You take out all the wrong feelings inside and replace it with Your love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Kimberly Lenz, Care Ministry Coordinator

Solid Rock Community Church

1 Samuel 18:1 - Kindred Spirits

“Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

1 Samuel 18:1

Jonathon recognized in David a kindred spirit, a man who loved the Lord with all his heart, as he did. Their bond in the Lord blessed not only the two of them, but eventually all of Israel. We need each other to move forward in our faith. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says that “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls. For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” I love what the Living Bible says. It says “Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be much better. If one falls, the other pulls him up; but if a man falls when he is alone, he’s in trouble. Also, on a cold night, two under the same blanket gain warmth from each other, but how can one be warm alone? And one standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” God never calls on any of His children to walk alone in their walk with Him. We need each other, not only to receive help and encouragement, but to give it as well. We also need others so we can continue grow in our faith. Look at your own life. Have you got any kindred spirits in your life. Men and/or women who love the Lord with all their hearts, as you do? If so, praise God! If you don’t, begin to pray that God place kindred spirits in your life.

   

Father, we thank You for the companionship of friends. We ask You to surround us with kindred spirits. We want them to be people who love God with all their hearts. We want them to be people who will share God’s truths with us, and who we can share God’s truths with too. We need the help and encouragement that they can provide. We want to be able to give them help and encouragement as well. Give us a strong bond in the Lord. Just like David and Jonathan had. We thank You and give You praise. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Kimberly Lenz, Care Ministry Coordinator

Solid Rock Community Church

1 Samuel 17:51 God uses the very thing the enemy intended for our harm to be used for our good

“Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.”

1 Samuel 17:51

After David killed Goliath with the small stone to the forehead, David used Goliath’s own sword to cut off the giants head. God took something intended for David’s harm and used it for his good. God knows how to do that for us too. The enemy can try to use something to bring us harm, but God turns it around and uses it for our good. How can He do this? He is God. Romans 8:28 tells us “that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” I don’t know what you are going through. I don’t know what the enemy is throwing at you. But God does. Let God have control over the situation. Thank Him that He has the power and the ability to use what the enemy is trying to use for your harm and make it used for your good instead. Thank Him for His promise in scripture that says “that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those that are called according to His purpose.”

Father, the enemy comes against us and tries to cause us harm. Use his attacts instead for our good. We thank You that You did this in the life of David. May You also use this in our lives as well. You have promised us in Your Word “that all things work together for good to those who love” You. We cling to this promise and we stand on it. We give You praise. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Kimberly Lenz, Care Ministry Coordinator

Solid Rock Community Church

Kimberly Lenz, Care Ministry Coordinator

Solid Rock Community Church

1 Samuel 17:45-46 Nothing is too hard for God

“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.’”

1 Samuel 17:45-46

Goliath was a giant. All the Israelites feared him. David did not. He did not fear Goliath’s size, sword, spear, or javelin. David’s faith was not in his own strength or his own abilities. David’s faith was in the Lord. Goliath was no match for David. David knew God was with him. He had experienced God’s presence before and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was going to experience it again. He spoke what was going to happen before it happened. And what he spoke came to pass. We can learn so much from him. I don’t know what is bothering you now. I don’t know what is coming against you. Do not fear. Don’t put your faith in your own strength or your own abilities. Put your faith in the Lord. What you are going through may seem huge to you. But know for a fact that what you are going through is no match for the Lord. God is with you. You have experienced God’s presence in your past. Know without a shadow of a doubt that you are going to experience His presence and power yet again. Find scriptures to cause faith to rise up in you. Speak those scriptures out loud. Say those scriptural promises in a prayer. Make sure your prayers are full of faith. Then, sit back and let the Lord get the victory for you. Watch His word come to pass. It does not return void but accomplishes what it is sent out to do. Isaiah 55:11 says “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Be encouraged today. God is bigger than everything. He’s got this.

 Father, we thank You that You are all powerful. We thank You that we need not be afraid. The problems and difficulties that we are facing are no match for You. You are with us. We have experienced Your presence and power in the past, we know that without a shadow of a doubt we are going to experience Your presence again. We put our hope, faith, and trust in You. Bring us through victoriously. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Kimberly Lenz, Care Ministry Coordinator

Solid Rock Community Church

1 Samuel 17:33 We need to have eyes of faith

“And Saul said to David, ‘You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.’”

1 Samuel 17:33

Some people have spiritual eyes that see. Other people see only in the natural. God wants his people to have eyes that see. He wants them to have eyes of faith. When David first heard about the Philistine, he wasn’t afraid. He believed that God would give him the victory if he went up against him. Why didn’t Goliath frighten David? It was because David feared and loved the Lord more than he feared anything else. David’s brother, Eliab, was angry with David. He thought David was full of pride. When Saul heard about what David said he called for him. David told him that he would go and fight the Philistine. In the natural, Saul didn’t believe David could fight him. He saw that David was only a young boy. Then David told him that he used to keep his father’s sheep. He said that when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock he went after it struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. When the lion or bear arose against him, he caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. David told Saul, “Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:36). After this David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37). Saul was impressed and told David to “Go, and the Lord be with you!” (1 Samuel 17:37). Oh, if only we had eyes of faith. If only we saw things through spiritual eyes and not the flesh, the natural. Oh, if only we feared and loved the Lord more than we feared anything else. What great and mighty things we would do. Let’s begin to look beyond what we can see and see what God sees. May faith rise up in us. Faith is the Holy Spirit’s signal to go into action. David exercised his faith in the Lord before he went into battle. Let’s begin to exercise our faith.

Father, we thank you for spiritual eyes that see. Help us to see through spiritual eyes, and not the flesh, the natural. May we fear and love You more than we fear anything else. Other’s may not understand us. They may see things only in the natural, but we ask that this not stop us from fulfilling Your plan for our lives. May we begin to look beyond what we can see and see what You see. May faith rise up in us. Faith is the Holy Spirit’s signal to go into action in the spiritual realm. May we begin to exercise our faith. May doubt and discouragement have no place in our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.  

Kimberly Lenz, Care Ministry Coordinator

Solid Rock Community Church

1 Samuel 16:19 God trains us so he can use us

“Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, ‘Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.’”

1 Samuel 16:19

God often trains us before we do what we are called to do. God trained Moses in the house of Pharoah so that he would later lead God’s people. Having already been in the palace opened the door for him to be able to be heard by the Pharoah. Being heard by the Pharoah opened the door for the Israelites to be let go. God had David be a shepherd boy to learn how to serve faithfully, worship Him and to be victorious in Him while he protected the sheep. He even sent David into Saul’s palace to prepare him for the future, his being king. Be encouraged. God has been training you all your life to prepare you for His call on your life, and your future as well. Just be faithful with what you are doing. He will lead you step by step. Be obedient when He asks you to do more. You’ll see later that He was preparing you for His purposes all along. This will encourage you.

Father, thank You for caring so much for each and every one of us. Thank You for training us as we grow in Christ. Just as you trained Moses and David, You’ve trained us. You prepare us for what You have called us to do. May we fulfill the call You have upon our lives. Hold our futures in the palm of Your hand. We want to hear “Well done my good and faithful servant.” In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Kimberly Lenz, Care Ministry Coordinator

Solid Rock Community Church