LivethruJesus

When you feel trapped or under threat, worried or afraid, overwhelmed or powerless: be strong; face the situation head-on; do what needs to be done; trust God to do what is best. No amount of worry or fear can change your situation. But God has the power to help. So, give it over to Him. There is no one better to trust with your life.

David was an unselfish ruler. He gave God the plunder due Him for victory, and he gave Mephibosheth his family's inheritance because of his love for Jonathan and took him in as a part of his family. God does the same thing for us. Because of our relationship with God's Son, God takes us into His family, and like David, we owe Him everything.

While David lived in a luxurious, stable home, God's Spirit dwelt in a tent. David wanted to build God a house, but the Lord said He would rather build up David's house. Through him would come all the kings and eventually the King of the World. God's Spirit no longer hovers over the mercy seat of the ark. Instead, He lives in the hearts of believers. We are the temple that houses His Spirit, now.

God is holy and deserves to be treated with reverence, but that may look different than you think. God thinks Uzzah is being irreverent and Michal thinks David is. What is your initial reaction? Do you feel differently after studying the lesson?.

Even before David was anointed as their king, people wanted to follow Him. Many left their country and their king and risked their lives for Him. But the greatest testament to David's worthiness as their king, was the number who came to anoint him and the three men who risked their lives just to provide him with a taste of home. Men will fight for a cause. But when they choose to follow a man who has no authority over them and they will do anything to please him, then you know they have found a great leader.

Sometimes when people try to help, they just make things worse. But God never messes up or hurts innocent people in His efforts. His plans are perfect and they always accomplish what He intends. He can be trusted!

Do you take joy in the defeat or pain of those who have hurt you? Do you respect God's choices and timing? Do you trust Him to raise and remove the leaders He chooses, in the time and manner He determines? Will you respect and follow those people until the Lord removes them from leadership? Are you able to set aside your own personal issues with your leaders and see the good they may have done for others? Can you look past the negative things and remember the good in them? Are you willing to praise them publicly while keeping the negative things to yourself? Do you desire the best for everyone rather than selfishly seeking what is best for yourself?

Do you look to God for answers, understanding, or for fulfillment of your needs and wants? Or do you turn to other things? Do you seek to please Him first? Or do you first seek to take care of yourself, leaving Him as an afterthought?

Sometimes, when things aren't quickly resolved in our own lives and the trials seem to linger on, we may be tempted to think that God has deserted us and turn away from Him. But, if we will remain faithful, refusing to desert our God, He will prove Himself faithful to us. His protection, favor, victory, or way out may not come as quickly as we wish or in the way we want, but that shouldn't cause us to doubt Him. We can't always see what's happening behind the scenes or understand all His ways. But that doesn't mean He isn't there or He isn't working.

It is hard not to defend ourselves or be mean to people who are being mean to us. But if we will treat them the way we want to be treated and do what is right, then God will fight for us.

God wants to fight for us, but we must yield to Him. When we take matters into our own hands, we are taking them out of God's hands. Be attentive to His delays and listen to His reasonings. Align yourself with Him by making sure you are doing things His way. This will not only leave room for God to work on our behalf, but it will keep us from sin. He wants to save us from ourselves. But we have to let Him.

It's hard to be the bigger person. It takes strength and humility and often the other person does not deserve our forgiveness, mercy, or kindness. But we aren't doing it for them. We are doing it because that's what's right and because it's not our job to make people pay for their sins. God knows who's right and wrong, and also when to show mercy and when to punish. So, we just need to do what's right and let God be the Judge and Executioner. He will punish those who need to be punished and avenge those who need avenging.

Sometimes we hold on to things so tightly that we forget who gave them to us and why. When we hold on too tightly, we risk losing everything. We must learn to give up control and entrust our lives to the One who gave them to us. Only then will we feel truly free and only then will we be free to enjoy all the gifts God has given to us. When we refuse to give up control, sometimes we end up losing the very things we fear losing the most. Our life is not our own. Everything we have is given to us by God.

It can be hard to choose justice over the person we love. But Saul's children chose David over their father because David was innocent and their father was the one in the wrong. Even though they knew their dad would be upset, they had to choose what was right. They both loved David, and they couldn't let him get killed because they weren't courageous enough to stand against their father's jealous hatred.

Sometimes we know what we should do, but we let our emotions get the better of us, and we sin. We may be able to control ourselves for a while. But willpower alone probably won't be enough to keep you from sinning. We cant' just tell ourselves not to feel a certain way or do a certain thing. We have to replace sinful, human things with righteous, godly things, or we will be left empty, and eventually the sinful desire will return.

If God is for you, then no one can stand against you. But if He is against you, then you are fighting a losing battle. God was for David and He made him successful in everything he did. But when Saul grew jealous and tried to destroy David, God went against Saul and wouldn't let any of his schemes succeed. We want God on our side. But the only way to ensure that is to be on His side. We must align ourselves with Him. Then, He will be our greatest ally. But if we go against Him or His people then He will be against us.

David fought the giant, Goliath, in God's name and power and was victorious. He was the only one offended enough to fight for God. He also was the only one with enough courage and faith. What made him more offended, courageous, and trusting than everyone else and how can we be a champion like him, with the same courage and faith, standing up for God and His ways?

With God's Spirit comes power. In the Old Testament, His power enabled them for their calling. Today, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we also receive the Holy Spirit's power. He seals us for salvation as children of God and heirs in heaven. But He also enables us to do all He's called us to do by using our innate characteristics for His glory and by giving us unique ability to do things for Him that we wouldn't otherwise be able to do. Let God use you today for His purposes.

We look at outward things, but God looks at the heart. Looks can be deceiving, but our hearts reveal who we really are. We may be able to fool people for a while, but eventually we will show our true colors. But God is never fooled. He knows our thoughts, feelings, and even our intentions. So, we need to focus on our hearts more than anything else. If our hearts look good, then we will also be attractive on the outside.

Sometimes we decide what we think God wants from us and He says, “I do not want or need that. Without love, obedience, faith, and true worship your offerings mean nothing.” God wants our hearts. He wants to be our Lord. Nothing tangible is acceptable.

Some people think they can work hard enough to get what they want or even to please God. Others rely on their dedication. The one with all the heart is the one who succeeds in the end, right? There are people who believe in superstitions, horoscopes, and tradition. But only those who place their faith in God will prevail in the end. So, choose to cooperate with Him and He will work through you to achieve His good and perfect will.

What seems right to us is not always what is right to God. People look at actions, but God looks at the heart. If our heart is aligned with Him, then our actions will be, too. But if our heart is not in the right place, then it doesn't matter if our actions are right or not. They will not be pleasing to Him.

Because we can't see God, sometimes we place our faith in people, not realizing that He is the source of their power. Then, because we know people are flawed, sometimes we don't follow the leaders that God gives us, because again we don't recognize that it is not through their power that they lead us, but through God's. So, when we follow them, we are not really following them, we are following the Lord. Ultimately, He is the only One with power and the One we should be serving.

When God chose Saul to be Israel's king, the Holy Spirit rushed over Him and changed Him from the inside out. His heart was so changed that it could be seen outwardly. God's Spirit changes us. When you accept Jesus into your life and commit to follow Him as Lord, you receive His indwelling Spirit. Through the Spirit, we receive power to do the things God has called us to. Then, as we feed His Spirit with the Word, prayer, fellowship with other believers, and worship, it grows within us to produce godly fruit.

God should be the one we serve; the one whose rules we follow; the one we fear; the one we worship. He is our Ruler and King. He protects and .provides. He cares for us like no man on earth ever could. Yet the Israelites rejected Him and asked for an earthly king.

Have you ever let your child win a game? Does that mean that you didn't have the power to beat him? No. You restrained your power for a specific purpose, but it was never lacking. It may have looked like it to your child, but you could have revealed it at any time. That's what happened when God let the Philistines defeat the Israelites. He had a that had to do with the Israelites, but He could not allow the Philistines to think that their god was more powerful than Him. So, He not only revealed His power to the Philistines, but He also revealed how feckless and impotent their god was.

We cannot manipulate God into doing what we want, but the Israelites try to do that in this lesson. First we look at their story then we talk about how we may try to manipulate God into doing what we want by doing good deeds or invoking His name. We can't force God to do things that He doesn't want to do. His will does not bend to ours. Instead, we should bend our will to His. Seek to understand and focus on Him.

God called to Samuel, but Samuel did not know it was Him because He did not know God well enough to know His voice. It can be difficult to know when God is speaking to us. But the better you know Him, the easier it will be to recognize His voice. It is also easier to trust Him when you know Him. So, seek to know God. Then, when He calls, listen and obey.

If you truly know and love God, then you will put Him in His proper place. But if you don't know Him, you won't love Him. If you don't love Him, you won't keep His commands. This seemed to be the problem that Eli's sons had. So, at the end of this lesson we talk about knowing God better so we honor God's ways and live out our calling. But Eli had another problem which we also touch on. He knew and loved God, but he put his sons above Him. When we put others over the Lord, we are seen in the same light as them.

Hannah had been feeling powerless for years. In a fit of desperation, she took her problem to the only One who has power. We, too, have access to the King of the Universe. He can be trusted with all our problems, fears, worries, needs, and wants. He may not always give us what we want but He always has our best interests at heart, He knows what is good and right for everyone, and He is the only One with the power to really help us. Take it all to Him and leave it at His feet.

Hannah couldn't have children and she was devastated. This was not a problem that she or her husband or anyone else could fix. So, she took it to the Lord. She told Him that if He would give her a son, she would give him back to God. Everything we have was given to us by the Lord. So, it does not belong to us exclusively. It has been entrusted to us. So, we should be good stewards of what He's given to us and give everything up to Him in prayer and dedication.

Boaz redeems Naomi's land and legacy, pointing us to the One who redeems us all and gives us an eternal inheritance. Through their lineage we see King David and eventually Jesus. Ruth is not an Israelite and we will also see two other ancestors who are foreigners. This shows us that all who adopt Jesus as their Savior and King, will be redeemed. Choose Him as your Kinsman Redeemer, the Brother who bought your way back into the family of God.

How well do you take care of those you love, your family and friends, community and church members? Do you look after the least of these? Do you take your responsibilities seriously? Are you reliable and trustworthy? Ruth took care of Naomi by following her to Israel and gleaning in the fields for food. But now Naomi follows up on her first caretaking mission which was for Ruth to find rest in the house of a husband. As we watch her instruct Ruth on how to approach Boaz, then Boaz graciously accept responsibility for the women of his close relatives who had died, we will reflect on how well we take care of those we love.

Ruth 2 - Most of the time, the phrase “you reap what you sow” is used in a negative way. It's a warning not to be too mean, judgmental, stingy, or treat others badly in any way because you just might receive what you give to others. But here we see the positive side. When Ruth asked Boaz why he was being so kind to her, he said he was only returning the kindness she had shown to her mother-in-law. Sometimes it's hard to treat others well, especially if we are going through something difficult ourselves. But knowing that we will eventually reap what we sow, should encourage us to be kind, caring, giving, or forgiving even when it's hard.

This is the first episode of my new weekly devotion. Subscribe to the new Channel "LivethruJesus Weekly Devotions" to be notified each week when a new episode comes out. When reading the first chapter of Ruth, I saw how she made her faith her own whereas her sister-in-law's commitment was temporary and circumstantial. Our faith may begin as our parents, spouses, or friends, but eventually we must make it our own.

New Devotional Podcast @ LivethruJesus Weekly Devotions New Easy to find Look on Substack - Studies and Blog Posts Under Tabs Podcasts now on Substack

When Ruth married her husband, she joined herself to his family and his God. Even after his death, she refused to leave either. Her sister-in-law reluctantly went back home, but Ruth knew there was nothing left in Moab to go back to. So, she went to Israel with her mother-in-law, made it her home, and followed their God. Her loyalty and faithfulness to her adopted family and God are a testament to us all.

After Joshua and his generation died, the people started doing what they thought was right instead of what God said was right. By the end of the book of Judges, one of the tribes committed such a grave sin that the rest of the nation went to war against them. After the war was over, they stopped to contemplate how their country had arrived at this place and how they might preserve the rest of the tribe that sinned. When they all started going their own way, their nation began to suffer. God had given them laws, but they weren't following them. It is the same with us. When we begin going our own way, our life begins to fall apart. So, we must realize this and begin doing things God's way in order to get our lives back on track. When we do this, God will forgive, redeem, and restore.

Samson was super strong, but also sort of a bad guy. He had a weakness for women, and he did not follow God's laws concerning them. But we all have weaknesses, and no one follows God's laws perfectly. Maybe God used a man whose flaws were so visible, so that we would see God's power instead of Samson's, and so we can see that the Lord can use us even though we fail to live up to His standards. We don't have to be good enough, we just have to rely on Him. When we are weak, He is strong.

Satan tricked Samson into thinking that his temporary situation would be permanent, that he only had two choices, and that God would still give him power if he was no longer dedicated to Him. He does the same thing to us and we can't fall for it. We do not have to choose between being miserable for the rest of our lives or giving into temptation. There is another way. God always provides us with a way out. It is also a lie that we don't have to dedicate ourselves to Him and He will still save us. We cannot accept Jesus as our Savior and reject Him as our Lord. We can't expect Him to sacrifice for our salvation but refuse to make any sacrifices to serve Him. These are lies from Satan and we must recognize them so we can take the better path.

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, dedicating our lives to Him, then He sends His Spirit to be with us forever. The Holy Spirit came over Samson every time He needed strength, but the Holy Spirit is not with us only when we need Him. He is with us every minute for the rest of our lives, bringing us power too. But not the outward power of Samson, but inward power and ability.

As parents we may begin praying for our children before they're even born. But are we asking God for what we want or what He wants for them? Do we ask for His guidance from the very beginning or wait until it starts getting hard or we don't know what to do? Do we dedicate their lives to Him? Are our lives fully dedicated to Him? Do we even think to ask Him what His purposes are for them and how we can grow and nurture them to accomplish those purposes? From the moment Manoah was told he would have a son, He began to pray. His wife was told that their son had a specific purpose in the Lord before he was ever conceived. So, Manoah prayed that God would teach him how to raise this special child and God's only instructions were: dedicate yourself and your child to Me from this time forward. So, the question for us today is, are we willing to dedicate our family to Him forever.

We will often unite against outside forces. But as soon as the threat is over, it seems like we turn our fight inward and begin warring with each other. This weakens any nation, community, family, or church. Without unity we cannot be strong. Diversity is only our strength if we unify. If our differences cause us to be divided, then we will be weak. When Israel no longer faced a threat from without, the Ephraimites turned on their fellow Israelites. First, we study Israel's civil war, then we look at ourselves and what we can do to unify while also recognizing the tactics of the enemy.

What happens when you open your mouth? Do others benefit from what you say or would it often be better for you to have just kept quiet. In our lesson today, one time Jephthah speaks eloquently and intelligently and the next he makes a promise without thinking it through and it costs him his daughter. We also talk about keeping our vows to God, if we should ever break them, and when that is. At the end we go through many verses that talk about speaking wisely, thoughtfully, and to the benefit of others.

Have you ever had a friend who does not call until they need something? They do not pursue a real relationship with you. They may not even know what is going on in your life or seem to care. Maybe they do not even like you, or at least not as much as others. But if they think you have something to offer, then all of the sudden, they are your best friend. This is how the Israelites treated God. They repeatedly betrayed Him, then begged for His forgiveness when they needed Him. They were constantly testing His patience and taking advantage of His love for them. Do we do the same?

A refuge is the person or place that we run to when we need protection, comfort, advice, or help. Though God is the only adequate refuge, because we cannot see Him or hear His voice audibly, we often go to the people and places we can see and talk to. Then, a king is the one that we cede all our power to, the one we trust with our lives, the one we submit to. God alone is worthy of such power or faith. But the people of Shechem repeatedly took refuge in their houses of Baal, yet their god was not able to protect them. Their worship of foreign gods along with their desire to make a man betrayed their loyalty and reliance on the One True God and King. We may not worship other gods or turn to them for refuge, but do we look to the Lord and bow to only Him or do we rely on ourselves and others while placing other things above Him?

Is God your King or do you profess Him to be king, yet rule yourself? You can say God is the King, but do you serve Him or your own selfish desires? You may say you have no right to rule yourself, but do you still act like you are in charge, doing what you please instead of submitting to His ways? Do you gather riches and glory for yourself instead of gathering riches in heaven and directing your praise to Him? Are you faithful servants to your King, focused on pleasing Him?

Sometimes, it is hard to know whether the voice we hear is that of God, Satan, or ourselves. Some people who proclaim the name of God are actually false teachers, and it can be hard for us to spot the difference. Or it may not be a person we are trying to discern but our own thoughts. Is that the angel on our shoulder or the devil if you happen to remember the old cartoons.

Have you ever felt God calling you to do something, but ignored it? Have you ever known what needed to be done, but didn't have the will to do it? God called Barak to rescue His people but he ignored Him until Deborah called him out. Then, because he didn't want to take full responsibility, he also wasn't allowed to take all the glory. He must share it with Jael, who is a woman and not another soldier. So, are you willing to answer the call? He can call someone else if we refuse but we will talk about a few people who could not escape the call on their life no matter how hard they tried. We are made to serve Him and we all have something He wants us to do, big or small, momentary or long-term. So, say to Him, "Here I am Lord. Send me."

Throughout history, God's people have strayed without good leaders. They had the law, but still found it difficult to follow without a strong leader. We have the law too, but we also have Jesus. He is the Good Shepherd who guides and cares for us, but also laid down His life to save ours. Then, he gave us the Holy Spirit and the church. The elders are supposed to shepherd His flock and we are supposed to be good sheep who listen to them and don't make their job difficult. So, we don't have to be like the Israelites who go astray without a leader. We have the Bible to guide us, and in it Jesus's example, and we have the church.

Everyone in our story today takes the easy way that they want instead of the way that God told them to do things. Micah doesn't want to travel for worship so he makes his own house of God and hires his own priest and the tribe of Dan don't want to fight the people in their allotted land because it's too hard so they conquer a vulnerable group of people up north instead and take their land. They also steal from Micah so they can have their own house of worship and their own priest so they won't have to travel now that they have moved so far up north. We should always ask God what He wants first and go His way instead of our own. But also, we must be careful not to make worship about ourselves instead of God. Then there is a reason we go to church and don't worship at home like Micah. We need each other and we will talk about why..