TODAY’S DEVOTION (SATURDAY 24TH JUNE 2023)**
“And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.” 1 Samuel 18:5 KJV
WELCOME TO THE 175TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS AND WONDERS.
It is a good thing to be alive and well and to see another beautiful weekend from the LORD. We had a beautiful time in the presence of the LORD, in our maiden Fire and Glory night.
For those who were poised to follow online and on TV, we are sorry for the technical issues we had for hours. It was beyond our control. We thank God for the doggedness of those who left the Church to the studio to work things out. At least, some of the service was aired.
We have been looking at matters of divine destiny and have said our divine destiny will need a living relationship with Jesus Christ to be unleashed and countless hours in His presence. The next thing our divine destiny will need to be fulfilled is “behaving ourselves wisely at all times.”
Friend, foolishness is very expensive. It’s more expensive than anything you can think of. At the base of every protracted life crisis is an act of foolishness. At the base of every persistent spiritual or natural attack is an act of foolishness. Foolishness has killed more destinies than anything we can think of.
If you read God lamenting through the Bible saying, “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” know that there is no enemy anywhere, every man’s foolishness is his enemy.
One act of foolishness can destroy an entire destiny and get God’s plans for your life defeated. That is why Satan will first make people foolish before attacking them. He will first cloth them with blindness, ignorance, and foolishness before moving against them.
If you will ever fulfil your destiny, no matter how much backing you may be receiving from God, you must learn to behave yourself wisely at all times like David did. You must watch against taking decisions or actions without sufficient knowledge or wisdom on the subject.
A major highlight in Our Devotional Text said,
“And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war…”
WHEN A MAN OF DESTINY BEHAVES HIMSELF WISELY, GOD WILL CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIM TO UNLEASH HIS DESTINY.
God will move men to lift him above others. David was not set over the men of war until he behaved himself wisely, especially in the conduct of the affairs of his destiny.
Not behaving ourselves wisely, is one reason many of us are backward in life. We are full of foolish conducts, consequently hampering the release of divine destiny.
Like Samson did, many of us in Church today will foolishly get stuck to the laps of a woman or the hands of a man who may be taking care of us, but not knowing that it will ruin our spiritual lives and destroy our connectivity with God. Others will foolishly speak a vulgar word to the face of people God has sent to lift them; even holy men and women of God and lose the opportunity in the process.
Some others will get stuck to Churches, prophets, and prophetesses who are doing nothing but short-changing their divine destinies.
You cannot behave yourself foolishly and expect God to help you unleash a divine destiny. If it is a divine destiny that you want to unleash, you must learn to behave yourself wisely at all times. David behaved himself wisely, that was why even when his mentor became his tormentor, God still sustained him.
At one time he had the chance to kill the man, but he remembered that he was anointed of the LORD. Though he was disgusted with what the man was doing to him, he respected the fact that it was God that anointed him king over Israel and did not touch him just for that fact.
That is why I tell people, if your pastor was truly anointed of God but now has derailed, it’s better to walk permanently away from him to the wilderness and spend the rest of your days there, than to sit under him fighting, running him down in confidential whispers, and attacking him with the sword of your mouth.
Walking away and allowing God to be judge over whatever may have transpired between the two of you is the best way to handle the situation. That is one way we behave ourselves wisely, under wicked Church leaders.
DAVID SAID TO SAUL;
…Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’?
Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’
Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it.
Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you.
As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand shall not be against you.
After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? Therefore let the Lord be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.” 1 Samuel 24:9-15 NKJV
The position David took in this scripture is the same position to take if you are under a mentor who has become a tormentor.
But let me make something clear at this point; Most destiny mentors become destiny tormentors because of what they allow people to transmit into their ears about those God may have placed under them for fathering or mentoring.
Many have had their destinies truncated by leaders who listened to gossips about them without verifying what they heard.
Let me also speak to those of us God has granted the privilege to father others into their destiny; if you are a leader reading this, one of the best ways to behave yourself wisely, especially in helping those the LORD may have placed under you for fathering, or mentoring, is not to entertain what would ruin your relationship with them, except it becomes unbearable.
YES, SOMETIMES THESE PEOPLE CAN BE VERY BAD.
But let the principles of the kingdom be your guide. If your divine destiny is really to help them unleash their destiny, as much as lies within your power, do not entertain what will ruin your good heart towards them. It will turn your innocent and loving heart into a polluted and wicked heart.
Limit yourself only to what God says about them and carry out only the orders He has given concerning them. That was what King Saul never did.
Child of God, the kingdom of God is full of men and women occupying the position of David in His redemptive plans for mankind. It is also full of men and women called to occupy the place of Saul. If we will fulfil our destiny either as David or as Saul, we must learn to behave ourselves wisely.
Those in the position of David must separate from and not stick to, or touch the LORD’s anointed that may have fallen from grace and has now become the chief tormentor of their destiny.
They must do exactly what David did. And those in the position of Saul must not entertain what will ruin their good heart towards any God has placed under them. They must do exactly what Saul could not do. They must love the people unconditionally and help to push them into their destiny.
We can all start a fresh walk with the LORD today by finding out how we may be behaving ourselves unwisely.
I advise that, if possible, spend this day asking the LORD to show you something you are doing foolishly that is killing you; ask the Holy Ghost to speak to you about you. What are you doing unwisely that may be responsible for your backwardness and sufferings?
Are you the type that loves meddling in other people’s matters? Are you living with another man’s wife or husband and expecting God to perfect the relationship and bless it with peace? God does not legalize or bless iniquity!
If you are doing any of these things, you are not behaving yourself wisely before the LORD! But if you are doing none of these things, ask Him to reveal to you what you may be doing unwisely that is killing you – an act of foolishness you think nothing about.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY;
“Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.
Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and your loving kindnesses, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to your mercy remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord.
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way. Psalms 25:4-9 NKJV
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalms 139:23-24 NKJV