Devotionals

1 Samuel 17:28, NIV
When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? …I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is…”

When we look at the story of David and Goliath we could remember it as a story we heard as children at Sunday school, but I believe that there is much God wants to say through it. First of all, there were some huge ‘giants’ David had to slay before he got to Goliath. He had to slay the ‘giant’ of family opposition.

David was sent to the battlefield by his father to bring back news of the three eldest sons. They had been sent to fight the Philistines under King Saul. Eliab, the eldest son, had been overlooked in the selection of the next king. David had been anointed instead. Here we see an explosion from Eliab at David as ‘he burned with anger at him!’ He was jealous and angry, and verbally attacked David. David might have been hoping for affirmation from his eldest brother. But after this angry outburst he could have been so devastated that he went straight home – and then he would never have got as far as confronting Goliath!

Eliab said, ‘I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is!’ It seems that when people falsely accuse one another, it’s the very area where they themselves are guilty! God looks on the heart and He chose David. God obviously didn’t think David’s heart was wicked.

The verbal tirade which came out of Eliab’s mouth illustrated what Jesus taught us – ‘out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.’ It was Eliab’s heart which was sinful, not David’s. How would you have responded to that? If there had been any self rejection in David and he had been insecure in any way, doubt would have crept into his heart. He wouldn’t have been able to handle it if Eliab’s approval had been important to him.

But David simply dismissed the false accusation and turned away to speak to someone else. He didn’t allow the poisonous dart to land. He wasn’t distracted by the missile attack of words. He wasn’t held back from the purposes of God by family opposition.

How about us? When God’s calling us to take a further step forward into His purposes for our life, the enemy will often strike. Don’t allow those close to you in your family, whether it’s your natural or spiritual family, to keep you paralysed. Don’t listen to those who bully you by trying to make you feel inferior. Don’t waste time being distracted by them, because there’s a real ‘giant’ ahead of you which you need to defeat.

Don’t bow to the ‘giant’ of other people’s opinions. The enemy may be using people to intimidate you and prevent you going to a higher level with God. Rejoice, because of what God knows about you and what He says to you, and be obedient to that.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, help me not to be held back by fear of what other people think. Help me to be a God-pleaser, not a man-pleaser. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Frida, Chosen to die, Destined to live – Book by Frida Gashumba

Healing the Past, Releasing Your Future – Book

Romans 13:14, NIV
Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Have you ever heard someone exclaim, while looking at a wardrobe bursting with clothes, “I’ve nothing to wear!” It’…

Micah 7:11, NIV
The day for building your walls will come, the day for extending your boundaries.

When the prophet Micah wrote these words, the land and the people were in devastation. God had not spared his own beloved people from the consequences o…

Romans 8:38-39, NIV
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of…

Acts 16:9, NIV
During the night Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.

God shows us the way ahead in so many different ways. If there is something happening right before our eyes that needs our help or involvement, then God doesn’t need to give us a vision . We simply need to act responsibly in simple obedience to the love of God which will always constrain us to do what is right. We don’t need an instruction to help someone who has fallen, or share our food with someone who is hungry. Those are things we should do without being asked – they are part of the standing orders for the Body of Christ.

But at other times, God may want us to do something “right out of the box” – something we couldn’t possibly have known about in the natural. It’s at times like this that God uses different methods to get our attention. Sometimes it’s an inner and insistent voice. From being a young child I learnt from my Mum and Dad how important it was to recognise this inner voice of God. Later in life there were a couple of occasions when God spoke to me like that and I was instrumental in saving someone’s life.

Then there are those rarer occasions, when God uses more than the “still small voice” on the inside. He gives a clear vision. This is what happened to Paul when he was in Troas. In his vision a man from Macedonia was calling for help. It was Paul’s obedience to this vision that took the Gospel into Europe for the first time. The most significant moment in my own pilgrimage was when I was starting to rebuild an old car, but the chassis frame was bent. As I looked at it God spoke to me and said, “You could repair this broken car, but I can restore broken lives. Which is more important?” It was that word from the Lord which set me on my life’s calling to bring healing and restoration to hurting and broken people.

When God does speak clearly to us, He doesn’t over-ride our free will. It is up to us to choose what we do. But when we obey, we will always discover that His way is the path of blessing and fruitfulness.

Prayer: Thank you Lord that you are a God who speaks – that you are a Father who loves to show your children the way to go. Help me to be always listening for your voice and give me the courage to do those things you ask me to do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Living in Vision – Teaching CD

Healing & Destiny – Teaching CD

Habakkuk 3:19, NIV
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

In order to see the view you need to get up high! I am always fascinated at how different things appear when you can look down on them. Situations which looked difficult from below can suddenly look very different from an elevated perspective.

I recently went on a long walk with my son and his family. The four young grandchildren were full of energy, even when their Dad led us to the top of a steep hill – easier for them than for me! But when we got to the top, the view was worth every one of the many uphill steps we had climbed. As I looked down on the valley below, and out to the sea in the far distance, I realised afresh that God’s view is always from the high places. There is nothing hidden from his sight and as long as we remain in Him, then we will be able to see things from his point of view.

A deer has no difficulty in climbing the heights and jumping over obstacles. It is a perfect picture of how we need to be in God. Energised by Him, he enables us to do more than we would have thought possible. Gaining the heights is sometimes costly and time consuming, but the heights God has prepared for us are always achievable when he envisions us.

God is our strength, He makes our feet like those of a deer. He enables us to go on to the heights, see things from His perspective and overcome the obstacles the enemy puts in our way.

Prayer: Help me, Lord, to always stay close to you, where I can see things from your perspective. Help me to trust in you when I am challenged by the road ahead and to receive your strength for whatever obstacles I have to overcome. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Parables of Harris – Book by Peter & Fiona Horrobin

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1 Timothy 2:1-3, NIV
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, a…

2 Chronicles 25:2, NIV
Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly.

Amaziah was a King whose reign was affected by mixture – the mixture of wanting to get it right by doing those things that would bless the Lord, but at the same time thinking that he also knew best and would choose to do things his way when it suited him. This is a recipe for disaster.

Wherever you find people in Scripture telling God that His ways are not the best ways, you will soon find that the end result is never good. Arrogance and pride are never a good substitute for humility and obedience. Verse 20 of this chapter says it very plainly, “Amaziah, however, would not listen”.

The real issue for Amaziah was an unwillingness to come under authority. As King, he was in charge of the country and God was his ultimate authority. But in his pride he turned away from the Lord and eventually it cost him his life (verse 27). The rebellion at the root of his lack of wholeheartedness eventually destroyed him. Very few of us are in Amaziah’s privileged position as an absolute King, with only God above us! But we are all accountable to God for our choices and to those God has put in authority over us.

A friend of mine once tried to tell the head of his Bible School what he believed God was asking him to do. He actually wanted to do what suited him! It was not a good plan and the Principal told him so. But my friend chose not to submit to the authority he was under. It was the worst decision he could have made and it very nearly cost him his life! God saved him from disaster in this case, but it was a much needed wake-up call from God. Humility and obedience, even sometimes when it doesn’t seem to suit us, are vital characteristics of the life of a man or woman of God.

Prayer: Help me Lord to remember the lesson of Amaziah and choose to walk in humility and obedience before you all my days. In Jesus’s name, Amen

Healing through Deliverance – NEW Combined Volumes 1 & 2

The Most Powerful Prayer on Earth – Book by Peter Horrobin

Genesis 15:6 & Hebrews 11:8, NIV
Abraham believed the Lord, and He credited it to him for righteousness..

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

When people start studying on some training courses, they proceed by gaining credits towards their eventual qualification. These credits are valuable, for without them they will not gain whatever qualification it is they are needing to get.

The good news is that we can’t earn credits to be qualified for entry to Heaven – all the necessary ‘credits’ were won for us on the cross by Jesus. But in terms of our personal pilgrimage through life and the fulfilment of our destiny, there is an eternal reward for God’s people (1 Corinthians 3:14) and we still need to understand the ‘credits principle’ learned by Abraham, so long ago. We all need to learn how to hear from God, and then exercise faith in what God has said by being obedient to His word.

Abraham’s faith and subsequent actions brought great blessing – not just for himself but also for all the generations after him. What amazing fruit there can be in each of our lives when we seek Him and in faith do His will. We may not always know in advance what the consequences might be (like Abraham), but when we look back on life from the viewpoint of eternity, we will see how God’s blessings always follow faithful obedience.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the lessons we learn from Abraham and other characters in your word. Help me to be a person of faith who always has the courage to follow you, even when, sometimes, we may not be able to see the end from the beginning. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Kingdom Choices 1 – Teaching CD

Moving into Your Personal Destiny – Series of 3 Teaching CDs

2 Timothy 3:16, NIV
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be throughly equipped for every good work.

My mother had a favourite recipe. It always worked…