When Christ Is The Only Option

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KJB Daily DevotionFollowing Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Saturday, April 14, 2018
Chapters: I Samuel 21-22, Psalms 34, 142, 52
Message: When Christ Is The Only Option

Hello My Friend,

If there is one thing I have learned over the years in my walk with Christ it is that He is always watching over me, in fact, even when stepped back and waited while I made some stupid decisions, He was right there to grab me before I really messed up. I am a firm believer that if You are truly walking with Christ that He keeps you from certain sin, most of all the ones we could commit that defile our bodies. While we are all capable of taking our eyes off Christ and falling into the worst sins, if we are truly walking with Him, He will only let us go so far, those whom have fallen have taken their eyes off Him for a long time, and maybe never had their eyes on Him in the first place. Temptation comes to all, but keeping our eyes on Him is the only option to overcome it. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” – James 1:13-14.

When Samuel anointed David and old him that he would be the next king I am sure he knew he did not think much about it, and I am sure that he felt a sense of pride when king Saul not only hired him to be his armorbearer, but Captain over the army, and gave his own daughter to him for his wife. Things took a turn for the worst when Saul became so fearful of David taking the throne from him that he wanted him dead, anyone that sided with David was a conspirator and needed to die. Now, on the run, hungry and tired, David finds himself at the tabernacle of God, he went to the priest for food.

Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place. Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present. And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.” – I Samuel 21:1-6.

but there is hallowed bread;” Anytime we come before God we must be sanctified, redeemed and cleansed of our sins. There is only one way that we can stand before God sanctified and that is through the LORD Himself, we know Him to be Jesus Christ. When fear gets the best of us, when life gets the best of us, when affliction gets the best of us, our only option, Jesus Christ. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.” – Psalm 34:15-22.

it is fear that tends to make us hide from the challenges we face, but it is the challenges we face that teach us that God is our only option. God did not place that challenge in our lives so we could scour in a corner, He wants us to take it on with His help. Whenever we are afraid we need to give it over to God, stop worrying about it, and think about something else for a while. David now finds himself in a cave, this time, he became the friend that was needed, and realized his only option was to wait for God to tell him what his next move would be.

David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.” – I Samuel 22:1-3.

till I know what God will do for me.David knew that his only option to figure out what to do next is to ask God. There are times when we really have no idea what we are going to do, that the only option is to ask God what we need to do. In fact, we ought to always be asking God what He will do for us, but He knows that we are not going to do that all the time, which is why He allows us to go through things where our only option is to turn to Him. David prayed these words to God in that cave. Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave. I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.” – Psalm 142:1-3.

Jealousy is like a disease, it slowly spreads until it consumes and controls the person that it captures and stops at nothing to destroy what gets in its way. Saul became increasingly violent with an uncontrollable temper, he considered any opposition as treason, and when he found out that a priest helped David he ordered him and all his family killed. None of the men wanted to kill the man of God, but Doeg, and he did not hesitate.

And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king’s son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house? Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house. And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the LORD’S priests. And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house. Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.” – I Samuel 22:13-18,20-23.

Turn thou, and fall upon the priests.The wicked will stoop to the lowest level to get where they want in this world, but God knows and sees all, and those who put their faith and trust in Him know that too. David wrote a Psalm relating to this incident to remind himself and everyone else that God is always with those who put their trust in Him, and gets vengeance on the wicked too. To the chief Musician, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech. Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.” – Psalm 52:1,6-9.

Jesus Christ Magnified: “Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.” – I Samuel 22:23. Jesus is our safeguard in this wicked world, the only one who saves our lives when we abide with Him.

Today’s Prayer: God, I know I have done some crazy things out of fear and even tried to hide myself in my own little cave in an attempt to get through my challenges on my own, but I also know that the only way I could overcome them was to face them. Lord, You are our only option to handle the challenges we face, give us Your power to control our anger, tempers, and egos, let us not seek vengeance upon ourselves, but look to You to for that, give us Your strength to love as You love, Your grace to break through our fears, your wisdom to face our challenges head on, and let us not get caught up in those who are eager to sell us out for their own wicked advances. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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