Help For Spiritual Bullying

434 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 3:38,39, “Then the king said to his servants, "Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? 39 "And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me. The LORD shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness." (2 Sam 3:38,39) David is fasting, mourning the death of Abner. Fasting is a powerful spiritual tool that God has given to His church, and Jesus made it clear that when He left this world, His disciples would engage in fasting. Referring to Himself in Mt 9:15b He says, “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Jesus would no longer be walking side by side with His disciples, and they would need something to protect them from that bully, the devil. Now, here's the power behind fasting. We take nourishment for our physical strength. If you don't eat, you will become weak and eventually die. So our fasting, is meant to be a declaration of our own weakness. It is saying to God, the angels, the demons, ...all spiritual beings, “I can't do this, I am calling on the help of God.” Fasting is a picture of what the Holy Spirit spoke through the Apostle Paul in, 2Co 12:10b, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” So David, in fasting on this occasion, is admitting that he is not strong enough to take on Joab and his clan, He'll let God take care of the matter. "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. (Rom 12:19) What sort of spiritual battle are you currently engaged in? What besetting sin, keeps coming back to haunt you. What is causing you to be mired down in your spiritual walk? How is the devil bullying you? Have you tried fasting? Have you tries skipping lunch? Declare your weakness before the spiritual world in this physical manner and call on God to be your strength. Call on God to give you the eventual victory. Father, again we thank You for this powerful tool, give us the desire and the strength to use it!

Will God Give You More Than You Can Handle?

# 396 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 30:9,10, “So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor. (1 Sam 30:9,10) The picture I get here is first of all one of hot pursuit. Having received the green light from God and the promise of victory David and his men head off at full speed. About 200 of the troops began to fall behind, after all they have been on the march for three days prior to the chase. Since this is hilly country, I imagine the brook was a little wild at this time of the year and would require a great deal of energy to cross it. In fact the word Besor comes from a root word that means to “boil up.” This was likely a powerful fast moving stream. Well, the first 400 troops arrive at the rapids and have to wait for the stragglers, and the stragglers just didn't have the strength to cross the brook. So it was decided to leave them behind and they could watch the supplies that also had to be left behind. You have heard it said perhaps that God will never give you more than you can handle. Well guess what. These 200 men at the Brook of Behor were given more than they could handle. They simply could not go on! As much as we’d like to think that God will never give us more than we can handle, it’s actually critical that we learn the opposite is true. If God is only giving you what you can handle, you'll never learn to be dependent on God. If God is only giving you what YOU can handle, then you are staying in your comfort zone. If God is only giving what YOU can handle, then you are not growing. When we get to the point where we admit we can't handle it, we arrive at a place where the Apostle Paul camped. We read in 2 Cor 12:9,10, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Our strongest spiritual moments come when we are fully dependent upon God. Father, help me to learn to look to You for my strength.