People Will Take Shots At You, Don't Give Them Any Bullets

563 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 15:31 Then someone told David, saying, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." And David said, "O LORD, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!" David is made aware of the fact that his trusted advisor Ahithophel has jumped ship and sided with Absalom. David's first response is to pray! We could learn from that. When some trusted friend turns against us, our first response ought to be the same. Note that David does not pray harm against his friend, but rather his request is that God would turn the advice of Ahithophel into silliness. When someone turns on you, typically they speak words against you to others. Pray, like David, that their words would be regarded as silly. God is able to answer such a prayer. Job 12:20 says, “He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And takes away the discernment of the elders.” and in Job 12:24 “He takes away the common sense of a country's leaders and makes them stumble about in a pathless wilderness.” God heard David's prayer and answered it. We read of it in 2Sa 17:14 So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel." For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense, and in this matter of people turning against you with words, remember 1Pe 2:1,12 “ Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” How effective is this? Let's be honest, if David would have kept his fleshly lusts under control, none of this would've happened. People will speak against you, that is your lot as a Christian, but let's you and I strive with the help of the Holy Spirit to not give them any ammunition.

What A Day That Will Be

562 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 15:27-30, “The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28 "See, I will wait in the plains of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me." 29 Therefore Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem. And they remained there. 30 So David went up by the Ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered and went barefoot. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went up. Did you catch the pun? I don't know if it was intended or not, but David asks Zadok to go back to the city and serve as a spy. “Are you not a see-er.” Good one Holy Spirit. So David and company begin their trudge away from Jerusalem. It is a time of weeping and mourning. They move up the slope of the Mount of Olives, as they must in order to reach their destination of the wilderness. This is the first mention of the Mount of Olives in Scripture, but it was the scene of many important events in the life of Jesus. Probably the most noted is it was the place where He ascended into heaven. And according to Zec 14:4, it will be the place where His feet will touchdown upon His return. “ And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.” What a Day that will be! Zech 14:9 says, that will be the Day when there will be one King, one Lord over the earth forever! That rebel, Satan, and his demons will be cast into hell, never to trouble the earth again. David and the people were weeping on this day because they were experiencing the problems that arise from a rebel who would make himself king (Absalom) And as you and I are caught up in these struggles on a daily basis, I would encourage you to read Zech 14 and see how it will all turn out one day for those who are in Christ! Father, thank You for this blessed hope. Even so Come Lord Jesus!

He Delights In You

561 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 15:24-27, “There was Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city. 25 Then the king said to Zadok, "Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me back and show me both it and His dwelling place. 26 "But if He says thus: 'I have no delight in you,' here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him." 27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. The priests and Levites demonstrate their loyalty to David as they carry the ark of the covenant out of the city. But David tells them to go back with the ark. This is the God of all of Israel, not just a God for David alone. David is going into the wilderness, where he will rely totally on the grace and mercy of God. If God delights in David, he is confident that God will bring him back, and if God does not delight in him....well David is prepared to accept that verdict as well. David is putting all his marbles into one jar. It is the jar of faith in the character of God and the veracity of His promises. If God says, “I delight in you David!” David knows he is safe. How about you? Can you put all your faith in the character of God and the promises in His Word? Can you know for sure that God delights in you? You can, and it's fairly simple. When Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration, God spoke from heaven and said, “ "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" Do you want the Lord to delight in you? Then, by faith, put on Jesus. Be found in Him and you will be pleasing to God! Ga 3:27 “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” When you put on Christ, by faith, God looks at you and sees Jesus and makes the same pronouncement, “This is My beloved Son (or daughter) in whom I am well pleased. No need to hedge your bet with self-righteousness, that won't fly anyway....just trust in Jesus! God delights in Him, He will delight in you. Father, thank You for the gift of faith.

Where the True Church Is Always Found

560 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 15:23 And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness. How many times can the Holy Spirit use the phrase “crossed over” in one verse? Three times we read of a “crossing over.” There must be an important lesson for us here. The Hebrew word carries with it the idea of transition. David and the people were in transition. They were leaving the security of the man made walled city of Jerusalem and heading out into the wilderness. This Brook Kidron was the same brook that Jesus and His disciples crossed over on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane. It was in the Garden that Jesus asked the Father to take the cup of suffering away from Him. Jesus was about to transition to the cross. This was the ultimate wilderness because at one point on the cross, even God would forsake Him. It was here, that Jesus would demonstrate His ultimate reliance upon God. And it is in the wilderness that church is always found. In the Book of Revelation we read of a woman (the church) and the serpent (the devil) Re 12:13 Now when the dragon (Satan) saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. Where was the woman (the church) taken? Into the wilderness. In the wilderness, she is forced to rely on God and His promises, (it's called grace) and is in that trust that she is given the strength to withstand the face of the serpent. Have you crossed the Brook Kidron yet? Have you come to that place of utter reliance on the promises of God for your salvation and deliverance? Ps 62:2 says, He only is my rock and my salvation;” Enough of your puny good works and self-righteousness. Come to the Rock! Cross the Brook at Kidron and be saved! Father, ever lead us to the wilderness of utter reliance on you for deliverance and salvation.

Which King Will You Follow?

558 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 15:17 And the king went out with all the people after him, and stopped at the outskirts. 18 Then all his servants passed before him; and all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had followed him from Gath, passed before the king. 19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why are you also going with us? Return and remain with the king. For you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place. 20 "In fact, you came only yesterday. Should I make you wander up and down with us today, since I go I know not where? Return, and take your brethren back. Mercy and truth be with you." 21 And Ittai answered the king and said, "As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant will be." 22 So David said to Ittai, "Go, and cross over." Then Ittai the Gittite and all his men and all the little ones who were with him crossed over. ( 2 Sam 15:17-22) David exits the city and pauses at the outskirts to see who is leaving with him. All his servants are leaving with him as well as the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, (these men had become David's body guards or Secret Service men if you will) another 600 men who had been with him since the days when he fled to Gath, there were also some Gittites, who along with their leader Ittai, had just arrived yesterday fleeing their own country. David, gives Ittai and the Gittites an out. They don't have to follow him into the wilderness, they can stay in Jerusalem and serve Absalom. But Ittai responds in the same way Ruth responded to Naomi when faced with a similar choice. Ru 1:16 But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me." My friend, what will it be for you? Will you stay where you are and follow the self-appointed king (the devil) or will you be willing to enter into the harsh realities of following Jesus into the wilderness. The wilderness is a place where the true church of God is always found, totally reliant upon Him for everything! It may seem scary at first, but in the long run, it is the safest place to be. Father, grant that Ruth and Ittai like faith to those who need it today!

The Chips Are In His Hand

557 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 15:13-16, “Now a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom." 14 So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, and let us flee; or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword." 15 And the king's servants said to the king, "We are your servants, ready to do whatever my lord the king commands." 16 Then the king went out with all his household after him. But the king left ten women, concubines, to keep the house. (2 Sam 15:13-16,) This just seems so out of character for David. What happened to the little boy who ran at Goliath and took him down? Now, he hears a rumor about Absalom's revolt and the first thing he says is “let's get out of here!” Then we are told that he leaves ten women behind to “keep the house?” Well, David, why don't we just pack up everything and head to “mamby pamby land!” What's going on here? Well, there's no need to over-analyze the situation. This is just how it happened. This was how David responded, and his response would set up the fulfillment of the judgment spoken against him by Nathan after the incident with Bathsheba. Remember what the Lord said back in 2Sa 12:11 "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.” Do you think that David's actions were governed by his free will? Do you think that he was thinking, “I need to flee Jerusalem and leave some wives behind so God's judgment against me will come to pass? I've got news for you...God doesn't need our help in deciding when He will carry out judgment. And this incident should serve as a reminder to us that God's will advances when and where He pleases. He can step in whenever He feels like it. Pr 21:1 says, “ The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” If He can do it to the king's heart, He can do it to mine and yours.” Therefore, let us seek to follow Him, trusting that the chips are in His hand and He will cause them to fall where He may.

Seeds of Disdain

556 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 15:12, "Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city-from Giloh-while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom continually increased in number. (2 Sam 15:12) Getting an insider like Ahithophel on his team was quite a coup for Absalom, just as getting the insider Judas on his side was quite a coup for the devil. Neither insider worked out as we know and both lives ended tragically. There is no doubt that Ahithophel is portrayed in the Scriptures as a “type” of Judas. He is the one David refers to in Ps 41:9, “ Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.” and again in Ps 55:12-14, “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him. 13 But it was you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance. 14 We took sweet counsel together, And walked to the house of God in the throng.” The seeds of Ahithophel's disdain for David likely began when David committed adultery with Ahithophel's granddaughter Bathsheba. It was further fueled by David's lack of discipline against Amnon for his sexual assault of Absalom's sister Tamar. This reign of David was not turning out the way Ahithophel had envisioned it, and with Absalom in power things would be more in line with Ahithophel's way of thinking. We can only speculate about the seeds of disdain that were growing in Judas that led to his betrayal of Jesus, but let us learn from their experiences whenever seeds of disdain begin to show up in our own relationships, especially in our marriages. There will come a time in every marriage when the honeymoon is over. Little seeds of disdain begin to get planted when the marriage isn't going according to the way you envisioned it. Know this reality going into the marriage, and commit from the very beginning to not allow them to lead you into betrayal. Work through them with prayer, patience, humility, love, and understanding. Father, help us to work through our disappointments in our relationships.