Judges: On The Winning Side

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Saturday, March 19, 2016
Chapters: Judges 20-21
Message: Judges: On The Winning Side

Hello My Friend,

You know, life is like a race, and just like any competition sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. Let me tell you, sometimes life is just not fair, a person in need of a heart transplant has to wait for another person's heart who will lose their life. Both sides are praying for the best outcome, but it is God who makes the decision of which life comes home to Him or gets to stay here a little longer. As Christians, we must remember, when we belong to Christ no one loses, we are always on the winning side. “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” - 2 Corinthians 5:8.

When we are trying to live the best life we can we are not always going to make the right decisions, but when we belong to Christ everything comes together in our favor. In chapter 19 we read about the Levite and his wife who died when men took her and sexually assaulted her. Yes, he made a bad decision staying there in the first place, but the men needed to be held accountable for what they had done. Shortly after, a meeting was held to decide what needed to be done about it. The decision, bring the offenders, but the Benjamites refused and a war began.

“And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house. But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it; And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel. So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.” - Judges 20:8-14.

“And all the people arose as one man,” This war was not only an act of judgment upon the Benjamites, it was for all of Israel, and a reminder that we are all accountable for our actions to God. “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” - 2 Corinthians 5:9,10.

Twice, Israel went up against the Benjamites and as a result thirty-eight thousand men lost their lives, even after asking God who should go up to fight them. This time they did things differently, they went to the temple, prayed and fasted, and then God said He would deliver them into their hands.

“Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand. And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah. And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.” - Judges 20:26-30,35.

“and fasted that day until even,” We may not understand the loss of so many people, but God allows wars and tragic events to bring people to repentance. What comes to mind here is, no sin goes unpunished, one might think that they have gotten away with something, but it all catches up to them eventually. And until they repent, there is no peace. “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;” - Romans 2:9-12.
God lead Israel to destroy, all but four hundred men of the Benjamites, but after the war came peace, He used the remnant to keep their heritage going. The rest of the tribes found compassion on them and helped them fond wives to repopulate the tribe.

“And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.” - Judges 21:15-21.

“that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.” God made a promise that every tribe would be saved from extinction. He makes the same promise to every person who receives Christ as their Saviour. If we are saved and born again, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes, we are going to suffer affliction through this race of life, we are going to see people die and some will live, and we are going to be accountable for our actions, but God will never destroy one soul who comes to Him through His Son. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” - 1 Corinthians 9:24,25.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today, Jesus is revealed as the deliverer and preserver of the tribes. Jesus delivers every soul who believes in Him from hell and the lake of fire. Once we receive Him, He preserves us, we are His tribe, the body of Christ. “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” - 1 Corinthians 12:12,13.

Today's Prayer: God, As one of Your children I know there are going to be times when we suffer not for our own sins, but through others. While I do not understand the affliction I face sometimes, I do understand that every thing I go through has a purpose and blessing behind it. Lord, help me run the race that You have put me in, keep my eyes on You so that I am prepared to handle any affliction, and let me not do what is right in my own eyes, but Yours. Show me the way to endure all the suffering I face so that I can the victory every time. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Judges: Be Led By Christ

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Thursday, March 18, 2016
Chapters: Judges 18-19
Message: Judges: Be Led By Christ

Hello My Friend,

I have always been a natural born leader, so, you can imagine my surprise when I chose to give my life to Christ and discovered that I had to look to Him for direction with everything I do. Take it from someone who is very independent, it is not easy to depend on anyone, even Almighty God who must have more things to deal with than my problems. How proud are we to think we cannot depend on God for our smallest or biggest problems? The truth is, more than we think. As Christians, we must understand that Christ wants to be in every part of our lives, to lead us and direct us through every step we take. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” - Proverbs 3:5,6.

“lean not unto thine own understanding.” Let me tell you, this is ninety-nine percent of our problem, we do not want to come to God for the easy stuff, thinking we know what we are doing. Israel spent over three hundred years going back and forth with God, as long as they had an earthly leader directing they did pretty good, but once they had no leader they directed their own paths, which were terrible. The tribe of Dan, failed to drive out the Canaanites from their portion of land so they searched in other tribes land, upon their search they found the house of Micah, ambushed them, took the idols, and convinced the Levite priest to come with them.

“And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.” - Judges 18:17-20.

“And the priest's heart was glad,” This was supposed to be a man of God, one who studied and followed the word of God, but instead of His word, he followed his heart. The heart is the most deceitful thing we posses because it often follows our emotions rather than our reason. When we push pass the loneliness, fear, anger, envy, jealousy, hate, or pride, that is when we find our true heart. Only Christ can keep our heart in the right direction. “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” - 1 John 3:20-22.

All this goes to show us that most people know God exists, they want Him in their lives, and are willing to go through lengths to get His approval. The sad thing, they do what is right in their own eyes, and instead of getting God, they create their own. The house of Micah went after the tribe Dan and overtook them, but Micah could not get passed them taking his gods and let them take over.

“And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.” - Judges 18:22-26.

“Ye have taken away my gods which I made,” Micah thought he lost everything he had, including God. The truth us, he never had God in the first place because He will have no other gods before Him. God is not some statue or picture we can bow down to and get answers from, He is God. We do not need an object to show us who He is, He shows us every day when we see the beauty of the world, the birth of a baby, and everything in between. The key to seeing God is having faith, and the only way to know Him is through Jesus Christ. “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” - 1 John 5:12,13.

The repercussions of not letting God lead us rarely effect just the individual, it effects everyone around them. We learn of this through another man who thought he was doing right, another Levite, he married a prostitute who was not an Israelite. The woman left him and went back home to her father, four months later the Levite went to retrieve her resulting in a mess, introducing them to adultery, homosexuality, rape, murder, and vengeance.

“And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.” - Judges 19:11,16,21-24.

“certain sons of Belial,” It is the sons of devil that put such wicked thoughts into the minds of people. It saddens me every time I read this story, a woman sexually insulted and loses her life in the hands of wicked men. A man loses his wife because they walked into the wrong place at the wrong time. Forget the events that led to all this happening, no one deserves to be treated that way, no one. This was not God's fault. It was the fault of those who had no respect for a person's life, the fault of people who entice others to walk down their wicked path, and the fault of a society that closes their eyes to such behavior out of fear. They would have done the same thing to the man. We are living in a wicked and corrupt world, we cannot let it lead us, we must let Christ lead us. When we do not let Him lead us we are going to do what we think is right, and not going to make the wisest decisions. Yes, bad things happen to the saved also, but with Christ leading us we are better protected. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” - Proverbs 18:10.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed in the days there was no king in Israel. Israel was to be different than the rest of the world, God was to be their King, but they rejected Him for an earthly king, just like they still reject Christ today. “But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.” - John 19:15.

Today's Prayer: (Excerpts From Psalm 31) God, In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. Keep us protected and safe from those who are wicked, and lead us all the way to the promised land. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Judges: Be Influenced By Christ

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Thursday, March 17, 2016
Chapters: Judges 15-17
Message: Judges: Be Influenced By Christ

Hello My Friend,

I remember before I got saved and dedicated myself to Christ thinking that as long as I didn't lie, cheat, or steal I was pleasing God. You see, I was doing what I thought was right in my own eyes because up until then, my only teachings of God was bits and pieces of a Catholic religion, which was all about restrictions. Now, I know we are not under the law anymore, but there are standards that God has for us to follow in order to be seen as someone set apart for Christ. Christ is our godly influence that teaches what is pleasing to God, being a Christian is not about following a bunch of rules, it is about knowing Christ personally as our Saviour and loving Him. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” - Romans 6:1-4.

God had a plan for Samson even before he was conceived, his parents were to raise him up as a Nazarite, this was someone wholly dedicated to God during the time of his or her vow with Him. However, Samson was one of those worldly people of God, he broke every law you could think of from fornication to eating food from the dead carcase of an animal. Yet, because God chose him, He still blessed him and used him to judge Israel for twenty years. Samson went on a rampage after finding out that his Philistine wife had been given to another man.

“But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in. And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her. And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure. And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives. Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.” - Judges 15:1-6.

“Who hath done this?” There are many saved people living worldly lives, some more corrupt than those who live in the world. Regardless, God's people will never mix with the devil's people, there will always be feuds between them, and here is the surprise, God will give His people the strength to defeat them. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.” - Titus 3:5-8.

“careful to maintain good works.” Knowing we are saved and that God will always protect us does not exempt us from living a worldly life, it will always catch up to us. Samson fell for another Philistine woman, Delilah, he really loved her and she used that love to get him to tell her how he could be defeated.

“And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.” - Judges 16:4,5,17-19.

“and his strength went from him.” This is the reason why the unsaved cannot be yoked together with the saved, anytime a saved person dwells with the unsaved their strength weakens, and sooner or later they will succumb to them. However, if we turn to Him, He will rebuild our strength and help us overcome any situation we get into, even if it is the last thing we do, which was in Samson's case. Keep in mind that when we are at our weakest, God is at His strongest, if we make Him LORD of our lives and seek to please Him than we can be the influence that brings salvation to the unsaved, but we must be strong in our faith to even attempt that challenge. “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” - James 5:19,20.

God's first two commandments, have no other gods before me and make no graven images. Now, we are a glimpse as to exactly what was going on that God would turn His back on Israel. They did what they thought was right in their own eyes to please God, which broke His greatest commands. A woman had some money taken from her, what sounds to have been used to pay Delilah, but her son was able to get her money back, she used the money to have idols made for him, together they formed gods they worshiped similar to God worship.

“And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee. Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah. And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there. And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.” - Judges 17:3-7,12,13.

“Now know I that the LORD will do me good,” Micah and his mother turned their money into a god, and set up idol worship in their own family. Micah thought that a Levite priest, God's ministers coming to his door was a sign that he was doing right and God was going to finally bless him. How many times have we seen something and wondered if it was from God? If it is something that goes against His word, you can be sure that it is not. One thing we have to remember is that we take time to grow in Christ, but the more time we spend with Him the more His influence will wear off on us. “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” - 2 Corinthians 3:17,18.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today, Christ is revealed through the strength of Samson. Jesus is always the strength that gives every Christian the power to serve God. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” - Philippians 4:13.

Today's Prayer: God, You have given us an example of how You want us to live through Your Son, a man who was tempted in all points just as we are, a man who gave His life so that we can live with You forever. We are not required to be perfect, just to believe in Your perfect Son, but You would like us to be a reflection of Your Son so that others come to know Him as well. Lord, give me Your power and wisdom to be more like Jesus, keep me in Your word, help me to discern right from wrong, and if there is anything I need to eliminate from my life give me Your strength to do it. As I stick close to You, love You, talk to You, and get under the influence of Your Son, I know that I can do all things. I ask these things in the name of Jesus, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Judges: Make The Right Judgment

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Chapters: Judges 12-14
Message: Judges: Make The Right Judgment

Hello My Friend,

As much as we would like to think that every decision we make will end up having positive results, the truth is they do not. There is not one of us who wishes they could take something back that they have said or did because of a bad decision. More often that we would like to admit, the decisions we make are often made with our emotions, but once the decision is made we must accept the responsibility of the results. Believe it or not, our best decisions come when we get in the word of God and pray, even a bad decision can turn into something good when we see what God has to say about it. “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” - Ephesians 4:28,29.

Judgment, the act or process of the mind in comparing its ideas. When we have wants or desires all sorts of things pop into our heads in how we can get them. When we let God in on it we want we have a better chance of making the right judgment, but when we are using our own judgment we might not do so well. Israel tried hard not to let God be their judge, it was getting so bad that even the tribes were fighting among themselves. After Jephthah lead his army to defeat Ammon a fight broke out between them and Ephraim.

“And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire. And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands. And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me? Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites. And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.” - Judges 12:1-4,7.

“and the LORD delivered them into my hand:” It is so easy for those who see us get blessed to become envious when they are not being blessed, but fighting over it is always a losing battle. We must understand that God blesses us in different ways, what He wants others to have, He does not want for us. If we are faithful to Him, He will teach us to make the right judgment about the things we desire, and how to obtain them. Never forget for one second that God cannot go above and beyond what we are asking or thinking, if we allow Him to make the right judgment for us, He will bless us with more than we desire. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” - 1 John 5:14,15.

“if we ask any thing according to his will,” You see, this is the problem, people want things, they just do not want them according to the will of God. Israel wanted all the blessings from God, but they did not want to follow His commands, so, they forsook Him to pursue their desires in other ways. Once again, they did evil, this time God delivers them into the hands of the Philistines, and for forty years they were in control.

“And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.” - Judges 13:1-6,24.

“and the LORD blessed him.” You know, once we belong to God He blesses us, even when we do not make the right judgment. Now, we do face some chastening from God while we are here in earth, but if we are chosen, meaning if we are saved, we are chosen, we are not blessed for our works, but for our faith in Jesus Christ. We can live out of the will of God the entire time after we are saved and He will still bless us with eternal life, but that is no excuse to go against His commands. “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” - Romans 8:12,13.

Now, Samson is a a prime example of why we need to listen to God, while he was chosen and blessed by God, he did not follow God. In fact, he became friends with the Philistines, even marring a Philistine woman, who turned on him. “And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so? And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.” - Judges 14:15,18-20.

“whom he had used as his friend.” Although God used this situation to kill thirty Philistines that did not condone what he had done. We must be careful who we allow in our lives, if we keep friends with those in the world we are going to get burned because we are not of this world and will always be hated by them. “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” - John 17:14-17.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed as the angel of the LORD and Spirit of the LORD. The second we accept Christ as our Saviour we receive the Spirit of God in us, in the form of the Holy Spirit. “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” - Romans 8:9.

Today's Prayer: God, You know the things I have done, but You do not hold them against me, in fact, You have forgotten them all. As much as I try to make the right decisions, I know that I always do not, and I have the scars to prove it. You always use every decision I make for good, even when I mess up, You never leave nor forsake me, even when I go against Your will. You are a merciful and just God, and I thank You for the grace You give me each day as I try to get and stay in Your will. Lord, lead me and guide me, keep me in Your word and let me not forget to pray, give me the patience I need to see all my desires fulfilled, and help me make the right judgment with every step I take. In Your name, Jesus, I pray, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Judges: Choose The Right Leader

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Chapters: Judges 9-11
Message: Judges: Choose The Right Leader

Hello My Friend,

With campaigning in full swing in America as a new leader is chosen for our country one cannot help, but read through the Bible and wonder what is to come of our country when arrogant, self righteous men and women may be the only option. Now, I never mix religion with politics, but religion always finds its way into politics, and guess what, it is usually the faithful, born again Christian that is the target. So, what do we do when the wrong leader is chosen to rule our country? We look to our only leader, Jesus Christ. “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” - Psalms 33:8-12.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD;” Most of us are born into nations, even though my parents have Italian, Hungarian, and Polish roots, I was born in America, therefore, I am natural born American. Anyone who comes here can become an American, they just in a sense, need to be adopted into the family either by marriage or legalization, which is the case in any country. A nation that is led under God is always a blessed nation, and at one time, America was blessed, but they have fallen away from their roots, God is no longer LORD. Israel had the same problem, their true leader was God, but they did not want Him, they wanted a physical person to tell them how do to things, which is why God appointed judges over them. Abimelech, Gideon's son from a woman not of his nation, wanted to be a powerful leader, he stooped to the lowest level anyone can, he killed all but one, of his seventy brothers (Gideon had many wives). Jotham escaped and did what he could to warn Shechem.

“And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.” - Judges 9:7-9,14,15,22-24.

“let fire come out of the bramble,” Jotham was trying to warn the people that Abimelech (bramble) would have done anything to be king, he already killed his brothers (trees) capable of being true leaders, and would kill anyone who was a threat. After three years, God got the vengeance on Abimelech when he allowed the devil to cause a war among them and was killed himself, by a woman. A leader is not someone who is arrogant and proud, they are humble and put the peoples lives over their own. Jesus put others lives over His own when He gave Himself as the atonement sacrifice needed to redeem our souls. Now, all who believe in and receive Him are adopted into the nation of God. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” - Galatians 4:4-7.

The problem is, there is a new form of Christianity out today, one that has nothing to do with Christ. I mean, so many people think that if they believe in God and join a church that claims to know God it automatically makes them a Christian. Sorry, a Christian is more than that, first, you must be saved to be considered a Christian, and second, you must be living a life that reflects Jesus Christ. No, we are not saved by our works, but the things we do after we are saved ought to show Christ in us. God will turn His back on any nation that turns their back on Him, including His own, we are no exception to Israel. Now, after Abimelech died Israel went through the same pattern for several decades, but this time they got an answer they did not expect.

“And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed. And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.” - Judges 10:7-10,14-16.

“and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.” God loves His people, and it grieves Him when we suffer, even when we are the cause of it. He might get upset with us, and in some cases leave us to deal with our problems on our own until we repent, but He is faithful and will help us when we come to Him. By His mercy we are His people, by His grace we are saved forever from eternal death and hell, being the faithful Christian we ought to be puts others needs before ours, and makes Christ LORD of our lives. “Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” - 1 Peter 2:10-12.

Israel turned from their false gods and back to God, He heard their cries and sent a man named Jephthah to deliver them. However, the problem that many people had with him, he was the son of a prostitute. They picked on him and cast him out, but there came a time when they knew he was the only one who could help them.

“Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him. And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.” - Judges 11:1-5,9,10.

“The LORD be witness between us,” Jephthah could have refused to help Gilead, but he knew that it was God's will that he go and that it was the right thing to do. God has a purpose and a place for everyone of us, whether we were naturally born or adopted into it. God is our witness, if we make Christ LORD of our lives He will help us get through the consequences of our nations choosing ungodly leaders. Remember, we have the power to do all we can do to get godly leaders in our nations, but no matter who gets in, Christ will keep us safe. “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” - 2 Timothy 2:3,4.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today, Jesus is revealed through Jephthah's daughter as she wholly submitted to her father's will. Jesus, who is the Son of God, and God in the flesh, wholly submitted to His Father's will. “And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” - Matthew 26:39.

Today's Prayer: God, I do want to be successful in all that You call me to do and know that with Your help I can be. I know that my failures are partially because I have not been patient or simply not in Your will for me. Lord, You are my leader, help me to walk the path You have given me, show me any detours along the way, and let me grow and become a reflection of Your Son. I want to be completely dependent on You, and trust Your decision. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Judges: God Shall Rule

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Monday, March 14, 2016
Chapters: Judges 6-8
Message: Judges: God Shall Rule

Hello My Friend,

All throughout our lives we have someone in authority over us, whether it is our parents growing up, a teacher, a boss, or a president. Even those in authority have someone to answer to, oh, we might think we do not answer to anyone, but everyone answers to someone. However, no matter who is in authority, it is God who has the final authority, and to the saved, born again Christian, everything we do falls back on God. “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” - Hebrews 13:16,17.

Once again, Israel does evil in the sight of God, and He removes Himself from their presence, this time giving them into the hands of the Midianites. They cried to God and He chose a man named Gideon to be the miracle they needed to deliver them out of their affliction. Like many, Gideon heard the amazing stories of what God had done for his people, but He seemed no where to be around, until now.

“And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.” - Judges 6:12-16.

“why then is all this befallen us?” Quite often, it is not the things we are doing that causes affliction in our lives, but ungodly people dwelling among us. There was a reason why Jesus, while hanging on the cross said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”, people are living their lives by their own standards. While some go to the extreme and do some truly wicked things, which causes God's wrath to begin with, most think that the lives they are living are good enough to keep them out of hell. Sadly, it does not work that way, it never has, atonement from sin was always necessary, shed blood is always necessary for atonement. Jesus gave us a permanent solution to temporary atonement. “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” - Hebrews 9:12-14.

After God did some miraculous things to prove to Gideon that He was around, and that He was going to use him to lead an army, Gideon believe Him. God assured Gideon that He was with him and would lead the Israelites to victory over the Midianites, Out of thirty thousand soldiers only three hundred were chosen to go to battle.

“And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.” - Judges 7:7-10,16-18.

“go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:” Not much is known about Phurah, but he was a godly man, one who could help encourage Gideon if he was afraid to complete the task God called him to do. We all need someone we can turn to when we are afraid, someone who is godly and can help us do the work God calls us to do. Sometimes, we have to be the godly person that another needs to give encouragement to. In either case, we all have Jesus, who is our strength and gives us the courage to do anything God calls us to do, even be a friend. “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” - Romans 15:1-4.

With just three hundred men the Israelites won the battle, it was an interesting sight to see, three hundred men blowing trumpets, breaking glass, and shouting out to God. The men were so spooked that they began killing each other, and not one Israelite soldier lost their lives. After their victory, the people wanted Gideon to rule over them. “Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you. And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house. Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.” - Judges 8:22,23,27,28.

“the LORD shall rule over you.” Gideon declined to rule over them, reminding them that God was their ruler. No good man can be pleased with any honor done to himself, which belongs only to God. Gideon was wrong to have the ephod made, first, this was something only for the priests, and second, it was turned into an idol as people sought after it. Many are led into false ways by one false step of a godly leader, which is why we need to make sure that we not only teach the truths of the word of God, but live by them as well. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.” - Hebrews 13:8,9.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today, Jesus is revealed as the Angel of the LORD and the Sword of The LORD, which is His word. “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” - Ephesians 6:17. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” - John 1:14.

Today's Prayer: God, Time and time again You have proved Yourself mighty in my life, yet time and time again I have failed in acknowledging You. I am sorry that I do not thank You enough for all the miracles You have made in my life, even the ones where I was the miracle someone needed. Thank You for the trials that show me that You are still around. Sometimes, I feel like I will never get out of the circumstances I am in, but I know that I will because Your mercy endures. As You establish me, strengthen me, and settle me in the love of Christ, I know that all things will work together for good and You will truly get the glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Judges: To Prove Them

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Sunday, March 13, 2016
Chapters: Judges 3-5
Message: Judges: To Prove Them

Hello My Friend,

Prove, To try; to ascertain some unknown quality or truth by an experiment. If you ever wondered why God puts His people in the midst of a world that hates God, this is the reason, to prove us. To prove what? To try us. He is going to prove by experiment, whether or not we are going to remain faithful to Him. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.” - 2 Corinthians 13:5-7.

Being a Christian or even walking with God before Christ came has never been about following a bunch of rules, it has been about choosing God, loving Him unconditionally, and making Him apart of our lives. Are we always going to be jumping for joy in our faith every day? Of course not, but He ought to get some part of our lives every day, even if it is to thank Him for getting you through another day. We can fall and get into some serious trouble when we forget to talk to God, even for a day. It did not take long after Joshua died before Israel began living in then world, and since they thought they knew better and did not need God telling them what to do. God allowed the Canaanites to remain amongst them, He did it to prove their faithfulness to Him, and they failed miserably.

“Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof; Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath. And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites: And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.” - Judges 3:1-7.

“and forgat the LORD their God,” Do you think people forget God overnight? All it takes is one day to begin the pattern that can cause any of us to forget God. I get it, some days it is tough, you feel like God does not hear you, and no matter what you do you swear you are being punished for something. It is times like these when we have to remind ourselves that God loves us, that He is has something great prepared for us, and if we endure His test we will see it. I can get angry at God for my struggles, but what good would it do, I would still have them with or without Him. At least with Him, I know something good will come out of it. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” - 1 Peter 4:12,13.

God uses every willing person to get His people to see that they need Him more than just for their salvation, whether a man or woman. Now do not get me wrong, there are some things that God does not want a woman to do in His ministry, such as being the head of a church, but He does want is to be ministers, which just means to serve Him unconditionally according to His word. God knew that as long as Israel had a godly leader they would remain faithful to Him,so over the years he appointed judges to govern them, but only when they cried out to Him. Israel was lead by judges periodically for more than three hundred years, this time he used a woman.

“And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel. And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.” - Judges 4:3-9.

“for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Back then and in many parts of the world today, if a man was lead by a woman it was a disgrace to the man. Deborah knew this, but she still obeyed God and led the people peaceably for forty years. God uses every willing soul for His work, if the men will not step up, He will appoint a woman to do it. I do not know how many times I get a man telling me that I am to remain silent about teaching the Bible. God never said that a woman cannot teach the Bible, He said that a woman is not to have authority over the man in His church, and she is to remain silent from arguing the views of a man who is head of His church. “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” - 1 Timothy 2:11-14.

Subjection, The state of being under the power, control and government of another. We can expect God to try us, to prove us so that we will learn to be in subjection to His power. The key to enduring all the challenges we are faced with is offering ourselves to Him willingly and unconditionally. The faster we learn that God is in control and we subject ourselves to His authority the faster we will past that test with an A+++. After their victory to Caanan, Deborah led the people in a song praising God for their victory.

“Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves. Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel. LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.” - Judges 5:2-9.

“when the people willingly offered themselves.” See, this is what it is all about, willingly offering ourselves to God. When we willingly offer ourselves to Him He will bless us, yes, He will place things before us to make sure we will be faithful to Him, but they will not last. Never confuse something from the devil as something from God, while God will prove us by His word, the devil will tempt us to go against His word. If we are being tempted to go against the standards of God run because it is not from God. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” - 1 Corinthians 10:12,13.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today, Jesus is revealed through Othniel, who God delivered Israel from their oppression. Jesus delivers all from oppression when they believe in and receive Him as their Saviour. “Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;” - 2 Corinthians 1:10.

Today's Prayer: God, I know that I am nothing without You and that everything in my life, good, bad, and the ugly, are allowed to prove my faith in You. Lord, purge me from the things that prevent me from being who You want me to be, lead me and guide me, help me to find strength to stand before You as a virtuous vessel of honor, let me be an encouragement to others, be strong for those who may need a helping hand, and to keep serving You however You lead me. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Judges: Tasting The Gift Of Salvation

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Saturday, March 12, 2016
Chapters: Joshua 24, Judges 1-2
Message: Judges: Tasting The Gift Of Salvation

Hello My Friend,

The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains twenty-one chapters. The author of the book is Samuel and it was written to Israel, the timeline for these events took place approximately between 1425 BC to 1120 BC. The purpose of the book was to record Israel's behavior after the death of Joshua, their repeated sin, confessions, and the judges God sent to redeem them. What we are to learn from the book is that God's chastisement gets us to turn away from sin and to the Saviour. “And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.” - Judges 10:15,16.

Salvation, the redemption of man from the bondage of sin and liability to eternal death. Our total redemption from eternal death was made possible only by Jesus Christ who gave Himself as the atonement sacrifice needed to redeem a soul permanently. Salvation is given by anyone who believes in Christ under the grace of God, but that does not mean consequences do not come to our human bodies if we forsake God. This is not about works, it is about choosing God and keeping Him LORD of our lives. Before Joshua died he gathered the elders and heads of the tribes together and told them to choose which God they were going to follow, but if they chose God they had better not turn their back on Him to other gods.

“And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.” - Joshua 24:19-24.

“after that he hath done you good.” As much as we try, once we have received the gift of salvation from Christ, it is impossible to live in the world without facing consequences for our actions. Yes, many rebel and to the eye they appear to be having the greatest time of their lives living the most immoral and corrupt lives they can, but beyond the surface they are suffering. And the thing is, it is not God who brings the suffering, it is the person. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.” - Hebrews 6:4-6,9.

We have a choice, God or the world, there is no compromise in this, we either love God or we love the world, anytime we try to mix the two together there will be trouble. The Israelites are now facing life without their leader Joshua. What were they to do? They were to do just as Joshua said, follow God's commands. We are taken back to the time that Judah drove out most of the Canaanites off their portion of land, along with Simeon, but the rest of the tribes did not want to fight, they ended up taking money from them to keep the peace. “Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men. And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them. And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.” - Judges 1:1,4,22,28.

“when Israel was strong,” As Christians, God gives us great strength to defeat our enemies, but if we rely only on our own human strength we are going to get weak, and we are going to get defeated. Being saved keeps us from hell, it does not keep us from suffering caused by sin. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 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. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” - James 1:12-15.

Not one tribe got rid of every Canaanite that was dwelling in their land, on top of that, God was not taught to the next generation, so, when the eldest generation died off it was as if they never knew God. Israel not only began socializing with the Canaanites, they began following their gods too, because of this God took away their strength.

“And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.” - Judges 2:1-3,10,14,18.
“for it repented the LORD because of their groanings” God loves us, He does not want to see us suffering, even in our own sin. He finds great sorrow in seeing the ones that have tasted the gift of salvation living immoral and corrupt lives. Again, this is not about saving our souls, Jesus did that already when we accepted Him as our Saviour, this is about keeping ourselves from suffering more than we have to. I have an intolerance to processed food, if I eat them I get severe digestive problems. Many times I eat them not unknowingly, and I suffer for it. Our relationship with God is the same way, we cannot allow the things of the world to mix with God, even if we do not know it is wrong, that does not keep us from suffering, if we choose God, we must remain faithful to Him. “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:14,15.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today, Jesus is reveal as the angel of the LORD, Jesus, is God in the flesh and Spirit, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” - Revelation 1:8

Today's Prayer: God, Thank You for allowing me to taste the gift of salvation when I accepted Your Son as my Saviour. While we cannot avoid temptations in life that seem to never go away, we can endure them with the strength that only comes from You. I trust You and know that good things will truly come as I remain faithful to You and abide in Your Word. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me Your power and strength to drive out all of the people and things that cause me needless suffering in my life, let me not be enticed by their false appearances, and help me to endure every temptation. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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