ANGER AND PRIDE
1 Samuel 18:1-16

In faith clinic, if there is any spirit that a believer needs to constantly check and reject it is the spirit of anger and pride. It is impossible to have anger and not have pride. Anger is not of God neither is pride of God. Anger and pride is a killer and it will not spare the life of any man who refuses to check himself out for spiritual treatment. If left unchecked, it will always kill. King Saul was chosen by God to be the king over the children of Israel yet anger and pride refused to spare his life. After David killed Goliath, the spirit of anger and pride in the life of Saul was activated. The Bible records, “Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, ‘They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?’” (1 Samuel 18:8) The Bible verses here say it all about what the combination of anger and pride can do in the life of any man. King Saul’s anger had a source. The source of his anger was pride that was rooted in how David was celebrated more than himself as a result of the victory of Goliath. If you are in a position to celebrate what the Lord has done or what He is doing in the life of any man but instead you have developed a reason to be angry, there is a need for you to check into a faith clinic and get help. King Saul was angry because the position that the Lord had called him to be was reduced by what the Lord was doing through David. In his anger, he began to be threatened about what would become of him in the future. Does this sound like you? This type of spirit that was in Saul is not of God and it is only meant to kill and to destroy. Saul’s demonstration of anger and pride gave place to a distressing spirit in him. “And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul…” (1 Samuel 18:10) The distressing spirit that came upon Saul provoked his attempt to pin David to the wall with a spear. As a child of God who is called of God to a ground of ministration, whatever rises against you will not prevail. David was supposed to be afraid, but God who works in all turned the story around as it was recorded: “…Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul” (1 Samuel 18:12). The enemy will be afraid of you just as he was for David.
Prayer for today: Father, I ask in Jesus name, let that which is not of You be permanently terminated in my life while Your Spirit takes full control.

COMPROMISING?
Romans 12

A temple or church is popularly known to be a building or a structure on ground. It is a place of worship where group of believers gather together to worship. The Bible also makes us to realize that a temple or Church can be referred to as a Christian or a group of believers. 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells in you?” Can you now consider yourself a temple/church of God? You are a believing body, not a building of believer. Revelation 15:4, “Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.”” God is holy and by that virtue, He can only be found in a holy temple. Being an acclaimed believer does not make one’s temple to be a temple where God dwells because God is holy. In your temple, is there any defilement (pollution, profanity, or unclean activity) that is taking its stand in your life as child of God? Defilement is a way of destruction; it is not a way of life, it is against the will of God for your life. 1 Corinthians 3:17, “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” Is God in your temple? God cannot survive in an unholy environment and it takes holiness for Him to dwell in your temple. In the temple (church) of today (that is you); it will be a miracle not to find one or more defying factors that need not be in your temple. It is time that you take some time out for yourself, identify and begin to pray against defying factors in your temple. There are different defying factors that you need to watch for to avoid missing the call of God when the trumpet sounds. Tolerating sin by any believer is a silent killer that needs a conscious and consistent avoidance. Tolerating sin is lowering the standard of God’s temple when you tolerate sin. When, as a child of God, you begin to tolerate sin that sin will eventually penetrate into your temple. God made man in His image (Genesis 1:26). The Apostle Paul said, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” God does not, cannot, and will never tolerate sin. God is holy. Compromising is a sneaky way of tolerating sin; excuses cues the temple in line for tolerating sin. Anytime you are trying to survive rather than serve Him, you will end up compromising and that will usher you into tolerating sin. Stand your ground; do not tolerate sin, it is a way of destruction.

Prayer for today: My Lord and my God, I ask that you open my understanding to know and avoid every compromise that causes man to tolerate sin.

IGNORANCE
1 Samuel 16: 14-23

It is possible for a man to remain at God’s appointed ground while the Spirit of God has departed him. King Saul was appointed by God and not by man to be the first king over His people. During the course of his reign, disobedient on his part set him apart from God. During a long and reasonable time, he remained, reigned and was at the ground of God’s appointment for his life but the Spirit of God was not there in him. 1 Samuel 16:14-15, “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you.” In your God appointed position, have you lost the presence of God? In Saul, it was evident that he was at the seat of power but power had left him. Does that sound like you? It is possible for any man to have lost it with God and not know. In the case of Saul, after he had lost the presence of God, he became exposed to acute mental suffering, affliction and trouble called distress. Are you experiencing any of King Saul’s symptoms? It is never too late to get back on kneel and seek God’s face for repentance especially now that Jesus has paid it on the cross. Today, unlike the days of the Old Testament, there is a pre paid package to bail a believer that is willing or that understands the reason for the need to be bailed out on to salvation. When God’s presence is withdrawn there cannot be any makeup that will work in His place. Saul could not make up or fill the vacuum but attempted to come up with a solution, “Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him.” 19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” (1 Samuel 16:18-19) David playing an instrument was only instrumental for temporary solution; God cannot be substituted in any situation or under no circumstances. As the time goes by for Saul distress grows and his distress spirit could not depart. If your situation continues to demonstrate symptoms like that of King Saul just as mentioned above, there is a need to seek the face of the Lord. Ignorance is what makes destitute of a believer or an unbeliever that choose not learn and act against any confronting situation.
Prayer for today: I ask today O Lord; deliver me from every act of ignorance that has taken a place of garment in my life.

EXTRAORDINARY SLAVE
Genesis 39

“The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.”(Genesis 39:2- 4) The statement, “the Lord was with Joseph” is repeated two other times in the same chapter. The Lord was with him because the enemies choose to be against him. The enemies choose to be against him because the Lord was set to build him up for His divine agenda. As an acclaimed believer, every time you are set to live for the glory of Lord, the enemy will set to offset what the Lord wants to do in your life. In the case of Joseph, the enemy cannot be more powerful because the enemy’s choice to be against Joseph is what provoked the Lord to be for Joseph. The Lord was with Joseph and it was not hidden but visible enough for all who were around him to see it. Joseph became a light that could not be hidden but made to shine. Is the Lord with you in all that you are doing? All three times that it is mentioned that the Lord was with Joseph, there was mercy, favor, prosperity, success and authority in place in the life of Joseph. When God is for you, no man can be against you except you being against yourself by walking outside of His Word. It is important for believers of the Word to know that the Word of God is forever true and He will not fail to perform His Word. God is the only One God who turns around the evil intent of the enemy to come out for good. As a worshiper and obedient child of the Most High God who is faithful in walking the walk, you can be assured that all the wicked plans that have been set up against you for years, months or weeks, by your closest ones are what God will use to turn around your stagnation into motion. God is waiting and all that He did not allow will not be allowed in your life. Indeed it does not matter where the enemy has set you up to be. When the Lord is with you, His presence will raise you up.
Prayer for today: Lord my God I ask today that You endue me with the grace to be a true worshiper and obedient child of God.

NOTHING PREVAILS
2 Samuel 12: 1-23

David’s emergence was not an accident. David was sought out for greatness and God’s glory by God Himself. 1 Samuel 13:14, “…The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” One man’s failure in the area of God’s calling is another man’s promotion by the hand of God. Saul’s failure to live according to his divine appointment gave David a passage to God’s appointment. God does not need man for His attainment but rather man needs God for attainment. That was the case of Saul as he failed to attain a glorious destiny. As much as David was sought out by God, it was not a liberty for abuse of power neither was it a liberty to escape consequence of sin or sinning. Just like Saul, David committed an evil act and God sent His Prophet Nathan to address it. “Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 10 Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 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. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’” (2 Samuel 12:9-12) To despise the commandment of God is an act of evil. An act of evil is giving a great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. Are you an acclaimed believer of the Word? It is a serious matter to gain an understanding that, as much as God is a God of goodness, mercy, and forgiveness, it is certain that no prayer will prevail in stopping or erasing the consequences of evil acts. David sinned and repented of his sin and God did put away his sin but the consequence could not be removed. 2 Samuel 12:15-16, “…And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill. 16 David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.” David went into fasting and praying, but there was not enough prayer that could rectify the consequences of his evil.

Prayer for today: Lord my God and Father take my days and my moments that I should not despise Your commandment to do evil.