THINK AND THANK
Job 1, 2

As an acclaimed believer of the Word of God, if you think or reflect on the story of Job you will begin to thank the Lord. Calling God a good God is an understatement. God is greatly awesomely good for who He is. If you as a believer will think of Job, asking God for forgiveness for not being appreciative enough should be flooding heaven on your behalf. If Job, a man that was described as blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil, passed through such adversity without cursing out God, we all need to look back at months behind and ask God for forgiveness. At every visitation of the oppositional one, man’s position, or positions, crumbles. At the visitation of the adversary the one that opposes God, all of Job’s position crumbled. Job’s financial wealth crumbled, his household crumbled, his marriage crumbled, and every other position in his life crumbled. Above all, his wife, supposedly his better half, the one in position to give him support renounced him. “Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9) Job’s friend also came to support, “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him.” (Job 2:11) Job’s situation could not get any worse than it was when his friends that came with good intentions to encourage and support him also became subject of discouragement. Can whatever has kept you down be compared to that of Job? In most of believer’s challenges God is yet to step in, until all that man can give in support steps out. Only God, and God alone, will see you through and take the glory. In the course of challenges, there is no giving up, but looking up to God will deliver. Always remember, “…Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity…?”(Job 2:10) The breaking down of your positions can be very painful, and aggravating, but know that nothing can terminate the purpose and plan of God for your tomorrow. Job confessed it, “I know that You do everything and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from you.” (Job 42:2) In all of his broken down positions, he ended up living many years and seeing his children and grandchildren for four generations.

Prayer for today: In every area of my isolation, develop me to become a dedicated worshipper, and become more obedient to your word.

EFFECT OF SIN 
2 Samuel 12

Carrying out the act of sin is the emergence of evil preoccupation of the eventual sinner. It does not take forever for an act of sin to take its ground, but the effect of sin (the consequence of sin) can take forever manifesting itself. Consequences of sin can be exceedingly destructive, and painful. Consequence of sin most times last longer than a sinner could imagine. King David violated Bathsheba while her husband Uriah was at war. David’s attempt to cover up his sinful act led to the death of Uriah. The Bible recorded in 2 Samuel 11:27, “…But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.”  God forgave David because of David’s repentant heart and confession, “So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” (2 Samuel 12:13-14) David was forgiven, the Lord put away his sin, but the consequences remained in his household. After the death of his first child that Uriah’s wife bore to David one would have thought the effect of his sinful act was over, but it was just the beginning of consequences for David’s sin. God is a just and merciful God. Before Him there is no excuse for any evil act. There is also no evil act that can be hidden from Him. As a believer you might have enjoyed a sinful act, and yet to enter into the consequence of your sin. Today as you set eyes on this, ask God to help you terminate the act of sin that is displeasing God in your life. The consequences of David’s sin passed on to his children. Absalom, the son of David revived the role that King Saul played in the life of David. Absalom was reacting to the violation of Tamar (his sister) by Amnon his brother when he killed Amnon. At that juncture, the effect of David’s sinful act against Uriah unfolded itself from one situation to another situation in David’s household. Among God’s message to David after his evil act against Uriah stated, “…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.” (2 Samuel 12: 11) When the act of sin rings your bell, know that an open door to it will accommodate a painful and agonizing effect that could last for much longer than you can handle.

Prayer for today: Father, lead me and guide me from opening a door to any evil act that could violate Your word in my life. Deliver me from every generational curse. O Lord, let me not be a cause of painful consequences of sin to the children you have put in my care.  

NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER
2 Samuel 6

Excuse will not prevail when good intentions provoke the violation of God’s command. Uzzah’s good intention was to stabilize and keep the Ark of God steady during transportation. “…Out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab drove the new cart.” (2 Samuel 6:3) The Bible describes the route of transportation: “And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God.” (2 Samuel 6:6-7) The threshing floor was a place of processing grain, separating kernels from the chaff. In the case of the transportation, it was not just a threshing floor but was also a hill ground. The putting out of Uzzah’s hand to prevent the Ark of God from stumbling was a good intention but was in violation of God; it provoked instant judgment of Uzzah. God struck Uzzah and Uzzah died of error from his good intention. Is there anyway that you are carrying out a good intention in act against the Word of God? In all of your service, get understanding and avoid any violation that could violate life. God warned earlier in Numbers 4:15 about death as the sentence for touching any thing that is holy and the Ark of God is holy. Uzzah’s intention was to help God where God had not called for help. At all times, God needs no man for attainment but rather man will always need God for attainment. Uzzah’s situation demonstrated the fact that God will never violate His word by not bringing it to pass. He is a consistent God, His Word will not go void and you cannot violate His Word and avoid being violated out of this world. The fear of God is in the manifestation of the power in His Word. By virtue of what happened to Uzzah, the Bible records that, “David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, ‘How can the ark of the LORD come to me?’ 10 So David would not move the ark of the LORD with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.” (2 Samuel6:9-10).Great is the Lord God and He is greatly to be feared. Thank God for the coming of Jesus for He is the evidence of God’s goodness and mercy. He has lifted us up to the days of grace. However, despite the grace of God, the apostle Paul declared, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2) Shall we continue in sin? Think of it and give it the right answer.
Prayer for today: Father, deliver me and preserve me from every evil work for Your kingdom’s glory.

BREAKTHROUGH OF WATER
2 Samuel 5:17-25

2 Samuel 5:17-19, “Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. 18 The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. 19 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?’ And the LORD said to David, ‘Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.’” Concerning David, the enemy was not at rest while David was at rest as he continued to wait on God. Resting on the Lord is waiting on Him by inquiring from Him on a regular basis and in every walk of life and the challenges of life. David, having waited on God, went to the ground of his battle. 2 Samuel 5:20, “So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, ‘The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.’ Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.” God backing up His word for David was the breaking power over David’s enemy at Baal Perazim. For David, the Word worked because he was able to inquire. David always gave to God his attention and those who attend to God are the ones who get God’s attention over every situation. God is a jealous God and the antidote for jealousy is giving attention to Him. Establishing a custom of approaching God is a demonstration of consistency. David’s inquiring of the Lord in his battle against the Philistines identified David as not being presumptuous. As a believer, the grace of enablement to be consistent in inquiring from the Lord should be a great desire because when there is desire, God deposits desire. Just like David, Daniel’s victory over the plot to terminate him for not worshiping a false God was a result of his established custom. Daniel 6:10, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” Daniel overcame the plot because God acknowledged Daniel. David became victorious in his battle of Baal Perazim. In David’s victory, he testified that the Lord broke through his enemies before him like a breakthrough of water. Your battle of Baal Perazim will be won the same way like that of David if you will establish a custom approach to seeking God over every situation.

Prayer for today: I ask today O Lord my God; let every representative of enemy in my life encounter the power of God that will break them like a breakthrough of water.

LESSONS TO LEARN
2 Samuel 5:6-16

The beginning of every man’s fall is inhabited in the beginning of every man’s rise. God is set to bring up any of His children and not to keep him down while the enemy is also set to bring him or keep him down. Despite all the wicked devises that is in possession of the devil, the children of God will always prevail. David, having become the king for the whole land, began to build up for his own destruction. The Bible says, “So David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted His kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.13 And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron. Also more sons and daughters were born to David.” (2 Samuel 5:12-13) The later end of King David’s challenges started when he began to assemble concubines and wives. In the days of his running away from King Saul, David did not engage himself in taking up concubines but was engaged in ways and means to have his life protected. However, when he realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel he re-established himself with concubines and wives. Often times, whenever there is a sigh of relief from challenges and adversities, the tendency to shift focus presents itself in the life of believers. Shifting focus will not present itself directly but rather indirectly. It is a way by adding up extra responsibilities that are often uncalled for or the ones that are not necessary. As David began to add concubines and wives, he made himself vulnerable to traps of sin and sinning that eventually affected and disrupted him later in life. God had earlier warned the children of Israel against multiple wives when he laid down the principles governing kings. Deuteronomy 17:7, “Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.” In life it is easy to destroy than to build. All that David went through was a building process that was needed to maintain self at the top. God is building you up and what you see in your building process is for learning that will keep you and maintain you for His divine plans. Paying attention and avoiding the forces of distraction will keep a believer in line of God’s plan. The life of David was full of all kinds of lessons that are enough to keep a believer in line from repeated failure.
Prayer for today: Father, in all that I am learning and seeing in Your Word, let it add up in me that I may not become a victim of self destruction.