IS HE IN YOU?
1 Samuel 26

It is certain that when the presence of God departs a man, the presence of the Devil will impact. A man must be filled or impacted by either the presence of God or the presence of the evil one. The departure of God’s presence in man is bound to be filled with all kinds of evil devices or evil agenda. King Saul, by virtue of his disobedience, lost the presence of God and the evil that was active in him was moving him in his attempt to kill David. The Bible records a number of times when King Saul was being moved to go after David by those who were surrounding him. 1 Samuel 24:1-3, “Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines that it was told him, saying, ‘Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.’ 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. 3 So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.)” King Saul, because of the absence of God in him, was listening to the ones who were surrounding him. If you do not carry His presence, what is not and who does not suppose to move you will be the one moving you. Saul’s response to those who were moving against David did not stop but it continued in 1 Samuel 26:1-2, “Now the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, ‘Is David not hiding in the hill of Hachilah, opposite Jeshimon?’ 2 Then Saul arose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph.” The world today is a dangerous place when God’s presence is missing in the life of man. Quoting the Word of God or going to fellowship is not evidence of God’s presence in a believer’s life. Are you carrying His presence or are you being carried by the presence of the evil one? The time and the days we live demand a constant and consistent presence of God. David was right in his assumption when he responded to King Saul, “…If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day…” (1 Samuel 26:19). Today, David’s curse is on every man or woman under heaven who is being used to drive you out from the ground where the Lord has planted you.
Prayer for today: O Lord my God and my Father, have mercy and let me not be a vessel of dishonor in all the days of my life.

A DWELLING PLACE
1 Samuel 24:1-15

King David’s entire walk as recorded demonstrated that he did not only know about God but he knew God and God also testified of him as the man after His own heart. The life of David demonstrated that he was not just an unbelieving believer but a believing believer of the God that he served. It is written in Psalm 91:1, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” If there was anyone that all his life demonstrated a dwelling under the shadow of the Almighty, David was absolutely the one. It only takes dwelling under the shadow of the Almighty to pass through all that David passed through in the hand of King Saul and came out victorious. Indeed and in true, David dwelt under the secret place of the Most High. Psalm 91 declares that those that dwell in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 15 a psalm of David was written for our learning and understanding and to know about what it is to dwell in the secret place of the Most High. “LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? 2 He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; 3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend” (Psalm 15:1-3) David clearly summarized what it takes to dwell in the secret place of the Most High when he responded to King Saul’s failed attempt to kill him. When David had the chance to kill King Saul but only cut a part of his garment cut off and later showed up to King Saul. It was clear in David’s word to King Saul the reason why he has been an over comer over King Saul’s evil. David stated “…That there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you…” (1 Samuel 24:11) David’s response can be concluded as the summary of Psalm 15, which is also the summarization of what it means to dwell under the shadow of the Almighty. It is one thing to quote the word it is another to actually be living a life that the word calls for. David lived the word and the word answered for Him. To live outside of the word will not make the word work for any believer. Are you a believing believer or an unbelieving –believer?
Prayer for today: O Lord my God, I ask that you disallow any operation of evil or rebellion in my hand so I can have a place to dwell under your shadow.

WHAT WILL GOD DO?
1 Samuel 22:1-5

Who could have thought that David, a man after God’s own heart, a man that delivered the whole nation from the embarrassment of Goliath would run from his country like a fugitive? David, after having been anointed by Samuel as the King, went further and killed Goliath. David became a national celebrity that the whole nation embraced. Despite David status as a celebrity, when King Saul turned against him and went after his life there was none among the well and able among the population that could back him up or rendered support. It is written in 1 Samuel 22:2, “And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.” David the celebrated champion of the whole nation only had the relegated ones among his people backing him up. It does not take forever for the enemy to present it self any where God is present. However, it will only take the hand of God, by virtue of His presence to make His own prevail and be victorious. Whatever has become of you that which is of great pain, that has moved you from your ground of celebration and that is contradictory to the promise of God for your life will not prevail over your life. David, ordained by God had no other choice to run for his life. David ran from plain to plain and from valley to valley. In the course of his running for his life there was no documentation of him complaining to God. Despite the fact that he had been ordained by God, he always went back to God to find out what the Lord will do. Once during his flight the Bible pointed out his character of waiting. 1 Samuel 22:3-4, “Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.”The point here is David’s character of waiting on God for what the Lord God will do. As a king in the hand of God, he refused to assume what the Lord will do or what the Lord could do. Today, be rest assured that the Lord God that you serve is mindful of how you situation have turned out to be. He that has brought you this far, unto where you are is not asleep and neither has He went to slumber. Keep your focus, take every day at a time and remain in the walk of His word. God will see you through, and He will get you to where He has promised you just like David.
Prayer for today: My God and my Father I ask for the grace of enablement that will keep me from every form of distractions that terminates man’s journey.  

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.