TRUST< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

1 Samuel 23:1-5, Philippians 4:1-8

ÒYou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind stayed on You, because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.Ó (Isaiah 26:3-4) Have you really put your trust in Him? There is a difference in saying ÒI trust in the LordÓ and in actually putting your trust in the Lord. Many times words are easier said than done. When it comes down to the ground of no escape against destructive forces, will you still hold on to your trust in Him? Once in his running away from Saul, David with his small band of warriors was in a place to deliver inhabitants of Keilah from the hands of the Philistines. ÒTherefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, ÒShall I go and attack these Philistines?Ó And the LORD said to David, ÒGo and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.ÓÓ (1 Samuel 23:2) Have you taken some time out to inquire of the Lord about your next move or do you want your move to be based on reactions that are surrounding you? After David had heard from God, man came up with their reaction based on what was on ground and what they were seeing. DavidÕs men said to him, ÒLook, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?Ó (1 Samuel 23:3) The men of David were very correct. They had been running because they were afraid from where they were coming from and that was impacting where they were going. David knew in whom he had his trust and he could not allow where he was coming from to terminate where he was going. Knowing that God is a God of confirmation, you can always seek Him to confirm His Word in every area of life. David went back to God. ÒThen David inquired of the LORD once again. And the LORD answered him and said, ÒArise, go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.ÓÓ (1 Samuel 23:4) You cannot hear from Him and doubt what you have heard. When you hear from God, there will be neither debate nor fear. The whole world can say no; but you will say yes. The existence of doubt is the evidence that you have not heard from Him. David went forward and delivered the inhabitants of Keilah. It is all about placing trust in the Lord. Having a perfect peace is having a peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Try and take anxiousness out of your life and go to Him in prayer, supplication and with thanksgiving. Once you do, the result of David will become yours and the Lord will deliver your enemies into your hand. It is all about trusting God for God.

AVOID SELF-DESTRUCTION2 Chronicles 14, 15, 16< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

ÒBut Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, 25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.Ó (John 2: 24-25) Commit yourself unto no man; but only unto God. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, could not commit Himself unto any man. If Jesus, our father could not commit Himself to any man, you should never commit yourself unto any man. Deception is rooted in the heart of man. A deceptive heart is a wicked heart and it is also an evil heart. God testified against the heart of man in Genesis 6:5, ÒThen the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.Ó Commitment unto man is the cheapest way unto destruction. It is also an indirect demonstration of the false belief that man is more competent than God. In the journey of life, you have been an over-comer in all areas of challenges because you have constantly committed all unto God. Why are you now seeking manÕs commitment concerning new challenges? Switching from God to man will undoubtedly bring destruction. Asa, king of Judah, was a good example. Having fought wars of conquest against stronger and mightier Ethiopians and the Lubin army solely by the hand of God, he failed to maintain a continuous victory when he turned to the king of Syria as his reliance. 2 Chronicles 16:7-8, ÒAnd at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: ÒBecause you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 8 Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand.Ó Are you encountering a challenge and it seems there is no way out? Today, remember the miracles of God and all He has done for you when you were in a challenging situation. Are you looking for a quick answer to the confronting situation? It will not be resolved if you take it to a man for support. Take it to the Lord because that is the true solution to your situation. The grace to wait and to give it up to God is a demonstration of trust and loyalty to the One who is in charge. It is written in 2 Chronicles 16:9, the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.Ó Let Him alone fight your battle.

MOUNTAINTOP< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

1 Samuel 18

David, by the hand of God being upon him, went from being a shepherd boy to putting asleep a giant who was standing against the armies of Israel. As a result of the hand of God in his life, one will assume that David would take an easy and unchallenging ride to the top of the mountain. The story of getting to the mountain became a challenge and he had to remain focus on God at every climb to his mountaintop. You might have seen it clearly that the Lord is taking you up, but you cannot tell which route it will take you to get to that mountaintop. God told Abraham to go and offer Isaac on one of the Òmountains of which He will tellÓ (Genesis 22:2b). Abraham knew that he was going to get to a mountaintop, but he never know which one. Getting to the mountaintop will require a constant look up to God. When David was anointed to become the new king, he could not take over the reign without rains of challenges falling upon him. King Saul repeatedly attempted to kill David when he saw the hand of God upon DavidÕs life. DavidÕs challenges were aggravated when the women began to sing praises of David about the killing of Goliath. ÒThen Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, ÒThey have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?ÓÓ (1 Samuel 18:8) Pride inhabits anger, negative jealousy and evil devises. Pride set into SaulÕs life. Saul did all in his power to kill David, but David was set by God for the mountaintop and no man would have been able to stop him except if he chose to stop himself by walking out of the fear of God. Saul threw spears to pin David to death a number of times. He set him up against the Philistines so as to kill him and all went in vain for Saul because David remained focus on God. If God has privileged you and you have seen yourself as getting to the mountaintop, there is a need for you to readjust your focus directly onto God. David could not have been able to get there, but his behavior prevailed for him. 1 Samuel 18: 14, ÒAnd David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with him.Ó This is all you need when you focus on Him in deed and in truth. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom: fear Him and you will behave wisely.

SAME GOD1 Samuel 17:25-49< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Life is full of ups and downs with challenges left and right. The journey of everyday life will always encounter every representative of giants from every direction whether you like it or you dislike it. The purpose of giants is to stop you from getting to your divine location; to kill, steal and destroy. Why not pray the prayer of David? David was in the direction of becoming what the Lord had anointed him to be while the giant was also in place to deny him from getting to where God had called him to be. David refused to take on any form of weapon from the world to use against Goliath. David considered the weapons before him as burdensome. They were too heavy and they could have slowed him down or aided in making him a victim. As a result, David took with him the heavenly weapons to confront the giant of hindrance and termination. ÒThen David said to the Philistines, ÔYou have come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiledÕ Ó (1 Samuel 17:45) As you have been privileged of God to face a new day and week, do not go out or continue from where you are now without lifting up your voice unto the Almighty God.  Speak to the giant and let him know that you have come to deal with him in the name of the Lord of hosts: the God of the armies of Israel. Confronting any agent of the wicked and destruction such as Goliath, does not require you to go outside of the name of the living God. Call on His name in just the same manner as David did. In your calling, speak by declaring what you want to see become of the confronting giant. After David had called on the name of God, he went further and declared the kind of day he had wanted for the giant (Goliath) by saying, ÒThis day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.Ó (1 Samuel 17:46) The same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is still alive and active today. He is still in the business of answering prayer if you will believe and commit all unto Him in prayer. Jehovah God will be moved and fight your battle. Know that it is well for you because the battle is not yours; it is for the Lord to fight on your behalf.

FAVOR TO STAND< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Esther 3, 4, 5

Haman was a high-ranking officer during the reign of king Ahasuerus. He devised a plot to terminate the children of Israel because their laws are different from the laws of the Land, and they would not keep the laws of the land. For the children of Israel to escape the evil devises of Haman against them, there would have to be someone to take a particular stand on a particular ground for their deliverance to be able to stand. The particular ground was the inner court. Esther 4:11, ÒAll the kingÕs servants and the people of the KingÕs provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.Ó This was EstherÕs message to Mordecai as a reason for her not being able to go and take a stand on a ground that was in place for deliverance. Mordecai put pressure on Esther, and Esther responded by asking for days of fasting that would enable her to go and take a stand of deliverance for the children of Israel. Esther went and took a stand when she was not supposed to. ÒSo it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.Ó (Esther 5:2) It was favor that granted Esther the privilege to take a stand of deliverance on behalf of the children of Israel. When David began to get closer to his ground of break through, his ground of divine schedule king Saul needed someone that could play an instrument for his mental illness. David was the qualified one, ÒThen Saul sent to Jesse, saying, ÒPlease let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.ÓÓ(1 Samuel 16:22) It is all about favor. Esther found favor, David found favor and they both took a stand of breakthrough.  Ask God today for the kind of favor that takes man to his ground of breakthrough. He is true and faithful. That favor to stand shall be yours in Jesus name. Amen.