One Year Bible, July 10

1 CHRONICLES 9:1 - 10:14                                                                                                
RE-INHABITING THE KINGDOM:  After being carried away captive because of their "transgression"  ("unfaithfulness", "treachery" - which is spiritual adultery.   They had defected from God into idolatry). The "ruler of the House of God" is the High Priest. The "singers" were employed in singing "day and night".

BATTLE OF MT. GILBOA: The Philistines routed Israel and killed Saul's three sons. Saul was wounded and then committed suicide. The slain were stripped and their heads cut off. Their armor was stripped and put in the house of Ashtoreth. Saul's head was nailed up in the temple of Dagon - the fish-god.

WHY GOD KILLED SAUL: Transgression (treachery, betrayal, perversity) against God and against the Word of the Lord, especially when he consulted HELL (a medium, the occult) instead of God for counsel. The Lord put Saul to death.

RESPONSE:   God considers "dabbling" in the occult as a BETRAYAL of God and of God's Word. He consistently told Israel to execute witches and warlocks, and mediums and astrologers, etc. This is because there is NO SUCH THING AS A GOOD (OR WHITE) WITCH! All power belongs to God.  Any power obtained outside of God is USURPED and comes from the DEVIL. It is counterfeit. We are to have "no other gods".  God's covenant, which He entered into with us, is like a marriage contract.  To go outside of God is to commit spiritual adultery. One of God's Names is "Jealous" Ex 34:14).

ACTS 27:21-44                                                                                                                   
Oops! See yesterday's blog.

RESPONSE:   SURVIVING (?) THE STORMS OF LIFE:  I ask for God's help first - and then as I "practice His presence" - (give Him praise and thanks as if He were right there with me, because He is), I sense His nearness and strength.  Jesus said He would pray for us as we go through any "sifting" (Luke 22:31-32) so that we stay "in faith" in the process.  The sin that "besets" us is fear and unbelief.   I cast that aside, as the "anchor" that holds me in place - the fear and unbelief.  They hold me IN PLACE IN THE STORM SO THAT IT BATTERS ME.  The quicker I can get rid of the fear and unbelief, the quicker I can reach shore in a storm.  I do that by speaking faith to my heart.  I tell it how good and how great God is.  How faithful God is.  How strong and able God is.  How worthy He is.  I really throw myself into it as if I have nothing to lose. In the process, I cut off the rudder - I quit trying to control the situation and its outcomes.   The Holy Spirit carries me on the wind to where HE wants me to be.  Trust Him with the outcomes and quit worrying and talking.  I quit being concerned about SURVIVING, because He wants my flesh to die!  The only thing that should survive the storm is MY FAITH IN GOD!   No matter how much my flesh screams for comfort, for self-pity, for a chance to complain, for revenge, I HOLD FAST to my faith in God that HE is controlling the outcome.

PSALM 8:1-9                                                                                                                     
"Still the enemy" ("still" = to put an end to; to exterminate, to destroy; to cause to fail; to restrain")   God has established or laid the foundation that "PRAISE" will bring to an end the purposes of the enemy and the avenger; or, to cause him to desist from his designs against us.  In Matthew 21:16 Jesus is quoting the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, where the word "strength" was more correctly translated "PRAISE" -   When we praise and thank God, it strengthens our resolve and stops the enemy (Flesh and devil, world-spirit of antichrist) from overcoming us.   In fact, that kind of praise puts me beyond the enemy's reach because it gets my focus off myself and onto God, Who is sufficient.

PROVERBS 18:23-24                                                                                                        
You would EXPECT a poor man to have rough speech and the rich man to speak smoothly - but it is the other way around!   Maybe the rich man thinks he doesn't HAVE to be nice!   At the same time, if you want to have REAL friends (not just someone who wants you to spend money on them), then you must BE a friend.   Multiple friends will make you feel good, but there will always be one special friend that will be there in adversity.

RESPONSE:   I have noticed that people who think about themselves and their "problems" all the time, are usually in a storm of some kind. If there is no storm, they make one. And they survive storms IN TACT - and so have to endure another one! A storm will bring you down to nothing but you and God.