Baptist City Blog

2 Samuel 20:1

The war with Absalom was over, and those who were going to be disloyal to David had a prime opportunity to sow their discord because Israel was divided. The verse above says that Sheba blew the trumpet in Israel and said, “We have no part in David…” This is interesting because Sheba was of the tribe of Benjamin. It is interesting to note that Saul was also of this tribe. What happened was Sheba never accepted David as his king. He refused to move on from the past, and it was at this moment that he saw an opportunity to bring the past alive. Sadly, he was only hurting himself and those who followed him because the past could no longer be revived. His refusal to live in the present kept him from enjoying the reign of the greatest king in Israel’s history.

2 Samuel 12:22

Everyone will face it someday. The life of a person who you love dearly will be hanging between life and death. Your desire is that the LORD would heal them so that you can enjoy more time with them on this Earth, but the doctors don't give you much hope that they will pull through. What do you do when this happens?

1 Samuel 27:11

David went through a short period in his life when he thought the only hope of staying alive was by joining the enemy. Every time he went to fight for the Philistines, he would completely destroy every person in the city. His whole reason for destroying everyone was so that nobody would “tell on us.” He was very concerned with word getting back to Israel about him fighting for the Philistines. He had hopes that one day he would be able to go back to Israel and he didn't want his actions with the Philistines to harm this from potentially happening.

1 Samuel 13:12

The verse above was truly the turning point of Saul’s life. Saul was a good man by God’s own admission, but good men are faced with turning points that will determine their course for the rest of one’s life. Samuel was supposed to come at an appointed time to sacrifice before Israel went off to war. Because Samuel delayed his coming without any notice, Saul presumptuously took the duties of the prophet into his own hands which was a direct contradiction to God’s Word. Certainly, Saul had some good excuses as to why he did this, but those excuses were simply the turning point of his life that turned a good man into an evil one. There are three lessons we can learn from this turning point in Saul’s life.

1 Samuel 19:1

One of the rude awakenings I had when I went into full-time service was when I discovered that everyone would not be happy with God’s blessing on my life. I should have known better because I grew up in a preacher’s home, but for some reason I just thought that people would be happy that the LORD was working through me. It didn't take long before I found out that when God uses you that you will endure criticism and battles along the way.

1 Samuel 8:5

I was sitting at a restaurant with a friend of mine when a couple from his church walked in. He waved at them as they were going to their seat and told me that they were from his church. Honestly, the family looked a bit rough, but this preacher greatly complimented them by telling me that their children were some of the best youth in his church. He told me not to let their appearance fool me because they seemed to have their family life under control as evidenced by their children.

1 Samuel 3:8

We all know the story very well. Samuel was just a young boy who was given to the LORD as a fulfilled promise by his mother. He grew up in a culture of corruption where the leader, Eli, would not deal with the sins of his sons. It was not the ideal atmosphere for Samuel to grow up in, but he did grow up and turn out right.

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Judges 18:9

The verse above is the response from five men who spied out the city of Laish. These men came back with the report that Laish was careless with their defense and was ready to be taken. They challenged Israel to “Arise…” and “…be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.” They were challenging the men to not let their slothfulness be the hindrance of their progress in taking the Promised Land.

Judges 1:1

Joshua made a tragic mistake that imperiled the future of Israel’s spirituality. The mistake he made was that he did not train someone to take his place when he was gone. This was spiritual suicide. Because he didn't train someone to take his place, the people strayed from the LORD and did their own thing.

Joshua 18:8

Opportunity may lie at your door, but you must open the door to realize the opportunity. Israel had the opportunity to possess the Promised Land, but they faced several obstacles before the opportunity became reality. You also have a Promised Land that God has for you, but what you do with the obstacles that stand in your way will determine whether or not you possess it. Let me show you some of the obstacles and give you some suggestions on how to deal with them.