God uses His people, the church, to spread the good word of His salvation.   ~~~   We are to be cultivating our joy in God, with God’s people, to God’s world. The mission is spreading the message of God’s mercy to the world. We live in a world of misery and distress at every turn, people enslaved by their own sin, being abused by other’s sin…in every part of the world. There is not a part of this globe that hasn’t been touched and tortured by this. And yet, God is in process of executing His unstoppable plan and mission of gathering up His children, from far and wide, and He does it through His church—People who are trophies of his mercy and grace. You have a song to sing, a message to spread, a God of mercy to worship, and a King of glory to proclaim. Last week I asked you to think about two people to pray for during the week. I encouraged you to let them know that you were praying for them and for you to ask them how you could pray specifically for them. Maybe some of them let you know some type of misery and distress they were suffering under. What a great opportunity to let them know of the mercy of God that He extends to His children in all sorts of surprising ways. Maybe it will open up conversations about whether they are God’s child, who has Jesus as their Savior/king.

Music can help us remember things more clearly.

We must ask God to purge our lives of the sins that draw us away from Him.   ~~~   What is God leading you to in this season? Where is He wanting to mold you? Are there areas of your life and heart that need a clean out? It is Spring. What work needs to be done now that will lead to making room for growth and good fruit down the road? While I love the idea of Spring cleaning, I do not want to do the Spring cleaning. That is in a way what led me to seek the Lord in this season and it really doesn’t have much to do with vacuuming or dusting. I’ve simply been overwhelmed. I know many of you can relate. As I have taken inventory of my life, home and heart, and all the things that seem obvious that I NEED to do, I’ve been stuck in ways, not even knowing where to begin. That’s when God gave me the words pray, purge and pursue. Instead of getting stuck in a cycle of what I should be doing, my heart is seeking what the Lord wants to LEAD me to do. One way is full of shame and guilt while the other is full of grace and is an open invitation to move closer to who God wants me to be and the plans He has for me. We began last time with pray. If you missed it you can find it at Lifeword.org, but to recap a bit, we’re asking God to lead us to the things and areas of our life and heart that need attention. Pray till you pray, is the first step and words are not required. The purpose of the ‘pray’ step is to be still and know God wants to move you closer to His heart and will for your life in every area. So listen and see where He leads you. The next step we are looking at today is PURGE. We begin with prayer. Once God reveals our area of focus, it’s time to purge. Now when I think of purge I think of the physical act of cleaning OUT. Get rid of it. And in fact, that may be what God wants you to do. To purge is to cleanse, purify or remove. When you have the urge to purge, you act quickly! I love that! For me, this is where the spirit comes in. Where I am weak, thank God He is strong. I can lean on the Lord to give me the strength to follow through with any action of obedience the Lord moves me to take. (2 Corinthians 2:10) I will never have the urge to do things that aren’t easy, but in His strength, I can do all things! What this step looks like for you will be different from what it may look like for me. Ask God to reveal your step forward and then to give you the urge or desire to take it! Where and what do we need to purge? God will reveal it. We can look to Psalm 51 as an example. David’s sin was revealed and instead of sweeping it under the rug or ignoring it, he responded, took action and brought it to the Lord. Psalm 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. God revealed what needed to be cleaned out in David’s heart. David responded with repentance and surrender. He wanted to have the sin cut out and his life made new. He moved closer to God through the process. We can do the same whatever that looks like. Be still and listen to His voice. By faith, you can throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. (Hebrews 12:1) You can cut out what is dead in your life and prune back areas of growth to produce more fruit. (John 15:2) You can take an honest inventory of where your treasure has been and realign your heart to what matters most. (Matthew 6:19-21) Wherever God leads us, those are the steps we can take to respond. That’s the truth. We pray then we purge. God reveals and we respond. It’s Spring cleaning that goes beyond the surface. Next time we’ll move beyond the purge to PURSUE what God has in store. Join me at lifeword.org. I’m Lori Cline.

God has a plan that cannot be thwarted by any human being.   ~~~   We do see God extending mercy in David’s time of distress and misery, but remember, there is something bigger going on than just God working in David’s life. God was working for the future of Israel and for us. 1 Samuel is all about having the right type of King over your life. Saul was not the right type of King, but he was exactly what the people had asked for. In fact, there is an eerie comparison between Saul and Achish. Both kings benefitted from David’s military might. Both kings brought David close into their ranks. But Saul did not trust David, and was paranoid about him, when he had no reason to be. Achish, on the other hand, was fond of David and trusted David, when he had no reason to do such. And what we see from this comparison is that Saul is like the other kings of the nations, in that neither of them had any spiritual insight at all. But David was a man after God’s own heart. And God is able to provide Israel with what they needed—not a king like the other nations, but a king sensitive to God and His word. The Philistines could not thwart God’s mission of providing the right type of King for Israel. They could not keep David from being King of Israel, because God’s providence protected David and delivered David. So we see that there is a plan, and God owns the plan, and runs the plan, and executes the plan, which should cause us, today, to be eager to join in God’s plan. God’s plan didn’t end with providing Israel a king. That was only part of it. God’s plan was to have His kingdom proclaimed throughout all the earth, to all peoples, in all times. And that plan is still in effect.

The Christian life is full of highs and lows, victories and defeats, but God is with us through it all.   ~~~   What is the difference between David and Saul? Why does David receive mercy, and Saul receive judgment? The answer is a simple one—David’s relationship with God. David’s heart was soft and tender towards God. Saul’s heart was hardened against God. One was an apostate. The other was a backslider, who repented and was saved by the grace and mercy of God. We are learning that the life of the Christian is not one of a continual rise to new spiritual heights, is it? The life of a Christian is full mountain peaks and valley dips, bumps and bruises, peace and storms, heartbreak and hallelujahs. And through it all, God’s mercy carries us.

Christians should complement one another with our abilities.

What my toddler taught me with his dirty little hands.

Grieving a lost loved one can lead to death.

We should be constantly praying with the knowledge that God knows our need before we ask.   ~~~   Now that it’s Spring, what do many of us find ourselves doing on a sunny afternoon? Spring cleaning! Ok, maybe I should have rephrased that and asked, ‘what SHOULD many of us be doing’? Yes, it’s time for Spring cleaning, but to be honest, if I have a free sunny afternoon, the last thing I want to do is clean. But, there IS something about coming out of winter, with all its cold and dark days, into the beauty and warmth of Spring. You do want to throw the windows open, let the fresh air in, whistle while you work and allow all the woodland creatures to come clean your home like they did for Cinderella! Oh if only that could happen. If you’re like me in this season, honestly, I’m overwhelmed. Maybe you can relate. My heart is still mourning the loss of my Dad, we’ve had many losses around us, people are hurting and life hasn’t slowed down for any of it. In fact, I think it sped up! Now hear me, I am blessed through it all. God’s grace and mercy IS new for me every morning and His goodness is all over my life, still it’s a lot at times. My heart is embracing the beauty of lament and I do find myself praising through the storms. Still, in that place, I’ve felt stuck when it comes to the things I SHOULD be doing, like Spring cleaning! With an honest heart, I wanted to share with you what God has gently led me to in this season, to take some steps forward in areas that I find it difficult to move. It’s three steps. Pray. Purge. Pursue. Write those down if you feel led to. Pray. Purge. Pursue. We can journey together. I’ll dig deeper into each one over the next 3 broadcasts. The thing is, in any season, God wants us to know Him more. He wants us to abide deeper in His presence and as we do, the light of truth shines bright on areas of our lives that may need some attention. As the spirit of God REVEALS, we then are moved to take steps of obedience as we RESPOND to His leading. Then the beautiful thing is our movement or action steps aren’t rooted in comparison, shame or defeat. Our steps are a response to an invitation to move closer to healing, closer to health, closer to God’s will for our lives and ultimately closer to who God has called us to be for such a time as this. So, if you’re ready to join me in this season to take some steps forward, whatever that looks like for you, we begin today with prayer. The first step is to pray till you pray. Make time. Get quiet. Be still. Shut out distractions and take some deep breaths. This is the most important step. If you miss this, you’re motives and movements can be way off. Don’t look to what the world or social media says you need to be doing in this season. What does God say? Psalm 46:10 says ‘be still, and know that I am God’. To hear God’s voice, we must still our own and others. This is the primary focus of the first step. Silence the noise and wait on the Lord to reveal the areas of your heart, life and home that may need attention. Your heart may need time to open. That’s ok too. Words aren’t required when we pray. The spirit intercedes for us, Romans 8:26 tells us and I’m so glad. Often I have no words and I think that’s where God wants us to begin. Just be still. Jesus invites us to come and find rest. In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus gives us His example in how to pray. I love the Lord’s prayer, but it’s the verse right before it that in this season, moves my heart. Matthew 6:7-8 ​​And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you pray till you pray. No words are required, simply a heart open to hear. And if you know me I love words, but God is gently reminding me, I don’t have to even speak. My Father knows what I need before I even ask. Pray. It’s the first step. Your Father already knows what you need, and the process of prayer and listening to His voice is what allows Him to reveal it to you. That’s the truth. God is very present and He wants you to know what steps to take in this season. Be still. Know He is good and He has a good plan for your life and He has good steps for you to take today. Take this first step with me and pray. Together we’ll discover what comes next. I’m Lori Cline.

We often seek comfort and refuge in the things of the world instead of in God.   ~~~   The last time we saw David, at the very beginning verses of chapter 28, he had been told that he would fight with the Philistine army against the Israelites, and he had just been promoted to be the bodyguard of Achish, ruler of a region of the Philistines. In chapter 29, we are snapped back to the scene with David. The location is Aphek, which, if you remember from chapter 4, is the location where the Philistines were camped when they captured the ark from the Israelites, which brought about the death of Eli, which leads the people of Israel to cry out, “Give us a king like the nations.” All five of the Philistine rulers have gathered at Aphek to mobilize their troops and get ready to march for battle. What will David do? David has been in the Philistine camp for 16 months. He had navigated the situation pretty deftly, convincing the Philistines that he was on their side by saying he was raiding Israelite areas, but all the while actually raiding and destroying other people. And now, because of his deviousness, David is forced into a decision he does not want to make. David was being asked to fight against his kinsmen; against Jonathan, his best friend. Isn’t that just the way we sometimes work, and isn’t that the temptation of sin? We oftentimes seek refuge and comfort and rest in the world, in sin, and then become friendly with it. “Hey, this isn’t so bad. This provides some relief, some comfort. My family is doing better. We are happier. Until you get to the point to where the world calls upon you to forsake your God. You realize you need to be rescued from your sin, but you are in so deep with it, that you don’t know what to do. What is the old saying? Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to give. This is the case with David and his duplicitous life. He sought temporal salvation and safety from the world. He compromised. He is like the Christian today who says he believes in Christ and generosity, but also wants the comforts of this life so he hoards his money. David is like the mom who says she finds her identity in Christ, but spends her time comparing herself and trying to live up to all the virtual supermoms on social media. What could possibly go wrong in this type of lifestyle? Well, what goes wrong is exactly what we see on this page of scripture. The two are at war with one another. So there are very real, down to earth, nitty gritty decisions to be made. What does it profit a man if he gains the world, and forfeits his life (Matthew 16:26)?

Church members sometimes have trouble expressing difficult topics.

Reading the Bible as a group is a good way to gain a deeper understanding.

Shaun's noticed some changes on the riverbank and is thinking about the potential problems that will arise if something isn't done soon. But can he find and eliminate the source of the problem? Let's find out in this episode of Outdoors with Shaun Merrell.

Men need a place where they can be vulnerable and real.

There are moments in our lives that we can look at and see the hand of God at work.   ~~~   One of the most exciting stories in scripture takes place in Judges 4. The Israelites are at war with Jabin, the King of Canaan. One of God’s fighting men, Barak, is chasing down the commander of Jabin’s army, Sisera. Sisera runs to a location and to a tent that he thinks is a safe refuge, and he asks the lady there, “Please give me a a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So the lady gave him some warm milk and a blanket and a place inside the tent to take a nap. But while he was napping, the woman, Jael, took a tent peg and drove it through Sisera’s temple, killing God’s enemy on the spot, literally. In verse 23 of chapter 4, the text reads, “So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of of Canaan before the people of Israel.” In another war story, the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, is at his wits end on what to do against the armies of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, who have come to invade the land of Judah. Jehoshaphat prays, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” Then he receives a word from the prophet Jahaziel, who tells Jehoshaphat, “You will not need to fight this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD.” When it came time to fight, Jehoshaphat sent out the praise team, and they began to sing praises to God. The bible is full of stories like these, where the people look back on an event, and say, “That had to be God.” Sometimes the stories and narrators themselves provide the commentary we need to see that God was the one responsible for what took place. But then there are other times where the narrator is silent in that regard, letting the story itself provide us with the clues. Consider the book of Esther, where God is never mentioned. Are we to think that the story has nothing to do with God at all? Of Course not. We have one such occasion in our text for study starting next Tuesday. God is only mentioned in passing by a pagan king. Otherwise, he is nowhere to be found in the text, but his fingerprints are all over the story. And we can identify with that can’t we. Each follower of Christ here today, can look back over his or her life and see God working behind the scenes at different points and seasons in his/her life, to teach, to instruct, to remind, to warn.

There is a reason humans want to squeeze cute things.

When we cannot change our circumstances, Jesus is still there to comfort us.   ~~~   What is something you wish so desperately you could change, right now, but you cannot? If you’re like me, I have a mile long list. It’s a crazy feeling isn’t it? This isn’t right. I want to make it right. This wasn’t supposed to be this way. How can I fix this? This is not how my story was to be written. What can I do to change it? Is there a REDO button for this day or this chapter of life? When life doesn’t turn out like we expected or the big waves almost knock us down, we all must come to a place we simply understand that we are NOT in control. It’s that ‘throw your hands in the air’ moment of surrender. Broken moments, broken chapters, broken pieces of our lives that are beyond our control, are the very moments God uses to remind us, He IS our only hope. He is the ONE who holds it all together and no matter how many pieces there may be to our life, He is the only one who can put them back together in a way we would have never imagined. He is there, IN every moment, wanting to carrying us through it. How does a child let you know they want to be carried? They put their hands in the air. We must do the same. We come to a place where we accept the reality that we can’t, and God can. When we rest in that, there is peace. Are you familiar with the serenity prayer? It’s a prayer to God asking for calmness and peace in all matters of life. It was written by Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr and promoted and published in the nineteen thirties and forties. There are two versions and I want to read you both. The short version is this, O God grant me... the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference, Amen. The full version reads like this, God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, Taking, as Jesus did, This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it, Trusting that You will make all things right, If I surrender to Your will, So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen. The line that makes me smile is, ‘so I may be reasonably happy in this life’. There are things we can’t change and there are things we can. What I love about this prayer is it is full of surrender, while at the same time accepting responsibility. God calls us to water walk in seasons and He also calls us to be carried. My prayer is that whatever any day may hold that I always know who holds it. Colossians 1:17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Jesus holds me together, ever single day. I’m so grateful He does. Whether you choose to trust Him or not, He holds you too. He is IN it all and working through it all for your good. Believing that brings peace and accepting what we cannot change, is serenity. That’s the truth. If you’re struggling with what you cannot control, trust Jesus with it. One day all things will be made right, but until that day, we walk, rest and move by faith and find peace only when WE let go. I’m Lori Cline.

Believers must let the people in our lives know that Jesus has come.   ~~~   One last instruction for you, as we wind down 1 Samuel 28. Take note that someone, probably Samuel, Nathan and Gad, wrote this down so that others would know that God provides a better king. They wanted others to know. I want you to think of at least two people, whether they be someone who doesn’t know Jesus as Savior and King, or whether they have made a profession of faith of having Jesus as their Savior and King but yet are struggling to see Him as such. Two people. Pray for them right now. Right now while I am talking, you can call their names out to God. Pray that God would open the eyes of their heart. Pray that God may grant them strength through His Spirit so that Christ would dwell in their hearts richly. And then I want to challenge you to do this—send them a text that simply says, “I just wanted you to know I am praying for you today. Is there anything specific I can pray about?”

First I want to point out that self control is a fruit of the spirit, which means its not a fruit of our flesh. That means it's going to take work. We don’t just become Christ like over night.

Food tastes better when someone else makes it.

We should be careful not to seek the benefits and blessings of God without trusting Him.   ~~~   When the people did not like God’s instructions, they chanted, “Give us a king like the nations.” They minimized God’s word because it didn’t fit their agenda. It offended them. And then they received a king who made a habit of disregarding God’s word. When God spoke to him a word he did not like, Saul sought out other voices. Saul always sought the benefits of God, the gifts of God, but He never sought God. He didn’t trust God or His word. And the original readers would have understood this, and its final outcome in I Samuel 28, where the most miserable words a man could hear are given to Saul—“The LORD has turned from you and become your enemy.” But didn’t God turn away from Jesus as well? He did. He absolutely did. But don’t forget why. In that moment, Jesus was bearing your sin. Jesus was absorbing your punishment. Jesus was cursed on your behalf. And God turned His face away from Him, forsaking Him for a moment, so that God would turn His face towards you in blessing and pleasure for eternity.

Nothing should be driving out lives outside of our relationship with Jesus.

I mean if we never say what were thinking out loud then it never hurts anyone right?

No matter how far we have strayed from God, His love still remains.   ~~~   Have you had to chase a dog lately? I sure hope you haven’t. It’s not fun. I have two dogs. One is a beagle mix named Ruby and the other is an eighty pound Goldador named Roxy. We have an invisible dog fence around our yard and our sweet dogs have collars that will remind them when they are too close to the fence so they stay IN our yard. It’s for their protection and care. I now refer to that invisible fence as the circle of blessing. You see, inside the circle of blessing, there is safety. Inside the circle of blessing there are treats. Inside the circle of blessing there is a home with people who love you. There is a warm place to rest, fresh water and enough food for each day. There are belly rubs and couch snuggles inside the circle of blessing. In the yard there is grass to roll in and toys to chew and play fetch with. It’s beautiful inside the circle of blessing. Roxy got outside the circle of blessing. Her collar wasn’t working properly, so she didn’t get the electric reminder to not go beyond the fence. She made her way out into an area of woods and thorn bushes, water, mud and rocks. She was chasing something. Once I discovered she was out, I put on a jacket, got my mud boots on, grabbed a leash and went after her. I called and called. A couple times I got a glimpse of her. She was on the hunt. She was chasing something and WAY more focused on that, than she was my voice. I prayed for her. I love my dogs. I want them safe. I want them with me. I was very concerned because as I continued to make my way through the woods I saw her again and she was getting close to a highway near our neighborhood. I quickened my pace, my voice was stern and she looked up and stood still. I was finally able to get a leash on her and we turned back toward home. The crazy thing is, she was so far out that I got turned around trying to find my way back. Thankfully I got my bearings and we slowly made our way home. It was not an easy journey. It seemed for every step she took away from me, it was double that to get back to the circle of blessing. We made it home. She was tired. I was tired. I washed her off, brought her inside and yes, gave her a treat. She slept all afternoon. My Dad, who is now with Jesus, used to talk to my girls about the circle of blessing and the love and care of our heavenly Father. When we ABIDE and REMAIN in the Father’s love, will and way, we are blessed. Still, how often do we chase after things that lead us away from what is good? Our eyes become fixed on the object of our desire, we go our way and before we know it, we find ourselves in unfamiliar surroundings not sure how to make our way home. Choices made in a fleeting moment lead to a path we never expected full of isolation, struggle and pain. The Father still calls us to come home. His voice calls us by name. You may be so far gone you can’t hear it, but still, He is calling you. His love for you never changes. His desire for what is good for you is still the same. You simply need to stop running and look up. Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Friend, no matter how far you’ve gone, the love of the Father remains. He calls and waits for you to come home. In fact, He is running after you even now. Stop running, hear His voice and follow Him home. There is blessing, forgiveness, healing and rest waiting for you. That’s the truth. Abiding IN Jesus is the circle of blessing. It’s not without pain and the trials of this life, but it is where fullness of life, joy and peace flow and it’s where I choose to remain. I’m Lori Cline.

Sorcery and astrology are pagan practices forbidden by God.   ~~~   In 1 Samuel 28:15 we have a conversation between dead Samuel and Saul. Now this scene makes us very curious about side issues, and can very easily take us away from the main focus of this text. But let me just address a few of those side issues to satisfy a bit of your curiosity concerning hearing from the dead. First, this is a forbidden practice for God’s people. God clearly forbids it Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, 27; and Deut. 18:10-11. The use of mediums, sorcerers, necromancer (person who channels the dead) was prevalent in those days. Most pagan people and religions relied on their usage. And God never says that these people are without power. But God forbids them and calls their usage abominable and whoever uses them an abomination to the LORD. So horoscopes, enneagrams, these sorts of things fall into these categories. Why? Because they take your mind and heart and trust off of the LORD and put it on an alternative spiritual option that is less than, that is opposed to the LORD. So how is it then, that Samuel appears? Does this woman really have this power? Well, two things to think about. First, she screams when she sees Samuel, which leads me to believe this was something new to her. Either she was just a fake and was very surprised to have actually called up the dead, or there was something distinct about this appearance because, number 2, God was pushing and pulling the levers in this situation. God was calling the shots. And what does Samuel say to Saul? He pronounces judgment, the same judgment for the same reasons as Samuel has done before, starting back in chapter 13, repeated in chapter 15. Nothing new with Saul, right? We cannot forget that this was a history lesson for that very first audience and for us. It was the people who rejected God as king over them, and wanted a king like the other nations. A king who was, on the outside, everything they desired, but on the inside, turned out to be a scared little man who had no real hope or confidence in the strength and power of God, no spiritual life, and never any repentance in his life. Saul is in no way the King God’s people needed or we need. But here is the lesson for us. We cannot, we have no capacity to choose a fitting King for ourselves. We choose based on outward qualifications, and when we do that, we end up with someone who is fearful, a spiritual disaster, and then judged by God. This is like Eve choosing Cain to be King here. We need God’s choice for King. We need Him to set a King over us! And that is who we have in Jesus! Jesus was not fearful of man! Jesus was perfectly spiritually mature at every turn and event in His life, always hearing from God the Father, and doing the work of God, always obedient, fulfilling all of the Law. But as the story plays, we read that He, too, was judged by God, and entered into the darkness of death, just like it is forebodingly foreshadowed for us about Saul in the last verse of chapter 28. So why was Jesus judged by God? Because that was part of the gospel plan. Jesus was the only One who never should have been judged by the wrath of God, but He was also the only One who could be the perfect payment for sin, and be powerful enough to overcome the sin’s sting of death. You see, Saul was judged and then died for his sin. But Jesus was judged, died for your sin, and then resurrected, overcoming Satan, sin, and death.

It takes discipline to read through and study the Bible on a regular basis.