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.

If you have had a bad experience at church or with a Christian this video is for you.

As we look for leadership and authority, we should remember Christians have no King but Christ.   ~~~   Yesterday we took note of the foolishness of Saul, and we said it was nothing new. The entire narrative of Saul is filled with his ineptness at listening to and following the word of God. It is highlighted for us time and again. But why? We cannot forget that this book 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 maturity. And part of the lesson for that first audience, and for us is, be careful who you desire to lead you, and who you follow. What a great lesson for us in America as we head into a political campaign season. Remember, we have no king but Christ.

Some people get a pleasant adrenaline buzz from fear.

How self-seeking are our attempts to gain God’s ear?   ~~~   In 1 Samuel 28 we learn that Saul tried to gain direction from the LORD through prayer, but the LORD refused to answer Saul. In 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 we read that Saul consulted a medium, but did not seek guidance from the LORD. So is this a contradiction? Because 1 Samuel 28 seems to indicate that Saul did inquire of the LORD. So what gives? I think there are two answers. One is that Saul did not consistently seek guidance from the LORD concerning these types of matters. The other answer is that Saul did not genuinely seek the LORD in this particular matter, or in any other matter. Saul’s purpose in seeking the LORD was to save his own skin, not to do the LORD’s will. He was interested in his own personal comfort. What could he do to get himself out of this jam? No direct answer, no dream, no prophet came to speak (remember Samuel was dead, but there was a school of prophets). And no priests to consult. Why? Because Saul had them slaughtered back in chapter 22. So what does Saul do? Since God will not answer Him in the way Saul wants to hear, or better yet, since Saul refuses to discern what the silence of God may mean, Saul seeks out a medium, a witch, a person who attempts to consult with the dead. Do you see the spiritual foolishness that is going on? The absolute desperation being exhibited by Saul. But once again, spiritual foolishness is nothing new with Saul. And so we have to ask ourselves, how self-seeking are our attempts to gain God’s ear?

Our faith must grow and mature as we walk in our relationship with Christ.   ~~~   Do you have a green thumb? I like to think I do. I mean I love plants and over the years I’ve had many. Some of them have done really well and others, not so much. I love the beauty of plants. I love the health benefits of having plants. One plant, or tree, I currently have is a ten foot fiddle leaf fig I named Felix. I’ve had Felix the fiddle leaf now for almost ten years and overall he’s done great, but in this season, he’s looking a little rough. If you’ve ever owned a fiddle leaf fig, you know they are quite moody. They actually like to be ignored, but don’t neglect them. They need filtered sun, but not direct sun because they’ll burn. They like being root bound, but don’t let their roots sit in water for too long. They’re complicated, but when the conditions are just right, they thrive, grow tall and are beautiful. We’re not much different are we? We can be oh so complicated, but when the conditions are right, we thrive, grow and become something beautiful. What does any plant need to survive? It’s really comes down to three things, soil, water and sun. A seed is just a seed until it’s buried in the soil, watered by the rain and strengthened by the sun. What was dead, is brought to life. There is so much potential in one little seed. I love the Spring because what was planted in the Fall is now blooming and what will be planted now will bear fruit in the season to come. Faith is like that. If you have placed your faith in Jesus, that little seed of faith should be growing. But just like any seed or young plant, you need things to nurture your faith so it will grow strong roots and mature into something beautiful. In the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13, Jesus uses the example of one of the smallest seeds and how THAT is like the kingdom of heaven. When planted, it grows, thrives and over time gives shelter and shade for all around it. Matthew 13:31-32 ​​He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” We are saved by grace alone, through faith. That tiny seed of faith is meant to grow! As it does, not only am I stronger but those around me experience the beauty and peace of God through the spiritual growth in my life. Deep roots and strong branches of a mature faith encourage others, give rest, bring shalom and strength for those on their journey. That’s how the body of Christ works! We comfort one another. We spur one another on. We grow stronger together as one body. The kingdom of heaven is made up of small seeds of faith planted in us. Those seeds of faith are meant to grow UP out of the weeds of this life to mature into mighty oaks of righteousness we read about in Isaiah 61:3. As we grow, no matter the storms or winds of this life, we are not moved or shaken. A mighty oak takes years to grow from a seed, so our hearts and lives take time to mature IN Christ. I think the question we can call ask is, “are we growing in our faith?” Spending time in prayer, digging into God’s word, being sharpened and encouraged by other believers, serving and building UP the body with our gifts are all things you need to grow in any season. Go read Ephesians chapter 4 and then James chapter 1. Those are great places to see where YOU are on the growth chart. There are marks of a mature believer just as there are marks of one that is immature or doesn't know Christ at all. The fruit is always evident. The good news is that wherever YOU are today, all it takes is a seed of faith for you to begin to grow. That’s the truth. What do you need in this season? Add more Jesus and I guarantee something beautiful will begin to grow. I’m Lori Cline.

The Bible sometimes lists things out of chronological order to emphasize importance.   ~~~   “This just in. We have breaking news to report.” When you hear those words, when your tv show, or even the news itself, is interrupted to bring you “breaking news,” you better believe that the interruption is more important than what you were previously watching. So it is with 1 Samuel 28. Right above verse 3, you could write in, “This just in, breaking news!” 1 Samuel 28 is an interruption into what we were studying in chapter 27. Chronologically speaking, what happens in chapter 28 actually takes place after 29, but the author deems it very important for us to know because he interrupts the flow of chapter 27 to tell us. And this is a bit strange because what we were studying in chapter 27 seemed pretty important. David had left the territory of Israel and entered and settled into Philistine country for a bit of safety and solace. And when we left that scene the Philistines were gearing up for a big war against the Israelites, David’s own people. We were waiting on the big resolution to that story, and that is when we heard the announcer say, “This just in.” What could be of more importance than David having to decide if he was going to fight against his very own people? What could be more intense? Well, you have two options. You can go read 1 Samuel 28 and find out for yourself. Or, you could do both. Or how about this—do both of those!

Believers must mature in our faith to make sure we can understand deeper truths.

God's plans for us do not always align with our expectations.

People's personalities can change when they switch languages.

Rest will come for all believers one day, but until then we find our strength in Jesus.   ~~~   Sometimes being against the world grows tiresome? Makes you weary? You sometimes just want some rest? There is a rest to be had. It is in Christ. Listen to me very closely. Notice with me what David did in 1 Samuel 27. He ran from one enemy, into the land of another, all in the hopes of finding rest. You will not be able to run to a place on this earth that is free from the enemy’s outpost. He will find you. He will wage war. He doesn’t care if you are tired. He doesn’t care if you are lonely, or sad, or mad, or hurt. He has zero compassion for you, and he takes zero days off. He is constantly at work. So you cannot be led into the thinking of just “escaping” for a bit. The only place of refuge is a person, and hiding yourself in Him. In Christ there is rest for your weary soul. And in Christ there is strength to continue to fight the enemy. We were redeemed to fight now and rest later. Our ultimate rest is coming. But now, in these last days, we fight in the strength of the Lord.

We cannot see the truth of who Jesus is unless He opens our eyes.   ~~~   Are you prepared to see it? You’ll need these glasses! It’s being called an extremely rare astronomical event and it’s happening in just a few days! I’m talking about the great North American total solar eclipse that will occur on April 8th. Now while yes, we do see annual eclipses, this one is special for many reasons that are WAY over my head. You can dig deeper into the fascinating timing and geometry of it all, but just know it will be something special to experience and millions in North America will have the opportunity to see it. In fact, areas that will be in the “path of totality”, as they call it, will be flooded with tourists wanting to see it first hand. But, to see it, you must be prepared. It is NEVER safe to look directly at the sun without specialized eye protection designed and approved for solar viewing. If you do, you could cause permanent damage to your retinas. To see the eclipse safely, you will need solar viewing glasses or if you want to simply watch the shadow, you can use a pinhole projector or a colander from your kitchen. You see the fact is, there are steps you must take to be able to fully see and experience what will take place in the sky this month. If you don’t follow those steps, you won’t see it. Often there is a process to really seeing and understanding what it is you’re seeing. I couldn’t help but think of when Jesus healed a blind man. This healing is only recorded in the book of Mark and what I love about how it unfolds is that there was a process to this blind man being made to fully see. Mark 8:22-25 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. This man was blind. He couldn’t see anything. He was brought to Jesus. There was a bit of a process to him gaining his sight. Jesus took him by the hand. He, without seeing, followed. At first his vision was a bit blurry. He could only partly see. Then after another touch from Jesus, he saw everything, clearly. Isn’t that interesting. This was no accident. Everything Jesus did and the way He did it had meaning and purpose. This mans sight came in stages. He didn’t see clearly at first. Isn’t that just like the disciples. They were so close to Jesus. He revealed himself as messiah in so many ways, still they didn’t fully see or understand until His resurrection. Only Jesus has the power to open our eyes to see our need for Him OR to see where we have been blind in our own eyes. The blind man absolutely knew he was blind, but what he didn’t see was his need for Jesus until his eyes were opened. It’s no accident you are seeing this today. You’ve been brought face to face with truth. The question is, are you prepared to see it? Jesus wants to open your eyes so you can look up and clearly see your need for a savior OR maybe see areas in your life where you’ve been blinded by sin. Take the steps you need to take right now to see clearly. Jesus is waiting to show you what you’ve been missing. That’s the truth. Don’t miss this opportunity. Like the rare total solar eclipse that will take place, this may be the day God has prepared your heart and eyes to see where you’ve been blind. I’m Lori Cline.

The temperatures are warming up here in Arkansas and that means it's time to hit the water for some fishing! Shaun and Hunter are trying to reel in some buffalo, but are they going about it the right way?

Memorization is an important part of daily Bible study.

We should avoid talking down to ourselves and discouraging ourselves.   ~~~   Beware of being tired. Beware of self-talk. The events of chapter 27—the moving away from the Promised Land into Philistine territory, the gaining of Ziklag, the raiding, the manipulating, the being caught in a trap, all begins with what David says to himself. He was led astray by his own self-talk. He talked himself and others away from God’s temple, away from God’s people, away from God’s worship. David replaced the word of God with his own words. David had previously been told by Jonathan, his trusted friend, and by Abigail, a faithful servant, that he would reign as king over Israel. But instead of holding on to those words of grace from God, David spoke to himself, not what the eyes of faith could see, but only what human perspective could discern. And he walked away from God’s designed place into the enemy territory. It seems to me that anytime you are consistently walking away from the worship of God, away from God’s people, you are walking into temptation’s trap.

Here’s why!