Will you take the silent advantage or do what is right?

Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller.

This week, Saul is on the hunt for David, determined to capture and kill him. David hears he is camped on the hill beyond him, so he and Abishai go on a reconisence mission. They sneak into the center of camp, where Saul and his commander are dead asleep, and Abishai suggests pinning Saul to the ground with his spear. Then here is how David responds in verses 9-11:

But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless?” And David said, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” — 1 Samuel 26:9-11

How do you respond when faced with an opportunity that would give you a silent advantage? Are you spiritually centered or privately selfish?

At this point, we know David is tired of Saul's games. It has been years of going around in circles with this man. God has presently given him the upper hand by allowing him to sneak into the center of camp. He is standing at the head of the Commander and the King. He could easily take matters into his own hands and selfishly take advantage. Even Abishai sees the advantage. This is like that moment when you are in line at the grocery store, and the cashier hands you too much money in return. Do you choose to be silently selfish and take the advantage, or do you do what is spiritually right and righteous?

Yet David's situation is not simply a matter of incorrect counting by a counter cashier. The man sleeping on the ground before him has acted unfairly and unrighteously for years. Saul has broken promises, divided him from his friends, taken his wife, driven his family into exile, and tried to kill him numerous times. Still, David stands over him and makes a just judgment even when persuaded and presented with the opportunity.

David fought many battles. However, it is these battles that capture my attention most in his story. David fights valiantly with the enemy that lies within his own heart—the silent and persuasive battle with his own selfishness.

How are you fighting these battles today? When given the opportunity for an unfair advantage do you take it?

1. Financial Gain: Benefiting from overpayments or errors.
2. Workplace Politics: Taking credit for others's work or insider information.
3. Relationships: Exploiting trust or vulnerabilities.
4. Competitions: Cheating to gain a win.
5. Academics: Using unauthorized help or copying.
6. Reputation: Exaggerating achievements.
7. Business: Cutting ethical corners or withholding information.
8. Leadership: Using authority for personal benefit.
9. Job Searching: Misrepresenting qualifications.
10. Social Influence: Slandering to gain a status.
11. Legal Loopholes: Avoiding consequences through technicalities.

Consider this list and examine your response when opportunities arise to gain these silent advantages. Remember some of the greatest battles you will ever fight are fought in silence with the sin and selfishness that lie within your own heart. Isn’t it time to fight the silent battles and let God claim the victory?

#IntegrityInAction, #UnseenBattles, #GodGetsTheGlory

1. When faced with silent opportunities for personal gain, do you pause to consider what choice honors God most?
2. How do you respond when integrity challenges you to act righteously, even if no one else will ever know?

Fight the battle with yourself!

Lord, help me to choose integrity over personal gain, even when no one is watching. Strengthen my heart to fight the silent battles that honor You alone. Amen.

Great Are You, Lord.

Do you act too impulsively, derailing the mission?

Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller.

This week, Saul is once again on the hunt for David, determined to capture and kill him. With new knowledge of David's whereabouts, he has assembled a hardened army of 3,000 men. Under the cover of darkness, they lie in wait, encamped near the last known location of David's men As the evening draws near, the tension thickens—what will unfold next in 1 Samuel 26:5-8?

Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him. Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab's brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.” — 1 Samuel 26:5-8

David is fearless, isn't he?

But don't forget, he knows Saul, the warriors of Israel, their tactics, and the opportune times to infiltrate their ranks. They are exhausted from a long trip and tired, and David knows gathering intelligence will aid him in understanding his next move. So David and Abishai go on a fast covert mission.

What David does here is how every believer should attack sin in our lives. Like David, we should never rush headlong into battle without gathering a battle buddy and intelligence for the challenge. Abishai’s eagerness to take immediate action can be tempting, yet it serves as a warning for the eager who want to "throw the spear." When we act too quickly, driven by impulsive emotions or the allure of immediate victory, we risk losing sight of the bigger mission, thus winning a battle and losing a war. We may even find ourselves trapped and surrounded holding a spear of sin in our hand.

David's mission is clear: gather intelligence, understand God's will, and then take action. One consistent lesson David has taught us in all his years of running from Saul is not to act impulsively; he gathers intelligence, understands God's will, and then takes action.

Today, you should do the same before reacting or responding to any challenge. First, gather intelligence about the situation. Second, take a moment to pray and ask God for insight into the problem. If you have time, journal your thoughts, pray aloud with a battle buddy, write out the pros and cons, and consult God's Word. If you don't have this kind of time, shoot up one of those "silent shotgun" prayers. The ones you say quickly in your head, like: "God, I need your help right now!" Do your best in the heat of the moment to align your actions with God's Will.

In the battlefield of life, don’t let impulse be your spear; gather wisdom and aim true before you strike.

#WisdomInAction, #BattleReady, #FaithfulDecisionMaking

1. What strategies do you use to gather insight before responding to challenges in your life?
2. How can prayer shape your decision-making process during moments of impulse?

Gather wisdom, then strike.

Lord, help me to pause and seek Your wisdom before acting in haste. Grant me the clarity to align my decisions with Your will. Amen.

The Battle Is Yours.

Have you ever felt trapped in a cycle of conflict, wondering if there’s a way out?

Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller.

This week, we will see a new encounter unfold between David and Saul. You thought Saul was done with David, but he is not. Let's dive into chapter 26, entitled "Restraint & Righteousness." Let's read 1 Samuel 26:1-4:

Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?” So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come. — 1 Samuel 26:1-4

So we learn David was right back in the same wilderness where he had previously been chased—a barren, rugged place called Jeshimon, a wilderness “wasteland.” This wasn’t just a wasteland; it was symbolic of David's life—cut off from his community and clan and constantly on the run. Though Saul had once admitted his wrongdoing outside the cave of Engedi, here he is back to his relentless pursuit with 3,000 of Israel's elite troops. Despite David's hope that Saul’s confession would result in a change, the spies' confirmation brought the cold reality: Saul was again back to his old tricks.

David, however, did not react or run in despair when he heard Saul's troops were encamped on the hillside. Instead, he wisely gathered intelligence. This wasn't just tactical; it was David's steady, courageous faith at work. David understood that advantage often comes not from sheer strength or emotional responses but from seeking wisdom, practicing obedience, and taking action with faith, even in the wilderness moments of life.

When you face repeated challenges or find yourself surrounded, don't let pressure push you into impulsive decisions. Pause for a moment seek wisdom, practice obedience, and take godly action. You will blessed if you do. The impulsive response often results in bloodshed and leaves you living with a lot of regret.

#FaithUnderPressure, #WisdomInWilderness, #DavidAndSaul

1. How can you seek wisdom in your current challenges rather than reacting impulsively?
2. What steps can you take to practice obedience during difficult times?

Be wise under pressure.

Father, help me to remain steadfast in my faith during life's wilderness moments. Grant me wisdom and obedience to respond to challenges with courage and grace. Amen.

God I Look To You.

When God interrupts, do you listen?

Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller.

In yesterday's devotional, we saw that Abigail interceded for Nabal's foolishness. Let's see if her charming approach works with David in 1 Samuel 25:32-35:

And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.” Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.” — 1 Samuel 25:32-35

Have you ever felt the weight of a confrontation and felt tempted to take matters into your own hands? Heated moments cloud our judgment and make it hard to see what God wants to do because we are too focused on what we want to do.

In this text, David is hot. He is about to make a grave mistake. He is about to slaughter all the men of Nabal's house at the celebration of the year. But Abigail intervenes. And instead of ignoring her intervention, David interprets it as God's intervention. If you have been reading the story with me, there is an about-face in his attitude and actions. He goes from proclaiming acts of vulgarity to proclaiming a threefold blessing: A blessing to the Lord. A blessing for her wise discretion. And a blessing on her.

You need this type of intervention in your life sometimes, especially when you are hot. We all do. But when the intervention shows up, you must see it, receive it, and change.

Since many of you have been following me for a while through 1 Samuel, this again is one of those instances in which we see God's wisdom in choosing David. David was willing to see God's intervention and adjust his intention.

As you face the challenges of today, be open to God’s voice through the people he places in your path. When tempers flare and stress mounts, don’t hesitate to pray for God's intervention. Then, when God intervenes, be willing to accept the interventions that interrupt your intentions. Don't plow over people and miss a prophetic voice from God. If you ignore these prophetic whispers, you might miss God's redirect and do something you regret.

#Intervention, #DivineWisdom, #ListeningToGod

1. How can you better recognize and respond to God’s interventions in your life during challenging moments?
2. Who in your life embodies the wisdom of Abigail, guiding you toward God’s will?

Pray for divine interruptions in anger and stress.

Lord, help me to recognize Your voice through the people You place in my life, especially in moments of anger or frustration. Grant me the humility to accept divine interventions that guide my actions and intentions. Amen.

Interruptions (Comedy by Mark Lowry)

Have you ever said something foolish because you were thinking something foolish?

Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller.

Yesterday, we discovered that David traveled south and learned that Nabal, a wealthy man, was holding his annual sheep-shearing event and celebration. David was seeking a bit of generosity from his fellow countrymen because his men were hungry, and he had provided generous protection to Nabal's shepherds.

To make his request, David sent ten young warriors to ask Nabal for help. Here is what happens in 1 Samuel 25:9-13:

When David's young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited. And Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?" So David's young men turned away and came back and told him all this. And David said to his men, "Every man strap on his sword!" And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage. — 1 Samuel 25:9-13

Here are a few observations:

Nabal pretends not to know David, but he knows who David is. Everyone knows who David is. Even Nabal's shepherds know because David has been protecting them. But Nabal's resistance becomes apparent when he refers to David as "the son of Jesse." This was Saul's derogatory name for David, which tells us he is aligned with Saul. Like the party division we witness in our country, Nabal has a political sign in his front yard, and it doesn't say, "Make Israel Great Again." (Probably too soon.)

Second, to add insult to injury, Nabal compares David to a common slave and servant. He says, "There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters."

Third, Nabal displays his selfishness in his response: "Shall I take my bread, my water, my meat, for my shearers?" My, my, my, my.

Nabal's response is more selfish and sinister than simply saying no. He is treating his fellow countrymen who have treated him with respect and charity and returning it with rejection and contempt. David is insulted by this and arms 400 men to confront this foolish man. Compared to Saul, Nabal has no unique anointing and appointment by God. Thus, Nabal (whose name means "Fool") is living up to the definition of his name.

Nabal is a fool not because of the political sign he has in his yard but because he lacks relational tack, godly wisdom, and awareness that God has blessed him with wealth to be a blessing. Nabal is a selfish and self-centered fool whose mouth spouts foolishness, and it's going to get him killed.

Your mouth exposes your heart.

You might be able to fake it till you make it for a while. But if you feel cornered, threatened, or attacked, your mouth will expose what your heart holds and your brain believes. Sometimes, what is stirring around in your heart and mind is not right or righteous. So before you say something foolish today, address the foolishness within your heart and mind. Otherwise, when you are cornered, threatened, or attacked, you might express foolishness and start a war you will not win.

#GuardYourHeart, #SpeakWisely, #BiblicalWisdom

1. What foolish thoughts are lingering in your heart that could lead to harmful words?
2. How can you speak with greater wisdom today?

Address the foolishness in your heart and mind.

Lord, help me to guard my heart and mind so that my words reflect Your wisdom. Give me the strength to speak with grace and truth today. Amen.

I Need You/Change My Heart, O God.