Seeking a Heart Like His Week 5

Here are some AWESOME things I've learned this week:

1.  No matter how long we may wait for God's direction, we are wise to ask before we advance.

2. God is anxious to hear our prayers when we call out to him... but we must take the first step to call out to him.

3.  Our three enemies are Satan, the world, and our human nature but if we cry out to God, He will help us through any battle.

4.  Sometimes we stand to learn the most about God from the situations we understand the least.

5.  Violence breeds violence and sometimes we are forced to chose what side we are on.  But, God doesn't want us to fight battles that are not ours to begin with.

6.  Sometimes we stand to learn the most about God from the situations we understand the least. (Shepard boy to Shepard King in the City of David 2 Samuel 5)

7.  Devastation when we epect celebration is almost more than we can take.

8.  The Israelites made the mistake of transporting the ark the same way the Philistines did in 1 Samuel 6:6-7 and that made God angry.  We can not except or attempt to copy the World and get away with it just because they do it.  Our standards are based off of what God wants us to do.

9.  We need to learn to respect God's ways so we can love him more.

Seeking a Heart Like His Week 4

Here are a few things I've learned this week:

1.  At one point, David decided to side with the Philistines and went on killing rampage.  David was probably to the point of paranoia from being on the run from a crazy person.  Sometimes, it seems like it's just one bad thing after the next, but our trust must always remain on God so that we don't end up doing something crazy and regret it. (Galatians 6:9-10) (1 Peter 4:19)

2. "Sometimes the most merciful thing God can do in a rebellious person's life is let him know he is going to die so he can beg the mercy of God." -Beth Moore

3.  When David won the battle against the raiding party, 400 people got away but he chose to focus on who had come out of the battle rather than focus on the failures.  He focused on having his family back.

4.  When we've suffered a loos, we often look for stones to throw-- and someone at whom to throw them... But, nothing helps more than finding strength in our God.

5.  God gives us victory that requires blood, sweat, and tears because he is practical.  He likes to bring about victories in our lives while also strengthening and maturing us.

6.  In the middle of a tragedy, remember the good in people. Remember the good in people can help you act wisely, like the people of Jabesh-Gilead when they saved Saul's body and gave him a proper burial.  Even though Saul was crazy at the end of his days, the people remembered that at one point he had saved them.  They remembered the good in him. (1 Samuel 31)

7.  "May our memories of kindness be long and of offenses be short."-Beth Moore

8.  In today's society, the word Permanent doesn't have much meaning. But that's exactly the type of commitment God asks of us to him. 

9.  In the course of time... God heals.

Seeking a Heart Like His Week 3

Here are some things I learned this week:

1.  When David was on the run, he cried out to God and sent him his family to a cave.  David did a few things that pleased God that we need to also apply to our lives.  David prayed, cried aloud, poured out his complain to God, rehearsed his trust in God, longed for God's presence, and confessed his desperate need. (Psalms 142)

2.  A lot of times we go to our friends to pour out our complains and we end up looking like complainers, but God wants us to pour out our complains to him! He can do something about them! 

3. David always placed the blame where it should be, on evil.  He never once blamed himself or others for the trials he was going through but recognized that it was the forces of evil against him.

4.  "No better time arises to count our blessing than when we're tempted to believe we have none."-Beth Moore 

5.  When we have the chance to take revenge on people that have wronged us, be patient and think.  Let the Holy Spirit guide you in to what he wants you to really do.  Sometimes we have to respect others for God, not for humans. 

6.  Even the smallest disobedience can set us off on a trail of offenses towards God.

7.  God will do justice on those who hurt us.