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Confrontations

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Confrontations Hook You cannot change what you are unwilling to confront. Many people are frustrated with where they are, yet they have become so accustomed to their situation that they have resigned themselves to fate. Frustration, when not addressed, can either become the fuel that drives us to confront the problem or the weight that pulls us into despair. Scripture “Fed up, all the elders of Israel got together and confronted Samuel at Ramah.”(1 Samuel 8:4) Explanation Israel had a problem, and the elders were willing to confront it. They came to Samuel and told him plainly what was happening: his sons were not walking in his ways, and their leadership had become a source of concern. Samuel became angry and upset. He prayed and sought God, which was right. But there is something important to notice: the Scripture records the people confronting Samuel about his sons, but it does not record Samuel confronting his sons about their behaviour. Samuel had prayed about ...
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Leadership Consequences

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Leadership Consequences Hook What if your greatest leadership success becomes your greatest failure at home? If you were a merchant selling good examples, would your children buy from you? Scripture “But his sons didn't take after him; they were out for what they could get for themselves, taking bribes, corrupting justice.”(1 Samuel 8:3) “Samuel gave solid leadership to Israel his entire life. Every year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah.”(1 Samuel 7:15–16) Explanation Samuel gave solid leadership to Israel, but his sons did not take after him. The Bible does not say Samuel was an absentee father. However, we know that his leadership required him to travel regularly between Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah. In those days, travelling was slow and demanding. Could it be that while Samuel was faithfully leading Israel, his sons did not receive enough of his presence and influence at home? We cannot state this as fact, but it gives us a sobering lesson: You ...
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God Has Restored

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God Has Restored Hook Sometimes life can make you feel as though you have lost too much to recover. But what the enemy took is not beyond the reach of God. God is a Restorer. Scripture “All the cities from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored. Israel also freed the surrounding countryside from Philistine control. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.”( 1 Samuel 7:14 ) Explanation Israel had suffered a devastating loss. Thousands had died, the Ark of the Covenant had been captured, and the Philistines had taken control of their cities and land. Yet God did not leave Israel in that condition. God went to war against the Philistines and defeated them. What they had taken from Israel was restored . Notice the language of the text: “were restored.” God did not merely give Israel something new; He brought back what had been lost. This gives us a beautiful picture of what Christ has done for us. He went to war on our behalf...
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Ebenezer

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Ebenezer Hook There are moments when life makes us realize that we could not have made it this far by ourselves. When you look back, you may discover that what you called “luck,” “strength,” or “favour” was actually God helping you . Scripture “Samuel took a single rock and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it ‘Ebenezer’ (Rock of Help), saying, ‘This marks the place where GOD helped us.’”(1 Samuel 7:12) Explanation Samuel raised a stone and called it Ebenezer — the Rock of Help . It was a physical reminder of a spiritual reality: God had helped them. Sometimes we are so focused on where we are going that we forget to remember where God has brought us from. The Psalmist puts it beautifully: “God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in seastorm and earthquake.”(Psalm 46:1–2) Our confidence is not that storms will never come. Our confidence is that God is our help when they come...
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God Takes Over

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God Takes Over Hook Sometimes we mistake a disappointing outcome for God’s defeat. We prayed, believed, expected one thing—and something completely different happened. But remember: your outcome is not evidence that God has lost His power. Scripture “Next morning when the citizens of Ashdod got up, they were shocked to find Dagon toppled from his place, flat on his face before the Chest of GOD. They picked him up and put him back where he belonged.” ( 1 Samuel 5:3 ) Explanation Israel had lost a battle, but God had not lost the battle. The Ark of the Covenant had been captured, but God Himself had not been captured. The Philistines carried the Ark into the temple of Dagon, perhaps thinking they had placed Israel’s God under the authority of their god. But the next morning, Dagon was lying face down before the Ark. God did not need an Israelite soldier there to defend Him. He did not need Israel’s army to prove that He was still God. God is God by Himself. When God ...
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Be Careful What You Name Your Future

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Be Careful What You Name Your Future Hook Sometimes, pain speaks before faith does. When we go through difficult seasons, it is easy to give our situation a name based on what we are experiencing rather than what God has promised. But be careful what you name your future . What you call your tomorrow can shape how you approach it today. Scripture “She named the child Ichabod—‘Where is the glory?’—murmuring, ‘Israel’s glory is gone.’ She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her husband and her father-in-law were dead.” (1 Samuel 4:21 NLT) Explanation The woman in our text named her son Ichabod , meaning that the glory had departed. Her interpretation was understandable. The Ark had been captured, her husband was dead, and her father-in-law was dead. But her conclusion was wrong. She named her future based on what she could see in the present. While she was mourning, God was still working. The Ark had entered the camp of the Philistines, but ...
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Don't Die in Your Pain

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Don't Die in Your Pain " Hook Pain is proof that you are still alive. When you feel pain, it means something in you is still responding. But while pain is inevitable, dying in your pain is a choice you must refuse to make. Scripture “As she was dying, the women attending her said, ‘Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.’ But she did not respond or pay any attention.”( 1 Samuel 4:20 NIV ) Explanatio The woman in our text had every reason to be overwhelmed. She was pregnant and about to give birth when devastating news came: the Ark of God had been captured, her husband had died, and her father-in-law had also died. The shock was so great that she went into labour and gave birth, but the joy of a new child could not penetrate her pain. The women attending her tried to encourage her: “Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.” But she would not listen. She had received encouragement in the middle of her pain, but she could not respond to it. Contr...
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