Making Decisions? Series

Before we celebrate our eternal relationship with God by remembering what Jesus Christ did for us, let us continue our study of the Book of 1 Samuel; open your Bibles to 1 Samuel 23…. Read along with me 1 Samuel 23:1-14…..

Let us summarize what happened…

v1-2: David prayed about attacking Israel’s enemy, the Philistines, and God answered yes!

And what do we note in v3??

The men in David’s army were scared! And so, just like Braveheart, David gave a battle cry speech! “Men of Israel, we must fight till we die!!” No? What did David do??

v4: David prayed again and God not only answered yes but promised victory!

And so, in v5: we note David and his men fought the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah!

We noted that the men were scared; Why do you think the men went along with David??

David’s men went to war because they were either so committed to David or they heard from David that God promised victory!! Maybe this was when David gave his Braveheart type speech; but again, prayer first!

Now v6? Abiathar brought the priesthood to David even in battle.

v7-8: Saul was going to attack David in the gated city of Keilah!

And what did David do when he heard he was going to be attacked by Saul in Keilah??

v9-12: David prayed to God again!

God told David that Saul was definitely coming and the people of Keilah would turn him in to Saul!

v13-14: David fled from danger and God protected him!

What stands out in this passage?

David learned there is power in prayer, to relate and connect with God always!

David prayed to God if he should attack the Philistines, and God answered.

David prayed when his fellow men were afraid of a battle, and God promised victory!

David prayed when an imminent danger was about to happen and God said yes.

David prayed to God if certain people would harm him, and God told him to flee.

Is prayer the first thing we do when we have to make a decision?

How often do we make decisions in our lives??

Our prayer lives should match our lives in making decsions!!

Asking God through prayer is a must if we desire victories in our lives!

But before asking God for something, there is something else we must do! What is it??

Confession of sins is a must to start prayers. We noted before this chapter, David confessed his sins at the end of 1 Samuel 22!

And our Scripture of the week is awesome, but note the first part of the verse: James 5:16 - Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

There are actually many barriers to prayers and we should know them (I gave a message on this a while back); but here’s the main one: Psalm 66:18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Pray always! Pray C-A-T-S!

Confession

Adoration

Thanksgiving

Supplications (Requests)