David took smooth stones. He knew from experience that only certain stones would hit their mark. Jesus spoke, “It is written,” when the devil tempted Him. What proven truth do you have to stand in when you face unprecedented situations?

I am extremely saddened and distraught over recent news of strong believers falling away from God’s truth that they used to teach! They have been in my life a long time. Then the Lord moved me or them and we were not around each other anymore.

I had been on short term mission trips with them, heard them speak, and been to their homes. They preached the gospel, their walk exemplified Jesus, and they bore teaching responsibilities. 

How then shall we live in these perilous times? Be aware! Stay alert! Resist! We are bombarded with fiery dart lies. It seems that satan has ramped up his assaults. 1 Peter 5:8-9 were Peter’s tried words. He went through satan’s sieve. His words were intensely tried in the fire. 

He said, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith…” It is essential that we read God’s word daily for understanding. We also need accountability—those ‘watchers over our soul’ that will call us into account if we veer off. 

David said something that is really key in prevailing over our enemy. Saul wanted him to use his armor. David put it on, but it was too heavy and he couldn’t walk in it. In 1 Samuel 17:39 David said, “…I cannot walk in these, for I have not tested them…”

He knew that he had tested his sling. He recounted to Saul the things that the Lord did for him as a shepherd. Verse 36 says that he killed a lion and a bear, and, “…this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them…” 

Here was his tried, tested, and proven way. Verse 40 says, “Then he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the book, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand…” All rather by rote actions.

Do you recall the words to the hymn, “Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus” written by Louisa Stead? Verse 4 starts with, “I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee.” Why did she write those words? She watched both her husband and the little boy he was trying to save drown. 

She had proven the Lord was faithful in her relationship with Him in the past. The chorus starts, “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er.” She leaned on the truth about Him that was proven throughout her life. When the new need presented itself, she knew immediately where to turn.

Continuing with Isaiah 41:10 it says, “…be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” We forget these truths when we are controlled by the devil’s lies. Just as Jesus did, we can sling God’s word-stone against the lie and it will be overthrown.

That is what David did with Goliath. Goliath was throwing out defiling words. In 1 Samuel 17:45 David said, “…You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God…whom you have defied.”

Verse 49 says that David took out a stone from his bag, “…he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead…” Verse 50 says, “So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him…”

Do you have stone verses in the ‘bag’ of your heart? We are instructed by God to hide His word in our heart. That way it is ready when a fiery dart lie is lobbed at us. We don’t give it another thought, but we quote God’s word to prevail over it and kill it in its tracks.

Is that how the prodigal’s father felt? Even though his son disconnected, his father’s heart was still an open connection. Verse 20 says, “…when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”

For years I did not feel that God loved me. Oh, I believed He loved everyone else, but I was the exception. Did you pick up on the lie I believed? The lie seemed so real, but the truth of God’s word was a lie to me.

I’ll never forget one time after I had fallen into the ravine. The Lord had told me to do something physical that seemed impossible. He assured me that He would help me. I obeyed, but I was shaking the whole time. His words to my heart upheld me every step of the way.

I sat down and I said something like, “Lord, that was so hard!” The lies that I had believed were more convincing than His truth that He would be with me to help me. Have you ever noticed that satan’s lies generate a lot of fear? 

Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you…” Truth: He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Truth: He is Ever Present (Psalm 46:1). Truth: His breath is in our lungs (Genesis 2:7).

Note: at the advice of a dear friend I have broken up my devotionals into smaller increments for easier assimilation and implementation.

Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Strong’s definition for sustained is: to maintain, nourish, provide food, bear, hold up, protect, support, defend; to supply the means necessary for living.”

2 Peter 1:3 says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” All means everything without exception. 

I don’t need to explain how relationships get disconnected. I think every living person has experienced it at some time in their lives. We may feel slighted, yet the person was totally unaware that we felt that way. Their mind was on their own problems, and our connection at the moment was not heart to heart.

God’s heart is always an open line for communication. What about your heart? Are you engaged through your heart in your thoughts and conversations with Him? At times we may not feel connected, yet we always are from His part. 

Think back to the parable of the lost son. Luke 15:19 recorded his inner dialogue of what he would say when he went back. It says, “…I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”

Hebrews 9:15 says, “And for this reason He is the Mediator…” Paul made it really clear in 1 Timothy 2:5. It says, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”

Romans 5:1-2 states an amazing truth that we can always stand on. Even when we may FEEL disconnected to God, He is never disconnected from us. It says that we have been justified by faith, “Though whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand…” Access, meaning freedom to come to Him at all times.

Here are two ways that we ourselves disconnect from our fellowship connection with God. One—sin. Two—believing satan’s fiery dart lies! There is a song that Casting Crowns sings. It is called, “Great Are You Lord.” The chorus reiterates that it is His breath in our lungs. Are you breathing? Then God is connected to you—make no mistake. Are you living in sin, or are you controlled by satan’s lies? Then, you have disconnected yourself from God’s living word.

Luke 4:4 Amplified was Jesus’ answer to the devil. It says, “…It is written, Man shall not live and be sustained by (on) bread alone but by every word and expression of God.” Our intimate communion with the Lord is based on our understanding of Him through His word.

Clarifying: my use of the word ‘disconnect’ means break in fellowship with God

The Hebrew word ‘selah’ means to pause and calmly think about something. God called the children of Israel to be His own. Deuteronomy 7:6 says, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.”

They disconnected from God out of fleshly fear. Exodus 20:18-19 says, “…when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

They asked Moses to be their mediator. There are religions today that have mediators. The leaders usurp God’s place. The Strong’s definition for mediator is: a go-between, umpire, reconciler, arbitrator, intermediary. The children of Israel wanted Moses to be their connection to God.

Hebrews 8:6 was speaking about Jesus versus the OT priests. It says, “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.” 

Hebrews 9:14 says, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” More tomorrow.

Do you ever feel disconnected to God? Yesterday I had an electrician come and do some wiring. He had to disconnect the electricity on the north side of my mobile. I found that the disconnection was very challenging. I had things I needed to accomplish but I had NO power.

That is exactly what happens when we disconnect with the Lord. I’ve been meditating about this off and on since yesterday. Truth: God is connected to us from the moment of our conception. Remember Genesis 2:7 says that His breath is IN us.

Acts 17:28 says, “For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.” Paul was addressing a group of philosophers in Athens. Unbelievers.

God is connected to every human being. I don’t think that I have ever considered what I am about to share with you. I’m sure my mouth dropped open when the Holy Spirit connected this truth. This gives me a new evangelism ice breaker.

All humans are made in the image of God, and we all carry His breath in our lungs. Yet we are not connected to Him until we accept Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord. Can a believer disconnect from God? Yes. Does God ever disconnect? No. The disconnect is totally from man’s end. More tomorrow.

The Strong’s definition for propitiation is related to merciful. The word describes Jesus, through His sacrificial death, as appeasing the wrath of God. It also describes Him as a covering for our sin.

1 John 2:2 says, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” 1 Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”

Hebrews 1:3 says of Jesus, “Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when he had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Think about, ‘by the word of His power’ for a moment. John 19:30 says, “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished! And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”

In 1987 I was at a friend’s in Yakima WA. It was my first trip anywhere since I had fallen into the ravine. It was a memorial stone event for me. We went into a Bible book store. I bought a plaque that read: Jesus how much do You love me? And He stretched out His hands and died.”

In the days of the children of Israel, sacrifices had to be made to atone for their sins. Innocent animals had to be slain. Jesus was innocent of sin. 1 Peter 2:22 says, “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth.”

Hebrews 9:24-25 explained how Jesus was not like the priests. Verse 26 says, “He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

Once for all. His finished work on the cross made a way for us to have eternal life with Him. There is nothing we can add. Our part is to believe for salvation. Yet, that was only our beginning.

Our progressive sanctification is a journey that consists of steps of believing. Galatians 5:3 was a warning, one that we need to heed as well. It says, “Are you so foolish, Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”

Verse 5 says, “Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” The Lord hears our thoughts. He knows them before we think of them. Does He hear faith?

As I read Exodus 19, several emotions came to the surface. It was the account of when God met them from the mountain in a thick cloud. Verse 9 says, “…that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever…”

They were to consecrate themselves, wash their clothes, and were instructed to not go up to the mountain or to touch its base. Verse 12 says, “…Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.”

Verse 16 says, “…in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.”

What was it like for the children to live in that moment? Put yourselves in their place and see how you would feel. In 1998 we were in Costa Rica on a short term mission trip. Our meeting was way up in the mountains that was very verdant.

The pastor took our team up to see the ‘inactive’ volcano. The closer we got to the mountain, the more I noticed the sparseness of plants and flowers. It was eery, like something was wrong. 

As we stood around the base of the mountain, I could feel the earth slightly trembling. That was a moment of truth. Should the mountain blow, there was no escape. We were so little, vulnerable, and the magnitude of power was overwhelming.

Verse 18 says, “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.”

That was all pre-cross. The people were terrified. Hebrews 12:18 gives us another inkling. It says, “For you have not come to the mountain…that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest.” Verse 21 were Moses’ words, “…so terrifying was the sight…I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”

He is Ever Present, forgiving, merciful, gracious, caring, loving, tender, and compassionate. Proverbs 24:14 Amplified says, “The secret (of the sweet, satisfying companionship) of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its (deep, inner) meaning.”

This is post-cross. Verse 22, 24 says, “But you have come…to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant…” Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Boldly without quaking hearts.