Perceive: David’s band-of-brothers continues to grow with the addition of seven key defectors from the tribe of Manasseh. Most likely these men joined David just before the battle of Mount Gilboa. Once part of David’s team, they help him get the families back from the Philistine raiders. They are considered mighty men of valor. Day by day new warriors arrive and fill up the ranks. His growing collection of warriors is like the camp of God.
 
Practice:  David’s army was growing at a rapid rate. David’s great leadership, charismatic appeal, the reputation of his mighty men, and seasoned combatants drew new members. Word was spreading of their victories and their desire to see God’s will done in making David the rightful king. Most people are drawn to consider joining a cause much bigger than themselves. As true believers involved in a growing local church (band-of-brothers), we have a greater cause – the salvation of mankind, the discipleship of believers, and the raising of godly families. If we are brave, determined, and faithful, others will be drawn to work with us.
 
Pray:  O Lord, help me be a man of valor who seeks daily opportunities to share Christ with those who do not know You, and to help all those who do grow closer to You. 
​
This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: King Achish comes to a place where he trusts David and his men. As the Philistines ready to battle Israel, they are accompanying King Achish in the rear. The commanders of the Philistines are clearly upset and angry with Achish for adding Hebrews to the battle arrangement. In previous battles, some Hebrews who were part of the Philistine army turned against their hosts in the heat of combat and started killing them. The chaos and confusion resulted in the Philistines killing their men (1 Samuel 14:20-21). Using the commander’s fear and anger, once again God intervenes on David’s behalf. He and his men depart early the next morning.
 
Practice:  David does not appear to be reflecting on his situations but rather reacting to them. In this circumstance, David was almost forced to fight against his people, yet he made a strong defense for staying in the fight. God, however, intervenes. It is easier to reflect on important decisions after they are made rather than before. Making timely decisions and making the right decision can make us feel helpless and confused. In other situations, the need to be right may even cause us to justify our sinful decisions. It never hurts to take a few extra minutes and seek the mind of God.
 
Pray: O Lord, help me to see You in my life daily. Lead me in the way of truth and rightful living. 
​
This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: David appears to be operating on his own while he, his family members, and six-hundred loyal soldiers are all living in enemy territory. He is making decisions without his counselor Samuel, his friend Jonathan, or apparently his priest Abiathar. Although he is helping the future of Israel by destroying certain desert tribes, he must lie and deceive to complete these raiding missions. Furthermore, his raiding missions include killing entire villages and every inhabitant. Some people feel David is compromising his faith and endangering those around him. Others feel he is endearing himself politically to the Philistine king as well as to the inhabitants of Judah. Regardless of your view, David is living a dangerous life amidst the sworn enemies of Israel and God.
 
Practice:  Repeated trials can bring out the best in us or bring out the worst. One of the worst is to compromise God’s standards, which leads a man to more carnal living. God’s men are not to pretend to live peacefully in the enemy’s camp. When we lean on the arm of the flesh, we always end up in some trouble. Whenever we move into the enemy’s camp, we can expect all sorts of enemy activity and none of it is good.
 
Pray:  O mighty God, help me to stay out of the enemy camp as I live my daily life.  

​This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: As David continues to mature and Saul continues to decline morally, more and more warriors are joining him in his band of combatants. The new additions arrive at Ziklag, a town on the southwestern side of Judah. No doubt David’s men are learning more and more how to fight as a unit. These new combatants are experts with bows and slings, which they knew how to use with either hand. Most of them were from the tribe of Benjamin, Saul’s tribe.
 
Practice:  One reason action movies are so popular with men is that they meet their need to be a part of a team that does something great. Every year in movies men save the world, destroy evil empires, rescue captives, or win championships. All the men on the team bring something unique to the plot. Today’s reading is missing the exact reasons for these warriors to be defecting from Saul, but chances are they recognized David as the appointed king. They wanted their skills as combatants to count in their service to God and country. How are you using your skills to further God’s kingdom? Who are you serving within the battles of life?
 
Pray: O Lord, help me to serve You by joining the men of my local church to further Your kingdom.
​

This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: David starts to rationalize the situation, and without seeking direction from God he moves into the land of his enemies. There David seeks and receives permission to live under the protection of Achish, king of Gath. Previously, David feigned insanity in front of him. Achish either forgot about it or overlooked it in light of David’s current situation. Also, David had six-hundred warriors who could provide military support. Achish gave David and his men Ziklag. This section ends with a summary of how long he and his men lived in enemy territory. David stayed there until Saul’s death.
 
Practice:  Repeated trials can bring out the best in us or bring out the worst. One of the worst is a compromise from God's standards, which leads to carnal living. Sometimes we can feel forced to plan without the obvious assurance from God. In what seems best to David, he moves to Gath and then approaches Achish using logic and diplomacy. Sometimes using them will work well for us, at other times they don’t. God's men are not to pretend they live peacefully in the enemy's world. Any major decision should begin with an extended time alone with God and in His word.
 
Pray:  O Lord, help me stay in tune with Your Word and Your will. Enable me to see You at work and to know when to make common sense decisions and to seek Your face for others. ​

This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: In the second half of this psalm, David vows to praise God and requests a rescue from his circumstance (17-21), he again requests God to act on his behalf (22-26) and closes with a vow to praise and magnify the Lord (27-28). David did not want to be defeated in this life, especially when his enemies were ready to gloat over any mistake he made. God was not blind to his situation, so David asks God to speak up and defend him. In the victory over his enemies, David vows to proclaim God’s righteousness and speak His praises. So should we.
 
Practice:  Unfortunately, most people including Christian men do not seek God first when they are unjustly accused or on the receiving end of a false witness. The natural reaction is often lashing out to avenge the wrong or to give a detailed defense of our actions, words, and motives. Instead, ask God to fight the battle for you. He will use the situation to His glory bringing about one or more conclusions. His conclusions may include purifying your heart, clearing your name in the eyes of those who matter, and removing the stain of whatever tainted your life.
 
Pray:  Lord, help me to look to You first and foremost, no matter what others may be saying or doing to discredit my life and ministry. 

This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: This psalm is David’s prayer to God for help against those who are trying to inflict harm on him for no good reason. In his case, he has people lying about him even when he does good to them. The psalm is divided up into five main sections. In today’s reading, we cover the first half of the psalm. David seeks for God to defeat, humiliate, and destroy the people who are lying and hurting him (1-8), then he praises God and pleads his actions as good while his enemies are evil (9-16). David often describes how he feels in his songs. Feelings can be good or bad. If you feel bad, God cares and wants to hear your plea as you rely on Him to hear and to help you with whatever you are facing.
 
Practice:  In a lot of David’s psalms he is sad when his prayers for justice seem unanswered. When God delays our deliverance or if it does not come at all, it is easy to assume God hasn’t heard or does not want to answer our prayers. God hears every prayer, but He answers in His time, His way, and with His wisdom. The next time you feel sad or depressed over a situation, take some time to share exactly how you feel with the Lord.
 
Pray: Lord, please hear my prayer. I am having difficulty seeing You and Your answer in ________________________________. 
​

This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: This is the last time King Saul, and the anointed king David will see each other. After David sneaks into the camp and removes Saul’s spear, they have a final discussion where Saul confesses his guilt and acknowledges David as his son. How easily David could have killed his adversary with his spear but instead, he spares Saul’s life and turns it over to the hands of the Lord. Based on his lesson with Nabal, he may have thought the Lord might directly strike his adversary with an untimely death. David returns Saul’s spear and expresses his faith that God will honor his actions and deliver him from his troubles. He continues to grow in his trust and dependence upon the Lord.
 
Practice:  As we grow and mature in our faith, we also become more confident about God’s guidance, and we spend less time seeking constant sources of evidence. Unfortunately, in our world today, the opposite is taking place. More and more the world is pushing out the existence of God and His Word. As godly men, we must grow in our conviction that God is at work in the big deals and the small details of life.
 
Pray:  O mighty God, help me see You at work in and through all the circumstances both large and small.  ​
​
This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: In this psalm, David is addressing his concerns regarding Cush a Benjamite. Some scholars think this may be another name for Doeg, another adversarial Benjamite, or of King Saul, or a man named Cush who also gave Saul a treasonous report on David’s loyalty. These men were slanderous to David and involved in hunting him during his outlaw days. In response, David gives a loud cry which he sang during this time of persecution. The psalm is divided up into four sections: a plea for refuge and deliverance (1-5), a plea for vindication and judgment (6-11), assurance that the wicked will bring disaster upon themselves (12-16) and ends with a prayer of thanksgiving and praise (17). No matter what circumstance David faces, he knows God is a righteous judge.
 
Practice:  In most situations where evil is allowed to run its course, evil eventually destroys evil. Violent and wicked men eventually reap what they sow and become victims themselves. Unfortunately, in the process, innocent people are wounded or killed. Sometimes God intervenes but at other times He does not. Only God knows why. It is in our perilous times we must seek His refuge and protection leaving room for His wrath and vengeance. In the end, God will execute final judgment even if it is not during our lifetime.
 
Pray:  Lord, I know when people speak ill of me I am to look up not across or down. Help me to see Your hand in all my circumstances. 
​
This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: Now that Saul is temporarily finished fighting the invading Philistines, he returns to seek out David and his band of military outlaws. Saul has three-thousand men camped in the wilderness, and David has six hundred. God puts Saul’s camp into a deep sleep. Abishai, David’s nephew, volunteers to accompany David on a dangerous mission to sneak into the camp. He shows great courage when he volunteers to go with David. Like his other brothers from the cave, he encourages his king to let him kill his enemy, however; David restrains him. After creeping into Saul’s camp, David removes the king’s spear. Escaping with Saul’s spear and a jug of water, David confronts the king and uses the incident to chastise Abner and then prove his innocence to the king.
 
Practice:  The strongest moral decisions are the ones we make before temptation assaults us. In this situation, David realized that Yahweh was leading him to his rise as the future king and determined to follow God, not the ways of the world. Who would you like to be? To be like David and be an intentional follower of Yahweh we must realize that we can’t do wrong to execute justice, even when our family or close friends counsel us, we must put God’s commands first.
 
Pray:  O Lord, help me to see Your hand in my life and to put Your commands first.

This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com