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 ________________________________. 
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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.  ​
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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. 
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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

Perceive: In typical Nabal behavior, he is throwing a party and overindulging in spirits to the point of being very drunk. After he sobers up in the morning, Abigail tells him what she did to keep him and the household safe. The suffering from a hangover and hearing of a stressful story results in a related heart failure. Within ten days, the Lord struck Nabal, and he died. David, having recognized the inner and outer beauty of Abigail sends for her, and she becomes his wife. While in the wilderness, David also marries Ahinoam giving him three wives total. However, Saul gives Michal to another man. In giving away Michal to another man, Saul was saying David was as good as dead.
 
Practice:  Abigail was effective in dealing with a surly husband and an angry future king. Through her actions and words, she kept both men from making rash moves in a very difficult and emotionally charged situation. By her swift action and skillful negotiation, she kept David from taking vengeance on Nabal, thereby keeping David from blood guilt. Do you look beyond your present crisis to see the bigger picture? Are you able to be loyal to family members without being blind to their weaknesses? Whenever you discuss difficult matters with family or friends, timing is important. Ask God for wisdom anytime you feel the need to confront or inform.
 
Pray:  Father in heaven, please give me wisdom and insight as I learn to speak truth to ____________________.​

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

Perceive: After hearing how her husband insulted David and his men, Abigail realizes her home, and entire existence is great danger, so she readies a gift, saddles the donkeys, and speeds her way to David. As soon as she sees David, she takes action by getting off her donkey, falling at his feet, and bowing to the ground in humble submission. Immediately after this, she pleads for mercy. In her plea, she successfully intercedes on behalf of her husband and helps David avoid blood guilt. Hearing God’s wisdom in her words, David agrees with her and gives thanks to the Lord for sending her, receives her gifts, and sends her home safe and secure. After Abigail reports the story to her surly husband, he has a heart-related failure and dies ten days later.
 
Practice:  This short story is a great reminder that God often sends people our way to help us see His hand in our actions. David was close to acting more like Saul than an upcoming king. To his credit, he learns that patience and restraint are a better way than anger and revenge. Unlike Nabal and Saul, David could hear an unexpected word from God that corrected his understanding of his circumstances, and then responded accordingly. No matter how right we think we are, we should always take a moment or two to listen to others.
 
Pray: O Lord, send godly people my way when it is necessary. Help me see and hear Your word when and where it is appropriate. Help me avoid more trouble and trauma in my life. 

Perceive: Samuel dies, and all Israel mourns his loss. Meanwhile, David and his men took their own time and effort to protect a rancher, his shepherds, and his sheep from Raiders in the Desert of Moan. It was not uncommon for wild tribes to overrun an area, take the sheep, and raid small villages. While there was no written law saying a rancher had to pay for this service, it was a custom like tipping. Nabal refuses David's request for remuneration. Thus, David reacts strong and swift by arming four hundred of his men and marched out with a desire to kill every male belonging to Nabal. He was furious.
 
Practice:  It is better to leave our circumstances in God's hands than to always take quick action. If the situation warrants retribution and judgment, He will do this in His time and His way without our intervention. After learning a better way, David quickly changes his response and patiently waits for God to act and accomplish His will.
 
Pray:  Lord, help me to maintain my composure and keep my anger in check, especially when I deal with ________________. 

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

Perceive: David is experiencing the constant pursuit of an enemy who wants to destroy his life and the lives of his men. As the psalm alludes, David feels like he is among a group of lions out for a kill. Although they have a trap for him, he is confident they will fall into their demise. Regardless of his circumstances, he knows God will act on his behalf. The psalm is divided up into three main parts: he gives a cry for refuge and a confession of need (1-3), he describes his difficult situation (4-6), and he commits to singing, praising, and giving thanksgiving to God (7-9). God is faithful to help in times of trouble.
 
Practice: When we face trials and tribulations, God will quiet our hearts and give us confidence in facing each day. At times we may be surrounded by tough circumstances and difficult people who love to criticize. Rather than react in a negative way or respond with angry words, we can be like David and get before the Lord. Every time this happens, we should be expressing the situation and learning to sing praises among the nations.  In times of great stress, do not look inward which leads to self-pity, or focus outward with actions for revenge, instead look upward to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and grace to help in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
 
Pray:  Help me today O Lord. I look to You and Your throne for mercy in times of suffering and grace in times of need. ​

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

Perceive: David has intentionally allowed Saul to live even though as his enemy he could have ended his life. In a unique way, Saul is emotionally repentant and acknowledges David, recognizes his righteous actions, and then asks for a lifesaving favor regarding his descendants.  David promises to spare his descendants. To his credit, David did not follow the Near Eastern custom of exterminating all of the children of his imperial predecessor. According to Scripture, David kept his promise.
 
Practice:  Like David, you are responsible for telling your enemies the truth. He or she may or may not see the error of their ways and repent. Ultimately, it does not matter how they respond. What matters is that all those who serve God speak the truth. As serving men of God, we are required to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).  It is impossible to make someone change their opinion especially an enemy. Unfortunately, too many people believe lies rather than the truth. By speaking the truth, you, however, will know that your conscience will be clear. God is in the business of changing people’s lives when and how He wants. He loves using men to transform the world. Be firm but fair in sharing the truth.
 
Pray:  O Lord Almighty, thank You for Your word and that it is the truth I can share openly and freely. Help me speak the truth in love to all who are in my sphere of influence. 
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This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com