Perceive: In this psalm, David expounds the foolish unbelief of those who reject God. As an example of a foolish nation that rejects the Lordship of God, Warren Wiersbe writes, "The boasting of the Assyrians is a good example.  Verse 5b describes the scattered corpses of a defeated army after God’s great victory. For a body to remain unburied was a great disgrace in the ancient Near East, even an executed criminal was supposed to have a decent burial (Deut. 21:23; see 2 Kings 23:14; Ezek. 6:5)."[i] This psalm has two main sections. In the first section, David describes the mind of a fool (1-3). In the second, he describes the care of his God (4-6).
 
Practice: Throughout the Bible we see individuals, and even nations act foolishly in the face of a powerful God. Atheism is foolishness and often leads to destructive patterns of behavior. Far too often people say there is no God to cover up their sinful acts, to find an excuse to continue in sin and ignore the Word of God. Some very intelligent people are fools in the eyes of the Lord. “For the wisdom of the world is foolishness before God.” (1 Corinthians 3:19).
 
Pray: Great and mighty God, help me to live my life as an open book to the world and especially to anyone who rejects Your sovereign rule over the lives of men.

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


[i] Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., pp. 191–192). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.

Perceive: In this short but concise psalm, David describes the kind of wickedness that is in the hearts of those who routinely promote rebellion against God. David views God’s faithfulness, justice, and loving-kindness in contrast to the sinful hearts of men. It has two main sections. In the first section, David describes attributes of the Godless; they have no fear of God, they are conceited, they are deceitful, and they love to plan evil deeds (1-4). In the second section, David describes some of God's characteristics in contrast to the Godless: He is loving, faithful, righteous, just, protective, and life-giving (5-12). Essentially, David calls upon the Lord to bless the godly and humble the wicked.
 
Practice: The way a man deals with the difficult situations and problems in life are in direct proportion to his accurate understanding of who God is and how he acts for His people. In this psalm, David gives us a great picture of God. He is faithful, righteous, and just. His love extends to the heavens, His faithfulness to the skies, His righteousness to the heights of the mountains, His judgments to the deepest part of the sea. We should not fear the evil that seems to surround us, because we have a God who loves us and is continually working to judge evil and humble those who constantly rebel against His authority.
 
Pray: Lord, please continue to show Yourself to me and give me a deeper and stronger appreciation for who You are and how You act.ere to edit.

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

Perceive: In the third section of Psalm 31, David continues to express his faith in God despite his many troubles. He loved to speak with great confidence in the Lord through trusting Him in dangerous times. He knows the Lord will save him from his enemies (14-18). Even in disturbing and often difficult circumstances, he is thankful for the goodness of God and his unfailing loving-kindness (19-24). His courage and strength grew by seeing the faithfulness of God as his situation changed and the glory of God’s light shone.
 
Practice: When we feel like life is out of control, we should consider the words of David in verse fifteen, “My times are in your hand.” David had a strong belief that every one of his circumstances is under the rule and authority of God. This concept is important for us to remember as well. Knowing that God loves and cares for each of His citizens, enables us to have faith in times of great testing and impossible circumstances. Unfortunately, difficult times make it easy to take matters into our hands, when instead we need to submit our lives into God’s hands.
 
Pray: O great and mighty God, into Your hands I submit my life. Help me see You at work in the difficult and discouraging situations that are facing me on a daily basis. 

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

Perceive: In this psalm, David expresses confidence in God during deep distress. David's hope for seeing God's love fulfilled is the backbone for this psalm. Three times he mentions the Lord's loving-kindness (7, 16, 21). Verse 5 is quoted in the New Testament by Jesus on the cross and Stephen just before being stoned to death (Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59). It contains three main part. This devotion covers the first two. In the first section, David asks the Lord to listen to his cry and rescue him from his enemies, who worship false gods (1-8). In the second section, he describes his physically weakened condition, and the evil plans his enemies are conspiring (9-13). David uses exaggerated language to reflect his heart as he pours it out to God.
 
Practice: In verse six, David mentions those who worship idols immediately after he commits his entire life to the Lord. Unfortunately, even in his time, the people of Israel and Judah were still worshipping idols over the Lord God. Things have not changed much through the centuries. As a serving man of God, we can let things rob God of the glory that rightfully belongs to Him. Idols today include wealth, material possessions, success, fame, and one’s personal image. If you are letting an idol interfere with your devotion to God, sooner or later He will work in and through your life to expose and purify your heart.
 
Pray: Lord, if there is an idol in my life, please gently expose it to the light of Christ and the light of Your word. ere to edit.

​Perceive: This may have been a psalm that helped keep the Israelites focused on the Lord God and not on the god Baal who was believed to be in control of the weather and fertility. In this psalm, David calls the reader to worship the Lord in response to the wonders of creation and the unique power of storms. David attests to the great power of the Lord’s voice through several means of nature. It contains three main sections. In the first section, he calls for the worshiper to refer to the cause and source of the Lord in worship (1-2). In the second section, he describes attributes of the Lord's voice upon the waters, in thunder, as majestic, able to break cedars, shake mountains, and strip forests (3-9). In the third section, he describes how the Lord reigns at the flood, and gives strength and blessings to His people (10-11). This psalm is a fabulous testimony regarding ways to hear the voice of God.
 
Practice: Throughout the history of the world, the Lord has revealed his power through acts of nature. His first catastrophic act of power was the world flood in Genesis chapters 6-9. Later, the author of Romans points out the world is without excuse because God continually reveals Himself, so people are without excuse (Romans 1:20). Like then, His power is available to us when we feel weak and needy. Are you feeling weak or in need of His power and presence?
 
Pray: Lord, help me in my hour of need. I am weak and in need of You to strengthen my resolve and my desire to obey Your word. 

​Perceive: Once again our hero is facing a difficult circumstance, and he asks the Lord to rescue him from his enemies and praises the Lord for hearing his prayer. It could have happened during the time leading up to Absalom's rebellion, but no one knows for sure. It has two main sections. In the first section, David asks the Lord for two things: 1-he cries out to God to hear his voice and complaint and 2-to punish the wicked according to their evil (1-5). In the second section, David talked to the Lord about two things: 1-he blessed and praised the Lord for hearing and answering his prayer, 2-he calls on the Lord to bless His people and lead them for eternity (6-9). In a lot of David's psalms, we see him demonstrating prayer with patience.
 
Practice: One wonders how much David’s son absorbed during his youth regarding some of his father’s friendships that turned out poorly. Later he would write, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” (Proverbs 27:6). For some people, it is easy to pretend they are your friend. Wicked people are pros at this. They want their agenda and will do just about anything to get it. It is an unfortunate part of leadership that makes people in high positions targets of false friendships. David was aware that God would punish these kinds of people and he prays for them in this psalm. As a godly man in the local church, you should be forthright and sincere with both men and women in and out of the church.
 
Pray: O Lord, my God, thank You for the many great friends in my current life and in the years to come. Guard me against the wicked. 

Perceive: In this psalm, David expresses confidence in God’s protection, even though his enemies surround him. He probably wrote this when he was exiled from his home and being hunted by King Saul.  There are four sections. In the first section, David places his trust in the Lord to save him, give him strength, and not fear (1-3). In the second section, he expresses his desire to be back in the Temple where he can behold the Lord and sing praises to his God (4-6). In the third section, he cries out to God to reveal Himself and answer his prayers (7-10). In the fourth section, he wants God to teach and lead him and fill him with courage (11-14). In this psalm, David shows us that when we know the Lord and trust Him, He helps us overcome the fears that can paralyze our lives.
 
Practice: All of us have moments where fear grips our life. It tends to envelop our mind and imprison us within ourselves. Studies show there are three things that cause fear: 1-distrust of divine protection, 2-failure to trust the political world, and 3-presence of personal danger. When we allow one or more of these fearful situations to fill us with emotion, it tends to induce the mind with anxiety and distress. From there we want to alleviate the situation and are tempted to see quick resolutions without examining the long-range consequences. Fear also brings out deceit and hypocrisy. At these times we should pray for help to be confident in Gods power and promises.
 
Pray: Thank You, Lord, for power and promises, help me see Your hand in my life and turn fear into faith, panic into courage. 
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Available at Amazon.com

Ponder: Psalm 26:1-12
 
Perceive: David declares his innocence and asks God to examine and vindicate him. It contains two main parts. In the first section, David makes his request and declares his innocence since he trusts in the Lord, lives according to His truth, and refuses to fellowship with sinful people (1-7). In the second section, he reflects on the place where God dwells, how God deals with sinful people, his commitment to integrity, and his desire to bless the Lord (8-12). When we are living according to our commitment to walk with God, we can stand up to the opposition and critical examination.
 
Practice: In verse eight, David refers to God’s house and the place where His glory dwells. In his day it could have been the tabernacle in Gibeon or the temporary tent housing the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem. After reading and studying the Psalms it becomes evident that David loved to spend time in worship and to see the Lord’s glory. Like David, we should prepare ourselves for worship whether it is individual or corporate. God is still interested in men who worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24).
 
Pray: Great and mighty God, let me sense more of Your glory in my life. Help me to live each day in a worship state of mind. 

From The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel
Available on Amazon.com
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As we close out the story of Samson and his colorful life, we see God use him one final time. During this huge event where our hero is taunted and tortured, he calls out to God in prayer, "O Lord God, please remember me and the please strengthen me only this once, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes." And God answers him with a resounding victory by bringing down the arena filled with 3000 people. Scripture records that he killed more Philistines at his death, then the amount of men during his life and ministry as Israel's judge. 

Considering all the sins he committed, one would think God would let him reap the consequence of his lust, immorality, and drunkenness. Fortunately for him and for us the Lord is much more willing to forgive us than we realize. For many men the guilt and shame associated with sexual sin is extreme and often paralyzes any action of repentance and restitution. We should never let guilt and shame keep us from being restored to the Lord and to others. Isolation is the devils playground. 

If God could still answer Samson's prayers and use him to fulfill his will, just imagine what he could do through men who repent, turn back to God, and seek times of refreshing from the Lord (Acts 3:19 NIV).

- When was the last time you were honest with God about your sin?
- Do you have an accountability partner that cares about the condition of your soul?

​Now that Samson was apparently powerless, the Philistines throw a big party complete with wine, revelry, and entertainment. It must have been quite a spectacle with several thousand people attending. Turns out the entire event was a religious celebration giving credit to the seductive victory as a divine salvation provided by a pagan god named Dagon. 

Dagon is a West Semitic god of crop fertility, worshiped extensively throughout the ancient Middle East. Dagan was the Hebrew and Ugaritic common noun for “grain,” and the god Dagan was the legendary inventor of the plow. His cult is attested as early as about 2500 BC, and, according to texts found at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit), he was the father of the god Baal. Dagan had an important temple at Ras Shamra, and in Palestine, where he was particularly known as a god of the Philistines, he had several sanctuaries, including those at Beth-dagon in Asher (Joshua 19:27), Gaza (Judges 16:23), and Ashdod (1 Samuel 5:2–7).(*) Its believed that Dagon worship included human sacrifice, torture, and humiliation.  

After enjoying a great feast with lots of wine they decided to partake in one of their spectator sports by having most infamous enemy provide public entertainment. Were not given great detail to all the ways they would engage him but its not hard to imagine such things as mocking, spitting, hitting, plucking his beard, and any other form of regional debasement. Not realizing his strength had returned they put him in between the two main support beams for this arena. 

- How much do you accept the sovereignty of God in your life?
- Do you truly believe that the Lord our God is omnipresent and omniscient?

​(*) https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dagan