‘THE BEST…I CAN D IS ESCAPE TO PHILISTINE COUNTRY.’ 1 SAMUEL 27:1 TM

In a slump you lose your rhythm, feel sluggish and unfocused, and revert to old habits that didn’t work then and don’t work now. It happened to David. On the run from Saul and leading a makeshift army, he started thinking, ‘Sooner or later, Saul’s going to get me. The best…I can do is escape to Philistine country.’ David knew better! In past crises he inquired of the Lord, ‘and consulted trusted advisers. This time he was guided by his fears and ended up defecting to enemy territory. And for a while it felt good. Getting wasted, cheating on your mate, filling your mind with porn may seem enjoyable temporarily, but there’s a way of life that look harmless…look again it leads straight to hell... people appear to be having a good time, but all that…will end in heartbreak’ (proverbs 14:12-13 TM). Eventually the Philistines rejected David and said, ‘He’s not going into battle with us. He’d switch sides in the middle of the fight!’ (1 Samuel 29:4 TM). Be careful; the decisions you make when you are down can have long lasting ramifications. Rejected by the Philistines, overrun by the Amalekites, with no country if his own and no family to come home to, we learn from David to: (1) Seek wise counselors. It’s the last thing you’ll feel like doing because misery loves company. But when you ‘Refuse good advice…your plans fail’ (proverbs 11:14 TM). (2) Stop listening to your fears and listen to God: Standing among the ruins of his life, ‘David found strength in the Lord’ (1 Samuel 30:6 NIV), and you will too.

Evangelist Philip Jegede’s Reading Courtesy of DWFT: Jer 51-52, Luke 7: 11-23, Ps 118:10-18, Pr 15:31-32 www.mpbs247.org