Dean Allen's Daily Devotional

-June 21, 2022–

Good morning, happy Tuesday, happy Sumner Solstice,

“But a messenger came to Saul, saying, ‘Hurry and come for the Philistines have invaded the land! Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape.”

(1 Samuel 23:27-28).

The definition of divine intervention is, “an event that occurs when a deity (i.e. God or a god) becomes actively involved in changing some situation in human affairs.” We have all experienced God’s intervention in our lives at one time or another. It usually happens when all of the sudden our circumstances change, immediately and inexplicably for our good. This is what happened to David. Saul and a large number of troops with him had encircled him and his men. Saul was on one side of the mountain and David on the other.

Just at the needed time, a messenger arrives to let him know that the Philistines have invaded the land. It is an urgent situation that requires him to return immediately and attend to it. Sure enough, Saul gives up pursuing David. In Scripture, we also them, “Divine Coincidences.” For David, it is called the “Rock of Escape.”We know that nothing happens to us randomly, by accident, luck, fate, or chance. God has a plan for us and works things out for our good. Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

In Psalm 116:8-9, the unknown Psalmist wrote, “For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” God preserved and protected David so many times. He protected him from Saul and even from his own son Absalom. Some Bible scholars and commentators even suggest that we are immortal until our mission on earth is completed. Only God knows when that will be.

I thank the Lord for his interventions in my life. He has protected me from accidents and even death. There are so many times when our plans change. We should always remember that God may be protecting us from something bad happening to us. This thinking keeps us from being frustrated, irritated, or disappointed. God intervened when Daniel was in the lions’ den, and when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were in the fiery furnace. He also sent His angel to get Peter out of prison before Herod could kill him, and raised many from the dead.

Let us thank God for his divine interventions in our lives. We won’t find out until we get to heaven how many times He saved us and protected us. God will probably play back our lives for us to see His mercy and grace in action.

Have a blessed day trusting in the Lord’s perfect plan without questioning or disputing. When God intervenes in our lives below, He has another way for us to go. Stay safe and healthy.

Living according to God’s plan,

Dean

-June 20, 2022-

Good morning, happy Monday, happy Juneteenth,

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Yesterday was Juneteenth here in the United States and it is celebrated today as our newest federal holiday. Last year President Biden by executive order on January 21, 2021, made it such. It been celebrated by black people across our country since the end of the Civil War. President Lincoln freed the slaves in his Emancipation Proclamation, an presidential proclamation and executive order signed on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. This officially changed the legal status of some 3.5 million enslaved African-American slaves in southern secessionist states from enslaved to free. It was officially known as Proclamation 95.

This was significant in that as soon as they were able to escape their enslavers, either by fleeing to Union lines or by the advancement of federal troops, they were permanently free. In addition, the Proclamation allowed for the recruitment of former slaves into the paid service of the United States armed forces. When the Civil War ended all the slaves were made free. Which brings us to Juneteenth.

The slaves in Texas did not get the word. However, with the arrival of federal troops on Texas soil on June 19, 1865, U.S. General Gordon Granger read Order 3, which stated, “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation of the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” What a day of jubilation and celebration it was for all black people. It was named June Nineteenth and later shortened to Juneteenth. It is in essence “Freedom Day.” All Americans should be happy and proud today.

Hundreds of years before, Jesus came to make us free from the bondage of our sins. The truth of His Word set us free from sin and death on the cross. He made us free, and we are free indeed by believing in Him. There is no bondage worse than being under the control of sin, self, and the devil. Jesus broke our chains and set us free. We who were once slaves of sin are now slaves of righteousness. We have new life in Jesus Christ.

The hymn writer Charles Wesley wrote, “Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature’s night. Thine eye diffused a quickening ray; I woke —the dungeon flamed with light! My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose went forth, and followed Thee.” No one and nothing can enslave us again. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Not only are we freed from sin, self, and the devil, but also from the law and death. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Let us rejoice with all African-Americans in their freedom from slavery, and in our freedom we have in our Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing better than the sweet aroma of freedom! May we all breath it in!

Have a blessed day basking in our freedom. Stay safe and healthy.

In liberty for all,

Dean

-June 19, 2022-

Good morning Happy Lord’s Day, Happy Father’s Day,

“The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will delight in him.”

(Proverbs 23:24).

Fatherhood is not easy. It takes years of hard work, sacrifice, discipline, and most of all love. The father is the leader of the household, the example, the role model. No father is perfect, but with the Lord’s help, he can be the perfect leader for his particular family. There is no greater joy that to see one’s children, sons and daughters, saved, and walking with Jesus.

Proverbs 23:15-16 says, “My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself; Yes, my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak right things.” Fathers are proud of their children when they get good grades, graduate from high school and college, get married, have their own children, enjoy success in their career, and made a good income. But there is more to life than these earthly things, though they are really important. Seeing a son or daughter going on to live for the Lord and serve Him, is worth far more, both now and for all eternity.

We all invest in various things in life and hope for a good return on our investments. There is no more important investment than our children. It takes a lot of prayer to make it happen. Ultimately, each child and in fact every person must make their own decision to follow Christ. We can never force anyone into a decision. The best witness and testimony is a godly example. Children want to see our Christianity lived out, not just hear it spoken about. They want to see consistency and reality in all areas of life: at church, at home, in the neighborhood, in the workplace, and wherever we go. Children want to be proud of their fathers, just as fathers want to be proud of their children.

The old expression is so true, “Like father, like son.” It only works however, if the father is doing good, pleasing the Lord, and honoring God. My question is simply, would you want your kids to be like you? Or would you need a caveat for some exceptions? Honesty is the best policy, and if we blow it, which we all do at times, we need to ask our children to forgive us. They will accept our discipline and correction if we accept God’s discipline and correction in our lives.

Fathers with a soft heart toward God, will likely have a soft heart toward one’s wife and kids. Just as God delights in our obedience, so too, we delight in our children’s obedience. Let’s honor our fathers today, love them, and appreciate them. May we enjoy each precious moment with them in person or on the phone. If our fathers have departed this earthly scene, let us remember them.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day and Father’s Day. May it be the best one yet that we won’t soon forget. Stay safe and healthy.

In God’s love and strength,

Dean

-June 18, 2022-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, ‘I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.’ And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.”

(1 Samuel 15:10).

God gave the people what they wanted: a king like all the other nations. God gave them Saul and gave him so many chances to obey and follow Him, but he came up lacking. The last straw was when God told him to kill all the Amalekites, their king Agag, and all their livestock. Saul only partially obeyed, which is disobedience. He kept the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good. He also refused to kill king Agag.

God rejected Saul from being king. Not only that, but He regretted He had made him king. Because of this the prophet Samuel was grieved and cried out to the Lord all night. If we get grieved over the sin, wickedness, and evil in this world, we know how much more God detests it. In Noah’s day there was such great evil on the earth, that it was even worse than we see today.

Genesis 6:4-7 says, “There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men of renown. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’” But Noah and his wife and family found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

So from Scripture we know of two regrets God had: creating man and making Saul king. God repopulated the earth through Noah after the flood, and He removed Saul from being king in His timing. God dealt with sin in both cases. The lesson for us is to not grieve the Holy Spirit, but to fully obey God, fear Him, and do His will. Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:30, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” He also said in 1 Thessalonians 5:19, “Do not quench the Spirit.”

None of us as children of God want to disappoint our Lord or give Him any regrets. We want to please Him and bring glory to His name. Saul’s story is sad because he had great potential but did not live up to it. It reminds us that sometimes when we vote for a particular candidate for office, we discover things about that person that make us regret we voted for them.

Have a blessed day pleasing and obeying the Lord fully and not causing the Lord any regrets. Stay safe and healthy.

In His service,

Dean

-June 17, 2022-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.’”

(1 Samuel 13:6).

There are many heroic people in the Bible who acted alone and did great things with God’s help, such as Sampson, David, Josheb-Basshebeth, also known as Dodai, Eleazar, Shammah, Abishai, Benaiah, just to name a few. While it it isn’t always advisable to fight alone, God gives us the victory. Here in our text, Jonathan, the son of King Saul, went out alone, just having his armorbearer to help him, and God gave him a tremendous victory over the mighty Philistines. This incident occurred before David defeated and killed Goliath the giant Philistine warrior.

Jonathan had faith in the Lord and trusted in Him for His help. He understood the importance of God’s will in what he did and how he did it. It is interesting to note that Jonathan didn’t tell his father or anyone else what he was planning to do. There are times we must face the enemies of God on our own, but with the Lord we are never alone, He is with us. Martin Luther once said, “One with God is a majority.” God in fact does not need our help, He can do all things on His own, but He chooses to involve us and rewards us for what we do for Him.

When David took down Goliath he did so with a slingshot and a stone. God gave him a tremendous victory just as He did Jonathan. In fact these two became the greatest friends. They shared a common love for God and trust in Him. Both were men of faith and prayer. Jonathan told his armorbearer that he would call out to the Philistines and if they said, “Come up to us,’ it would be God’s sign of victory. That is just what they said. Jonathan and his armorbearer climbed up the steep crag on their hands and knees; and killed 20 Philistines in the space of about half an acre.

It was such a resounding victory by two men, that there was fear and trembling throughout the camp of the Philistines that Saul and his army heard and knew something was going on. Saul had his commanders take a roll call of who among them was missing, and it turned out to be his own son. Jonathan proved that God does work for us and is not restrained to save by many or by few. Jonathan never bragged or boasted but gave all the glory to God.

You are a army of one. You are unique, and God can use you in in His service to fight the good fight of faith. We fight best on our knees in prayer, depending fully on the Lord. James wrote, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:7-8). Paul said in Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles (or schemings) of the devil.”

Have a blessed and victorious day. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. The battle is not our’s but the Lord’s. Stay safe and healthy.

In His mighty power,

Dean