Genesis 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors.

Jacob had twelve sons but he showed special attention to Joseph. Jacob had loved Rachel and Joseph was his first born son of the wife that he loved. However, because of Jacob’s special favoritism towards Joseph, we see that Joseph’s brothers despised him.

In his mind, Jacob had sufficient reason to give special attention to Joseph. However, the sons of Jacob were not fully able to understand the significance of Joseph to Jacob, especially now that Rachel was dead. The sons of Jacob knew that they were his sons and because they saw daddy playing favorites with Joseph, they came to hate someone whom they should have loved.

The gift of the coat of many colors was just one example of how Jacob demonstrated to all that Joseph was the son that he loved the most. While it is good to give gifts to one’s children, one should not do it in such a way that causes the other children not to feel loved. Every child has its own language of love, a way in which their parent must communicate with them in order to demonstrate true love. When a child feels love, they do not have to go out into the world to find their love from other sources.

Joseph was the son that felt his father’s love and when he was tempted, he had the strength to flee the temptation that he faced. Jacob’s other children did not feel their father’s love and there are many tragic stories that are demonstrated in the lives of Jacob’s children. We see that the daughter of Jacob was raped when she went into town to see the daughters of the land. We see that Reuben slept with his father’s concubine. We see that Judah slept with his daughter-in-law. Each of these stories is a demonstration of what one of the consequences might be when a child does not feel their father’s love.

When David’s daughter Tamar was raped, Absalom waited for his father to discipline Amnon. However, when David did not discipline his son who had committed a great evil, Absalom no longer respected his father and he took matters into his own hands to not only punish Amnon but to also punish David.

It is a great temptation to show favoritism to a particular child or to a particular person. However, the command to love your neighbor as yourself was given by Christ and includes all people. Every day we are going to encounter people who we will not want to love. They will do something that hurts us and we will chose to not love them the way that God desires us to love them.

The temptation to not love those who are different or who hard to get along with will be great. You must exercise great self-control to not allow yourself to be focused upon what people have done to you rather than how God desires that you respond to them. By adding temperance to your life, you can make sure that you show love to everyone God brings into your life.

It was not wrong to give Joseph a coat of many colors, what was wrong was not to show love to his other children. Love out of balance can do much harm. When Jacob failed to properly love his other children, he started a chain reaction that ended up in him losing his favorite son. However, while Jacob may have made a mistake, God was able to use that mistake to fulfill his perfect will.

Proverbs 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

What are the desires of your heart? If you are not careful, you will find that your heart can deceive you and cause you to long for things that you really do not want or that will never satisfy you. If you decide to rely upon what your heart tells you is right, you are a fool and your ways will be unstable.

You are often going to be too close to your problems to trust your own heart. If you rely upon your own strength, you will fail. A wise individual understands the importance of wise counsel and as such, surrounds himself with those individuals who will direct him to the center of the will of God for his life.

A wise man walketh wisely. Are you a wise man? Do you understand how your own heart can deceive you and lead you astray?

Moses had been called by God to lead the nation of Israel. As such, the people were coming to him with their problems. Moses was too tenderhearted to turn them away and as such, he was working late hours judging the people. When Jethro came to visit Moses, he directed Moses to establish judges over tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands. Moses walked wisely and followed the instructions of his father-in-law and as a result, he was delivered from a burden that was too heavy for him.

You must learn to delight yourself in the Lord. The more time you spend drawing closer to God, the more pure your heart. The purer your heart , the easier it will be for you not to trust in your own heart but to instead, seek out the wise counsel to guide you in the way you are to go.

If you desire to be delivered from your problems, then you need to first learn to stop relying upon your own strength. God is able to deliver you from whatever problem you face. However, as long as you think and act as if your own strength will save you, you are a fool and you will keep digging yourself deep into the pit.

Amnon thought he loved his step sister Tamar. Amnon allowed himself to think about Tamar to the point that he was love sick. Amnon ended up raping Tamar and he soon discovered that the hatred he had towards her was greater than the love he had to her. Amnon was a fool because he allowed his heart to deceive him. Because Amnon allowed his heart to deceive him, his step-brother Absalom took his life.

Amnon was simply following his heart. He thought he loved Tamar so he did what he thought was best because of the love that he had for her. Amnon had not surrounded himself with wise counselors. As such, instead of being delivered from his problems, he found himself in even great problems.

Take time to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. The more time you spend filling your heart with the things of God, the more you will learn to delight in the things of God. As your heart learns to desire what God desires, then you will start obtaining the desires of your heart. God desires to show HIMSELF strong in your life. However, you must first be willing to put your trust in HIM and stop relying upon your own heart.

Proverbs 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him quickly.

Why does God allow terrible things to happen to me? One of the reasons you may face certain trials and difficulties may just have to do with your sin. No one likes to admit it, but it is because God loves you that HE punishes you. You should be glad that God is willing to punish you now for your willful violations of HIS perfect law rather than wait until the great throne of judgment where it might just be too late.

David violated the perfect will of God when he committed adultery with Bath-sheba and later killed Uriah. David tried to sin in secret but God allowed the punishment of David to be done in the open so that all who saw understand that God does not allow those whom HE loves escape the consequences of violating the HIS perfect law.

The punishment that David faced as a result of his committing adultery and murder was that the son of adultery died. Next Amnon raped Tamar. Absalom ended up killing Amnon. Absalom tried to take away the throne of his father and he committed adultery with 10 of David’s concubines. David had ordered that the life of Absalom be spared, but Joab had Absalom killed anyways. Even after the death of David, Solomon ended up killing Adonijah after he had made an attempt on the throne.

One mistake of doing what seemed right at that moment resulted in much chastisement by God. David loved the Lord; in fact we are told that he had a heart after the heart of God. Yet David chose to do what was right in his own eyes and he suffered the consequences. It was because God loved David that we see God coming down so hard upon David.

Look at Judah, the son of Jacob. Judah committed adultery by sleeping with his daughter-in-law yet there is no indication in scripture that God punished Judah to the same level that he punished David. David had a close relationship with God and because of this close relationship God chose to be more severe with David.

Just because someone seems to be going through a very difficult time, it does not mean that they are being corrected by God. Remember, Joseph chose not to commit adultery with the wife of Potiphar yet he still suffered false accusations and several years in prison. God does allow certain trials into our lives to prepare us for the future.

Have you faced a particularly difficult time in your life where you were wondering why God was allowing you to suffer? It may just be that you need to confess your sins and recognize God for who HE is. Do not curse God for the trials that you face, instead, learn to thank HIM for loving you enough to correct you for your failure to obey HIM.

It is a fool who sees the correction of God and says that God hates him. A wise individual has spent the time adding knowledge of the ways of God and as a result, he understands that the correction of God demonstrates the love of God. The more time you spend adding knowledge of the ways of God, the better understanding you will have of the love of God and this will better enable you to share the truth with those whom God has brought into your life.

Proverbs 13:16 Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.

A smart individual will continue to add knowledge of the ways of God to his life while a foolish man is quick to reveal his own foolishness. Have you ever meet an individual who is not ashamed of their sin? An individual who knows deep down that what they are doing is wrong, but instead of forsaking their wicked ways, they have chosen to brag about their wickedness and condone their sin because everyone is doing it.

A fool is an individual who brags about his or her wickedness. Absalom was a fool when he was trying to take over the kingdom of David. Absalom took the concubines of David and set up a tent where all could see and he went in and slept with the concubines. Absalom wanted to make sure everyone knew that he was sleeping with the concubines of David. Absalom was not ashamed of his actions.

Jezebel is another example of an individual who had no shame. When Jezebel found out that her husband desired the vineyards of Naboth and that he would not sell them to Ahab, she made a plot to have him killed. Jezebel was not afraid of using corrupt politics to obtain that what she wanted and recruited those who were equally corrupt to help her.

Instead of being a fool that reveals to all just how foolish we are; we need to take our knowledge of the ways of God and add to them. Jesus Christ should be our example. Jesus had a perfect relationship with God, but that did not stop HIM from taking time to get away from all distractions and spend time alone with God. Jesus did not take for granted HIS relationship with the Father and HE desired to do the will of HIS Father.

It is a wise individual who understands that they need to continue to draw closer to God. It is a wise individual who understands that it does not matter how many years they have been serving God, God still has something for them to learn. It is a wise individual who understands that the word of God is full of truth that a lifetime of learning could not fully discover.

Are you a wise individual or are you a fool? Do you set aside time each day to draw closer to God? Remember, drawing closer to God is not just about making sure you pray every day so as to give God your Christmas list of everything you desire for HIM to do for you. God desires that you take the time to praise HIM for what HE has done. God desires that you take the time to confess your sins so that there is nothing preventing you from doing HIS perfect will.

Daniel was a very wise man who was greatly used of God. Daniel could have easily justified not taking the time every now and then to talk with God. Nonetheless, it was because Daniel understood his relationship with God that he was faithful three times a day to take time to further develop his relationship with God.

If you desire to be wise, you will constantly pursue the things of God. A wise man builds his life upon the rock so that when the storms come, he will not waiver. Are you the wise man or are you the fool who is simply doing that which is right in your own eyes. Are you setting the rules for your life or are you taking the time to follow the laws of God?

Proverbs 11:12 He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbor: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.

It is easy to talk about someone behind their back. It is easy to see the bad in another and gossip about it to everyone you know. However, that is not the ways of God, God desires that you love your neighbor as yourself. You do not talk evil about yourself to others. You do not naturally tell others about all the mistakes that you made so that others do not like you as they should. If you do not do it to yourself, what makes you think God likes it when you do it to others?

Keeping your mouth shut is not easy. It takes real self-control. When David was fleeing for his life from his son Absalom, Shimei came out and was cursing the king. David was king and could have had Shimei killed, but instead, he held his peace and was willing to wait and see what God was doing in his present distress.

Absalom on the other had was void of wisdom. He was doing everything in his power to ensure that there could never be reconciliation between him and his father. He required that the nation choose between him or his father. Absalom set up a tent where he went into ten concubines of his father. Absalom despised his father and he ensured that everyone knew it.

We need to learn to be more like David. Yes the world is going to do us great injustices but that does not mean that we have the right to go out and let the whole world know just how we have been mistreated. Instead, God has a direction for our lives and we have a duty to God to control our tongue. It is easy to use our tongue as a sword to tear someone down, but it is hard to control your tongue and encourage others to do the right thing.

James tells us that the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell (James 3:6). If we do not control our tongue and instead allow it to say what it wants when it wants, then our tongue will lead to our own destruction. However, if we turn our tongue over to God and allow HIM to guide us in what we say, then our tongue can be used of God for great glory.

When Jesus was on trial for his life, HE chose to not answer HIS accusers. Jesus could have opened HIS mouth and defended every word, action, and deed. Jesus could have said so much to absolve HIMSELF of the false accusations that HE was facing. However, Jesus understood that it did not matter what these men said about HIM, what was important was that HE did the will of God. By holding HIS peace, Jesus may have been falsely accused, but that did not prevent HIM from fulfilling the perfect will of God.

Go ahead and demonstrate your lack of wisdom by opening your mouth and uttering whatever you want whenever you want. You are only destroying your reputation and you may cause others to not turn to God in their time of need. If you are loose with your lips, God will hold you accountable for every word that you speak.

Take time every day to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. Learn to rely upon the strength of God so that you might hold your tongue and not cause further damage to yourself or the kingdom of God. People are watching you and because you claim to be a Christian, you are accountable to God if you demonstrate a lack of wisdom by opening your mouth too much.

1 Corinthians 13:7 Beareth all things,

Love bears all things. The Greek word translated bearth in this passage means to roof over, to cover with silence, endure patiently, bear, and to suffer. Thus, by connotation, to love someone, means that you must be willing to patiently endure the things that others do to you. There will be times when others will do things that are unjust or unfair, but that does not give you the right to retaliate against them, instead, you must learn to love your enemy as yourself and thus learn to patiently endure those things that they have done to you regardless of whether they deserve it.

Absalom was a man who was trying to kill king David. However, it did not matter what Absalom desired to do to David, David made sure all his leaders knew that they were not to kill Absalom. David loved his son and did not desire to see his son be punished for trying to take his throne away from him. David was willing to patiently endure the injustice of Absalom.

Christ had the ability to get off the cross anytime HE wished; all HE had to do was say the words and HE could have shown the religious leaders the power that HE had. However, Jesus decided to demonstrate true love by patiently enduring the ridicule of man and the separation from God so that HE might demonstrate the love of God to us so that we had the choice to renew our fellowship with God once again.

Proverbs 10:2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.

Where is your hope? Is it in the Lord or is it in treasures that you can amass for yourself? It is easy to say that your desire is for the things of God, but does your life really follow that principle? Jesus told us that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

It is easy to see the wicked prosper and wish that you could have the same prosperity. You must remember that the treasures of those who do evil cannot save them. A drug dealer who is a multimillionaire will never be content. Furthermore, the drug dealer is living a lifestyle that he will some day have to give account for before a Holy God.

God desires that you delight yourself in HIM and that HE will thus be able to give you the desires of your heart. When you put the things of God first in your life, God will be able to open your eyes to the things that give true contentment. Would you rather have great wealth and have the world hate you or would you rather have peace and harmony with your spouse and kids and have sufficient funds to pay your bills. What really is a priority in your life?

This passage is an excellent example that it takes more than just reading a passage to understand the ways of God. It states that righteousness delivers from death. What does that mean? Is it talking about the righteousness of Christ delivering you from hell? If you were to look at the Hebrew meaning for the word that is translated righteousness you would learn that it also means justice and morally. This means that righteous living, that living in accordance with the justice of God, and that living a moral life will deliver you from death.

The wicked live their lives for the pursuit of treasure. They will do whatever it takes in order to obtain the almighty dollar. Nonetheless, the lifestyle of the wicked individual will not only lead them to hell, but will also most likely shorten their life here on this earth. Absalom chose to take matters into his own hands and he killed his half-brother for raping his sister. Absalom ended up living several years in exile. Once Absalom returned to Jerusalem, he still did not see the face of the king. Absalom eventually made an attempt on the throne of his father and it ended up costing him his life.

By contrast, look at the life of David. David was not perfect, but David did learn to put his delight in the things of the Lord. David had many people who tried to kill him throughout his life, but God always protected David and eventually, David died in his own bed. David did experience suffering, but God was always with him. Because David put the things of God first, God was able to direct his steps and was able to ensure that the wicked man was ever able to triumph.

You need to add knowledge of the ways of God. In this verse we learn that God desires that you live your life in accordance with HIS principles. As you learn to put your focus upon the things of God rather than the treasures of this world, God will be able to protect you and bless you in ways that you never could imagine. What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world yet lose his own soul or lose his family.

2 Samuel 16:18 The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man.

David was fleeing for his life because his son Absalom was trying to take the kingdom away from him. While David was fleeing, Shimei, a man from the house of Saul came out and started cursing David. In 1 Corinthians 13:6 we learn that love rejoiceth not in iniquity. This is exactly what Shimei was not doing. Shimei was not showing any love towards David but instead was rejoicing in the suffering of David.

Shimei apparently was full of bitterness because God had taken the kingdom away from Saul and gave it to David. When Saul was alive, Shimei was an important individual in the kingdom, however, now he simply was a has-been. Because of the bitterness of Shimei, he was unable to see the tragic set of events that was throwing the country into civil war. Instead, Shimei was just glad to see the suffering of David.

When something terrible happens to someone else, do not rejoice. Instead, you need to learn to show love to that individual. God did eventually judge Shimei for his sin of rejoicing when David was suffering and God will hold you accountable when you demonstrate a lack of love for your neighbor by rejoicing when they are suffering.

Proverbs 6:17 A proud look,

In this passage, Solomon is going through a list of seven abominations unto the Lord. The first item in this list of abominations is pride. God hates pride in our lives. As Christians, this list of seven items is readily available to us, all we have to do is open up the word of God and we can find what God likes to see in us and what is an abomination unto HIM.

Knowledge of the ways of God is not rocket science. All it takes is some time on your part to read the scriptures and see what God desires you to do. Once you understand what God desires of you, you must start changing your life so as to conform your life in accordance with HIS principles.

Scripture is clear that God resists the proud but HE gives grace unto the humble. Pride is an abomination unto the Lord because it is such a destructive sin in our lives. The reason Satan was cast out of heaven was because of pride in the heart of Satan. The reason Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden was because they believed that they would become like God if they eat the forbidden fruit. Absalom was proud of his hair, but it was the thing that he was proud of that eventually lead to his demise.

Satan loves to cause you to be proud of the things that you have done. God has given you certain talents. However, why should you be proud of the things you can do because it is God who gave you those talents to begin with? Instead, God desires that you learn to develop a grateful heart, a heart full of praise where you acknowledge HIS power in your life.

Because of pride, Nebuchadnezzar found himself eating grass like a cow for seven years. Nebuchadnezzar was looking at the great kingdom that God had given to him but instead of seeing the hand of God in his life, Nebuchadnezzar took the credit. God had to humble Nebuchadnezzar until he recognized that every good gift comes from God.

What is going on in your life that you are so proud about? Do you understand that Go does not want you to be proud about your own accomplishments but instead to turn your attention to the things of God and to learn to see how God has used others in our own lives to use us and to make us great.

Instead of patting yourself on the back for all the great things you have done, you need to change your attitude and learn to start acknowledging how God and others have enabled you to do the great things that you have done. When someone gives you a complement for doing something, you need to learn how to deflect that comment and acknowledge the influences of God and others in your life. As long as you take credit for the things that you are doing, your ego will grow and you are setting yourself up for a fall.

You understand that pride is an abomination unto the Lord. Satan is constantly going to try to confront you with pride throughout the day. Make a commitment to God right now; ask God to give you the grace that the next time someone complements you for something; you will deflect the praise to HIM or someone else in your life. Allow your knowledge of the ways of God to change your life so that God will be glorified. It will take time to rid your life of pride, but a journey of a 1,000 miles starts with a single step.

Proverbs 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

When you were a child, your parents probably disciplined you when you did something that was wrong. Your parent may have even said something like this hurts me more than it hurts you or I am doing this because I love you. At the time, these statements made absolutely no sense to you. However, as you have matured, you see the truth in the statements of your parents.

A parent who loves their child does not like correcting them. However, it is because of that love they have for their children that they know they must discipline their child when they do not follow the rules. A good parent understands that they are accountable to God for how they raised the children that God gave to them. A good parent understands that they have the responsibility to train up a child in the way they should go so that when they are old they will not depart from it. A good parent understands that they are responsible to teach their children the good things that God has done in their life and to teach the child the commands of God.

Parents understand that if their child breaks a rule, the child must be punished promptly or else the child might continue to break the rule. Some children like to test the boundaries more than others, but at some time, every child will cross the line and deliberately disobey. A parent who loves their child understands that if they do not discipline their child, that the child will be setting the rules in the house.

When you take the time to add knowledge of the ways of God, you understand that God is our Father. In the same way an earthly father must disciple his son, so your Heavenly Father must disciple you when you disobey HIM. Discipline is never easy to receive, but you must recognize it for what it is, it is the love of God who does not allow you to disobey HIS perfect law.

When David committed adultery with Bath-sheba, God punished him by bringing up evil out of his own house. The son conceived out of adultery died. Later on, David had a daughter, Tamar, that was raped by her own brother Amnon. Because David did not discipline Amnon, Absalom took matters into his own hands and killed Amnon. Furthermore, Absalom later made an attempt for the throne of David, but he ended up losing his life. Even after the death of David, after David had named Solomon as king in his stead, Adonijah another son of David made an attempt at the throne of Solomon and Solomon had Adonijah killed.

David may have repented for his sin with Bath-sheba, but the discipline of God was still strong. God disciplined David so that we all know that there is a consequence when we fail to obey HIM. Just because we ask for forgiveness, it does not mean that God will not continue to allow us to suffer the consequences for our actions. It is because HE loves us that HE must correct us. This may sound harsh to you until you think about your own childhood and the punishments you received or others around you. Your parents may have caught you doing something wrong when you were a teenager, and as a result, you may have been grounded from certain activities or being around certain friends for as long as a year.

Knowledge of the ways of God allows you to see that it is because of the love of God for you that HE must correct you when you go astray. The greater the sin, the greater the consequences. God cannot allow the world to think that sin does not have any consequences.

I John 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

Christ commanded us that we are to love the Lord with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. During the Sermon on the Mount, Christ likened anger with your brother to that of murder. In this passage, we see that we cannot be of the light and have hate in our life at the same time.

How many times have you heard that God is a God of love? God does love us; HE loves us so much that HE sent HIS only Son to die so that HE might have full fellowship with HIM. HE sent HIS Son to die for those who hate HIM and rejected HIM. Because of HIS great love for us, HE desires to see us follow in HIS example and “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

Christ commanded us to be the light of the world. In order to be the light, our life must be an example to those around us of the love of God. If the world sees hate in you, how can they see the light of God? If you allow yourself to be consumed with hatred towards your fellow man, then the light of God will not reflect in your life. The world is quick to spot your flaws and use them to encourage themselves to not hold themselves to a higher standard. In order to be the light, you must ensure that you are trying to serve both your own personal interest and the things of God.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ commanded that we are supposed to forgive others the wrong that they have done to us so that God can also forgive us. If we fail to forgive others, we are not demonstrating God’s forgiveness for us, and Christ said God will not forgive us. Think of the worst thing that someone has ever done to you, does it even compare to the sins you have committed against God. Remember, it is because of your sins that Jesus had to die on the cross. If God is willing to forgive you so much, why can’t you forgive others for the things that they have done to you? It is only by forgiveness that you will find freedom.

Hatred will destroy your testimony for God. Because of Absalom’s hatred, he thought more highly of himself than he ought and he tried to take the throne away from his own father. Absalom ended up losing his life because he could not learn to forgive. Yes, other people had done wrong, but because he could not forgive, his hatred ended up destroying his life.

God has a plan for your life. God allows people to do you wrong so as to refine you and draw you closer to HIM. You can accept these trials in your life with joy knowing that God will write the final chapter or you can learn to forgive and allow God to rid your life of hatred so that you can be HIS tool to show the world HIS light.

If you fill your life with the things of God, you will not have room to hate. As you change your mindset and look for ways to bless those who do you wrong, God’s virtue in you will be able to reveal to the world HIS light and HIS love. By returning good to those who did you evil, you demonstrate to those around you the love of God.

Psalms 109:2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

David is crying out to God to deliver him from his enemies. David sees how the wicked are attempting to destroy HIM with their words. In verse four of this Psalm, David informs us that he gives himself to prayer. David knew that there was no way that he could stop the lies of the enemy, but he knew that God could intervene on HIS behalf.

David understood that God controlled the hearts of man. When Absalom chased David out of Jerusalem, David prayed “O Lord, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.” (2 Samuel 15:31). Ahithophel did give good advise unto Absalom, but God controlled the heart of Absalom so that he rejected the good advise.

Wicked men will always be out to destroy the character of the righteous. You must understand that God controls the hearts of men. God can stop the wicked person’s mouth at any time. God shut Goliath’s mouth by enabling David to kill him. God shut Ahithophel’s mouth by causing Absalom to not heed unto his counsel. God shut the mouths of the princes and presidents in Daniel’s time by sparing Daniel from the mouths of the lion but then utterly destroying Daniel’s accusers before their feet even hit the floor of the lion’s den.

When the wicked begin to accuse you with their mouths, you must first take the time to examine your heart. Ensure that your heart is right before God. If your relationship with God is not perfect, use the accusations of your enemies as an opportunity to get right with God. As David was escaping the sword of Absalom, Shimei came out to curse David. David’s men desired to kill Shimei, but David refused because he understood that God was permitting this cursing.

David understood that he was in a place of great affliction. David understood that only God could deliver him. David was not going to take matters into his own hands and retaliate, but instead, he was going to allow God to take care of his situation. God was in control and it would not do David any good to take matters into his own hands.

If the wicked accuse you and your heart is right before God, then you know that God desires to show HIMSELF strong in your life as HE demonstrates HIS power by shutting the wicked individual’s mouth. God shut the mouth of Goliath and he shut the mouths of the princes and presidents, surely HE can shut the mouths of those wicked individuals who falsely accuse you.

Stop taking it personally when you hear the words of the wicked. God is using the wicked to drive you closer to HIM. God may be trying to purge your life of your own wicked ways or HE might be setting up the wicked for the great fall. Rather than listening to the words of the wicked, you need to turn to God and hear what HE is speaking in your life. Use your adversaries to drive you to a closer relationship with God. As you set your mind upon the things of God and turn to HIM in prayer, God will reveal to you HIS power and HIS strength. As you fill your life with virtue, you enable God to work in your life to show HIMSELF strong.

Psalms 35:12-13 They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.

Do you want to know why David was called a man after God’s own heart? This passage gives you a glimpse into David’s heart and helps reveal why God loved David’s heart. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that you are to “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). David’s life demonstrated this principle long before Jesus taught the importance of loving your enemies.

Saul wished to do David harm but David on several occasions chose to do Saul good. It did not matter to David that Saul was his enemy, David understood that God had anointed Saul and David’s love for the Lord was so strong that he allowed his love to overflow upon the one who wished to do him harm.

Saul was not the only enemy that David loved. David’s own son Absalom drove David out of Jerusalem and tried to take the throne away from David. Absalom had no desire of leaving his father alive; he wanted his own father dead. David on the other hand loved his enemy so much so that when he learned that Absalom was dead, he mourned even though it meant that God had returned the throne back to him.

David did not just love those who loved him. David went the extra mile to forgive those who had wronged him. David was not perfect, but both his prayers and his actions demonstrated a love for his enemies that God desires us to maintain.

It is not easy to love your enemies as David did. In order to fulfill Christ’s command to love, bless, do good, and pray for your enemies, you must change your perspective. You must be like Joseph who was able to forgive his brothers because he saw the bigger picture that God used his brother’s evil deeds to do good. You must be like David who understood that God had anointed Saul and thus while Saul desired to kill him; David had to live to a higher standard and reverence the king. You must be like Paul who was more concerned about the soul of his jailer than he was about his own personal freedom.

If you desire to please God and have a heart after God’s own heart, you need to change your thinking. You must add virtue to your life so that you can put on the mind of Christ. No longer are your enemies those who you wish evil upon, instead, you must understand that God is using your enemies in your life to teach you humility. God is using your enemies to bring adversity into your life so that HE can guide you in the way HE has for you. Your enemies are not your enemies; they are God’s tools to draw you closer to HIM.

Who really is the enemy of your life? Satan desires to destroy your relationship with God. God desires that you develop a heart after HIS own heart. To do this, you must fill your mind with the truth of God. You must be willing to realize that God made your fellow man and that HE has a purpose for them just as HE has a purpose for you. Rather than vent your anger against your fellow man, you need to follow Christ’s command and start finding ways that you can heap coals of fire upon your fellow man by doing them good.

Psalms 3:5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

This Psalm was written during a troubling time in David’s life. David had just fled from Jerusalem because his son Absalom was going to kill him and take the throne. Those around David were telling him that there was no hope but David understood that he had cried out to God and that God had heard him. David understood that God had protected him in the past and that it was God who had lifted him up to be king to begin with.

David did not fear Absalom or his armies because he trusted in the Lord. David did not lose sleep over the fact that he was not in his bed in Jerusalem. David did not worry because he had seen the Lord’s direction, protection and provision in his life. David was not going to allow his present difficulty to affect his trust in the Lord.

What problems do you face in your life that causes you to lose sleep at night? Do you think that your problems are greater than David’s problems? David had experienced the Lord’s protection in the past and he understood that the same God who delivered him in the past would deliver him again. Why lose sleep over something that was outside his control? Rather than sit up late and worry about losing the throne and his home, David simply cried out to God and acknowledged God’s ability to solve the situation.

All around David were individuals who were discouraged. They did not have the same relationship with God that David did. David however did not allow these disheartened individuals to destroy his hope that God would deliver him. David did not allow the worry of those around him to distract him from the promises of God.

It does not matter how big your problem is, God is still bigger. God does not want you to worry about your problem; instead, it is HIS desire that you turn your focus upon HIM. Turn your focus upon HIM and trust in HIM. Understand that HE is the One who will direct and protect you. HE is the One who will show HIMSELF strong in your life. Jesus commanded in the Sermon on the Mount that you are not to worry about tomorrow. Instead of worrying, you should follow the example of David and allow yourself to focus upon the solution, God.

David was able to sleep at night because he understood that greater was HE that was in HIM then he that was of this world. David was not going to allow his problems to control him; instead his problems were another opportunity for God to show HIMSELF strong in his life. David had the right focus for his life. Because David understood his position with God, God was able to use him. David had a personal testimony of God’s protection and direction and he was ready to see God work in his life again.

It does you no good to sit up late and worry about your problems. God is greater than your problems. You need to set your mind upon the things of God and understand HIS greatness. The same God who saved you from a similar problem in the past is able to deliver you again. The problem simply reveals the condition of your heart and mind. When you see a problem, do you think upon the problem or is your attention drawn to God and HIS ability to save you. Virtue is revealed when you understand that God is in control over your problems and you allow HIM to reign supreme.