April 29, 2025 - Choose Your Friends Wisely

2 SAMUEL 17:15-29

PSALM 3

PSALM 63

2 SAMUEL 18:1-19:30

Chronological Bible Readings

Psalm 63:6 I lie awake thinking of you,

    meditating on you through the night.

This has become a verse that has given me peace on the nights that I can't sleep. I had one of those nights on the first night of retreat this past weekend. But I am much more likely to ask God why or just pray than to get upset.

2 Samuel 19:5 Then Joab went to the king’s room and said to him, “We saved your life today and the lives of your sons, your daughters, and your wives and concubines. Yet you act like this, making us feel ashamed of ourselves. 6 You seem to love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that your commanders and troops mean nothing to you. It seems that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died, you would be pleased.

This also reminds me of the game we played this past weekend. The agents of the devil tried to convince those trying to grow closer to God and make it to heaven that the things they were thinking and feeling were wrong. They deflected the blame from themselves by lying about other people's words and actions. They would pretend to have their best interest at heart and claim to do things to help and protect them when they were really doing the opposite. When we are dealing with difficulties, overwhelmed with emotions and stressors it is harder to see the lies. It is harder to know how to deal with the situations we are in. These times we are at our weakest and that is when the enemy will attack. He will use those who don't walk with God to do so. Be sure that you surround yourself with people who love God and desire to walk with Him and follow Him. Those are the people you can depend on when you are in a time of weakness and struggle.