Abigail is one of the women in the Bible, with rich lessons to teach and wisdom to glean from.
Her story is in 1 Samuel 25: 1 – end.
Her story teaches us how to handle any difficult relationship. Whether it is a relationship with an employer, an associate, a colleague, a child, a mentor, a mentee, a spouse, or a family member, it’s the same principle and it can be applied for success.
1 Samuel 25:3 [KJV] Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.
Emotional intelligence, people management, and good understanding were virtues that Abigail possessed. Abigail had a good understanding of herself, her husband, her situation, and her household.
Our focus is not on Nabal’s behavior but on her ability to beautifully manage and navigate the situation.
It is our year of supernatural growth and our emphasis should be growing in the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 [KJV] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
The more we learn to develop the fruits of the Spirit, the better our relationships will be even if the persons are “churlish and evil in their doings” like Nabal
We can see her good understanding being displayed in her attitudes, speech, actions, and the quality of her inner life.
Her good understanding helped her to know the times and seasons and how to salvage a situation that would have led to the murder of every life associated with Nabal, both young and old.
The story of Abigail is not just for wives but also for men, who want to know how to manage people. People are ladders, especially those relationships God brought into your life.
Don’t discard people because of offenses and unforgiveness. You need to understand that not every man has developed fully in the fruit of the Spirit. They might just be the help you need at certain junctions in your life.
There are some things we have control over and some we don’t have control over. You don’t have control over other people’s behavior but you have control over your attitudes.
It’s all about how you react when others treat you badly.
Being married to Nabal was a lot, but Abigail was a woman who had a good understanding.
Isaiah 11:2 tells us that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of wisdom and understanding.
I pray the Holy Spirit will impact our lives with Good understanding in Jesus’ mighty name amen
There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)
Have you ever been in a relationship where everything seems to be okay on the surface, but there is just this little voice inside you that says something is not right? Maybe you have been in it for so long, that everything is going smoothly, and you stopped questioning it.
Have you asked yourself; Is this the person God has for me? It’s so easy to get into the flow and move with it.
A biblical account that beautifully illustrated how God’s choice often defies human expectation was when Samuel thought Eliab was the perfect choice for a king because he had the look, the stature, and the presence. But God saw differently: “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
This story reminds us that good is not always God’s best. Like Samuel, we must learn to trust God’s wisdom over our perceptions. Instead of making decisions based on what seems right, we should seek God’s guidance, knowing that His choice will always be greater than our expectations.
Life has a way of presenting us with this picture-perfect view of choices to make in life. Sometimes, in relationships, friendships, or even career paths, we meet people who often seem to be everything that we would have prayed for: kind, loving, responsible, and even God-fearing. But then, as time unfolds, we really get to find out that just because they are a good person does not make them the right person. The difference is found in the divine alignment.
A good person can have great qualities, but the right person is someone God has specifically aligned with your destiny. The right person won’t just make you happy, they will help you grow into the person God has called you to be (Jeremiah 29:11).
Sometimes, we get caught up in our own checklist of what we think we need, but God’s plan is always bigger and better than our expectations. A good person may be kind and loving, but if they’re not meant to walk your journey with you, they could slow you down instead of helping you move forward. Perhaps the clearest sign of all, while a good person may seem perfect on paper, the right person will bring a deep, unshakable peace in your spirit that only God can give (Colossians 3:15).
Good isn’t always God. Just because something looks perfect doesn’t mean it’s meant for you. What seems right in your eyes may not be what’s best for your future. Instead of chasing what looks good, seek what is God-ordained. Pray, listen, and trust His leading because His choice is always better than yours.
Time doesn’t really make things better; what happens IN time is what has the power to change the course of actions.
So, if the enemy has stolen from your life, marriage, family, and career last year, he will come to take another this year. Don’t think that the passage of time from 2024 to 2025 will stop him from taking another. He will come for another!
“Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.”Acts 12:2-3 [NKJV]
Herod had killed James, and you would think that was enough and that time would make him stop. It didn’t. When he was done with James, he went for Peter! And had he been able to deal with Peter, he would have gone for another. And then another. And another… until there was none left.
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” John 10:10 [NKJV]
But the church stopped that from happening—they stopped the enemy from taking another. How?
“Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. Acts 12:5 [KJV]
Prayer was made without ceasing. What changed the narrative was what the church did in time—they made constant prayers.
In this season, things will spiral into more mess if you don’t step in and stop the flow. The enemy will take another if you don’t step in and stop the flow. More things will go wrong in your marriage if you don’t step in and stop the flow. Your life will get worse if you don’t arise and stop the flow.
It’s that year that we arise and declare, “No more!”
