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
Children can cry for mercy. Mercy is a vital force to be reckoned with. No one can do without mercy. It is something we should pray for, long for, hope for, and expect all the days of our lives.
One way our children can obtain mercy is through prayers. That is why we must teach them the art of prayers. Nobody is too small to pray.
Taking a cue from the great psalmist, when he messed up with Bathsheba, one way he was quickly restored was when he cried for mercy.
HAVE MERCY upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to the multitude of Your tender mercy and loving-kindness blot out my transgressions.
Ps 51:1 {AMP}
Also looking at the story of blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, he received his sight when he cried for mercy.
so he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Luke 18:38 [TLB]
Parents, we should always pray that the mercies of God will continually preserve our children wherever they go.
Withhold not Your tender mercy from me, O Lord; let Your loving-kindness and Your truth continually preserve me!
Psalm 40:11 AMP
They should also be taught that our God is a loving and merciful God. They should always pray for God’s mercy over their lives, academics, and everywhere they go.
Wherever or whatever situation you find yourself, cry out for God’s mercy and He will surely answer you.
Prayer for children: Lord, let your mercies continually rest upon my children, in Jesus Name. Amen
Prayer for parents: Lord, let your mercy speak for us and our children, in Jesus Name.
Action Plan: Parents, let’s ensure we pray, confess, and teach our children God’s words always.
Declaration: My children are continually preserved by God’s mercies.
Sade is just simply toxic in her way of thinking and dealing with issues. This is brought about by several disappointments she has gone through in the hands of guys, especially. She believes life has not been fair to her at all. She watched a lot of her friends get married one by one while nothing seems to be happening in her life.
She prayed and prayed but it was as though God is not listening to her. She got to a place where she actually gave up and she was no longer rejoicing with those who rejoice.
Her pastime became having itchy ears and looking for negative news which seems to excite her. When she hears that someone has a broken relationship, she seems happy. She would not stop at that, but she would consciously begin to spread the news as if it was some good news. This she did and did not even know she was in error.
This is in direct contradiction to what we are supposed to do as believers. It is never in our place to spread negative news. As a matter of fact, what we are supposed to do at such times is to pray for such people, so that such will not be your experience.
When King Saul died, it could have been a time for David to start rejoicing and keep mouthing it all over. But check out what he said here:
Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
2Sa 1:20 (KJV)
He understood covenant. He said the news is not to be published!
My words of advice for you this morning is simple. Avoid being happy when something unfortunate happens to others, even when such people are perceived enemies.
Pray for them and you will unleash a new realm of favour upon your life!
Be blessed in Jesus name!
CONFESSION FOR THE DAY I choose to rejoice with those who are happy
PRAYER FOR THE DAY Oh Lord, help me to genuinely rejoice with those rejoicing.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Romans 12:15 [ESV] Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
You should learn how to pray from the Bible. The bible is full of so many power-packed prayers from ordinary people like you and me; people who faced one issue or another at different times in bible history.
It’s a reservoir of prayers said out of fear, pain, and loneliness. Some were faced with destruction and had to cry out for help. Some more said prayers out of confusion, hopelessness, and despair.
Prayers for mercy, deliverance, and strength are found in the bible, said by people who were faced with huge challenges. This is one of the reasons you should learn to pray from the Bible.
Sometimes, God can lead you to a particular book, chapter, and verse in the bible as a guide to pray with. Remember the part where obedience was mentioned, in the last post? When directed to read from the bible, obey. That way, you get to know what God wants to teach or tell you about that burning issue in your mind.
Someone you can read about in the Bible is David. His story will encourage you to pray from the Bible. You will see the many times and ways he prayed to God. He asked for help, encouragement, forgiveness, provision, and deliverance. He even asked God to punish him alone and not the people for the sin he committed in 1 Chron. 21:1-13.
David praised and worshipped God a lot in the psalms. His prayers also show that he too had fears and prayed about them. He had hope in God to save him from all his enemies. And the Bible records that God gave him victory over all his enemies.
Learn to pray from the Bible. When David was afraid, lost, and unsure of what to do –
“Later David prayed to the Lord. David said, “Should I go up to any of the cities of Judah? The lord said to David, “Go”. David asked, “Where should I go?” The Lord answered, “To Hebron”. 1 Sam. 2:1 ICB
When he sinned against God in 2 Sam. 2:12, he owned up to it immediately – “
…I have sinned against the Lord.”
As you learn how to pray from the Bible, which includes reading and meditation from the bible, God will bless you.
Prayer: Lord, as you lead me to read the bible, help me to grasp the meaning of what I read. Help me meditate on these readings so I can learn how to pray. Amen.
Action point: Read some Psalms of David. Note the different ways he prayed for help, forgiveness, and other things.
In today’s article, we would be examining how children can pray, as seen in the Bible. The bible is full of so many power-packed prayers from ordinary people like you and me, who faced one issue or another at different times in bible history.
It’s a reservoir of prayers said out of fear, pain, and loneliness. Some were faced with destruction and had to cry out for help. Some more said prayers out of confusion, hopelessness, and despair. Prayers for mercy, deliverance, and strength are found in the bible, said by people who were faced with huge challenges. And in these stories we see how children can pray.
Sometimes, God can lead you to a particular book, chapter, and verse in the bible as a guide to pray with. When directed to read from the bible, obey. That way, you get to know what God wants to teach or tell you about that burning issue in your mind.
David praised and worshipped God a lot in the psalms. His prayers also showed that he too had fears and prayed about them. He had hope in God to save him from all his enemies. And the Bible records that God gave him victory over all his enemies. Reading these life stories, you learn how children can pray.
When he was afraid, lost, and unsure of what to do –“Later David prayed to the Lord. David said,
“Should I go up to any of the cities of Judah? The lord said to David, “Go”. David asked, “Where should I go?” The Lord answered, “To Hebron”. 1 Sam. 2:1 ICB
As you learn how children can pray, include reading and meditation from the bible. God bless you as you do so. Amen
Prayer: Lord, as you lead me to read the bible, help me to grasp the meaning of what I read. Help me meditate on these readings so I can learn how to pray. Amen.
Action point: Read some Psalms of David. Note the different ways he prayed for help, forgiveness, and other things.
Declaration: Prayer is the master key, so I use it well.
