Devotionals:"God is this Him?” The Question many of us Ladies would like to know.

I once was engaged. Twice to be exact, to the same man. The first time I prayed about it, I asked God if He was the man for me and God answered right away with the sign of a break-up. In my unwillingness to accept reality, we got back together and broke up again. The downward spiral continued for three years, until it got so bad it was finally done for good.  I've been single for almost five years now and what can I say? "God knows". 

Up until recently, many people have asked me "Why have you been single for so long?" It is a question I even ask myself, but truthfully past experience has encouraged my wait. Though I desire a relationship, God always reveals to me that the time is not yet right thru signs and still voices. I'd be stupid to ignore it now, however, He recently revealed to me some takeaways on how to identify if someone could be the right one. He revealed this through 1 Samuel 25:1-18, the story of  David and Abigail. I have provided some context below, but encourage you to read it on your own.

 1 Samuel 25 1-18 (Overview): David is in the Wilderness with his men hiding out from an enemy who wants to kill him. He sends 10 of his men to go ask Nabal, a rich businessman in Carmel who is shearing his sheep and preparing for a feast, to give him and his men some food. David tells his men to tell Nabal that when his shepherds were in the part of land where David and his men were, they did not harm his shepherds and also looked out for them. Immediately when David's men deliver the message, Nabal shuts the request with a "No!". David (who is truly a humble man but doesn't take no stuff), is caught off guard by Nabal's arrogance and gathers 400 of his men to go show Nabal that He too has another side of Him. Meanwhile, Abigail (Nabal's wife), steps in after hearing from a messenger how her husband treated David's men and how David was ready to get revenge. The messenger suggests that Abigail step in to prevent what was going to happen. And you, you just have to keep reading because this story gets juicy.  See here.

Takeaways: 

1. Sometimes we get distracted by what a person has, looks like, charisma. Do we really like them or is it because of what they have or own? 

1 25: 2 And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats.

2. How is this person's attitude? Are they easily irritated or angered? Are they prideful? 

 1 25: 3 Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.

3.Take time to get to know the person. Pray to God about their Heart.

4.Be wise. Consider the things you see and observe. Are there any red flags? green flags? What are you willing to compromise? What has God revealed to you in prayer? Did you take time to listen?  Has he showed you their heart but you're unwilling to see it?

1 25: 14-16 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them. 15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. 

5. Be obedient to what the Spirit shows you.

1 25: 18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys. 

Final Note: When you bring questions and concerns to God, He will respond. Sometimes He may not respond right away, but He will respond. Ask Him to give you your sight to see things how He sees. Ask him to hear how He hears. When we open our hearts to Him, He will reveal the truth.

Be Encouraged,

Noelani