Do you take joy in the defeat or pain of those who have hurt you? Do you respect God’s choices and timing? Do you trust Him to raise and remove the leaders He chooses, in the time and manner He determines? Will you respect and follow those people until the Lord removes them from leadership? Are you able to set aside your own personal issues with your leaders and see the good they may have done for others? Can you look past the negative things and remember the good in them? Are you willing to praise them publicly while keeping the negative things to yourself? Do you desire the best for everyone rather than selfishly seeking what is best for yourself?

Do you look to God for answers, understanding, or for fulfillment of your needs and wants? Or do you turn to other things? Do you seek to please Him first? Or do you first seek to take care of yourself, leaving Him as an afterthought?

Sometimes, when things aren’t quickly resolved in our own lives and the trials seem to linger on, we may be tempted to think that God has deserted us and turn away from Him. But, if we will remain faithful, refusing to desert our God, He will prove Himself faithful to us. His protection, favor, victory, or way out may not come as quickly as we wish or in the way we want, but that shouldn’t cause us to doubt Him. We can’t always see what’s happening behind the scenes or understand all His ways. But that doesn’t mean He isn’t there or He isn’t working.

It is hard not to defend ourselves or be mean to people who are being mean to us. But if we will treat them the way we want to be treated and do what is right, then God will fight for us.

God wants to fight for us, but we must yield to Him. When we take matters into our own hands, we are taking them out of God’s hands. Be attentive to His delays and listen to His reasonings. Align yourself with Him by making sure you are doing things His way. This will not only leave room for God to work on our behalf, but it will keep us from sin. He wants to save us from ourselves. But we have to let Him.

It’s hard to be the bigger person. It takes strength and humility and often the other person does not deserve our forgiveness, mercy, or kindness. But we aren’t doing it for them. We are doing it because that’s what’s right and because it’s not our job to make people pay for their sins. God knows who’s right and wrong, and also when to show mercy and when to punish. So, we just need to do what’s right and let God be the Judge and Executioner. He will punish those who need to be punished and avenge those who need avenging.

Sometimes we hold on to things so tightly that we forget who gave them to us and why. When we hold on too tightly, we risk losing everything. We must learn to give up control and entrust our lives to the One who gave them to us. Only then will we feel truly free and only then will we be free to enjoy all the gifts God has given to us. When we refuse to give up control, sometimes we end up losing the very things we fear losing the most. Our life is not our own. Everything we have is given to us by God.

It can be hard to choose justice over the person we love. But Saul’s children chose David over their father because David was innocent and their father was the one in the wrong. Even though they knew their dad would be upset, they had to choose what was right. They both loved David, and they couldn’t let him get killed because they weren’t courageous enough to stand against their father’s jealous hatred.

Sometimes we know what we should do, but we let our emotions get the better of us, and we sin. We may be able to control ourselves for a while. But willpower alone probably won’t be enough to keep you from sinning. We cant’ just tell ourselves not to feel a certain way or do a certain thing. We have to replace sinful, human things with righteous, godly things, or we will be left empty, and eventually the sinful desire will return.

If God is for you, then no one can stand against you. But if He is against you, then you are fighting a losing battle. God was for David and He made him successful in everything he did. But when Saul grew jealous and tried to destroy David, God went against Saul and wouldn't let any of his schemes succeed. We want God on our side. But the only way to ensure that is to be on His side. We must align ourselves with Him. Then, He will be our greatest ally. But if we go against Him or His people then He will be against us.