El Shaddai - Lord God Almighty
Join us in this episode as we pick back up with David’s anger and pride as he almost makes a tragic error in judgment due to his emotions. We will also listen to a very difficult conversation Diana shares about an error in judgment because she did allow her emotions to be in control and how it almost turned tragic. Diana also begins to set the backdrop as she begins to paint the scenery of the life her and her two small children were living.
Diana’s Notes
Hey, Everybody!!! Welcome to Heartfelt Conversations with Diana.
Today Diana shares a story of Abigail running after David.
God’s Spirit gave wisdom to both David and to Abigail after her husband Nabal had insulted the future king. We spoke about David’s request and Nabal’s response in the last episode Jehovah Shalom,
Both Abigail and David faced hardships, trials, rough days, adversity, tragedy, they faced a lot of things from life, and in very different lives, but each of them had a relationship with God. Actually, I’m not sure if the bible goes into any great detail about Abigail, but she knew David knew God and that God had anointed David. She was wise enough to go after David and stop him from making a really horrible decision. She has a lot of attributes that in the New Testament are described as Fruits of God’s Spirit the Holy Spirit, so I believe both David and Abigail had God’s Spirit directing their hearts and giving them insight and wisdom that most people would not notice, be sensitive to. They had great critical thinking skills because their hearts and spirits were sharpened and tuned in to the voice of God. They both had struggled with pain, loss, heartache but both relied on and trusted God in the midst of their battles.
Today, I would like us to talk about El Shaddai, Lord God Almighty
Our God, El Shaddai, is a covenant God. He works in partnership with us. When God made a covenant with Abram (we talked about Abram in the 2nd episode El Roi- The God Who Sees Me,
Anyway, when God made that promise, that covenant with Abram, God Himself called His Name El Shaddai.
Genesis 17:1-2 says:
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai— ‘God Almighty.’
Picking up from last week, let’s look at the story of Abigail after one of the servants came and told her everything that had been spoken between her husband Nabal and David.
Reading 1 Samuel 25:18
Without hesitation, and without telling her husband, Abigail gathered together food supplies and loaded them on donkey’s. Then she headed out to meet the future king of Israel.
1 Samuel 25:23 When Abigail saw David, without a word, she fell on her face before him, bowing herself to the ground.
Abigail knew who David was, the future king and she knew David loved God and God was a God of mercy and deliverance, so she humbled herself to God’s servant king and begged for his mercy and just like God was merciful to David, David in turn was merciful to Abigail. David saw her heart, her motives, and appreciated and respected her because she first respected him.
She told David her husband was a fool, and that David had every right to be angry, but to remember that he, David, also believed in the Righteous God Almighty and asked for mercy. She spoke to David’s heart; she didn’t respond to David’s emotions.
And not only did David respect her humility, but he also honored her respect by respecting and granting her plea and respecting her back by sending her away with a blessing and a promise.
David went from wanting to kill an entire community over one foolish man to trusting God and blessing the kindness of one humble, wise woman all because of what she chose to say. She did not respond with emotions herself, but out of the strength and humility that the power of God, the Spirit of God, gave to her in a moment of crisis. It was supernatural.
God gives grace to the humble
James 4:6 in the NLT tells us:
And He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble,”
Abigail approached David with easy to listen to words, words that did not hurt David’s heart deeper. The bible tells us that A gentle word turns away anger.
Proverbs 15:1 in the AMP bible says it this way:
A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath, but harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger.
Everyone has been hurt, at some point, on some level. Even “Jimmy” who was violent against me, tried to kill me, take my life, by strangling me, severe beatings, and even a failed shooting, even “Jimmy” had been hurt as a child. Abused by his father. The things we experience, the bad things that happen and we wonder how someone could do that to another person, a lot of that is generational. Passed down from one family member to another, generation from generation because no one stops the bad behavior. No one can stop it without the involvement of God Himself. I was naive enough and simple-minded enough and foolish enough to convince myself that if I loved him enough, I could love the anger out of him and then he would be able to give me the love I was looking for. But that is only something God can do. It takes wisdom, healing, and restoration that only God is able to bring about. Create. He is the Creator. Elohim.
I was attending my childhood church during the time Jimmy, and I were together and a whole lot of abuse and stress and toxic life went on during that time. There is too much to share in a format like this, but watch a nightmare movie on TV about a young mom and her children being terrorized by a demonic, possessed husband, father and you have pretty much watched my teenage years. But, it was during this time, towards the end of my relationship with him, that I went to retrieve some things of mine and the kids. We were in the middle of a custody battle for our daughter and it was pretty ugly. I was refusing to allow her to be picked up by him because she would cling to my arms, legs, waist, anything she could get her little arms around and just cling to me, screaming and shaking out of sheer fear, at the age of 18 months. No child should be that afraid of a parent at any age, let alone a baby. A child. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I said no! No More! She is not going. At that time, I did go back home, and I was living with my mom and dad. So, of course, I was told I was breaking the law and the case went before a compassionate judge, who allowed Jimmy to be able to have visits with our daughter but only supervised visits until he went under evaluation.
I did not like it still, because I knew the head games he could play, and how he could easily and effectively get people convinced that he was this super, nice, good guy! I’ve never seen anything like it. It was like watching a snake hypnotize its victim before striking. So, during this time, I received a call from Jimmy telling me that he was better, calmer, and he understood why I was doing what I was doing and if I wanted to come over and get some of my things and the things the kids needed, he would be okay with that. He sounded calm. He sounded levelheaded. Now think about what I had just said a few minutes ago about hypnotizing before the strike. But I fell for it, and do you know in the back of my mind, I was hoping he had changed. That he saw the light.
Then we could reconcile and be safe as a family together. What didn’t I do, what should I have done? Seek the LORD! Go to God for advice, should I go, is this a trap, show me God what I should do. But because my emotions were in control and I was just looking for ANYONE to love me, I did not seek advice, I did not wait, seek and then decide, I immediately jumped into believing what I wanted to be true.
I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing. I kept it hidden because I didn’t want anyone talking bad about him. I was still trying to protect his character and dignity to some degree even though he may not have deserved it. I should have sought wise counsel from someone with discretion and who had a close relationship with the Lord, But I really didn’t know anyone. The only person I could think of was either one of my sisters, but I didn’t want them to try to change my mind! Isn’t that funny? No, really it is foolish! It’s funny in a duh huh kind of way, but the action itself is the opposite of being wise. It is when you know that you are about to do something way off course, your gut tells you, to ask advice, or listen to the advice God sends you, you have a choice in that moment, a fork in the road. If you choose vengeance, self-revenge, if you choose deception over truth, we will get what we go looking for, trouble. Consequences.
When I first got there everything seemed fine. I was a bit nervous when we first came inside, but after a couple of minutes of awkwardness, everything seemed fine. The kids went into my daughter’s bedroom to play while the two of us began to talk. Jimmy got up from the recliner and said he was going to “get something from the kitchen” and the next thing I knew, I was being held down on the couch with a gun to my head. I didn’t scream, I didn’t cry, I just layed there frozen, completely still and just before he pulled the trigger my two kids stepped out from the bedroom and into the hallway. I was on my back on the couch with my head turned towards the hallway and when I saw them, the only thing that ran across my mind, my heart, was, “please God, not in front of my kids!”
Three times he pulled the trigger to shoot me, and three times nothing came out. I just layed there frozen and the kids just stood there frozen, like time was standing still while this other evil event was taking place. The next thing I knew, Jimmy was stumbling backwards across the living room and his face looked like it was in terror, fear. My first instinct was that he felt the presence of God, an angel and it terrified him. I guess it could have been a sudden realization of what he almost did.
But a supernatural intervention from God was my first gut reaction.
I don’t know how, (well then, I didn’t know how, now I know it was the Holy Spirit helping me) but somehow, I managed to remain completely calm. I was not nervous or afraid. I felt very much at peace, and in full authority, like a hostage negotiator, and I began to tell Jimmy we needed to leave, me and the kids.
I explained very rationally and with absolute ease in my voice that people who lived a few houses down, friends of mine from church, about my age, were expecting me and the kids. (which would not have been unusual because he knew the couple and he knew they were friends of mine, so to visit them while in the area would not have been a strange thing to him. He wouldn't have questioned it)
I told him that I had called them prior to showing up and if I wasn’t at their house by such and such a time that something was wrong. And we were quickly approaching that time. It took a couple of minutes of dialogue going back and forth before he agreed. The fact that he let me and the kids go, was another supernatural intervention from God. It was unnatural for him to surrender, something greater than him or me was guiding the actions and emotions in that room. It was an atmosphere that you could cut with a knife. It was as though we both understood what was on the line at that very moment. Like watching negotiations going on in a war type movie, but this was a spiritual battle and thankfully the spiritual battle belonged to the Lord and only Jimmy, me, Hell, and all of heaven knew it would have been a different story if God had not answered my simple prayer. Please not in front of my children.
Sometimes we can make prayers so complicated, we can get so caught up in the words and composition of our words that we manage to exclude the heart, which is what God hears, the cries of His children’s hearts. Earnest, heartfelt, unselfish
God, being so good and merciful interrupted death so that I could find my way one day back to Him. There was Someone Greater watching over me and it took a very long time for me to recognize the presence of God in my life. And now, not only do I recognize it; I long for it, live to be in it. To be in God’s presence and to know that He is with me, literally with me every single day, never sleeping, never late, He won’t be early, but He will not be late! And if you don’t know Him that way, you are missing out on an extraordinary life that unless you are living it yourself, you just can’t describe the presence of God. It must be personally experienced to understand. That is one of His many beautiful mysteries revealed when you begin to walk with Him. He reveals as you go. He likes to do it together. He is very personal that way.
We pulled into my friend's driveway and immediately my son ran out of the car going up to the door and telling them, “Daddy killed mommy!” In his eyes I had been shot, killed! Going back to previous episodes, it is so important that we protect the innocence of children! We forgot how young minds work, think, see, feel. I was so messed up and so consumed with myself that I didn’t think about what I was putting my kids through. I thought I was shielding them, protecting them, keeping them from getting any of the fall out on them; but that is not reality. That is not the truth. Our actions will have an impact on our children at some point in their lives.
But this couple called my pastor, who was full of religious rules, religious beliefs, the wrath and punishment from God to those who did not live properly and without sin. and when he came and heard all I had to say and heard my small, young children were a witness to an attempted murder, his response was that I must remain with him. That if I left the home, that if I continued on a path of getting a divorce that God would continue to punish me. That the actions of Jimmy were by default God’s way of telling me He was not happy with me. He went on to tell me that if I did follow through and get a divorce, when I died, I would go to hell. There would be no changing it. That would be my destiny.
But thank God He is rich in Mercy and Grace!!! He does not want you living a dead, defeated, miserable, broken, abused life! What He desires is that you seek His wisdom and ask Him to help you learn to follow Him however He wants to do it. It is not God’s desire for there to be divorce. God takes the marriage covenant very seriously. But He also knows we are human beings, that we make mistakes. Not just, oh, I found someone prettier, more handsome, better financially stable, someone who makes me feel pretty, makes me feel manly… Those are all superficial and God can work through any of that if you allow Him to. That is more about personalities, preferences, and even character flaws.
But when you make a bad choice and it is harmful to your very life, He does not expect you to keep taking poison just because you picked up the bottle and started drinking. If you say, “oh. This is poisonous and it will kill me, God does not want or expect you to keep drinking. He will help. But the sad thing is, oftentimes, it takes several rounds of mistakes before we realize something isn’t good for us. We have battles between our mind and our spirit. And in order for us to have God’s wisdom to help us understand if this is right, wrong, good, or bad and to not wrestle with it in our minds but have peace in our hearts and souls and spirit, we must seek Him, ABOVE ALL ELSE. We are foolish if we never get into God’s Word ourselves and let Him speak directly to us. Instead, we show up on occasion, listen to a sermon, leave and wonder why nothing ever changes for us, in us or around us.
NOTHING EVER CHANGES!!! Well, is your relationship with God changing, growing and deepening? Do you know you are in right standing with the Father because of the blood of the Son and that the Son, Jesus gave you His Spirit, the Holy Spirit to help you in the same way Jesus helped, instructed, trained and led the disciples, but even greater! Jesus said so Himself:
VERSE:
John 14: 12-14 in the NLT tells us in the word of Jesus Himself:
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.
He goes on to say
13:” You can ask for anything in My Name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. “
It is pretty simple, we all have sinned and as long as we live in today’s age, we will continue to sin. Hopefully in smaller degrees, but we will still wrestle with pride, self-interest, selfishness, jealousy. The point is, no one can line up to God’s standards, we all fall short. That is why we need Jesus; it is only the blood of Jesus that can set us free from our bondage and enslavement to sin.
Romans 3:23 tells us:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
But Jesus wants us to get it, to have it, to have the power of God living on the inside. Active, Awake, Alive and in Action - why, well for one thing it empowers and equips us to have a great life, but because it brings glory to God.
I entered on a bad path at a very young age and I was too afraid, too intimidated, too embarrassed, to ask for help. I asked God in my prayers during that time to not let me be killed so that I could be there to protect my kids. My fear was that I would be killed, dead, and no one would care about my children the way I did; even though on the outward appearance by the way I was living, my lifestyle, it might would have appeared to neighbors, to others that I was not thinking of my children at all, BUT the complete opposite was true, was in my heart where only God was able to penetrate beyond all the physical elements of what the world could see, and He saw to my heart. My inner self. My children and family was all I thought about, but my thinking was from the wrong viewpoint, my own. I needed to have been seeking God’s point of view, but I did not know that.
The church I grew up in failed to teach, to disciple. It was all “receive Jesus or die and go to hell!” but I was not taught how to live life the way Jesus taught. That is why I love Valley Family Church and the Pastors there so much! I am being discipled how to walk, talk, and look a whole lot more like Jesus in my own life and the training is coming straight from the LORD. It is Bread for my soul. You need to be in a church not for doctrinal training but for discipleship. Getting your life on the right track through right discipline, instructions, God’s Word of wisdom and revelation. If you are not being taught strength through joy and justice through mercy and love through peace, humility through grace, start looking for a better source of nutrition. Because without God’s Word there are not enough supplements out there to make you feel better.
There were many examples in the Bible of broken, messy, adulterous, stealing, murdering people who found the Bread of Life and Living Waters when they recognized and received Jesus as their Messiah. Jesus came to save not to condemn. The people Jesus did condemn were the Religious leaders who were putting more rules and more burdens on the people so they could elevate themselves into higher positions of authority over the people. Do we really believe that is the God of the Universe the God Who tells us in His Word that He, Himself is LOVE! Yes, God can show His wrath, but that is not the nature of Who He is. I was told I had made my bed, and now I had to lay in it. I thought that I had to put up with the beatings and the fear because I made a bad choice.
Did I make a poor decision at 15? 100% I did. Did I make a poor decision when I got involved with “jimmy”, yes, I allowed emotions, and feelings of anger and pride, and teenage foolishness to rule over my “gut” instincts of knowing, “this is not a good idea” Anyone ever had that thought??? This is not a good idea, I shouldn’t go here, I shouldn’t go that way, I should shut my mouth! : LOL!!! That one I get a lot! HAHAHA
That is the Holy Spirit trying to help you out. Seeing what is ahead for you if you go that way, but ultimately it is our free will that rules. God will not prevent you from making the wrong decision. He is here to help, lead, guide, direct, protect, provide, comfort, assure, but only if and when we ask and allow. Don’t be like me, even though I was young, something inside knew what I was being preached on Sunday’s was dead, lifeless. It was about wrath not grace and when Jesus entered onto the scene and paid all of our sin debt, whether you ever claim your free gift of eternal life is up to you, but it has been fully paid for; but…
God sees the beginning from the end. David knew he was receiving instructions, guidance, a little shepherd nudge if you will from his Shepherd, so he was alert, aware that his emotions were leading him away from God’s Word, from taking innocent life. If God’s spirit would not have been strong with David, if he would have ignored God’s prompting, he would have taken a man’s life, his household and perhaps a whole community with 400 men!, But David overcame his emotions, his personal will and he surrendered to God’s will which is wisdom.
David was wise enough not to take the wrong fork set before him. He knew to listen to Abigail and because he listened Nabal was spared by David’s hand but God Himself took care of Nabal.
In fact, the bible tells us:
This is 1 Samuel 25: verses 36-38 in the AMP Bible:
Then Abigail came to Nabal, and he was holding a feast in his house (for the shearers), like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s mood was joyous because he was very drunk; so she told him nothing at all until the morning light. But in the morning, when Nabal was sober, and his wife told him these things, his heart died within him and he became paralyzed and helpless like a stone. About 10 days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died.
Don’t mess with God’s kids! LOL
We can trust God to take care of our enemies, but only He knows the hearts of people, we see outward fruit, God sees inward fruit.
The fruit’s of God’s Spirit are
Galatians 5: 22-23: But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control. There is no law against these things!
24 and 25 go on to say:
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit. Let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
It should be evident that we are apart from the way the world thinks, because when we step into a room, we change the atmosphere from evil to good, from dark to light. We enhance the environment with the fragrance of our Savior, who speaks directly to the heart.
The Challenge:
Don’t seek after anything this world offers to you for fulfillment, status, satisfaction. If you want to begin to feel alive again to be awake and not foggy -brained, seek after the fruit that God has placed inside every single person He designs and Creates. And we surrender to Him, and Receive Jesus as our Messiah, our Savior, the Holy Spirit begins to help grow and mature the fruit in us so that we can walk closer with our Shepherd and as we grow stronger and more rooted in Him, then we are beneficial to those around us. We need each other, because we all have different fruits that help the body of believers be well. Some may have similar fruits, but we all bear unique fruit that when brought to God’s table, He is able to select and provide and distribute to exactly who needs that supplement. He is so amazing! Good, Wise. Masterful.
You want to take a Masterclass. Take God’s class. Receive Jesus and then let His word be your textbook for the course of life.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for all you do for us every day that we rarely even think about. Thank You for being God and for being in control. For knowing every single step in life we will ever take from beginning to end. Thank you for being kind and generous, even when we don’t deserve it, even when we blow it and behave badly. You still love us as we learn to correct our bad habits and behaviors. Help us to follow the example of Jesus, Who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in mercy and loving-kindness. Help us to draw near to You and follow the steps that You clear for us as we learn to live lives full of Your Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control. Thank you that when we receive Jesus, we also receive His Spirit, the Holy Spirit Who is our personal life coach and when we learn to tune in and listen for His instructions, He will walk us through each day surrounded in Your Love! We give praises to You Father and ask you these things in the Name of Jesus. Amen!
Songs to inspire you
Casting Crowns - All Because of Mercy ((Radio Version) [Lyric Video])
Phil Wickham - Battle Belongs (Official Music Video)
David Leonard - Good Lord (Official Music Video)
Scriptures from this week's Podcast
Genesis 17:1-2: When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’
Reading 1 Samuel 25:18 Without hesitation, and without telling her husband, Abigail gathered together food supplies and loaded them on donkey’s. Then she headed out to meet the future king of Israel…
1 Samuel 25: 23 When Abigail saw David, without a word, she fell on her face before him, bowing herself to the ground.
James 4:6: NLT
And He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble,”
Proverbs 15:1: AMP
A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath, But harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger.
Ephesians 2:4-5:
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved." This is the ultimate demonstration of God's mercy. He loved us so much that he sent his Son to die for us, despite our sin and rebellion.
John 14: 12-14:
NLT “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in My Name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. “Yes, ask Me for anything in My Name and I will do it!
Romans 3:23:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
1 Samuel 25:36-38 AMP
Then Abigail came to Nabal, and he was holding a feast in his house (for the shearers), like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s mood was joyous because he was very drunk; so she told him nothing at all until the morning light. But in the morning, when Nabal was sober, and his wife told him these things, his heart died within him and he became paralyzed and helpless like a stone. About 10 days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died.
Galatians 5: 22-23:
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control. There is no law against these things!
Galatians 5:24- 25:
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit. Let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Let these two verses below guide your footsteps into wholeness.
Jeremiah 29:13 in the New Living translation:
If you look for ME wholeheartedly, you will find ME.
Psalms 46:10 AMP
Let be, and be still…, and know (recognize and understand) that I AM God.
Additional Resources
Prayer of Salvation
Jesus has given salvation, healing, and countless benefits to all who call upon His name. These benefits can be yours if you receive Him into your heart by saying this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to You admitting that I am a sinner. Right now, I choose to turn away from sin, and I ask You to cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I believe that Jesus rose again from the dead so that I may be justified and made righteous through faith in Him. I call upon the name of Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Lord of my life. Jesus, I choose to follow You, and I ask that You fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit. I declare right now that I am a born again, child of God. I am free from sin and full of the righteousness of God. I am saved in Jesus’ name. Amen.
This prayer and the comment above, were taken out of the book:
Secrets to Powerful Prayer - Discovering the Languages of the Heart
By Lynne Hammond and Patsy Cameneti
If you have just received Jesus as your Savior, please write Lynne Hammond Ministries at:
PO Box 29469
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55429-2946
Or, email one of the ministries listed on the Additional Resources Tab and let them know that you are a brand new christian and need some direction on the next steps for your new life in Christ.
Or email us here at Heartfelt Conversations with Diana and we will pass along your information for you.
Congratulations if you are a brand new Christian or if you have Returned Home! Welcome!!! Get in God’s Word and get it into you!
Diana’s Home Church:
Valley Family Church - Pastor’s Eric and Alexa Jones
www.valleyfamilychurch.org
Other recommended Jesus-centered churches who teach the True Word of God:
Elevation Church - Steven Furtick
https://elevationchurch.org/
Joseph Prince Ministries - Joseph Prince
https://www.josephprince.org/
Joyce Meyer Ministries
https://joycemeyer.org/