2 Sam. 11:1 - In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

• David Wasn’t Where He Was Supposed To Be

David was the king. It was the time of the year when kings go out to battle. Instead of David leading his men into battle, or simply encouraging them by being with them. He has decided to stay in Jerusalem.

When was the last time you got in trouble because you weren’t where you were supposed to be?

When I was a youth it seemed like I was always getting into trouble because I was always some where I shouldn’t have been. David is going to bring some serious harm to his family because he was not where he should have been.

• David Crashes And Burns

If you want to read a soap opera start reading 2 Sam. 11:1 and read to the end of the book. Let me share with you a synopsis of what is going to take place in David’s life and it all starts right here when he was where he shouldn’t have been.

David is going to have a sexual relationship with Bathsheba, and she is married to Uriah, who happens to be one of David’s mighty men. This man is a warrior. He is a hero. He has a beautiful wife, and the king is going to sink to a new low.

David will get Bathsheba pregnant. David will try to hide his sin by bringing Uriah home from the war. He hopes Uriah will go home that night and have sex with his wife.

Uriah will not go home and have sex with his wife because his brothers are on the battlefield and his moral compass will not allow him to do this. David will hear Uriah never went home. David will keep him in Jerusalem one more day and David gets Uriah drunk, hoping that when he is drunk his moral compass will not guide him correctly, and he will go home and have a sexual relationship with his wife, and in so doing David’s sin will be hidden.

Uriah drunk has a better moral compass than David at this time. Once again he will not have a sexual relationship with his wife. David’s next plan is to write Uriah’s death sentence. He gives it to him and tells him to deliver it to Joab. Joab obeys David and has the opposing army kill Uriah.

• David Rebuked

The prophet Nathan will come before King David (1 Sa.12) and tell him a parable about a rich man who killed his neighbor’s sheep and served it to a traveler who stopped at his house. David is infuriated by this parable and tell Nathan this man deserves to die. Nathan says to David, “You’re the man.”  Again, please remember why this is happening. David wasn’t where he was supposed to be.
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• David’s Life Of Pain Comes From This One Bad Decision

Here are some of the things that will happen in David’s life because of this one bad decision.

Bathsheba’s son to David will die. Amnon is David’s son and Tamar is David’s daughter but they have different mothers. Amnon will rape Tamar. David’s son Absalom will kill Amnon because he raped his sister, Tamar.

Absalom will lead a coup against his father, David, and try to become king. Absalom will have sex on the roof top with all of David’s concubines during this coup. Joab will kill David’s son Absalom. Later, when David is close to death his son, Adonijah, will likewise lead a coup and try to take over being king.

How could all of this been prevented? David should have been where he was supposed to be.

If you ask yourself the question, “Should I go there?”

Hopefully, you think about what happened to David because of one bad decision, which led to another, which spiraled downward and out of control.

Think About These:

You are only one bad decision away from a totally different life.

Bad decisions made with good intentions, are still bad decisions.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

I would like to invite everyone to Severn Christian Church 8132 New Cut Rd, Severn, MD 21144 . I will be preaching there May 21-23, 2021. It would be great to see you. For more info you can call (410) 969-0384.

 Jonah 1:17 - "…And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights."  NASU 

• Ask Yourself The Hard Questions 

Are you in your present situation because of your own carelessness or disobedience to God?
 
The reason Jonah was swallowed by a great fish was his disobedience to God.
 
Jonah 1:1-3 - The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
 
God wanted Jonah to go to Tarshish and preach and Jonah wanted no part of that assignment. He didn't want to do what God wanted him to do. Plain and Simple!
 
Are you in your present situation because you haven't done what God has asked you to do? You must answer this question truthfully. Are you in your present situation because you have disobeyed God? 

• Do This If You Answered Yes 

Jonah 2:1-5
Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish, 2 and he said,
 
"I called out of my distress to the LORD,
And He answered me.
I cried for help from the depth of Sheol;
You heard my voice.
3 "For You had cast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the current engulfed me.
All Your breakers and billows passed over me.
4 "So I said, 'I have been expelled from Your sight.
Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.'
 
PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!
 
When Jonah was in distress he called out to the LORD, and the LORD answered him. Be open and honest with the Lord. Tell Him you have messed up and would like another chance to correct this situation.
 
God is a loving and forgiving God. All great parents love their children and sometimes we have to correct them. God is correcting Jonah's actions of disobedience. Exactly the way parents correct their children's acts of disobedience.
 
Now I don't believe in child abuse, but I can tell you I had my butt beat numerous times by both of my parents when I was younger. I may not have enjoyed it at the time, but as I sit here and write this Pump Up I know I was spanked because my parents loved me.
 
Jonah was in the belly of a great fish because God loved him and God loved the people of Nineveh. God wanted the people of Nineveh to have the opportunity to repent of their sinfulness and this is exactly what they did once Jonah went there and preached to them. 
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• Conclusion 

Do what God wants and you may find yourself avoiding being swallowed up by life.
 
If you are doing what God wants and you still find yourself swallowed up by life then there is only one possible conclusion. You are being attacked by the evil one for living a life according to God's Word.
 
You endure this attack and God will give you the victory.
 
Think About This:
 
A good example has twice the value of good advice.
 
God's main problem with the laborers in His vineyard is absenteeism.
 
Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

Go To  www.SeragosPumpUps.com  

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 - Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.  NASU 

• Two Are Better Than One If 

If they are going in the same direction. If they have the same goals. If they have the same beliefs. Notice what the apostle Paul says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers."   2 Corin. 6:14 NIV
 
There are a lot of reasons why two are not better than one, and I believe the number one reason is your "Faith".
 
If you enter into a relationship, friendship, or marry someone who doesn't have the same beliefs as you all I can say is get ready for a wild ride.
 
A preacher friend of mine said a long time ago you can tie two cats together by their tales. You will have a union but you will not have unity.
 
You join yourself to the wrong person whether it is in marriage, friendship or a business partnership be ready to pay a very high price for this union.
 
I was listening to a documentary the other day and this young man said on numerous occasions he made friends with the wrong people and that was on him and it cost him from attaining a lot of his goals. 

• Two Are Better Than One If 

They want to work together and accomplish the same goals.
 
I have done my fair share of marriage counseling and I can tell you right now I was never able to help two people reconcile when only one was interested in reconciliation. Never!
 
In fact, the greatest Marriage Counselor in the world can't reconcile two people when only one wants to be reconciled.
 
So it is of the utmost importance when you want to accomplish a goal and it will involve other people that you like and respect each other, have the same faith principles, and you both believe in what you want to accomplish.
 
There are advantages of two people joining forces to accomplish something great. When one gets tired the other is there to help them keep on going. 

• Two Are Better Than One When 

You believe in each other, trust each other and together you make a great team. When you both are headed in the same direction, have the same beliefs and desire to see your goals accomplished.
 
If you are young and just getting started in life be very sure you make the correct choice when it comes to whom you consider your friends. You must be very careful with whom you associate or call your friends.
 
As the old saying goes, "Show me your friends and I will show you your future."
 
As you become older you likewise need to be just as cautious. I don't believe a day goes by that I don't read about or hear on the news about older people being scammed.
 
Two are better than one if you are both traveling in the same direction and both want to accomplish the same goal.
 
Think About These:
 
Great minds have purposes, others have wishes.
 
A man with a burning ambition is seldom fired.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word
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​Luke 4:25-26, 28 - “But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.… And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things;…" 

• A Movie Line 

In the movie, "A Few Good Men" Col. Nathan R. Jessup played by Jack Nicholson makes the movie's famous saying, "You can't handle the truth!" to Lt. Daniel Kaffee played by Tom Cruise.
 
This statement I am sure has been quoted many times by many people. 

• The Truth Some Times Hurts 

It sure fits the scripture reference above when Jesus told the Israelites there were many widows in Israel during the famine of Elijah's day, but the only one God helped was a Gentile widow from Zarephath.
 
He goes on to say there were many lepers in the days of Elisha but God only helped another Gentile named Naaman who was a Captain of the Syrian army.
 
This was, in fact, the truth, but the Israelites could not handle these truths. They became so infuriated they wanted, and tried, to kill Jesus over His quoting these two examples of God showing His mercy to the Gentiles and not the Israelites. 

• Has The Truth Hurt Us? 

How many times have we become upset by someone telling us the truth?
 
Or there is the flip side to this coin, how many times have we been upset when someone didn't tell us the truth? In John 8:32 Jesus says. "…the truth will make you free."
 
What truthful statement are we hearing that we are fighting against today? 

• A Time When I Didn't Want To Hear The Truth 

When I was a teenager my parents tried to teach me, but I wanted to do it my way. My way cost me a lot of money, headaches, and some time in jail.
 
I will share with you one of my costly blunders: It was the night I got pulled over by the Ohio police. As I sat in the car under the influence of alcohol and a 1971 movie title "Vanishing Point" I decided to run from the police. As the officer was walking up to ask me for my driver's licenses and registration I pushed the gas pedal to the floor of my 455 cubic inch Pontiac and I was gone.
 
My bright idea was it is only 2 miles to the PA state line and once across the state line I will be free. Why would I believe something like that? In the movie, every time Kowalski was being chased when he crossed the state line the police stopped chasing him.
 
There is only one problem with that belief, it is false. The police in real life don't stop at the state line. They come right across after you and that is the truth. I received 11 citations that night, 6 from the Ohio and 5 from the PA police officers.
 
I should have listened to my parents when they said, "When the police want to pull you over, you pull over and be polite." 

• The Most Important Truth

What are we going to do with the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the One who lived a perfect life, and the One who died on the cross to redeem us?
 
Hebrews 9:22 says, "…all things are cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."
 
This is why Jesus poured out His blood on the cross of Calvary. It was so all mankind could have their sins forgiven. One must choose to accept the truth and be redeemed by the blood of Christ.
 
So my question to you is this: "Can you handle the truth about Jesus?"
 
Will you man up, woman up, cowboy up or cowgirl up and say, "I have sinned and need the forgiveness that comes from the blood of Christ."
 
We all have sinned and this is the truth. We all can be forgiven and this is the truth, but you must do it according to God's terms.
 
God's Word says, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
 
Think About This:
 
Many men seek the truth-not because it is lost, but because they are.
 
To hear the truth and not accept it does not nullify it.
 
Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word