OPPORTUNITY ISN’T NECESSARILY GOD’S PERMISSION (1)
JULY 12, 2026
TOPIC:
TEXT: “And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.” (1 Samuel 24:6)
Today’s teaching borders on the need for believers to be discerning when seeming opportunities present themselves to us. Most of us have this preconceived notion that anything that looks like an opportunity is definitely from God. However, it is important to always test every opportunity vis-à-vis the Word of God, as well as the principles of supernatural timing.
David and Saul had gradually become sworn enemies over the years due to God’s preference for David over Saul. It was gradually becoming certain that Saul’s lineage had no bright future as far as the throne was concerned. Thus, Saul started looking for every possible means to take David’s life. He first started by asking for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines as the dowry for David to marry Michal, his second daughter, only for David to surprisingly disappoint him by bringing two hundred foreskins in a bid to become the king’s son-in-law. Saul felt disappointed and tried other possible means of killing David. Eventually, David was forced to flee from the land.
In the passage containing our chosen text, David found himself in the wilderness of En Gedi, near the mountain of the wild goats. Saul heard of this and came down after David with three thousand choice soldiers. At Saul’s unguarded moment, David had every opportunity to kill him right there in the mountain cave. David’s soldiers even hinted that it was God giving him such an opportunity. The coast was super clear, and all indications pointed to heavenly backing for David to kill Saul. Thankfully, David demonstrated why he was referred to as “a man after God’s own heart.” He spared the life of the king, claiming that a clear coast was not necessarily God speaking.
How many times have you found yourself in situations where sinful compromises looked like God’s design?
✅ You prayed for examination success. All of a sudden, a certain professor in your faculty promised you easy grades in exchange for sex. Instantly, the devil whispers to you that “opportunity comes but once.”
✅ Your husband has been jobless ever since you both got married. Somehow, you met a wealthy senator who promised to change his life and give him a dream job in a renowned agency like CBN, BOI, or NIMASA, but on the condition that you sleep with him.
✅ You found yourself in a situation where you could easily get a contract, and all that stood in your way of getting such a contract was simply to lie and reduce your age.
In the above circumstances, the coasts appeared really clear, and no danger seemed to be lurking in the air. It looked like a divine blessing. In fact, many of us already have peculiar slangs for hiding the compromises we engage in and call them divine blessings, e.g., “God works in mysterious ways,” “The way of God isn’t the same as that of man,” “God cannot be challenged,” and many more peculiar “feel-good” slangs.
However, no matter how harmless these things may seem, we must understand that not every door is meant for us. Some doors merely present themselves for God to test our resolve and endurance before the real doors are opened.
David knew the right thing to do even though Saul was a perceived enemy. He was careful to do that “right thing.” David’s case is an eye-opener that we must not always rush at opportunities. Rather, we must test such opportunities against God’s Word and confirm that they are indeed genuine. Many, in fact, need no further confirmation. They are easily discernible as pure sin and compromise.
SEARCHLIGHT:
Not all doors are doors. Some doors are pitfalls meant to entrap us.
PRAYER:
O LORD, help me to discern genuine opportunities, identify traps, and avoid them, in Jesus’ mighty name.
BIBLE READING:
Psalm 33–35; Revelation 7
PASTOR MICHAEL OMOLE
