Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14
If you have been reading through my faith journey, I have not been witing as regularily as I would like. On such a note, I want this to be my last entry. Though that may be the case, I have continued to learn and grow in my faith in the last two years since I began this in the spring of 2018.
Much has changed not only in me, but also in the world today. Civil unrest continues to grow everywhere. The next presidential election is nearly here. The United States is in such a divide that many people are unsure as to what will come next. The one thing however that we can always be sure of is our Lord, Jesus Christ. Looking at my own life, I have certainly learned to lean more on the Holy Spirit and allowed him to lead me more each day. In my opinion, that is exactly what our nation needs.
As much as that is the case, I know we are at a time now, more than ever, when people are avoiding the idea of God. Yet today, I want to focus on the verse I posted. At the beginnig of this journal, I was conflicted as to where God wanted me. At the end of my journal, I want to ensure you, the reader, that I am certain that God has placed me in my job for a purpose. I will continue to serve him there and in my church as long as I am permitted. God allowed me to become the store manager of the grocery store I work for, as well as a small group leader of youg adults in my church. The youth group has been discontinued, and God has given me a small number of 20-something-year-old adults to minister to. Now, I do not have a degree in ministry but I do believe that the Lord has shown me a lot over the past few years that I can encourage others with. Not to mention, having fellowship with them allows me to learn from their stories as well.
God has certainly brought people into my life to teach me things; including a man who continuously encourages me to memorize scripture. Today, I wrote one of those verses as an encouragement to anyone who may read this. Let God be in your heart, and meditate on Him and his word, so that he can be your reasoning. With so much unsettled in our world today, having a God to give us peace in trying times is the only way I can see a positive result at the end of whatever you would call our current state.
Lastly, as I close out this journal, I want to encourage you that at the beginning and end of every faith journey for a believer, is God. He has always been there, and always will be. He is the God of Israel and, because of Jesus, he is the God of us today.
May you find peace in your meditation on the Rock. Amen.
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Friday, August 28, 2020
Kings and Conviction
There is a time for everything... a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4
Though I have not been keeping up on this blog, my faith journey is well underway. I am learning so much about God's faithfulness and the history of man's faithfulness to God from the Old Testament. I am currently in the book of 1 Kings. Samuel, Sual, David, and Solomon have all passed on, and we find the kingdom of Israel divided under the reign of Jeroboam and his many successors to follow. The convicting message from all these kings is that we are not much further ahead today. We have idols and a misdirected faith in ourselves before we look to God. We are divided, hoping to gain whatever we can for ourselves and let those who are left make the best of what they have.
The problem with self-made idols comes especially when we let ourselves down. I have been there. God feels out of reach, and we are unsure how to handle the situation we have fallen into. There becomes a personal conviction for something more, but without God we can not be sure what that is. We have no clear direction or foundation to steer us through wherever we may be. In these moments of being overwhelmed or unsure, we should certainly turn to the Lord to guide us. (Especially during this pandemic.) Yet today, I am faced with an opportunity to respond to something in my own life. My first thought of a response is the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, when we are told that life has a season for eveything.
Though this will be breif, I will explain this season in my life.
After a prolonged break-up with my most recent, former girlfriend, I was able to turn things around in my faith and have certainly developed a better relationship with God. My time of being single allowed God to show me who I could be outside of a relationship, and that I had responsibility as a 20-something to my church and to my family. Currently, I am in a relationship (with a different girl) and I do believe God allowed her to be in my life for a purpose. Regardless of my relationship status, reading through the book of 1 Kings (and Samuel) has shown me the seriousness of not following your conviction to repentance. God allowed Isreal so many times to repent, especially after King Jeroboam, yet they did not. Thereafter, God brought judgment on Isreal by dividing the tribes, and allowing the kings to fight with each other causing many to lose their lives in such a short time. Though sin can ruin much in a short time, it may us take a lifetime of faithfulness to begin our relationship with God. That is where the challenge lies.
Today, I am certainly entering a new season of life; the door of "my" youth group is beginning to close, the door to my career is fully opened, and everyday I am learning new mercies and direction from the word of God. By understanding the book of Kings and conviction they must have had, I long to never be like the example of Jeroboam the sinner, but like the example of David: a man after God's own heart.
Though there is a time to mourn, there is also a time to dance. God answers the prayers of the faithful, and strengthens those in need... His mysteries are great, yet His glory is greater. May God lead you and speak to you through His word. Be encouraged by nothing but the power of Christ. Peace to you. Amen.
Though I have not been keeping up on this blog, my faith journey is well underway. I am learning so much about God's faithfulness and the history of man's faithfulness to God from the Old Testament. I am currently in the book of 1 Kings. Samuel, Sual, David, and Solomon have all passed on, and we find the kingdom of Israel divided under the reign of Jeroboam and his many successors to follow. The convicting message from all these kings is that we are not much further ahead today. We have idols and a misdirected faith in ourselves before we look to God. We are divided, hoping to gain whatever we can for ourselves and let those who are left make the best of what they have.
The problem with self-made idols comes especially when we let ourselves down. I have been there. God feels out of reach, and we are unsure how to handle the situation we have fallen into. There becomes a personal conviction for something more, but without God we can not be sure what that is. We have no clear direction or foundation to steer us through wherever we may be. In these moments of being overwhelmed or unsure, we should certainly turn to the Lord to guide us. (Especially during this pandemic.) Yet today, I am faced with an opportunity to respond to something in my own life. My first thought of a response is the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, when we are told that life has a season for eveything.
Though this will be breif, I will explain this season in my life.
After a prolonged break-up with my most recent, former girlfriend, I was able to turn things around in my faith and have certainly developed a better relationship with God. My time of being single allowed God to show me who I could be outside of a relationship, and that I had responsibility as a 20-something to my church and to my family. Currently, I am in a relationship (with a different girl) and I do believe God allowed her to be in my life for a purpose. Regardless of my relationship status, reading through the book of 1 Kings (and Samuel) has shown me the seriousness of not following your conviction to repentance. God allowed Isreal so many times to repent, especially after King Jeroboam, yet they did not. Thereafter, God brought judgment on Isreal by dividing the tribes, and allowing the kings to fight with each other causing many to lose their lives in such a short time. Though sin can ruin much in a short time, it may us take a lifetime of faithfulness to begin our relationship with God. That is where the challenge lies.
Today, I am certainly entering a new season of life; the door of "my" youth group is beginning to close, the door to my career is fully opened, and everyday I am learning new mercies and direction from the word of God. By understanding the book of Kings and conviction they must have had, I long to never be like the example of Jeroboam the sinner, but like the example of David: a man after God's own heart.
Though there is a time to mourn, there is also a time to dance. God answers the prayers of the faithful, and strengthens those in need... His mysteries are great, yet His glory is greater. May God lead you and speak to you through His word. Be encouraged by nothing but the power of Christ. Peace to you. Amen.
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Sin and Boldness
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived...
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
– 1 Corinthians 6:9,11
Hello, again. Thanks for making it this far in my faith journey. God has really spoken to me this morning, and I know I need to write this down so that I can look back on this time and know that God does have a call for me. Yesterday, I made a choice that resulted in sin going unpunished (by me). Officially being the store manager, I now have a greater responsibility to the store and ensuring everything is as it should be. After finishing the books of Samuel, I have began praying for boldness in my faith. Since I have been praying more regularly, God has certainly been allowing me the opportunities to be more bold in my character. I also believe he has been preparing me to take a step in my faith toward ministry, even where I am in my own life. Changes will come in His time, but we need to be the one to show we are faithful where he has us now.
Toward the end of my workday, a man came into the store and walked out with two bags and a backpack full of groceries, attempting to steal them. A cashier caught him and alerted the closer, assistant manager. Being paged to the front, I quickly was told and followed the man out of the store to confront him. The two bags in his hands were emptied, yet the backpack remained unopened, as he was trying to convince us that he had illegal things in there, including "guns and needles" that he did not want to show us. After reviewing the camera footage, it was obvious that he did put items into his backpack and would not admit to it. As I continued to ask for his bag, he kept backing further away. To my own fault, I let him go with the backpack. Of course, I did tell him not to come back to the store.
What happened yesterday made me very angry, yet I went straight to God after the situation resolved. I went to Him hoping he could magically fix the problem, getting the man to return with the stolen items. Many thoughts ran through my mind; "why did I not call the police?" (usually it takes too long for them to get there, it is faster to handle the situation yourself), "I should have took the bag off of his back", "why was I not more aggressive?" were some of the thoughts that made me regret letting him go. I was very frustrated and was wishing I could find him to pursue the cause further, maybe to teach him a lesson. Yet, God reminded me that He is in control and will have the final say on His day of righteous judgement. I had to let it go, there was nothing more I could do besides prepare for next time.
This is where God really spoke to me. In the morning, the thoughts were still on my mind and I knew I needed to pray more. So, I did. I once again was irritated that this man would steal and lie to me, yet I let him go with the items. I was at fault. Yet I also let him go without the chance to hear the Gospel. Looking into how God views theft, the first passage that I found was 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, giving the reminder of our own sins and how we can help right the wrongs of others by ministering to them. God told me to dust off my feet because I did confront him, but the situation was already over and he did not give anything back. However, reading the commentary on 1 Corinthians 6 really showed me that God has the final say when it comes to sin. Yet, as believers, we have the responsibility to confront sin, regardless of who it is, and to show boldness in our faith so that the sinner may repent. God may not be using me to minister at the grocery store right now, but he is certainly using the grocery store to minister to me.
May God lead you in your faith and his calling for you, so that others may see his love through you. Amen.
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
– 1 Corinthians 6:9,11
Hello, again. Thanks for making it this far in my faith journey. God has really spoken to me this morning, and I know I need to write this down so that I can look back on this time and know that God does have a call for me. Yesterday, I made a choice that resulted in sin going unpunished (by me). Officially being the store manager, I now have a greater responsibility to the store and ensuring everything is as it should be. After finishing the books of Samuel, I have began praying for boldness in my faith. Since I have been praying more regularly, God has certainly been allowing me the opportunities to be more bold in my character. I also believe he has been preparing me to take a step in my faith toward ministry, even where I am in my own life. Changes will come in His time, but we need to be the one to show we are faithful where he has us now.
Toward the end of my workday, a man came into the store and walked out with two bags and a backpack full of groceries, attempting to steal them. A cashier caught him and alerted the closer, assistant manager. Being paged to the front, I quickly was told and followed the man out of the store to confront him. The two bags in his hands were emptied, yet the backpack remained unopened, as he was trying to convince us that he had illegal things in there, including "guns and needles" that he did not want to show us. After reviewing the camera footage, it was obvious that he did put items into his backpack and would not admit to it. As I continued to ask for his bag, he kept backing further away. To my own fault, I let him go with the backpack. Of course, I did tell him not to come back to the store.
What happened yesterday made me very angry, yet I went straight to God after the situation resolved. I went to Him hoping he could magically fix the problem, getting the man to return with the stolen items. Many thoughts ran through my mind; "why did I not call the police?" (usually it takes too long for them to get there, it is faster to handle the situation yourself), "I should have took the bag off of his back", "why was I not more aggressive?" were some of the thoughts that made me regret letting him go. I was very frustrated and was wishing I could find him to pursue the cause further, maybe to teach him a lesson. Yet, God reminded me that He is in control and will have the final say on His day of righteous judgement. I had to let it go, there was nothing more I could do besides prepare for next time.
This is where God really spoke to me. In the morning, the thoughts were still on my mind and I knew I needed to pray more. So, I did. I once again was irritated that this man would steal and lie to me, yet I let him go with the items. I was at fault. Yet I also let him go without the chance to hear the Gospel. Looking into how God views theft, the first passage that I found was 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, giving the reminder of our own sins and how we can help right the wrongs of others by ministering to them. God told me to dust off my feet because I did confront him, but the situation was already over and he did not give anything back. However, reading the commentary on 1 Corinthians 6 really showed me that God has the final say when it comes to sin. Yet, as believers, we have the responsibility to confront sin, regardless of who it is, and to show boldness in our faith so that the sinner may repent. God may not be using me to minister at the grocery store right now, but he is certainly using the grocery store to minister to me.
May God lead you in your faith and his calling for you, so that others may see his love through you. Amen.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Thoughts and Prayers
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:8-9
God always wants to bring us closer to Him, yet we fall short because of our own vices. I have now finished both books of Samuel, and have begun to read 1 Kings. As I am still learning about God's faithfulness and our own ability to serve Him through the characters in these books, I have begun to pray more often for God to show me His own will for my life, so that I may follow it with ease. Yet, I suppose I am missing the point of these readings in the two books of Samuel, because David is given clear instructions to be king, yet he still finds a way to go against God's will. I suppose we cannot truly follow His will for us all the time, because of our own sin. Yet, God's grace allows us to start over every day and make draw closer to Him when we feel furthest away.
Lately, I have been less stressed about my job for a number of reasons, though I still have a cloud of frustration hanging over me. My thoughts get the best of me when I go to work, and I cannot seem to be satisfied with how things are run, how product is displayed, how the employees act, etc. It all brings me to a point where I seem to get irritated over minute details and lack trust in my coworkers to do their job properly. This frustration is something I do not want in my life and I have been trying to redirect those frustrations onto God, in my prayers that is. My thoughts and prayers are in constant battle when it comes time to pray in the morning; "I should just sleep in to get more rest, but I know God wants me to spend time with him" I think as I am praying. There are a lot of things I need to find a solution for at work, yet I only have an hour or so in the morning to be in prayer with God, so why do I need to worry about that now? I wish I could just sit down in the morning and be completely focused on God and be in prayer to hear His words for me, rather than my own grumblings. However, as I looked up a verse about God's way in our lives, the only verse that I was brought to was the one at the top, from Isaiah. We cannot know how God will work in us, yet we must continue to let Him turn our ongoing thoughts into clarity of His direction for us. We cannot find better advice from anything than the word of God. However, His thoughts and ways are not ours, so knowing when He is speaking to us is what we need to understand if we are to follow His will in our lives.
May God guide your thoughts and prayers so that you may have clarity, and peace, in His holiness.
Amen.
God always wants to bring us closer to Him, yet we fall short because of our own vices. I have now finished both books of Samuel, and have begun to read 1 Kings. As I am still learning about God's faithfulness and our own ability to serve Him through the characters in these books, I have begun to pray more often for God to show me His own will for my life, so that I may follow it with ease. Yet, I suppose I am missing the point of these readings in the two books of Samuel, because David is given clear instructions to be king, yet he still finds a way to go against God's will. I suppose we cannot truly follow His will for us all the time, because of our own sin. Yet, God's grace allows us to start over every day and make draw closer to Him when we feel furthest away.
Lately, I have been less stressed about my job for a number of reasons, though I still have a cloud of frustration hanging over me. My thoughts get the best of me when I go to work, and I cannot seem to be satisfied with how things are run, how product is displayed, how the employees act, etc. It all brings me to a point where I seem to get irritated over minute details and lack trust in my coworkers to do their job properly. This frustration is something I do not want in my life and I have been trying to redirect those frustrations onto God, in my prayers that is. My thoughts and prayers are in constant battle when it comes time to pray in the morning; "I should just sleep in to get more rest, but I know God wants me to spend time with him" I think as I am praying. There are a lot of things I need to find a solution for at work, yet I only have an hour or so in the morning to be in prayer with God, so why do I need to worry about that now? I wish I could just sit down in the morning and be completely focused on God and be in prayer to hear His words for me, rather than my own grumblings. However, as I looked up a verse about God's way in our lives, the only verse that I was brought to was the one at the top, from Isaiah. We cannot know how God will work in us, yet we must continue to let Him turn our ongoing thoughts into clarity of His direction for us. We cannot find better advice from anything than the word of God. However, His thoughts and ways are not ours, so knowing when He is speaking to us is what we need to understand if we are to follow His will in our lives.
May God guide your thoughts and prayers so that you may have clarity, and peace, in His holiness.
Amen.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Lead and Serve
"For does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? – 2 Samuel 23:5
It will be two years by the end of this month that I began waking up early to spend time with God, and since I began writing this blog. I am not sure how much I have developed in my faith, though throughout my reading these past two years, I continue to learn about two main themes; how to lead, and how to serve. I have officially been an assistant manager at my job for some time, and unofficially the store manager because of my responsibilities while the owner is not present. I still currently lead the youth group at my church as well, though there is not much going on with that right now, considering the pandemic we are experiencing. Both books of Samuel follow, at first Samuel, and eventually David as he becomes king of Israel after the death of Saul. Though David ends up becoming the most well known leader of Israel before Jesus, he certainly does not lack the ability to serve his people and the God of Israel. For myself, I see David's example as an opportunity to follow Christ in the same way. Though he did sin, David grew up focused entirely on God's will that he would not fight back against Saul who was trying to kill him, simply because he knew Saul was God's anointed and God would deal with Saul. It was not David's responsibility to take out Saul, gaining himself the throne, when God had permitted Saul to be there. God had a greater plan for David than murder, and God also still had mercy on Saul until the very end of his life.
If God continued to show his mercy to Saul, who was trying to kill his most loyal servant (and disobeyed God in many other serious ways), how could he not continue to show mercy on us, through Christ, who choose to fix our eyes on Him daily? I wrote about God's calling on my life to lead in my first post, and my situation has not changed. I trust that God still wants me to lead these people because I am still where I am, yet I am slowly learning how to also serve them, in a way that Christ, or David, may have on the earth. The struggle is to continue to choose this everyday. God's grace has brought me to where I am, and I want Him to tell me where to go next, so that I may continue to lead and serve whomever He needs me to.
May God continue to speak to you in ways that only He can, so that you know where you are called, in order to serve Him and lead a Godly life as those before us have. Peace be with you. Amen.
It will be two years by the end of this month that I began waking up early to spend time with God, and since I began writing this blog. I am not sure how much I have developed in my faith, though throughout my reading these past two years, I continue to learn about two main themes; how to lead, and how to serve. I have officially been an assistant manager at my job for some time, and unofficially the store manager because of my responsibilities while the owner is not present. I still currently lead the youth group at my church as well, though there is not much going on with that right now, considering the pandemic we are experiencing. Both books of Samuel follow, at first Samuel, and eventually David as he becomes king of Israel after the death of Saul. Though David ends up becoming the most well known leader of Israel before Jesus, he certainly does not lack the ability to serve his people and the God of Israel. For myself, I see David's example as an opportunity to follow Christ in the same way. Though he did sin, David grew up focused entirely on God's will that he would not fight back against Saul who was trying to kill him, simply because he knew Saul was God's anointed and God would deal with Saul. It was not David's responsibility to take out Saul, gaining himself the throne, when God had permitted Saul to be there. God had a greater plan for David than murder, and God also still had mercy on Saul until the very end of his life.
If God continued to show his mercy to Saul, who was trying to kill his most loyal servant (and disobeyed God in many other serious ways), how could he not continue to show mercy on us, through Christ, who choose to fix our eyes on Him daily? I wrote about God's calling on my life to lead in my first post, and my situation has not changed. I trust that God still wants me to lead these people because I am still where I am, yet I am slowly learning how to also serve them, in a way that Christ, or David, may have on the earth. The struggle is to continue to choose this everyday. God's grace has brought me to where I am, and I want Him to tell me where to go next, so that I may continue to lead and serve whomever He needs me to.
May God continue to speak to you in ways that only He can, so that you know where you are called, in order to serve Him and lead a Godly life as those before us have. Peace be with you. Amen.
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Release and Renew
Today is Tuesday and after my last post, I realized I have been more recently writing about my journey through the scriptures and what they are telling me. Though God has been showing me a lot in his Word, I would like to take some time to reflect on how my faith has changed in more recent months. I do not have a scripture reference today because I want to look back at where I left off in my personal journey. Essentially, my faith has been solidifying because of my prayer life. I wrote a while ago about an idol, and the doubt I was dealing with. Mainly, those feelings I was experiencing were mainly related to a girl and the trust that I had in the relationship. Just when I thought I had everything worked out (I think she felt that way too), God took us both in different directions and I have not seen her since. From that time, I had experienced a closeness with God, due to me questioning him and my frustration of the situation. How could He not let things work out for me like I wanted? Everything made so much sense with her in the picture. That was the problem though, God allowed me to see that I was trusting in my own feelings and my own path for my life. It was all about what I wanted, and certainly did not want God interfering in this relationship since I was not putting Him first with that. The relationship ended simply due to God bringing us both in a different direction. Without me being able to release that burden to Christ, I would have never been able to renew my faith in Him and be where I am now in my faith.
As far a change in occupation since the first entry, I have not been given a new opportunity for a paid job and I am still volunteering (maybe more) time to lead the small youth group that God has established for me. My prayer life has been more focused on what he wants me to do, and I have been able to see the areas that I need to step up and trust him to carry out his plan for. Even though sometimes things do not work out the way I would like them to, He gets the glory at the end of each day. If there is one thing I always pray for, it is that He will continue to have the lead in the youth group, and the church that I am working for.
Lastly, I am in a different relationship (it has been about 6 months), and we both are more committed to serving the Lord with that more than myself in the last one. I plan to keep updating this with any job updates, or changes that God is leading me to make.
May God bless you and guide you in your ways, whichever way that may be. Amen.
As far a change in occupation since the first entry, I have not been given a new opportunity for a paid job and I am still volunteering (maybe more) time to lead the small youth group that God has established for me. My prayer life has been more focused on what he wants me to do, and I have been able to see the areas that I need to step up and trust him to carry out his plan for. Even though sometimes things do not work out the way I would like them to, He gets the glory at the end of each day. If there is one thing I always pray for, it is that He will continue to have the lead in the youth group, and the church that I am working for.
Lastly, I am in a different relationship (it has been about 6 months), and we both are more committed to serving the Lord with that more than myself in the last one. I plan to keep updating this with any job updates, or changes that God is leading me to make.
May God bless you and guide you in your ways, whichever way that may be. Amen.
Thursday, February 6, 2020
Spirit and Conduct
And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.
– 2 Samuel 6:14
As I am beginning to write this, the time is 6:14 AM. I still get up early (some days are better) and read, pray, and drink coffee before I start my day. I hope to encourage you with this post to do the same, because it has really made a difference in my faith.
I have been through 1 Samuel and am working on 2 Samuel now, after Samuel has passed and after Saul has passed. We are now left with (now king) David who is still a character of great faith to the Lord. I cannot say I have made it even close to the same level of faithfulness that David had on this earth, yet I know the Holy Spirit is working in me and my conduct has changed because of that.
The reason I referenced this verse is that God has been showing my through the scripture stories of David that a good faith really comes down to having God's Spirit and conduct. David could have stood around giving thanks to God, avoiding criticism from his wife, yet he chose to dance "with all his might" before the Lord knowing that it may look foolish to some. David was not concerned about his appearance toward other people because he knew he was praising God with his dancing.
Sometimes as a manager at my job, I am in situations where I do have to conduct myself in a professional way because I am representing the company. When it comes to representing the Lord, look to the scriptures for spiritual conduct. However, when we are worshiping the Lord, we are only worshiping the Lord, and we are not worshiping our social media presence or a group of people watching us. If you feel self-conscious or intimidated, think of David's example here. He was recently appointed the king of all Israel, and brought himself to this lowly point so that he could worship the Lord for the blessings he received. When his wife eventually told him not he should not have done that, he rebuked her because he knew God's Spirit was with him, and David wanted to conduct himself in a way he knew how to honor God; "with all his might", unconcerned with a public opinion.
May God guide you in spirit and conduct today, so that you may experience his blessings and may your faith not be hindered by those who judge you and the Father. Amen.
– 2 Samuel 6:14
As I am beginning to write this, the time is 6:14 AM. I still get up early (some days are better) and read, pray, and drink coffee before I start my day. I hope to encourage you with this post to do the same, because it has really made a difference in my faith.
I have been through 1 Samuel and am working on 2 Samuel now, after Samuel has passed and after Saul has passed. We are now left with (now king) David who is still a character of great faith to the Lord. I cannot say I have made it even close to the same level of faithfulness that David had on this earth, yet I know the Holy Spirit is working in me and my conduct has changed because of that.
The reason I referenced this verse is that God has been showing my through the scripture stories of David that a good faith really comes down to having God's Spirit and conduct. David could have stood around giving thanks to God, avoiding criticism from his wife, yet he chose to dance "with all his might" before the Lord knowing that it may look foolish to some. David was not concerned about his appearance toward other people because he knew he was praising God with his dancing.
Sometimes as a manager at my job, I am in situations where I do have to conduct myself in a professional way because I am representing the company. When it comes to representing the Lord, look to the scriptures for spiritual conduct. However, when we are worshiping the Lord, we are only worshiping the Lord, and we are not worshiping our social media presence or a group of people watching us. If you feel self-conscious or intimidated, think of David's example here. He was recently appointed the king of all Israel, and brought himself to this lowly point so that he could worship the Lord for the blessings he received. When his wife eventually told him not he should not have done that, he rebuked her because he knew God's Spirit was with him, and David wanted to conduct himself in a way he knew how to honor God; "with all his might", unconcerned with a public opinion.
May God guide you in spirit and conduct today, so that you may experience his blessings and may your faith not be hindered by those who judge you and the Father. Amen.
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