1 Samuel 17:37
New International Version (NIV)
37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
Wow, the Lord is really speaking to me this morning. For many months He has been talking to me about leadership. He is looking for leaders made from a new material that is pliable. He is looking for a people He can trust. Yesterday I read where a leader who some may say is powerful, ridiculed a group of people on line. I could see his hurt and I could see his anger. The first thing I had to do was ask myself if I have done this and I had to answer yes, because I was thinking of saying some "not so nice" things when I read it. It was really sad and broke my heart to see him sink to this level and I refused to allow my flesh to lower me to that same place. Many of his "followers" joined in poking fun at this group of people. All I could hear was "stone her" and "Crucify Him, Crucify Him, Crucify Him" Why? Because we don't agree with them? Because in our eyes they are not doing right? Who is handing out the stones? I turned to God. I want to see healing for this man. I want to see his eyes opened. The Lord said to me over and over, "You are focusing on his healing more than your own. I want to heal you." I went to bed last night and asked the Lord to shine His light on the situation. I asked Him to show me where I need healing.
This morning, I woke in a kind of dead place. I wasn't happy, wasn't sad, wasn't angry, just alive and waiting to see what the day brings. Right away the Lord began to show me things. First, to be a leader we must be rooted in Christ. Deeply rooted. He used Saul and David's friendship to show me many things today. Saul is a representation of what can happen to a once good leader. God had changed Saul's heart, but eventually his flesh began to rule his heart through pride. He listened to his head instead of following his heart and listening to God.
The first thing that jumped out at me was that the people demanded a king and the Lord answered them with Saul. But when the Lord prepares a king, when we wait on Him for the king He wants in place, He spends years preparing that king. Saul was put into position of king at the demand of the people, while David was trained to be king for many years isolated and alone. Killing the bear and the lion in private so he was prepared to kill Goliath in public. Saul on the other hand was thrown into the position and even though he was a great king for some time, eventually his flesh won out over his heart. He hadn't had those trials that develop integrity.
The Lord has spoken to me many times about how many leaders listen to His first instruction, but then think they are qualified to "take it from here." Months ago the Lord put a group of us to the test. He had us make a dinner for the worship team at the church I was attending. He kept telling me to tell them to listen to Him. He wanted us to hear Him over every detail. Many of us tried to, but a few decided they knew what the Lord's intentions were and took off on their own ideas. When the dinner was done, the Lord spoke to me clearly, that it had nothing to do with the worship team it had to do with the group serving them. He pointed out who followed Him and who took initial instruction and went off on their own. He listed the people who listened to Him and told me, these are the people I trust and you can trust them too. It was an amazing lesson and I'm not sure if it was for all of us, or for me, but to this day, even if we don't agree, I know who I can trust, because they are truly trying to hear the Lord and obey. If Saul would have been involved in the dinner, I don't think he would have been included on the trustable list. He attacked the Amalekites, but did not follow all the instructions. The Lord said to kill everyone and everything, what stopped him? Pride. I know better than God, Pride. Saul allowed his men to keep the animals to eat instead of slaughter them, so in trying to please man, Saul displeased God.
1 Samuel 15:17-23
New International Version (NIV)
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied:
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”
There are so many lessons in these two leaders and to compare them makes the truth more difficult to miss. They both became kings, leaders, but how you lead is determined by how you follow. We are all leaders. Maybe it's our family, our children or a bible study group, but we all lead. In Acts 13:22 Paul is giving a little history lesson.
Acts 13:22
New International Version (NIV)
22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
A man after my own heart? He will do everything I want him to do? Obedience. David spent a lot of time alone, watching his father's sheep. This is where the integrity is developed. Through trials, we learn to follow Him with all our heart. Don't hate your trials. I thank God for the situations I have lived through. I have actually had one person who had what he called "an easy childhood" tell me he was jealous of my trials. I didn't get it at the time, but I am beginning to understand more and more. I watch people go through amazingly painful stuff and I know God is shaping them to do great things. It has to be more difficult to hang on to your integrity at times when you have not faced trials. Trials bring you to dependence on God. There are many times when we are tempted to lash out, like David could have killed Saul, but he knew that stepping out of the will of God is also stepping out from under his protection and His blessing.
Without developing that integrity, without going after God, how can we stand? We are all on our own journey and this can be difficult at times when others think we need to do things their way, the way God took them through. They tried to put armor on David when he went up against Goliath, but it was not his armor. It did not fit. And, more importantly, he did not need it for the way God had him take down Goliath. He was on his own path, his own journey with God. God does things differently with each of us, even though some of our trials and escape routes are the same as others, often He has something different in mind for us.
Many kings were brought down with pride. Power is not an easy thing to handle. In watching the Bible story miniseries, there is a point when Nebuchadnezzar demands to be worshipped.
A man after my own heart? He will do everything I want him to do? Obedience. David spent a lot of time alone, watching his father's sheep. This is where the integrity is developed. Through trials, we learn to follow Him with all our heart. Don't hate your trials. I thank God for the situations I have lived through. I have actually had one person who had what he called "an easy childhood" tell me he was jealous of my trials. I didn't get it at the time, but I am beginning to understand more and more. I watch people go through amazingly painful stuff and I know God is shaping them to do great things. It has to be more difficult to hang on to your integrity at times when you have not faced trials. Trials bring you to dependence on God. There are many times when we are tempted to lash out, like David could have killed Saul, but he knew that stepping out of the will of God is also stepping out from under his protection and His blessing.
Without developing that integrity, without going after God, how can we stand? We are all on our own journey and this can be difficult at times when others think we need to do things their way, the way God took them through. They tried to put armor on David when he went up against Goliath, but it was not his armor. It did not fit. And, more importantly, he did not need it for the way God had him take down Goliath. He was on his own path, his own journey with God. God does things differently with each of us, even though some of our trials and escape routes are the same as others, often He has something different in mind for us.
Many kings were brought down with pride. Power is not an easy thing to handle. In watching the Bible story miniseries, there is a point when Nebuchadnezzar demands to be worshipped.
Daniel 3:13-15
New International Version (NIV)
13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”
Today, do we want people to agree with us, follow us, laugh at our jokes, hate and love the same things we do, agree with us without questioning? Do we need the approval, the agreement of man? It's the same thing. Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the tree, shows why he was cut down and taken out of the role of king, taken out of leadership, because it was all about him. The tree was a fake. Trials cause our roots to grow deep in Christ and without deep roots a tree will fall, or Christ may even chop it down. Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life.
In comparing Nebuchadnezzar and Saul, the same thing took them down, fear. Fear causes other sin. Insecurity or fear comes from not being rooted in Christ. David hungered after God every moment and he did not fear. That is obvious when you stand the little shepherd boy in front of the giant, Goliath. When we face difficulty are we afraid or is or trust in Christ? Are we looking at our own strength or God's. If we truly follow and truly obey His every command and commandment, we have nothing to fear. Even if we get it wrong, but believe we are following Him, He will be there for us.
Fear causes pride, causes us to step out in our flesh, because we don't trust. Fear causes a need for man's approval instead of God's approval. Saul let fear rule him and he went after David to kill him. Do we do this? When we fear someone might take from us, might hurt us, do we lash out? Would we have killed Saul in the cave, instead of cut off a piece of his robe and said, "I will not touch the anointed one?" Or out of fear do we murder some one through words? Character assassination? Slander? If we can get people to believe they are bad, then no one will listen to anything they say about us? I know this sounds kind of "high school", but we see it all the time. Mob mentality? if we can get the mob to follow us, to follow what we believe... who needs God to protect us?
Trust is the opposite of fear. One thing we can always trust in is truth. God is the Truth. There is no room for fear. Obedience is putting trust in the truth. We slander others, we knock them down to make us feel above them, we do this from a place of fear. Our confidence, courage, and character all need to come from Christ. If He is for us, who can be against us? As believers, when we attack others, we put shame on them. How many people are shamed into going to church, trusting believers, or reaching out to God? We are called to lift up, not put down. I heard a preacher once say, instead of saying shame on me or shame on you, say shame off me, shame off you.
I have been blessed with an abundance of time alone with God in these last couple years. There was a time when it was uncomfortable to be alone with Him. I found it easier to talk to Him while driving or while doing something else. But to sit still with Him and really engage in conversation, worship, prayer, listening, is indescribable. I found a need for that now and it does not have to do with begging Him to answer my prayers, but more to do with just being in His presence. I have been watching a change in a pastor at a church I occasionally attend. He went on a sabbatical and really got alone with God. What a difference in this man, what a difference in his messages. He took that time to be alone with God and God changed him. God showed him answers to questions he had for years about his ill wife. I pray he hangs onto that and recognizes when he needs it. When we aren't living right, I have found with me, I tend to avoid time alone with God. I run from Him. Watching a movie about the bible, sitting in a church building or on the beach, or even speaking to others is not the time alone we need, like David had all those years. The bear and the lion (inside us) are not killed for an audience. Nothing we do should be for an audience, even prayer.
This world is full of Saul's and Nebuchadnezzar's running around in fear, trying to kill people, throw them in the fire, and exalt themselves. Do not bow to them. Don't be a groupie! We are children of the most High God. Those who desire to be on top will eventually go down. Those who knock others to feel better about themselves need prayer. Arrogance and insecurity are the same in the eyes of the Lord, in that they produce pride and distance from God. Desire to be a nobody shepherd boy and be satisfied with that, if God makes you a king, never let go of that boy and all that God has developed in him or pride can cause you to fall on your own sword.
Romans 8:5-8
New International Version (NIV)
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
Today, do we want people to agree with us, follow us, laugh at our jokes, hate and love the same things we do, agree with us without questioning? Do we need the approval, the agreement of man? It's the same thing. Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the tree, shows why he was cut down and taken out of the role of king, taken out of leadership, because it was all about him. The tree was a fake. Trials cause our roots to grow deep in Christ and without deep roots a tree will fall, or Christ may even chop it down. Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life.
In comparing Nebuchadnezzar and Saul, the same thing took them down, fear. Fear causes other sin. Insecurity or fear comes from not being rooted in Christ. David hungered after God every moment and he did not fear. That is obvious when you stand the little shepherd boy in front of the giant, Goliath. When we face difficulty are we afraid or is or trust in Christ? Are we looking at our own strength or God's. If we truly follow and truly obey His every command and commandment, we have nothing to fear. Even if we get it wrong, but believe we are following Him, He will be there for us.
Fear causes pride, causes us to step out in our flesh, because we don't trust. Fear causes a need for man's approval instead of God's approval. Saul let fear rule him and he went after David to kill him. Do we do this? When we fear someone might take from us, might hurt us, do we lash out? Would we have killed Saul in the cave, instead of cut off a piece of his robe and said, "I will not touch the anointed one?" Or out of fear do we murder some one through words? Character assassination? Slander? If we can get people to believe they are bad, then no one will listen to anything they say about us? I know this sounds kind of "high school", but we see it all the time. Mob mentality? if we can get the mob to follow us, to follow what we believe... who needs God to protect us?
Trust is the opposite of fear. One thing we can always trust in is truth. God is the Truth. There is no room for fear. Obedience is putting trust in the truth. We slander others, we knock them down to make us feel above them, we do this from a place of fear. Our confidence, courage, and character all need to come from Christ. If He is for us, who can be against us? As believers, when we attack others, we put shame on them. How many people are shamed into going to church, trusting believers, or reaching out to God? We are called to lift up, not put down. I heard a preacher once say, instead of saying shame on me or shame on you, say shame off me, shame off you.
I have been blessed with an abundance of time alone with God in these last couple years. There was a time when it was uncomfortable to be alone with Him. I found it easier to talk to Him while driving or while doing something else. But to sit still with Him and really engage in conversation, worship, prayer, listening, is indescribable. I found a need for that now and it does not have to do with begging Him to answer my prayers, but more to do with just being in His presence. I have been watching a change in a pastor at a church I occasionally attend. He went on a sabbatical and really got alone with God. What a difference in this man, what a difference in his messages. He took that time to be alone with God and God changed him. God showed him answers to questions he had for years about his ill wife. I pray he hangs onto that and recognizes when he needs it. When we aren't living right, I have found with me, I tend to avoid time alone with God. I run from Him. Watching a movie about the bible, sitting in a church building or on the beach, or even speaking to others is not the time alone we need, like David had all those years. The bear and the lion (inside us) are not killed for an audience. Nothing we do should be for an audience, even prayer.
This world is full of Saul's and Nebuchadnezzar's running around in fear, trying to kill people, throw them in the fire, and exalt themselves. Do not bow to them. Don't be a groupie! We are children of the most High God. Those who desire to be on top will eventually go down. Those who knock others to feel better about themselves need prayer. Arrogance and insecurity are the same in the eyes of the Lord, in that they produce pride and distance from God. Desire to be a nobody shepherd boy and be satisfied with that, if God makes you a king, never let go of that boy and all that God has developed in him or pride can cause you to fall on your own sword.
Romans 8:5-8
New International Version (NIV)
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
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