Lessons Learned from the Life of David Before He Became King

The companion podcast is here.

What follows here is a summary of the lessons learned from the Life of David before he become King but after he was anointed by Samuel. To learn more about what is behind these lesson, please read through the posts and perhaps download the PowerPoints on this topic as well.

Our sin may not accurately reflect our heart for God
David and Saul provide us examples on what not to do as well as what to do
God can use fallen people
God sovereignly calls us to different ministries
Our choices have real, lasting, eternal consequences, yet…
God is absolutely sovereign
The Test of Overlooked, but Chosen by God
- Passing the Test of Underestimation means infusing the present with as much learning and development as possible.
  - Skills
  - Being in the Spirit
- Philippians – giving into the temptation to “pack it in” and stop growing is foundational to hindering the work of God
- How to fail the test (temptations):
  - Giving up – Jas 1.3-5: note that David’s difficulties increased after the Spirit’s arrival and his anointing for service
  - Thinking that God has nothing special for you beyond today or is done with you
  - Getting mired in the peripheral
  - Thinking the present is unimportant
  - Opting for comfort over the difficulties
  - Dismissing the possibility that God wants to use you in visible, significant ways
- Difficulties may increase when God calls you to ministry
- Saying: Rise above your rasin’
- God may place you in a (seemingly) insignificant job to prepare for the future
- God will likely take you out of your comfort zone:
  - Physically – Spiritually – Theologically – Financially
- The “stretch” zones today become tomorrow’s comfort zones
Test of Submission – Playing Your Role on the Team
- Passing the Test of Submission means exercising your gifts in the power of the Spirit in the role God has given you
- Ways to fail the test (temptations):
  - Asserting your gifts outside your role
  - Asserting all of your gifts within your role
  - Rebelling/disrespecting ungodly authority
  - Not allowing God to stretch you outside your comfort zone
  - Relying solely on feelings to indicate Spirit’s presence
Knowing When to Risk
- Temptation will come – but it’s power is a deception
- When tempted, listen for the quiet voice of the Spirit to give your way of escape
- Those you lead will absorb your faith in God
- David drew on his experience to form his plan for action
- David had been led by God before – knew how to be led now
- David had honed his talents
- David would not accept defeat without fighting
- To not risk would have violated his faith in God
- Learn to view times of stretching as God building His character into your life
- Learn to recognize when God is giving you an integrity check
  - Trials of life often involve integrity or obedience checks
- Are you in bondage to a particular sin?
  - Repent and turn from your sin
  - Remove any grounds that give Satan legal authority to work in your life
Being Yourself in Your Calling – the test of authenticity
- Being faithful to the experiences that God has given you
- Being faithful with the gifts that God has given you
- Being true to the methods you feel comfortable with and which have stood the test of time
- Don’t be surprised if opposition to your ministry efforts come from those closest to you
- Rewards are sometimes a proper motivation
- Godly leaders “run toward the bullets” and take care of problems quickly and decisively
- Greatest miracle is a life changed because God has regenerated them
Lesson of Success – Handling Success in a Godly Way
- Holding the sources of success with an open hand
- Realizing success is an entrustment: do not measure by American status standards
- Allowing God to humble you through your success – no gloating
- Staying focused on your calling
- There will be times when you will experience success: material, spiritual, relational
- Stay humble
- Stay connected to God
- Stay the course
- Enjoy God’s blessing!
Lessons on Authority, Deception and Jealousy
- Recognizing that God is protecting you when you don’t know it
- Knowing truth from lie
- Wanting what you have, not what you don’t have
- Following the Lord to encourage others to succeed on “your turf”
- Knowing “your role” on the “team”
- Like David, God may be protecting you right now from those who wish to deceive you
- How well do you know the truth?
- Don’t give into temptations of pride that will cause you to drift from the Lord
Test of the Broken Vow – How to handle Betrayal
- Nearly everyone will disappoint us at one time or another
- God’s people must sometimes endure unsatisfactory conditions
- God will be with us and will provide a means and the grace to handle the pain
- When people do betray us, we’ll have a choice in how we react
Living under God’s Protection
- God’s protection may be in unexpected ways
- God’s Spirit comes upon those whom God chooses
- You can quench the Spirit’s work in your life through your own choices
- One-time events do not mean a person is changed
Going without God – The test of Dependence
- When we “go it alone”:
  - Don’t seek His guidance
  - More apt to lie or deceive
  - More apt to break the rules
- First, God’s power and the freedom of living without sin is gone
  - He resorts to lying
  - He asks for a sword:
  - He now asks for the sword of the one whom he killed with a stone
  - Why would he need a sword when he has a sling, stone and the Lord?
Ignoring one’s intuition – Lessons
- David’s influence was far greater than his position
- He knew better than to speak in front of Doeg
- Your carelessness can cost others
- Yes, Saul was responsible, but so was David – he knew better but didn’t pay attention to his intuition
Living with an Evil Government
- Our influence can far outpace our position
- We need to pay attention to how our words and actions affect others
- Like David, Christians show respect to Godless governments but may flee or resist
Building Your Team – Lessons:
- David has learned to listen to God
- David is learning how to lead a startup
- Different from leading in a functioning government
Passing the Test of Loneliness
- Turn to God – pour out your heart
- Ask God to do the impossible: connect you with people who can “fill the gap”
- Stay away from the world’s solutions:
  - TV/Entertainment/Movies
  - Online chats/meeting people
  - Throwing yourself into work, hobbies, causes or activities
- Admit you’re disconnected – ask God to connect you
- When we wander/drift from God, we try to “go it alone”. Are you “going it alone” today? Turn back to God……….
- Are you sinning? Understand that your sin has consequences. God will forgive your sin and restore your relationship with him, but there will still be consequences
More lessons on risk
- Home is where God puts you
  - David’s parents are in Mizpah
  - David’s wife is not with him
- God can use you no matter where you are or what your circumstances are
- God will take you farther in your faith than you think you can go
Lessons on surviving when evil ones are chasing you
- No grand plan – no strategic plan
- You do what you have to do so that you live to fight another day
- Decisions are made “in the moment”
- Life is generally difficult
- God often uses survival mode to increase dependence on Him by NOT giving you a clear picture of the future
- God provides support and protection
- Can go on for years
- Success = more difficult days
- Do not sin to take hold of that for which God took hold of you
- Do not take the easy way out if it involves sinning
- The people you lead can be unanimously wrong
- You will not negotiate your core values
Other Lessons
- Today’s actions have future consequences
- David learns it’s difficult to be an effective leader when you have skeletons in the closet
- Guard your actions & words today so that you lead effectively tomorrow
- Recognize God’s rebuke and humbly accept it
  - It is a rare person who can do this

Bill English