If you live long enough and keep your eyes open, you will be able to discern repeated patterns within the Kingdom of God. One of these cycles of how God works is seen in His exalting one person while simultaneously reducing another person. None of us is a permanent fixture in our generation. The young get old, the old die and, while that is happening, newborns are entering the cycle to ensure that there is always someone whom God may use for His glory. In this passage, we have this cycle undeniably placed before us as God’s hand remains upon David for blessing, while that same helping hand is removed from King Saul. What does it look like to be promoted in the Kingdom by God? Are you positioned for this type of touch from God upon your own life? This part of David’s story also serves as an opportunity for us to see if there is any danger of us living in the prison of our own insecurities when God promotes others around us. Envy and jealousy are open doors to the demonic realm, and we have the calling to keep our own hearts free and clear of these powerful emotions. As God continues in our generation to elevate some and reduce others, we have decisions to make about how we are positioning ourselves under His hand. Will the fingerprints of God mark us for blessing, or will the thumbprint of insecurity mark our lives?
Insecurity's Thumbprint
1 Samuel 18:1-6
October 30, 2019 • Jeff Lyle
When God Says No
February 26, 2020 • Jeff Lyle
The Apostle Paul once wrote that “All the promises of god are Yes & Amen in Jesus.” (2 Cor. 1:20). Yet it is undeniable that sometimes God seems to look us straight in the eye and tell us, “No, my child.” The challenge for us is discerning what the difference is between our desires and God’s promises. This message from King David’s life walks us through what it is like to receive a flat denial from God. David asked for something that made sense. It was spiritual. He wanted to honor the Lord by doing something for Him…and God told David NO. Can we embrace God’s No’s in faith? Will we praise him when He denies us? Have we matured to celebrate His wisdom when He declines the thing we desire? David’s life helps us to see how God saying No is sometimes the gateway to greatness and glory.
Dancing King
January 29, 2020 • Jeff Lyle
As David moved forward in leading Israel as their king, he discerned it was time to bring the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem. For decades it had been sitting in places where it was no longer an instrument in the national worship of the God of Israel. After seeking to move the ark without consulting God, disaster struck, and a man named Uzza was killed for putting his hand on the holy ark. David referenced the Law and learned how to properly transport the ark. In this message, we see the unbridled joy of David as he dances in the presence of God. We also see the nasty heart of someone who despised his public displays of worship. This message calls us to unapologetic displays of enthusiastic worship of God, while also warning us about the dangers of judging those who engage their spirit, emotions and bodies as they magnify the God who loves and leads them.
The Harvest From The Waiting Season
January 15, 2020 • Jeff Lyle
You have likely never met a person that can honestly say that they delight in waiting. While it is true that, as we mature, we learn to patiently wait, nobody truly enjoys waiting for something they desire. We have an impulse in our soul that prefers to immediately receive what we long for. Part of becoming a deep follower of Jesus is learning how to cooperate with His practice of making us wait. King David’s life was marked by long, deep and sometimes painful years of waiting on God to bring to pass His plan for David’s life. In this message, we witness David’s breakthrough that was two decades in the making. That’s right: David waited twenty years for one day. Yet, when that particular day finally found David, he was so glad to reap the harvest of all those years of patiently waiting upon the Lord. We should expect the same in our own lives. Are you and I willing to wait as long as God determines for Him to bring to pass His plans for us?