Ministering reconciliation...

1 Samuel 17:8-11 (the message) 8-10 Goliath stood there and called out to the Israelite troops, "Why bother using your whole army? Am I not Philistine enough for you? And you're all committed to Saul, aren't you? So pick your best fighter and pit him against me. If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you'll all become our slaves and serve us. I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!" 11 When Saul and his troops heard the Philistine's challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope. I have been on a study of David. God has shown me some incredible things: • The real definition of effectiveness is how closely we obey God. • God is the only one who can reveal what HE CREATED YOU TO BE. • When we make mistakes, or others wrong us, we need to pick ourselves back up, forgive them and move on. When we don’t forgive, we give thos...

1 Samuel 17:4-7 4-7 A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath. He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armor—126 pounds of it! He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword. His spear was like a fence rail—the spear tip alone weighed over fifteen pounds. His shield bearer walked ahead of him. As I was reading this scripture this morning, I started to realize that the sheer size of Goliath must have been something to behold. Not only was Goliath nearly 'ten feet' (v.1), he had to be able to wear his armor AND wield a spear, shield, and sword! More than likely, with all the muscle, he weighed nearly 600 lbs! That's a lot of weight and height. More often than not, as I was going to do myself, people share about the giants we all face in life. But God took it to a whole 'nother level. God quickened to my heart a verse in Psalm 37 at the same time. Psalm 37:1-9 1-2 Don't bother your he...

1 Samuel 17:1-3 1-3 The Philistines drew up their troops for battle. They deployed them at Socoh in Judah, and set up camp between Socoh and Azekah at Ephes Dammim. Saul and the Israelites came together, camped at Oak Valley, and spread out their troops in battle readiness for the Philistines. The Philistines were on one hill, the Israelites on the opposing hill, with the valley between them. We find this story, curiously right after David is accepted into King Saul's house as his musician. What is curious to me is the place the the Philistines chose to make their camp. They planted themsleves between Socoh and Azekah. Socoh means "Tents and Tabernacles" whereas Azekah means "Strength of Walls." What is interesting to me is this: They planted themselves squarely between Tents and tabernacles and the strength of walls. What one has to consider is that when you trust in tents, temporary dwellings, and the strength of walls over the power of the Lord our God,...

1 Samuel 16:14-23 David—An Excellent Musician 14 At that very moment the Spirit of God left Saul and in its place a black mood sent by God settled on him. He was terrified. 15-16 Saul's advisors said, "This awful tormenting depression from God is making your life miserable. O Master, let us help. Let us look for someone who can play the harp. When the black mood from God moves in, he'll play his music and you'll feel better." 17 Saul told his servants, "Go ahead. Find me someone who can play well and bring him to me." 18 One of the young men spoke up, "I know someone. I've seen him myself: the son of Jesse of Bethlehem, an excellent musician. He's also courageous, of age, well-spoken, and good-looking. And God is with him." 19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse requesting, "Send your son David to me, the one who tends the sheep." 20-21 Jesse took a donkey, loaded it with a couple of loaves of bread, a flask of wine, ...

1 Samuel 16:6-13 6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, "Here he is! God's anointed!" 7 But God told Samuel, "Looks aren't everything. Don't be impressed with his looks and stature. I've already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart." 8 Jesse then called up Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. Samuel said, "This man isn't God's choice either." 9 Next Jesse presented Shammah. Samuel said, "No, this man isn't either." 10 Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel. Samuel was blunt with Jesse, "God hasn't chosen any of these." 11 Then he asked Jesse, "Is this it? Are there no more sons?" "Well, yes, there's the runt. But he's out tending the sheep." Samuel ordered Jesse, "Go get him. We're not moving from this spot until he's here." 12 ...

1 Samuel 16:4-5 (The Msg) 4 Samuel did what God told him. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the town fathers greeted him, but apprehensively. "Is there something wrong?" 5 "Nothing's wrong. I've come to sacrifice this heifer and lead you in the worship of God. Prepare yourselves, be consecrated, and join me in worship." He made sure Jesse and his sons were also consecrated and called to worship." Yesterday, we left Samuel frustrated and, while obedient, questioning. When he got to Bethlehem, the first question from the leaders of the town was "What's wrong? is God upset?" Just a side note: if all you ever do is bring the judgement of God, it is time to re-evaluate what messages you are sending. selah... Samuel alleviates their fears and says, "no listen, God called me to lead you in worship." Then there is a curious phrasing: "He made sure Jesse and his sons were also consecrated and called to worship." (v.5) in the ...

1 Samuel 16:1-3 1 God addressed Samuel: "So, how long are you going to mope over Saul? You know I've rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your flask with anointing oil and get going. I'm sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I've spotted the very king I want among his sons." 2-3 "I can't do that," said Samuel. "Saul will hear about it and kill me." God said, "Take a heifer with you and announce, 'I've come to lead you in worship of God, with this heifer as a sacrifice.' Make sure Jesse gets invited. I'll let you know what to do next. I'll point out the one you are to anoint." Have you ever made a choice that you instantly wish you could take back? There are times that we make a choice to do something or say something that is not necessarily the best. Sometimes, when I do that, I can beat myself up and really get frustrated about what I did or said. The problem when we do this is we feed negative thoug...