David Strengthened Himself by Randy Gladden
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&view=post&articleid=David-Strengthened-Himself-by-Randy-Gladden-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
By Randy Gladden
David is on the cusp of the fulfillment of his destiny; but he doesn't know that yet. First, he will face one of the greatest challenges of his life. The Amalekites have raided and carried away their wives, children and all their possessions. What they couldn't carry away, they burned. David and his men return to find their lives reduced to ashes. Anguish turns to anger and David fears for his very life. He has lost everything and even his men have turned against him.
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David is on the cusp of the fulfillment of his destiny; but he doesn’t know that yet. First, he will face one of the greatest challenges of his life.
The Amalekites have raided and carried away their wives, children and all their possessions. What they couldn’t carry away, they burned.
David and his men return to find their lives reduced to ashes. Anguish turns to anger and David fears for his very life. He has lost everything and even his men have turned against him.
In his distress, he doesn’t immediately seek God’s direction but rather before anything else, David strengthened himself in the Lord.
Interestingly we aren’t told how David did it. And maybe that is a good thing. Rather than focusing on a process or checklist, grace means that it is an individual approach.
Jehoshaphat was facing an overwhelming army. He recounted to God how He brought His people into the promised land through great miracles. And His promise that in any crisis that if they called to Him, He would hear and save.
Ultimately, he wasn’t reminding God, he was reminding himself.
As David prepared to face Goliath, Saul tried to discourage him because of his youth. But David described how God had given him previous victories over the lion and the bear. He was confident that just as God had delivered him before, He would do so again.
Essential Life Skill
Whatever the challenge, great or small, the necessary but overlooked response should be to strengthen ourselves in God before attempting anything else. To build ourselves up in our most holy faith.
Only after strengthening himself in the Lord did David inquire of God. God confirms he is to pursue and recover. He does recover all. Nothing was lost either great or small.
There was even a reward. They captured spoil, livestock and herds. So much that they were blessed and had enough to share with all the communities He and his men had roamed.
Shortly after their return, David learns of Saul’s death and begins the process of becoming king. The crisis threatened to overwhelm him when he was so close to his destiny.
We continually face challenges that would attempt to derail us. Our first response should always be to strengthen ourselves in the Lord. Then get direction for the victory.
Randy Gladden
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=Delegated-Presence-by-Randy-Gladden-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Culture treats identity as personal expression, but God views identity as representation, getting just the briefest understanding of how profound it is. When God said, let us make man in our image. It will transform your thinking. It will radically expand your expectations and your entire approach to life. Now I won't be able to do this justice. It's that profound. But I do want to bring enough to begin to challenge your thinking, to cause you to begin to understand how God sees you, what he's called you to, and the impact you're to have.
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=The-Growth-Mandate-Stewardship-That-Unlocks-Promotion-by-Randy-Gladden-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Some teachings don't just inspire us—they recalibrate us. They rewire how we think, how we steward, and how we respond to opportunity. The parable of the talents is one of those teachings. It is not poetic encouragement. It is a Kingdom operating system. A mandate that reveals how Heaven views growth, responsibility, and trust. Jesus does not present stewardship as optional. He presents it as foundational. If we desire Kingdom authority—spiritually, relationally, or financially—we must first understand this truth: increase never precedes responsibility. It follows it.
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=Escaping-the-Performance-Trap-by-Randy-Gladden-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
The performance trap is subtle and exhausting. The suffocating pressure that whispers that everything depends on you—your ability to get it right, pray the perfect prayer, or somehow unlock the "missing step" to breakthrough. When pressure builds, the mind spirals: What am I missing? What am I doing wrong? Why can't I get the breakthrough? Culture reinforces the same lie. Achievement, hustle, output, and perfection become the measures of worth. Even friends trying to help unknowingly add pressure by asking, "Have you tried this?" The problem is not the advice—it's the underlying assumption that your effort determines the outcome.
