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=Called-or-Chosen-by-Randy-Gladden-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
When God came to Abram, it wasn't a polite invitation. It was a radical challenge. Leave everything you know. Step out of the familiar. Walk away from comfort, certainty, and even understanding. And for what? A promise you can't see yet. A future you can't yet touch. A destiny only God Himself can unfold. With the challenge came promises beyond imagination: I will bless and protect you. Your descendants will outnumber the sand on the seashore. Through you, every nation will be blessed.
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=Defeating-Deception-by-Randy-Gladden-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
We have a very real enemy. Though he cannot take from us what God has given, he can steal - and his primary weapon is deception. He doesn't have authority over your destiny, your calling, or your inheritance in Christ. But he will do everything in his power to get you to forfeit them. The enemy steals by planting seeds of doubt, discouragement, and distraction. He deceives us into thinking that God's promises are uncertain, His voice is unclear, and our dreams are insignificant.
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=Your-Leadership-Moment-by-Randy-Gladden-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
There are moments in life when everything shifts – not by accident but forged by Kingdom assignment. A crisis erupts. Pressure mounts. A need demands answers. And suddenly… you're not just a witness to the moment. You are the answer God has positioned. He has placed you for such a time as this. Esther didn't plan to be queen. She wasn't prepared for the weight of the assignment. But that is the pattern of Kingdom leadership. God raises ordinary people, places them in uncomfortable situations, and uses them for extraordinary outcomes.
