Dynamic Character | A Shepherd’s Staff and a Billy Club
Message Recap
Think about what you FACE
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[I Samuel 17:26]
David asked the soldiers standing nearby, "What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?"
[I Samuel 17:28]
But when David's oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. "What are you doing around here anyway?" he demanded. "What about those few sheep you're supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!"
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Just because it HURT you, doesn't mean it has to HINDER you
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[I Samuel 17:32-37]
"Don't worry about this Philistine," David told Saul. "I'll go fight him!"
33 "Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "There's no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You're only a boy, and he's been a man of war since his youth."
34 But David persisted. "I have been taking care of my father's sheep and goats," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37 The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!"
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Everything you've fought through, has prepared you for this fight.
Think about what you FACE(D)
When you've been through some stuff and you lived to tell about it, you stop asking "Why me?" And you start asking "What now?"
You've gotta know as you are shepherding your flock somebody is shepherding you...
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[Psalm 3:5]
I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me.
[Philippians 4:6-7]
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
[Psalm 37:23-25]
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. 24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. 25 Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.
[I Samuel 16:6-7]
When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, "Surely this is the Lord's anointed!" 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
[I Samuel 16:11-13]
Then Samuel asked, "Are these all the sons you have?"
"There is still the youngest," Jesse replied. "But he's out in the fields watching the sheep and goats."
"Send for him at once," Samuel said. "We will not sit down to eat until he arrives."
12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes.
And the Lord said, "This is the one; anoint him."
13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on.
[James 1:5]
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
[Proverbs 3:5-6]
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
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Discussion Questions
What is it that you currently face?What does your "fight" look like from a wider view?
When you look back at what you've faced in the past, how has God used it to prepare you for right now?
What does a fresh revelation of who is God look like to you?
What does a fresh revelation of who you are look like to you?
When's the last time you misjudged or misunderstood somebody?
Where do you need to flip the question from "Why Me?" to "What Now?"