Lessons for Living (Audio)

Have you ever been running for your life? Probably not. This, however, is where David finds himself: on the run, all alone, with no resources except his brains and wits. And that’s where he makes his first mistake; he forgot about God. Pastor Mark will be teaching about David’s attempt to put space between Saul and himself. By concocting a story to provide himself with food and weapons, there will be unintended consequences that prove fatal to others involved. Trust God for the answers to hard questions – although you might not see the answer, God has one for you that is part of His plan.

Do you find it hard to remember God’s promises when you’re under pressure or having a crisis? You’re not alone – David did, too. God had sent Samuel to anoint him as the next king, but as David was trying to evade Saul, he didn’t calm himself with the knowledge that he’d have to be alive to be the next king. Pastor Mark will be teaching about the need to look first to God when things hit the fan – that way, you can find a reason to be calm besides empty hope. Being reminded that God has your life in His hands helps to keep the blood pressure down and the hope tank filled.

I think it’s fair to say that you have never been in a situation like David was in. to have your father-in-law continually trying to kill you or have you killed – that’s probably not a part of your experience. The stress and worry he faced virtually every waking hour: unimaginable! And yet, as Pastor Mark will be teaching, David had the foresight to seek Samuel and to get his guidance. You’ll learn that God has avenues of escape for you, just like He did for David. Your escape to safety may not be as unconventional as David’s was, but it is there nonetheless. Seek Him and He will show you the way out.

Do you have people in your life who find your last nerve – and then step all over it? Everyone has someone that irritates them. You find yourself asking God, “Why have you put this terrible person in my life?” Possibly David asked God the same thing in regards to Saul. But, as Pastor Mark will be teaching, people like this are in your life to grow you up spiritually. They are there to get you to call out to God for His help. You will find that more often than not God wants to change your behavior and your attitude more than He wants to take the tormentor out of your life. God wants to use you to minister to the one who vexes you.

It seems that David, if he were normal, would become increasingly discouraged the more time he spent in Saul’s household. After all, the more useful he became to Saul the more Saul tried to kill him! Saul offers his daughter in marriage – the price David had to pay might kill him! In today’s teaching, Pastor Mark will be illustrating that bad things happen to those who are trying to live godly lives. Often it’s because you’re having to deal with bad people; sometimes it’s because you’re being opposed by Satan and his minions. Spiritual warfare is a reality that, for you to live a successful life, has to recognized and fought against.

Sometimes when Christians see a successful, charismatic figure they may hope for that person’s salvation. The thinking is, is that because of that person’s popularity that their coming to a saving knowledge of Christ will “show” the world that Christianity can be “cool”, too. This ignores Jesus’ warning to His disciples that the world would hate them. Pastor Mark will be teaching that David’s popularity would be fleeting, too. At one point he will become an enemy of the state with a price on his head. He kept on being faithful to God, though, and God honored this and blessed him at the right time.

There’s always pressure to do your best at work. In the midst of putting your nose to the grindstone while simultaneously looking at your coworkers it’s really easy to become competitive with those around you. Sometimes your employer encourages that competition either subtly or explicitly. If that competition becomes unhealthy, someone else’s success can breed jealousy. In today’s teaching, Pastor Mark will be reminding you that the first jealous employee was Lucifer. That’s a sobering thought which hopefully remind you to have Prince Jonathan’s attitude rather than that of Satan.

Have you ever lost out on a position that you had your heart set on? Maybe there was something owned by a loved one that you had hoped to inherit but went to another family member? Those situations are hard to deal with; the disappointment many times can fester and give rise to bitterness and resentment. Pastor Mark will be teaching about David, the future king, and Jonathan, who by right of succession should have become king after his father, and Jonathan’s acceptance of God’s will. Not only did he accept it, he seems to have enthusiastically embraced it – what a lesson to learn!

Do you want to be a better person than you are today? Most people would answer, “Yes”. Even though you desire to be a better version of yourself, if you have any life experience you know that this growth comes as a result of challenges. Although it feels good to be coasting in life, that often breeds complacency and stagnation. Pastor Mark will be teaching that God doesn’t want you to be stalled in your spiritual growth, so He sends trials into your life. You might hate those tests but meeting and overcoming those challenges is the only way for you to be the mature person that God wants you to become.

It is so easy – and so tempting – to hear the story of David’s defeat of Goliath and not think any further than, “That’s a neat story - God really did come through for David.” Sure, you can think of it as a metaphor for your own life, that maybe you can overcome difficult obstacles. But Pastor Mark will be encouraging you to do more than think about this story; he wants you to understand that God wants you to act on this story. You need to recognize that whoever you are, God has created you the way you are, and has created you to fulfill your unique role in advancing His kingdom.