The David Alliance

By Garth HeckmanReligion & Spirituality

The David Alliance episodes

March 10 Gods got other plans!
Garth Heckman
The David Alliance
[email protected]
2 Kings 22
2 Chronicles 32
ISAIAH 22

Hezekiah is not panicking but he is trying his best to keep his people safe from the Assyrians. They are brutal people. They kill the army, then maim the remaining citizens as if to mark their territory… you can see why Hezekiah is wanting to do anything he can to spare his people from this terror.

During this time God leads Hezekiah to prepare.
Covers up the springs and brooks
Rebuilds the walls
Raised the towers
Made new weapons and shields
He set up captains over the people
He encouraged them - For there are more with us than with him: “We have more power than they have. (These words he quotes from the prophet Elisha, 2 Kings 6:16.)
He rerouted the water

But even after all this prep…
2 Kings 18:13-16, that Hezekiah unwisely and unsuccessfully tried to satisfy Sennacherib with gold and treasures from the temple.

He takes silver from the temple and strips gold from the doors of the temple: tendency to seek security through compromise -
compromise Gods Glory - MGLG
* even at the cost of diminishing the visible honor due to God's house.
Then he goes to God with Isaiah and cry’s out.

God never reprimanded him for his work, or his effort. Scripture describes these actions as part of Hezekiah’s strategic and faithful preparation for the Assyrian invasion…

A pure heart, not Gods plan.

The Supernatural Intervention
In response to Hezekiah's prayer and the prophecy of Isaiah, the Bible records that the Angel of the Lord sweeps through the Assyrian camp. Sennacherib retreats to Nineveh, and Jerusalem is spared without a single arrow being fired.
8 min
March 10Do the right thing and be attacked... perfect!
Garth Heckman
The David Alliance
[email protected]

2 Kings 22
2 Chronicles 32
ISAIAH 22

He Promoted Obedience to God’s Law

He restored:

* The priesthood
* Temple offerings
* Tithing systems

The nation became spiritually and economically stable.

How powerful is tithing… when you start it you will see blessing and then the enemy will come at you!
Don’t tithe if you don’t want to be attacked… oh and if you don’t want to be blessed by God.

The Assyrian Crisis (701 BC)
The superpower of the day, Assyria, led by King Sennacherib, invades Judah. They conquer 46 cities and surround Jerusalem. This is Hezekiah's "darkest hour," where he takes Sennacherib’s threatening letter to the Temple and spreads it out before God in prayer.
The Propaganda War: Sennacherib attempts to demoralize Judah, but Hezekiah encourages his people to trust that "there is a greater power with us than with him".

c. Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars: The Assyrian accuser knew that King Hezekiah had implemented broad reforms in Judah, including the removal of the high places (2 Kings 18:3-4). Yet in the Assyrian’s thinking, Hezekiah’s reforms had really displeased God, so he should not expect help from the LORD God of Israel. The Assyrian would say, “Look at all the places there used to be where people would worship the LORD God of Israel. Now, since Hezekiah came in, there is only one place. More is always better, so the LORD God of Israel must be pretty sore at Hezekiah!”
The enemy of our souls has an amazing way of discouraging our obedience. If Hezekiah was not careful, this argument of the Assyrian would start to make sense, when really it was demonic logic through and through.
Doubt leads to fear and then it leads to our own self building fear and we defeat ourselves before we even fight.

Satan can sound so caring and convincing: You choose to go on a diet and a friend comes to you and says - “Wow, good for you. That shows great discipline and that you want to take care of your body. You will look and feel so much better, way to go. Did you know that sometimes a person on a diet needs extra protein and carbs for energy? Hey you know what… cake has eggs, milk, flour in it. With your daily intake of sodium… boy if you get low on sodium you can cramp up. Plus what I like is that cake gives you an immediate burst of energy… and lets not forget how good it tastes.
THIS IS ALL TRUE - BUT THE MOTIVE IS YOUR DESTRUCTION.
8 min
March 08 Good Job... not so fast!
Garth Heckman
The David Alliance
[email protected]

2 Kings 22
2 Chronicles 32
ISAIAH 22

2 Kings 18:5 "Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.”

Hezekiah’s reign was defined by a radical, almost stubborn reliance on God during a time of national crisis.

He became king after one of Judah’s worst rulers, **Ahaz**, (HIS FATHER!) who had plunged the nation into idolatry. Hezekiah reversed the spiritual direction of the nation.

How does this happen… a 25 year old in the prime of life, sex drive, life drive and power… how did he turn out completely different from his father? Well… he had a mom called Abijah the daughter of the prophet Zechariah… Now I don’t know why she married him, but she did. Ahaz's wickedness—idolatry, child sacrifice, and alliances with pagan powers (2 Kings 16)—developed or became evident during his reign, but he was likely already crown prince or young king when the marriage was arranged. Ancient betrothals or marriages could occur in youth (Ahaz was around 20 when he became king, and Hezekiah was born when Ahaz was quite young), often before a person's full character was manifest or before major moral failings were public.

Beside the point… King Hezekiah was a complete 180 from his father… Mom did something right!

Our tendency is to think that when we are genuinely faithful to God we will be immune from attack. The experience of Hezekiah and countless other men and women of God tell us otherwise.

He does everything right in the face of unbelievable circumstances… truly an uphill demonic battle and for his faithfulness and troubles he gets attacked from the worst enemy in the world.
8 min
March 06You need this person... and he is a Jerk!
Garth Heckman
The David Alliance
[email protected]

If you want crazy results you gotta train with crazy people. If you wanna be rich you gotta hang out with rich people, if you want to be smart you gotta hang out with smart people and if you want to be Godly… you guessed it - and thats where we are going today.

My Granddaughter has one functioning kidney…
Since birth, her non-functonal left kidney has had fluid surrounding it. They’ve monitored it because if it gets to be any more, she has risk for infection or something more serious.

Today, for the first time, our urologist said that the dilation around that kidney was GONE.

They don’t wanna see her again until she’s 13!

BUT UNDERSTAND LIFE IS SHORT
Life is short
Olympics is years for seconds. The 100 meter dash, years of training, dieting, working out, stretching, overcoming injuries, saying no to normal life activities - all for less than 10 seconds…
I run the race to finish (Apostle Paul) life is short! The training isn’t for life, its for eternity.

THE LAST DANCE
Key Quotes and Descriptions:
Jud Buechler: "People were afraid of him... The fear factor of MJ was so, so thick".
Will Perdue: "Let's not get it wrong: He was an a--hole... He was a jerk. He crossed the line numerous times".
Horace Grant: "It was a bully approach... If you didn't confront Mike, he would ride you every day, all day, all the time".
Scottie Pippen: "He Couldn't Have Been More Condescending If He Tried".
Steve Kerr: Regarding their practice fight, Kerr noted that Jordan "tested everybody he played with”.
BJ Armstrong: "Was he a nice guy? He couldn't have been nice. With that kind of mentality he had, you can't be a nice guy. He would be difficult to be around if you didn't truly love the game of basketball".
Michael Jordan (defending his approach): "Winning has a price. And leadership has a price".
MJ emotional in the last dance: You ask my teammates and they will say One thing about Michael Jordan was he never asked me to do something that he didn’t do when people see this well he wasn’t really a nice guy. He may have been a tyrant well that’s you because you never wanted anything. I wanted to win, but I wanted them to win and to be a part of that as well, but I don’t have to do this. I’m only doing it because it is who I am. That’s how I played the game that was my mentality, if you don’t wanna play that way, don’t play that way. Break

When Jesus says “take up your cross” he says it in this same context as MJ. Right here in verse 22
Luke 9:22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
8 min
March 04 It happened again!!!
8 min
March 03 Lose your shoes?
Garth Heckman
The David Alliance
[email protected]

Nice shoes…

Luke 9:23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Would you give up your shoes to follow Jesus?
Your wardrobe, your education, your house, your friends, your spouse, your dreams, goals amibitions…
WOULD YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING?

Lets talk gym membership

PEOPLE TODAY PICK A CHURCH BECAUSE ITS EASY.
- Great worship
- Great preaching
   - Great friends
- Great technology
   - Great ministries
- Great location
   - Great facilities … coffee… etc…
BUT IF THEY DO NOT CHALLENGE YOU TO PICK UP YOUR CROSS - THEY ARE AN APOSTASY.
Def: abandonment or renunciation of one’s religious faith, principles, or cause.

Churches are competing with other churches to attract people to their church - RATHER THAN… preaching the cross of Christ!

What is the price of your cross… what is the cost of the cross: Loneliness, misunderstanding, lack of friends or lose friends, viewed as odd or religious, fired, financial loss… old school
8 min
March 02 Goforth Go Forth... and he went forth!
Garth Heckman
The David Alliance
[email protected]

The Best football names in the NFL
Dick Butkus — Sounds like a no-nonsense enforcer (and he was one of the most feared linebackers in history).
Bronko Nagurski — Old-school powerhouse name that matches his legendary fullback/linebacker dominance.
Johnny Blood — Rugged and mysterious; fits a tough early-era player perfectly.
Frank Zombo —The zombie

LUke 9: 23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. NASB

Jonathan Goforth (1859–1936)
A Canadian missionary to China and Korea, Goforth witnessed powerful revivals (e.g., the Manchurian Revival of 1908), with thousands repenting, confessions of sin, and spiritual awakenings spreading like wildfire. The cost was staggering: five of his eleven children died during his ministry (due to harsh conditions and disease), he faced intense persecution, physical exhaustion, and personal grief. Yet he pressed on through prayer and humility, seeing God move in extraordinary ways—proving revival often follows deep personal sacrifice.

In all things seek to know God's Will and when known obey at any cost. Jonathan Goforth

Would you give up your shoes to follow Jesus?
Your wardrobe, your education, your house, your friends, your spouse, your dreams, goals amibitions…
WOULD YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING?

Lets talk gym membership

PEOPLE TODAY PICK A CHURCH BECAUSE ITS EASY.
- Great worship
- Great preaching
   - Great friends
- Great technology
   - Great ministries
- Great location
   - Great facilities … coffee… etc…
BUT IF THEY DO NOT CHALLENGE YOU TO PICK UP YOUR CROSS - THEY ARE AN APOSTASY.
Def: abandonment or renunciation of one’s religious faith, principles, or cause.

Churches are competing with other churches to attract people to their church - RATHER THAN… preaching the cross of Christ!

What is the price of your cross… what is the cost of the cross: Loneliness, misunderstanding, lack of friends or lose friends, viewed as odd or religious, fired, financial loss… old school
8 min
March 02 The Hardest Crowd
8 min
March 02The hardest crowd to speak to...
Garth Heckman
The David Alliance
[email protected]

I have spoken to groups of 20k, I have spoken to a 1000 dentists, I have spoke to professional sports teams, I have spoken to kindergartners and I have even spoken to men in prison… like Jeffery Dahmer… but nothing could have prepared me for that day…

INTRO:
I stood in front of a group of boys who were all under 18 and were in prison. They were hardened criminals… in for stabbing, shooting, killing, raping…
You are not in here because you made a bad choice, you are not in here because you got caught, you are not in here because you chose the dangerous path…
You are not in here because you chose the hard way
You are in here because you chose the easy way!

The ultimate choice!
LUke 9: 23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. NASB

Chew on this: Your health right now is because you chose hard or you chose easy… your feelings.
Your finances - you chose your feelings or you chose the cross.
Your marriage to your spouse - you chose your feelings or you chose the cross.
Your spiritual depth - feelings or cross.
EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE… INCLUDING YOUR ATTITUDE IS FEELINGS OR CROSS.

*TO be the BOSS you gotta choose the CROSS!

CROSS - what does it mean?
Context: In 1st-century Roman culture, this phrase meant carrying the instrument of one's own execution, signifying absolute surrender and a, willingness to die to one's own desires.
The Cost: It means putting aside personal ambition, comfort, and, if necessary, one's own life to follow Jesus.
The Reward: Jesus contrasts this by saying, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it”.
Daily Application: It is not just about extreme sacrifice, but daily choosing obedience, patience over anger, and selflessness over comfort.

In the first-century Jewish context under Roman occupation, the cross symbolized the most degrading, torturous death imaginable—not a mere "burden" like a difficult circumstance (a common modern misinterpretation). Jesus' audience would have immediately understood "take up your cross" as a vivid metaphor for being willing to face execution, shame, and total loss of life for His sake. It was shocking and countercultural: no one "took up a cross" expecting to survive or gain worldly power.

Cross = shame, guilt, suffering, rejection,
8 min
February 24You will get shot
Garth Heckman
The David Alliance
[email protected]

What do you want for your kids? Happiness? Great life? Money? Health?

Proverbs 24:16 For a righteous person falls seven times and rises again,

Rising After the Fall: The Resilience of the Righteous
Scripture: “For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.”(Proverbs 24:16)

1. The Reality of the Fall - the gun will go off, someone will get shot
The first thing we notice in this verse is a sobering honesty: the righteous fall. Many people operate under the misconception that a life of faith is a life of perfection or a shield against gravity. But Solomon doesn’t say the righteous might fall; he says they fall "seven times." In biblical terms, the number seven often represents completeness. This suggests that the righteous will face complete, repeated, and sometimes exhausting setbacks.
The Fall is not a Failure of Faith: Falling is simply part of the human condition. Whether it is a moral lapse, a financial collapse, or an emotional breakdown, being "righteous" does not mean being “bulletproof."
I love Mauy Thai because you get kicked and punched and elbowed and kneed and that is the real world… most people don’t like to fight because they don’t want to feel pain… but once you get over that you become deadly.
2. The Definition of Righteousness
If both the righteous and the wicked face "calamity," what is the difference between them?
The difference isn't found in the descent, but in the response.
The Wicked: When they stumble, they stay down. Their foundation is built on circumstances, so when circumstances crumble, they are undone.
The Righteous: Their righteousness isn't based on their ability to stand perfectly; it’s based on their relationship with the One who pulls them back up. Righteousness is a matter of orientation, not just performance.
3. The Grace of the "Again"
The power of this verse lies in two words: "rise again." This is the theology of the second chance (and the third, and the seventh). God is more interested in your recovery than your stumble. The "rising" is an act of grit fueled by grace. It implies that as long as there is breath in your lungs, the story isn't over.
"Failure is not the opposite of success; it is a stepping stone to it. In the Kingdom of God, failure is often the classroom where we learn the most about God's strength and our own weakness."

Application: How Do We Rise?
Acknowledge the Fall: Don't waste energy pretending you didn't trip. Honesty is the first step toward upward mobility.
Reject the Label: You may have fallen, but you are not "a failure." You are still "the righteous" because of whose you are.
Lean on the Lifter: We don’t rise by our own bootstraps. We rise because we serve a God who reaches down into the pit.
Conclusion:
If you find yourself on the ground today—spiritually, mentally, or professionally—take heart. The "seven times" you’ve fallen are not a tally of your defeat, but a setup for your next rising. Dust yourself off; your Storyteller isn't done writing yet.

Would you like me to expand on this with some specific modern-day illustrations or perhaps draft a concluding prayer to go with it
8 min