Don't Miss Your Turn

0:00:01.560 --> 0:00:02.840 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 0:00:02.840 --> 0:00:04.840 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and. 0:00:04.800 --> 0:00:05.840 This is our podcast. 0:00:05.920 --> 0:00:08.360 I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope 0:00:08.360 --> 0:00:11.080 this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it 0:00:11.080 --> 0:00:13.120 gives your perspective to see God is moving. 0:00:12.920 --> 0:00:16.520 In your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:17.280 --> 0:00:19.119 If you wouldn't mind standing, I'd like to preach, and 0:00:19.120 --> 0:00:21.239 I want to read the scripture while you stand. And 0:00:21.320 --> 0:00:24.119 I want to just share a simple message today from 0:00:24.200 --> 0:00:28.560 First Samuel classic text. God has given me a fresh 0:00:28.640 --> 0:00:33.440 insight on First Samuel chapter seventeen, and I just want 0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:39.520 to give you verses forty eight through fifty one. 0:00:39.640 --> 0:00:41.720 And I love this little Bible story. 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:48.080 That's the one where David kills Goliath spoiler alert. And 0:00:48.120 --> 0:00:50.120 I think there'll be some things in this message today 0:00:50.120 --> 0:00:52.519 that will be pertin it to your personal life as 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:54.320 well as our plight. Is a nation, so I like it. 0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:56.760 Lean in and listen carefully. I believe there is a 0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:57.880 word from the Lord. 0:00:57.640 --> 0:00:59.920 In this house. How many are ready to receive it? 0:01:00.720 --> 0:01:03.120 Come on? Are you excited? How many want to hear 0:01:03.160 --> 0:01:04.000 from God? Today? 0:01:05.480 --> 0:01:10.399 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran 0:01:10.560 --> 0:01:15.039 quickly toward the battle line. God's people don't run from trouble. 0:01:15.640 --> 0:01:18.480 We run toward it in the name of the Lord. 0:01:19.160 --> 0:01:23.000 He ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him, 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:26.880 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he 0:01:27.040 --> 0:01:30.800 slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead, and 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:34.919 the stone sank into his forehead and he fell face 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:39.039 down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine 0:01:39.040 --> 0:01:42.240 with a sling and a stone, without a sword in 0:01:42.319 --> 0:01:45.840 his hand, he struck down the Philistine and killed him. 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:48.960 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of 0:01:49.000 --> 0:01:53.720 the Philistine's sword, drew it from the sheath. After he 0:01:53.880 --> 0:01:56.240 killed him, cut off his head with his own sword. 0:01:56.720 --> 0:01:59.320 Sometimes you got to take what the devil brings against 0:01:59.400 --> 0:02:02.680 you and put it to use to do the work 0:02:02.720 --> 0:02:05.720 of God. And when the Philistines saw that their hero 0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:09.400 was dead, they turned and ran. They turned and ran. 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:13.320 Now I need you to announce my title to your neighbor. 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:13.560 Okay. 0:02:13.600 --> 0:02:15.280 And this might be something that your wife says to 0:02:15.320 --> 0:02:17.880 you when you're driving. You might have said this to 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:21.959 your husband today trying to find elevation Valentine or whatever 0:02:22.000 --> 0:02:24.400 campus you're at. But would you look at your neighbor 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:30.400 and give them my title. Say neighbor, don't miss your turn. 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:34.640 Look at your other neighbor and say you might miss 0:02:34.680 --> 0:02:41.800 your turn. Pay attention, don't miss your turn. Amen, you 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:42.640 may be seated. 0:02:45.000 --> 0:02:49.280 Thank you, Worship team, Thank you worship team. All are 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:55.240 worship teams. Oh man, so much I want to say 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:57.560 to you. Let me just look at you real quick. 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:01.080 It's a new building, so I don't know where everybody's 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:05.560 sitting and used to having people all my familiar faces. 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:08.600 Okay, I'm looking for my love. I'm looking for my 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:10.720 love this school. 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:12.680 Those of you at the other campuses, you can't see this, 0:03:12.760 --> 0:03:14.800 but the way we've set up the room is very strategic. 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:16.560 We have it where everybody can keep an eye on 0:03:16.600 --> 0:03:19.880 each other and monitor them to make sure that they 0:03:19.880 --> 0:03:23.040 are paying attention and being responsive in the sermon. So, 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:25.720 those of you on my right, if these people over 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:29.440 here start looking like they're dozing off, they start looking bored, 0:03:30.520 --> 0:03:33.440 you could shoot a spitball at them. You can do 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:36.080 whatever you have to do this side. Over here on 0:03:36.120 --> 0:03:38.240 the left side, these people really love Jesus. 0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:42.760 In fact, it's going to be a competition. We're going 0:03:42.800 --> 0:03:43.680 to get to see over. 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:45.800 The course of the coming weeks and months which section 0:03:45.960 --> 0:03:48.960 loves Jesus the most, and so it should be interesting. 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:51.880 But I just want to share a little bit with 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:52.800 you today. 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:54.480 I want you to get something on your mind as 0:03:54.480 --> 0:03:57.080 we look at this classic text in the Valley of Elaw, 0:03:57.120 --> 0:04:00.320 where the giant from God, who some say was nine 0:04:00.480 --> 0:04:02.920 three inches tall, has come to defy the armies of 0:04:02.960 --> 0:04:06.000 the Living God, and a boy named David decides to 0:04:06.040 --> 0:04:08.640 do something about it. I want you to think if 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:11.320 you would just for a moment about something in your 0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:15.520 life that you almost missed out. 0:04:15.320 --> 0:04:18.120 On, and that. 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:22.400 You you you came really close to missing out on it, 0:04:23.279 --> 0:04:26.040 but you know you did it, and now that you're 0:04:26.080 --> 0:04:29.720 looking back on it, you are like, oh, I'm so 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:36.280 glad that I didn't let fear or apathy or laziness 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:41.440 or other people keep me from doing that, because I 0:04:41.440 --> 0:04:43.240 would have missed so much. In fact, some of you, 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:44.480 to listen to other people, you never gonna come to 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:46.960 the church, you know what I'm saying. 0:04:46.720 --> 0:04:48.360 And you would have missed out because it is a 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:51.000 great place. It's great people. I said, this is a 0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:54.159 great place with great people. Come on, y'all, let's break 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:54.880 it in this building. 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:59.880 Don't be looking at me stuffy, Amen. Something you would 0:04:59.920 --> 0:05:01.440 have I missed out on Holly, of course, is of 0:05:01.800 --> 0:05:06.000 thinking about if she had said no instead of I do, 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:08.480 how much she would have missed. 0:05:08.560 --> 0:05:10.400 She would have missed her miracle. 0:05:11.279 --> 0:05:14.000 She would have missed her man, she would have missed 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:17.279 her moment. Aren't you glad you didn't miss it? You 0:05:17.320 --> 0:05:20.159 know different things in life, opportunities that you had that 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:22.720 scared you at the time. Amy, Think about if when 0:05:22.720 --> 0:05:25.120 I took unk chunks out the Golden Corral and said 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:27.520 start the church with me, Hattie said, I. 0:05:27.520 --> 0:05:28.159 Don't want to do it. 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:30.440 I want to keep on working physical therapy, rubbing on 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:31.800 old people's backsides. 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:34.880 I want to keep serving. Then nothing wrong being a 0:05:34.880 --> 0:05:37.440 physical therapist. I'm just having a little humor here with you. 0:05:37.680 --> 0:05:40.159 But just imagine you wouldn't even be here on the 0:05:40.160 --> 0:05:41.520 front row watching. 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:43.599 The grand opening of a location. 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:46.520 Last night, I gave away almost a quarter of a 0:05:46.560 --> 0:05:48.599 million dollars, because that's what you do when you move into. 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:50.680 A thirty million dollar building. You give away quarter of 0:05:50.720 --> 0:05:53.599 a million dollars just to make the devil mad, to 0:05:53.680 --> 0:05:55.640 let him know that the church is on the move. 0:05:56.040 --> 0:05:57.560 As a matter of fact, I want to make a 0:05:57.600 --> 0:06:01.000 prophetic announcement. This church is not gonna miss our turn 0:06:01.440 --> 0:06:04.560 We are determined in this season in our cities to. 0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:06.440 Shine like never before. 0:06:06.800 --> 0:06:10.279 The world needs us now and we're not gonna miss. 0:06:10.680 --> 0:06:11.440 Our turn out. 0:06:14.160 --> 0:06:18.839 I'm not a big believer in having regrets. I think 0:06:18.880 --> 0:06:22.200 that what's better is if you can learn the lesson, 0:06:24.040 --> 0:06:26.640 get the benefit of the lesson without the burden of 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:30.440 the regret. You know what I'm saying, get the burden 0:06:30.520 --> 0:06:33.240 of the lesson or the benefit or whatever I said 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:38.520 of the lesson j LA, without the burden of the regret. 0:06:38.839 --> 0:06:43.200 What I do believe in is the power of pregret. 0:06:44.120 --> 0:06:47.640 I made up the word. I believe that. 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:54.000 If you can learn how in your life to experience 0:06:55.279 --> 0:07:00.360 what you would experience if you did something dumb in 0:07:00.400 --> 0:07:05.240 your emotions without having to do the dumb thing and 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:09.160 deal with the consequences and the disaster of your decision, 0:07:09.400 --> 0:07:10.040 I think it's. 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:11.960 A good thing. I might write a book about this, 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:13.680 the power of pregret. 0:07:15.440 --> 0:07:18.280 You know, so you can learn how to discern guys 0:07:18.320 --> 0:07:22.480 that you shouldn't date by seeing the patterns that he's 0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:24.560 like the last guy, he's like the last guy, and 0:07:24.640 --> 0:07:26.800 if I go out with him, and if I sleep 0:07:26.840 --> 0:07:28.640 with him, I'm going to end up having to be 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:32.320 in the same cycle. And so I think there's something 0:07:32.880 --> 0:07:36.640 to learn from the things that we've missed out on, 0:07:36.680 --> 0:07:38.800 the things that we've almost missed out on. You may 0:07:38.840 --> 0:07:41.760 think this is a strange introduction, and I forgot that 0:07:41.840 --> 0:07:46.880 my text was David and Goliath. But this common text 0:07:46.920 --> 0:07:51.640 has an often overlook application I find in First Samuel 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:53.960 sixteen and seventeen. And those of you at are Matthew's 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:56.280 campus are going to be particularly interested in this sermon 0:07:56.320 --> 0:07:58.320 because I began to share on this topic with you 0:07:58.360 --> 0:07:59.920 a few weeks ago when I came over in supp 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:03.600 I do for a visit because I was noticing that 0:08:03.960 --> 0:08:09.320 the climax of the story, when David took his slingshot, 0:08:09.360 --> 0:08:13.520 his rocks, his shepherding equipment, and used it to kill 0:08:13.960 --> 0:08:20.760 a giant named Goliath, it almost didn't happen. It it 0:08:22.200 --> 0:08:25.080 almost didn't happen. It's one of the those famous Bible stories. 0:08:25.120 --> 0:08:27.920 It's epic, and we learned it in Sunday school. Was 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:30.320 very violent thing to teach our children. But for some reason, 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:33.920 we do uh that that with with the first of 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:38.120 five stones, he took him down. That that that David, 0:08:38.200 --> 0:08:41.800 the unlikely one, took down the giant that had defied 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:44.559 in this challenge of champions, in this ancient format and 0:08:44.600 --> 0:08:47.360 known as representative combat, where the sides would say, instead 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:48.920 of you sending all of your men and us sending 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:50.400 all of our men, why don't we eased to send 0:08:50.440 --> 0:08:53.120 our best fighter, and whoever wins that fight will represent 0:08:53.200 --> 0:08:55.760 the rest of the nation. And in this contest, we're 0:08:55.880 --> 0:08:59.080 very familiar with the conquest of David, with the moment 0:08:59.120 --> 0:09:03.160 where he stands Goliath. But I want to suggest to 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:08.360 you that it almost didn't happen. I think a lot 0:09:08.360 --> 0:09:12.040 of us miss our turn to be used by God 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:14.640 because of disappointment. 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:18.320 In our life, setbacks we've experienced. 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:22.200 On the other side of disappointment, often we can see 0:09:22.200 --> 0:09:25.920 that our disappointments led us to our destiny. I'm preaching 0:09:25.960 --> 0:09:28.280 better than you're talking back to me. I'll give you 0:09:28.280 --> 0:09:31.600 a minute to catch up. Is that some of the 0:09:31.640 --> 0:09:35.480 things that we thought we wanted were the things that 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:37.760 God had to withhold to make room for the things 0:09:37.800 --> 0:09:42.920 that we ultimately needed. It is easier to clap about 0:09:42.960 --> 0:09:47.880 that when you're not living through it. Have you ever 0:09:47.920 --> 0:09:50.720 noticed how the way we explained something after the event 0:09:50.840 --> 0:09:55.200 has transpired is often much different than how we experienced it. 0:09:56.559 --> 0:09:59.560 And we say, after we've experienced something that you know, well, 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:01.199 it all turned out for the good. 0:10:01.280 --> 0:10:02.800 But you weren't so sure about that. 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:06.920 While it was happening. You weren't so sure about that 0:10:08.200 --> 0:10:11.040 during the divorce. But now after the divorce you can say, Okay, well, 0:10:11.240 --> 0:10:13.040 you know I didn't want the divorce, and I'm not 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:15.800 saying the divorce was God's will, but I can see 0:10:15.800 --> 0:10:17.800 how God's even using that now in my life. 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:18.760 But when you're going. 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:20.800 Through it, it feels like death and you can't. 0:10:20.600 --> 0:10:21.840 Even see any life after this. 0:10:22.120 --> 0:10:24.520 You can't see how the fact that they laid you 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:27.160 off from that job was actually preparing you for something, 0:10:27.320 --> 0:10:29.720 teaching you some things, gonna get you some discipline in 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:32.040 some areas, and that later on a door would open 0:10:32.200 --> 0:10:33.040 up that God. 0:10:32.880 --> 0:10:34.760 Would use to move you into new dimensions. 0:10:34.800 --> 0:10:38.080 But you can't see the destiny in the face of 0:10:38.160 --> 0:10:43.760 the disappointment. David is an illustration of how to deal 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:44.559 with disappointment. 0:10:44.600 --> 0:10:46.800 I believe you want to know the truth about it. 0:10:47.280 --> 0:10:49.440 David was more than just a shepherd, more than just 0:10:49.480 --> 0:10:52.600 a giant killer. He was a future king in training. 0:10:53.200 --> 0:10:54.800 I know many of you know this, but for the 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:56.600 benefit of those who may not have gotten to go 0:10:56.600 --> 0:10:59.280 to vacation Bible school, let me share a little bit 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:01.120 of the context for Samuel sixteen. 0:11:01.160 --> 0:11:03.560 Can I teach you a little bit? Can I teach 0:11:03.559 --> 0:11:04.240 you a little bit. 0:11:05.600 --> 0:11:08.800 On the day that Samuel came to town to replace Saul, 0:11:08.880 --> 0:11:11.040 because the Lord was grieved that he made Psaul king, 0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:14.360 because although Saul had the stature of a king, he 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:15.040 didn't have the. 0:11:14.960 --> 0:11:17.840 Heart of a shepherd. God give us shepherds. 0:11:17.400 --> 0:11:20.600 Even in our nation, in political seats of power, that 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:23.479 will have a heart for your people. Give us pastors 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:25.240 and fathers and leaders that. 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:26.680 Will have a heart for your people. 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:29.559 And so God said, I'm looking for a man after 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:32.520 my own heart. Well, when Samuel came to town with 0:11:32.559 --> 0:11:35.360 this horn of oil, which was symbolically. 0:11:34.720 --> 0:11:37.880 Poured on the head of the next king, he. 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:40.000 Went to Jesse's house because that's where God told him 0:11:40.000 --> 0:11:42.560 to go. He said, the next king is in Jesse's house. 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:45.400 But he didn't tell him which of Jesse's eight sons 0:11:45.880 --> 0:11:48.520 was going to be the king. Because sometimes God will 0:11:48.520 --> 0:11:50.480 give you enough of the details to get you in 0:11:50.520 --> 0:11:53.520 the right area, but he won't give you enough specifics 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:56.000 where you don't need him to show you what to 0:11:56.040 --> 0:11:56.559 do next. 0:11:59.360 --> 0:12:00.960 Sometimes we want God to show us. 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:03.480 Everything about our life and our decisions, but if he did, 0:12:03.520 --> 0:12:06.559 we wouldn't need him. So he gives us enough light 0:12:06.640 --> 0:12:09.280 to know the next step, but not enough light where 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:11.240 we won't need him to guide us along the path. 0:12:12.960 --> 0:12:15.079 So he goes to Jesse's How Samuel the prophet goes 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:18.080 to Jesse's house and he and he looks at all 0:12:18.120 --> 0:12:25.079 the sons of Jesse. Eliab was the oldest one. One's 0:12:25.120 --> 0:12:29.040 name was Shemma. All these boys that were so impressive. 0:12:29.080 --> 0:12:35.600 Eliab was very tall, Saul was tall. And God said, 0:12:35.640 --> 0:12:41.760 not him, and not him, and not him, and not him, 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:45.320 and not him and not him. I love this about God, 0:12:45.400 --> 0:12:50.600 that he selects what man rejects. He uses the weak 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:55.800 things of the world to confound the wise. And after 0:12:55.840 --> 0:13:00.920 they passed over all seven of the select sons, Samuel says, 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:09.680 do you have another one? And when Jesse talks about David, 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:12.600 he doesn't even have the common courtesy. 0:13:12.880 --> 0:13:13.800 To mention his name. 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:17.400 He calls him, I want to read this to you 0:13:17.679 --> 0:13:21.679 is in verse eleven, Chapter sixteen, Verse eleven, Jesse said, well, 0:13:21.679 --> 0:13:28.400 there's the youngest. There's the youngest. He doesn't identify him 0:13:28.400 --> 0:13:31.960 according to his potential, just his current position. 0:13:33.320 --> 0:13:34.920 You know, life will do this. 0:13:34.840 --> 0:13:38.679 To you, try to label you according to your educational background, 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:43.080 according to your ethnicity, according to whether you're a man 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:46.520 or a woman, according to your life will try to label. 0:13:46.240 --> 0:13:46.760 You this way. 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:50.000 Well, there's the youngest, but he's been in the sheep. 0:13:50.080 --> 0:13:54.199 And Samuel said, sin for him. We won't sit down 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:58.760 until he arrives. And the one that they didn't. 0:13:58.440 --> 0:14:02.000 Even think to bring in the room, zoom, was the one. 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:06.640 That God had chosen from the foundation of the world. 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:09.120 I want to make an announcement. 0:14:09.760 --> 0:14:16.160 You can't disappoint what God has appointed. You can't disappoint 0:14:16.400 --> 0:14:19.680 when God calls your name, when God gets ready to 0:14:19.800 --> 0:14:22.480 use you, when God gets ready to do work in 0:14:22.520 --> 0:14:25.560 your life, when God gets ready to raise you up, 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:29.040 when God gets ready to send you forward, when God 0:14:29.080 --> 0:14:32.000 gets ready to stir up your gift, when God gets 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:32.520 ready to. 0:14:32.520 --> 0:14:35.720 Release your purpose. This new stage breach is pretty good. 0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:37.360 I feel good about it. 0:14:37.560 --> 0:14:40.040 Shut somebody next to you and tell him he's calling 0:14:40.080 --> 0:14:44.520 your name, and see. I love God because he knew 0:14:44.520 --> 0:14:47.320 how to find David even in the field. 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:51.040 He didn't need David to be in the lineup. Do 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:51.520 you know what. 0:14:51.800 --> 0:14:54.800 You don't have to position yourself in front of people 0:14:55.040 --> 0:14:57.920 to be used by God. You don't have to convince 0:14:57.960 --> 0:15:01.000 a committee that you're good enough for grace of God. 0:15:01.360 --> 0:15:02.520 How many are grateful. 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:07.080 But God chooses sobidly whom he wills, and uses sofidly 0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:08.280 whom he wills. 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:09.800 And when God gets. 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:12.280 Ready to use you, there's no devil in hell. 0:15:12.560 --> 0:15:18.440 They just stop. Touch your neighbors say don't. 0:15:18.240 --> 0:15:22.720 Miss it, don't miss your turn and see. If it 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:25.600 had been up to people, David wouldn't have gotten his turn. 0:15:25.680 --> 0:15:28.840 But when God says it's your time, he knows exactly 0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:32.200 where to find you. Don't stress out about it. Don't 0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:35.240 worry about whether or not people appreciate you. Don't even 0:15:35.240 --> 0:15:38.280 worry about whether they notice you. Don't even worry about 0:15:38.280 --> 0:15:40.360 whether they call you by your correct name. 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:41.800 It doesn't matter. 0:15:42.200 --> 0:15:51.520 You cannot disappoint what God has appointed. But if David 0:15:51.600 --> 0:15:56.040 hadn't been in the field keeping sheep, he wouldn't have 0:15:56.080 --> 0:16:09.160 been prepared to lead people what he's what he should 0:16:09.200 --> 0:16:13.080 have could have would have seen as being very insignificant, 0:16:14.440 --> 0:16:17.960 was exactly the thing that he needed to prepare him 0:16:17.960 --> 0:16:24.760 for his assignment. It's a funny thing, though, because you 0:16:24.800 --> 0:16:30.560 know you would expect and after this moment where David 0:16:30.640 --> 0:16:35.200 is anointed and pointed and called to be a king, 0:16:36.640 --> 0:16:39.720 that the next scene we would see would be that 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:40.680 of David. 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:46.560 And his driver making a trip. 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:52.560 Perhaps Deniman Marcus, come on, if God told you you 0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:54.280 would be the next king, wouldn't you want to go 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:57.720 try on some robes and some crowns. 0:16:56.760 --> 0:16:58.920 Size forty two short? 0:17:04.320 --> 0:17:09.560 Wouldn't you want to try on some versace crowns Armani wrote, 0:17:09.800 --> 0:17:12.880 I need, I need to get ready for this thing. 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:16.879 And sometimes we expect that when God announces a change 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:21.719 in our life, it's going to be activated immediately, and 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:29.480 we get confused when God says it's your time, but 0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:38.040 he makes us wait our turn. And sometimes God is 0:17:38.520 --> 0:17:41.919 doing things that It was on that day that David 0:17:42.040 --> 0:17:45.199 was announced to be a king, but it would be 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:46.600 many years later. 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:48.680 That he would wear the crown. 0:17:50.560 --> 0:17:52.359 You know, when you give your life to Christ in 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:54.639 a moment, you're saved in a moment you're forgiven, and 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:56.800 a moment you're cleansed, and a moment you're redeemed. All 0:17:56.840 --> 0:18:00.359 of those things are true of you immediately. All of 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:03.719 the changes that those new realities are meant to produce 0:18:03.760 --> 0:18:08.720 in your life happened not immediately, but gradually. 0:18:10.280 --> 0:18:11.399 You know what I see people do? 0:18:12.040 --> 0:18:16.960 I see people become very discouraged in the process of 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:23.280 awaiting the change that God initiated, because we're a little 0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:26.560 bit confused. I remember Elijah was so confused when we 0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:30.000 gave the money to build Elevation Valentine. 0:18:30.080 --> 0:18:33.879 We bought the land back in twenty twelve, and Elijah was. 0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:35.800 Six years old at the time, and he gave an offering. 0:18:35.840 --> 0:18:38.840 Our whole family was supposed to give, and so I 0:18:38.920 --> 0:18:41.960 let Elijah give seventy dollars of my money that we 0:18:42.040 --> 0:18:42.959 pretended was his. 0:18:45.480 --> 0:18:47.280 It's like all the money that he thinks he has. 0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:51.040 And after he gave the. 0:18:51.000 --> 0:18:55.080 Money, he said, so, Daddy, we're having church at Elevation 0:18:55.320 --> 0:19:00.480 Valentine next Sunday, because in his mind I gave money. 0:19:01.480 --> 0:19:05.879 And so now now it's four years later now and 0:19:05.960 --> 0:19:10.920 here we are finally. We bought the land. In one season. 0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:14.080 We built the building in the next. 0:19:15.359 --> 0:19:20.520 And sometimes you walk away from your initial investment because 0:19:20.560 --> 0:19:25.000 you don't see the immediate development. I'm trying to say, 0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:28.720 sometimes you give up on your calling too easily. 0:19:29.040 --> 0:19:31.399 And you miss your turn. 0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:36.159 David didn't go on, try on crowns and practice is 0:19:36.280 --> 0:19:41.639 king wave and practice signing kingly autographs. David went back 0:19:41.720 --> 0:19:44.520 to the sheep field to do what he was doing 0:19:44.600 --> 0:19:48.760 before until one day, everybody say, one day, one day 0:19:48.800 --> 0:19:49.680 he was given an. 0:19:49.600 --> 0:19:51.480 Assignment by his father. 0:19:51.640 --> 0:19:54.280 His father turns to him one day, and I don't 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:55.639 know if a lot of people know this part of 0:19:55.640 --> 0:19:57.520 the story, because everybody knows about the sling shot, and 0:19:57.520 --> 0:20:00.480 everybody knows about Goliath, and everybody knows about well how 0:20:00.520 --> 0:20:01.160 Goliath fell. 0:20:01.160 --> 0:20:02.359 And I'll tell you what, if you. 0:20:02.359 --> 0:20:05.160 Ever want to be a preacher, you should preach about Goliath. 0:20:05.240 --> 0:20:09.359 People love to hear sermons about Goliath because everybody has 0:20:09.400 --> 0:20:12.880 something in their life that's bigger than them. Everybody has 0:20:12.880 --> 0:20:15.960 something in their life that's been intimidating them. Everybody has 0:20:16.000 --> 0:20:18.800 a fear and anxiety and addiction. 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:20.440 I could go around the room. 0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:23.280 I think I could probably point in people and look 0:20:23.320 --> 0:20:26.520 at them long enough and guess what your goliath is? 0:20:26.960 --> 0:20:30.240 Some of y'all spend too much. Some y'all eat too much, 0:20:30.680 --> 0:20:33.280 some of y'all talk too much. Some of y'all chudged 0:20:33.359 --> 0:20:37.480 too much. Can I keep going? I won't do it, 0:20:37.520 --> 0:20:48.160 but I could. And everybody has a Goliath right preach 0:20:48.200 --> 0:20:53.520 about Goliath and makes for good preaching, man, And Goliath 0:20:53.600 --> 0:20:56.119 is going to fall down, and you could kill the giant. 0:20:56.119 --> 0:20:57.000 I believe that, man. 0:20:57.040 --> 0:20:59.800 But can I tell you something that fascinating to me? 0:21:00.000 --> 0:21:01.240 If the Lord spoke to me. Lord spoke to me, 0:21:01.280 --> 0:21:04.120 I was studying this text. Lord said to me, most 0:21:04.119 --> 0:21:07.480 of the people you're talking to never even get to Goliath. 0:21:12.920 --> 0:21:17.199 You're trying to teach them how to kill an enemy 0:21:17.320 --> 0:21:22.600 that they're never even going to meet. So when he 0:21:22.640 --> 0:21:24.600 said that to me, you know, not out loud, it 0:21:24.680 --> 0:21:25.920 just kind of this impression I got. 0:21:26.119 --> 0:21:28.040 I was like, what do you mean? 0:21:28.960 --> 0:21:30.879 And I went back to the text and I remembered this. 0:21:31.880 --> 0:21:33.840 I saw this back in college. In fact, I used 0:21:33.880 --> 0:21:35.960 to share about it in college because I thought it 0:21:36.000 --> 0:21:38.879 was important to talk about faithfulness in the small things. 0:21:38.920 --> 0:21:41.160 And it was one day everybody say one day, say 0:21:41.200 --> 0:21:43.439 a loud or say one day touch your neighbors. 0:21:43.480 --> 0:21:49.720 Say this could be your day for a turnaround, now, Jesse. 0:21:49.880 --> 0:21:52.120 This is for Samuel seventeen seventeen. 0:21:52.200 --> 0:21:57.399 It says that this giant from Gaff named Goliath was 0:21:57.560 --> 0:22:03.280 confronting and defying the people of God for forty days, 0:22:04.560 --> 0:22:06.960 and every day he would talk them. 0:22:07.440 --> 0:22:17.479 But Jesse said to his son David, huh. 0:22:18.200 --> 0:22:22.080 Verse seventeen is kind of confusing, because Jesse must have 0:22:22.119 --> 0:22:27.200 forgotten that he was talking to a future king, because 0:22:27.240 --> 0:22:34.000 what he asked him to do was so menial. He said, 0:22:34.320 --> 0:22:40.240 take this etha of roasted grain and these ten loaves 0:22:40.280 --> 0:22:44.080 of bread for your brothers, and hurry to their camp. 0:22:45.480 --> 0:22:50.320 And David could have said, who do you think you're 0:22:50.400 --> 0:22:50.960 talking to? 0:22:52.440 --> 0:22:57.200 Didn't you hear what Samuel said about me? I am 0:22:57.240 --> 0:23:01.080 a man of potential, and I. 0:23:01.000 --> 0:23:04.120 Don't have time to run your little errands. 0:23:04.640 --> 0:23:07.840 I'm not trying to take bread and cheese to the 0:23:07.880 --> 0:23:11.000 same brothers who didn't even bring me into the room 0:23:11.280 --> 0:23:17.000 when Samuel came to choose a king. But this is 0:23:17.040 --> 0:23:22.719 the test, see to see if David will do the 0:23:22.760 --> 0:23:28.879 basic things. Sometimes we want God to use us to 0:23:28.960 --> 0:23:32.720 do a big thing, and we won't even do the basics. 0:23:33.640 --> 0:23:36.440 Talk to me somebody, how in the world. 0:23:37.000 --> 0:23:40.119 Can God use us to do something big and we 0:23:40.160 --> 0:23:44.639 won't even do something basic. I love David's heart because 0:23:44.680 --> 0:23:48.119 the story could have stopped right here if he had said, 0:23:48.280 --> 0:23:51.320 I'm not doing that. I'm a king, I'm not doing that. 0:23:52.040 --> 0:23:55.080 I'm not your demeaning to me. I'm not doing that. 0:23:55.320 --> 0:23:58.400 You know all the ways that we disobey God, these 0:23:58.400 --> 0:24:01.399 little things that he asked us to do. Call your 0:24:01.440 --> 0:24:08.360 sister and tell her you're sorry. Reach out to somebody 0:24:08.440 --> 0:24:11.000 who looks different than you and listen to them about 0:24:11.000 --> 0:24:11.680 their struggle. 0:24:13.440 --> 0:24:14.199 It's funny to me. 0:24:14.960 --> 0:24:17.680 Some of us want to kill Goliath, but we don't 0:24:17.680 --> 0:24:20.440 want to tend sheep, and we don't want to make deliveries. 0:24:21.320 --> 0:24:22.919 We want to see big victories. 0:24:24.040 --> 0:24:26.280 But how in the world can God use us to 0:24:26.400 --> 0:24:30.560 kill giants if we can't even follow simple instructions. 0:24:38.280 --> 0:24:39.440 The Bible says. 0:24:39.160 --> 0:24:41.720 That David, and I think this is why God used him. 0:24:41.800 --> 0:24:44.040 You know, every time we see David in the scripture, 0:24:46.680 --> 0:24:49.760 he's moving now. He says at first though, that he 0:24:50.359 --> 0:24:52.800 ran to Goliath. But you got to understand before he 0:24:52.880 --> 0:24:55.560 ran to Goliath. Look at verse twenty. It says early 0:24:55.640 --> 0:24:58.440 in the morning, David left the flock in the care of. 0:24:58.359 --> 0:25:00.000 A shepherd, loaded up and set out. 0:25:00.160 --> 0:25:02.480 Now here's what David didn't know at the time, because 0:25:02.520 --> 0:25:05.480 we know it and it's much easier to interpret what 0:25:05.600 --> 0:25:07.640 God is going to do when you know the ending. 0:25:07.680 --> 0:25:10.000 But can I tell you something David did not know 0:25:10.160 --> 0:25:12.159 that this was Fir Samuel seventeen. 0:25:14.720 --> 0:25:18.080 From his perspective, this was just another day. 0:25:18.840 --> 0:25:24.480 Sometimes God raps destiny in what we perceive is just 0:25:24.520 --> 0:25:30.120 another day. The same day that he was told to 0:25:30.240 --> 0:25:34.120 take bread to the battle lines was the same day. 0:25:34.000 --> 0:25:35.560 He stood over Goliath. 0:25:35.960 --> 0:25:38.960 But he didn't know that, and he would have missed 0:25:39.000 --> 0:25:48.639 his turn if he did not obey. And so for me, 0:25:49.960 --> 0:25:52.040 I'm asking God to use me in big ways, but 0:25:52.080 --> 0:25:53.560 will I obey him in the small ways? 0:25:53.560 --> 0:25:56.080 And you know, I bet if you will pray, God 0:25:56.359 --> 0:25:56.760 show me. 0:25:56.720 --> 0:25:59.919 A small way, because we all right now are concern 0:26:00.200 --> 0:26:03.480 about things in our nation. Josh van Allman was telling me. 0:26:03.520 --> 0:26:05.640 He's an officer, he serves. How long have you been 0:26:05.920 --> 0:26:08.399 Charlotte Police. How long have you been on the force. 0:26:09.200 --> 0:26:12.320 He's been twelve years. He's also been serving in the 0:26:12.359 --> 0:26:13.800 church for all ten and. 0:26:13.720 --> 0:26:14.439 A half years. 0:26:14.720 --> 0:26:16.760 Josh drives me to church every week, So I can 0:26:16.800 --> 0:26:19.480 look at my notes in the car, and so I 0:26:19.480 --> 0:26:21.520 thought that's a safer way than me driving and looking 0:26:21.560 --> 0:26:24.439 at my notes, and so I can get ready on 0:26:24.480 --> 0:26:24.720 the way. 0:26:24.720 --> 0:26:25.760 And he was telling me just. 0:26:25.720 --> 0:26:28.840 This week about people black people, white people coming up 0:26:28.880 --> 0:26:32.119 to him and buying lunch for him. I thought that 0:26:32.240 --> 0:26:34.679 was amazing. I thought that just he said it was 0:26:34.720 --> 0:26:37.720 a small thing, he said, but to me, that just 0:26:37.760 --> 0:26:40.240 went a long way. I know his wife appreciates it. 0:26:40.480 --> 0:26:43.439 He also told me how somebody spat on him this 0:26:43.560 --> 0:26:46.560 week while he was walking down the street with his 0:26:46.600 --> 0:26:47.160 little girl. 0:26:49.000 --> 0:26:51.920 And so here's the thing. We can get up in. 0:26:51.920 --> 0:26:59.000 Our churches and preach really big stuff, you know, deep stuff, reconciliation, 0:27:00.720 --> 0:27:09.399 high sounding stuff, unity, But I think probably our small. 0:27:09.240 --> 0:27:16.360 Acts of actual love go a lot farther than our 0:27:16.600 --> 0:27:18.879 loud screaming preaching. 0:27:18.440 --> 0:27:19.840 Like I'm doing right now. 0:27:20.400 --> 0:27:25.960 And God wants to know, will you do the small things? 0:27:26.800 --> 0:27:31.000 Sometimes the blessing of God is in doing the thing 0:27:31.160 --> 0:27:35.320 that seems beneath you. We always want to look beyond, 0:27:35.800 --> 0:27:39.720 God says, sometimes it's in doing the thing that seems 0:27:39.800 --> 0:27:42.600 beneath you that releases the blessing. 0:27:47.359 --> 0:27:49.560 We're on vacation this past. 0:27:49.800 --> 0:27:52.960 Month and we rode our bikes over to the farmer's market. 0:27:53.160 --> 0:27:59.280 Because we're such a charming family, we rode our bike 0:27:59.280 --> 0:28:01.480 over to the farmer market there in the little town 0:28:01.520 --> 0:28:02.680 where we were staying. 0:28:03.440 --> 0:28:05.600 And Holly's idea and. 0:28:07.920 --> 0:28:10.600 When we walked in, just tell you the story kind 0:28:10.600 --> 0:28:11.280 of how it happened. 0:28:11.320 --> 0:28:12.280 Was that air love you man. 0:28:12.960 --> 0:28:16.560 While we walked in, this girl who was behind a booth. 0:28:16.640 --> 0:28:22.080 She was selling cupcakes and and candy and other sugar 0:28:22.800 --> 0:28:24.600 confection items. 0:28:25.280 --> 0:28:28.800 Name was Adie May, Adie May. 0:28:29.200 --> 0:28:30.359 And I'm going to tell you how I know her 0:28:30.440 --> 0:28:31.040 name in a minute. 0:28:31.080 --> 0:28:34.199 But she she started screaming behind her. 0:28:34.240 --> 0:28:40.360 But oh my god, I said, sorry to bother you, 0:28:40.440 --> 0:28:42.040 but I'm like a total fangirl. 0:28:42.080 --> 0:28:44.480 I love your podcast, I love your turns. Can I 0:28:44.520 --> 0:28:47.760 a sealthie? I was like, yes, of course, to take 0:28:47.760 --> 0:28:50.240 a somethie. And she was super nice. 0:28:50.280 --> 0:28:51.920 So we stood there for a minute, talked to her, 0:28:51.960 --> 0:28:54.080 found out you know that where I was from, she 0:28:54.200 --> 0:28:55.720 also had some family from there. 0:28:55.760 --> 0:28:56.400 All stuff. 0:28:56.400 --> 0:29:00.560 We was talked from minute and she goes, boy is 0:29:00.600 --> 0:29:03.360 going to be so excited so jealous when I. 0:29:03.320 --> 0:29:06.160 Tell him I met you. I was like really, and 0:29:06.560 --> 0:29:08.880 I said cool, who's your pastor? She said his name. 0:29:08.920 --> 0:29:11.840 I never heard his name and she said, I said, 0:29:11.840 --> 0:29:13.880 that's great, and she said, uh. 0:29:13.960 --> 0:29:16.680 And in my church, she said, we're having holy convocation 0:29:16.800 --> 0:29:17.280 this week. 0:29:17.680 --> 0:29:18.360 You should come. 0:29:18.920 --> 0:29:21.560 And I'm thinking, in the back of my mind, girl, 0:29:22.640 --> 0:29:23.920 i am on vacation. 0:29:25.680 --> 0:29:29.680 I am not coming to your complication, not this week. 0:29:29.760 --> 0:29:31.880 I love the Lord, I love his church, but I 0:29:31.920 --> 0:29:32.840 am chilling. 0:29:33.160 --> 0:29:35.200 So I'm just thinking that right, And I'm like, oh, 0:29:35.440 --> 0:29:38.160 that's great. I'll come in complications, complications, that's great. And 0:29:38.240 --> 0:29:40.880 so she goes, yeah, it's convocation, and she listed off 0:29:40.920 --> 0:29:42.040 the people who were preaching and. 0:29:42.080 --> 0:29:44.000 The dates and all that, and one of the guys. 0:29:43.720 --> 0:29:47.400 She mentioned is a preacher that I greatly respect and 0:29:47.400 --> 0:29:50.240 I actually have been wanting to meet him. 0:29:50.240 --> 0:29:52.280 And so I was like, well, that's cool. And you know, 0:29:52.840 --> 0:29:55.200 something told me just write it down, just write it down. 0:29:55.240 --> 0:29:57.600 You know, sometimes you just get this little thing and 0:29:57.640 --> 0:29:58.960 you're not even sure if it's God. 0:29:59.080 --> 0:29:59.920 You're not ready to say. 0:30:00.040 --> 0:30:02.640 And the Lord spoke to me, just like, just write 0:30:02.680 --> 0:30:04.440 it down, just a little thought, just write this down, 0:30:05.120 --> 0:30:05.560 just a little thing. 0:30:05.560 --> 0:30:07.960 Everybody say little things. You talked about the little things. 0:30:08.040 --> 0:30:09.040 So I just write it down. 0:30:09.440 --> 0:30:11.960 And uh, you know, and and I wrote it down 0:30:12.000 --> 0:30:14.880 the dates and everything like that, and I walked away, 0:30:15.120 --> 0:30:17.120 and she came back over to our table. She was 0:30:17.160 --> 0:30:20.200 so nice, and she brought all these uh all these 0:30:20.280 --> 0:30:27.920 cupcakes and candies and sugar confection items over to us 0:30:27.960 --> 0:30:30.320 and she was like, I just brought something for your kids. 0:30:30.360 --> 0:30:35.000 And I was like, thanks, and uh, you've can come 0:30:35.080 --> 0:30:35.520 watch them. 0:30:35.920 --> 0:30:38.800 And I just brought you something. It was so sweet, right, 0:30:38.840 --> 0:30:39.440 And she was like. 0:30:39.520 --> 0:30:44.760 And I just called my pastor and and she said 0:30:45.000 --> 0:30:47.600 and he and he and he told me that we 0:30:47.640 --> 0:30:51.000 had actually invited you to come speak at our convocation, 0:30:51.720 --> 0:30:53.760 but your office told us that you were. 0:30:53.680 --> 0:30:55.360 On vacation this week. 0:30:56.200 --> 0:30:58.960 And so I said, well, obviously you can see that 0:30:59.080 --> 0:30:59.840 I am there was. 0:31:01.400 --> 0:31:02.880 We really are on vacation. 0:31:05.360 --> 0:31:10.160 So anyway, I texted Jess and said, hey, just I said, 0:31:10.200 --> 0:31:12.720 reach out to this pastor, the one that was coming 0:31:12.760 --> 0:31:16.000 to town and on this certain date, I said, and 0:31:16.080 --> 0:31:17.640 see if he wants to meet up for lunch. 0:31:17.640 --> 0:31:19.240 We'd been trying to meet each other before and we 0:31:19.240 --> 0:31:19.720 didn't get to. 0:31:19.920 --> 0:31:21.920 I said, just tell him I'm close by to the 0:31:22.000 --> 0:31:23.360 church he's going to be preaching at and I'm not 0:31:23.400 --> 0:31:25.800 going to the church service, but just tell him if 0:31:25.800 --> 0:31:28.320 he wants to eat after before church, I would love 0:31:28.320 --> 0:31:30.240 to have a meal with him, and just let me know. 0:31:30.280 --> 0:31:32.200 It doesn't matter, just let me know. I don't just 0:31:32.280 --> 0:31:34.400 let me know. And so, you know, some time passes 0:31:34.440 --> 0:31:36.080 and everything just says I'll let you know, and I 0:31:36.120 --> 0:31:36.880 forget all about it. 0:31:36.920 --> 0:31:38.400 I forget all about the whole. 0:31:38.400 --> 0:31:39.920 Holy convocation among the beach. 0:31:41.000 --> 0:31:43.680 Then one day, it's about three o'clock in the afternoon, 0:31:43.720 --> 0:31:46.360 Jess text me and says, Hey, the pastor was going 0:31:46.400 --> 0:31:49.000 to come and meet with you, but he actually his 0:31:49.240 --> 0:31:51.600 back went out in the airport and they had to 0:31:51.640 --> 0:31:54.720 take him in for emergency surgery and he's not even 0:31:54.720 --> 0:31:56.560 going to be able to make the trip, so he's 0:31:56.560 --> 0:31:56.840 not going. 0:31:56.840 --> 0:31:58.760 To be able to have dinner with you tonight. And 0:31:58.800 --> 0:31:59.680 I'm like, that's cool. 0:32:00.080 --> 0:32:02.200 When I get the text from Jess, I'm reading all this, 0:32:02.360 --> 0:32:03.360 I'm thinking that's cool. 0:32:03.560 --> 0:32:06.400 Moment I put my phone away, something fuck to me again. 0:32:06.400 --> 0:32:07.800 I'm not sure as God at this point, and I 0:32:07.800 --> 0:32:10.200 don't even really want to hear from God at this point, 0:32:10.360 --> 0:32:13.640 but something fuck to me and said, remember they had 0:32:13.680 --> 0:32:18.720 wanted you to come preach at the convocation. Call the church, 0:32:20.800 --> 0:32:23.760 and to which I said, Lord, I don't even know 0:32:25.520 --> 0:32:29.280 the phone number, to which the Lord said, google it. 0:32:34.400 --> 0:32:38.640 So I'm like, what am I gonna do. I'm gonna 0:32:38.680 --> 0:32:42.480 call the church and say, hey, I never invite myself 0:32:42.520 --> 0:32:45.520 to go preach somewhere. That's kind of creepy. Hey I'm 0:32:45.520 --> 0:32:50.640 gonna come preaching your church. I don't do that. I 0:32:50.640 --> 0:32:52.920 don't do that. But the Lord was like, you do 0:32:53.000 --> 0:32:53.880 what I tell you to do. 0:32:55.400 --> 0:32:59.120 So so I by this time, it's three thirty and 0:32:59.120 --> 0:33:01.120 I'm thinking, man, they've already got a speaker. 0:33:01.120 --> 0:33:04.040 There's thing is tonight, but I'll call. This is stupid. 0:33:04.080 --> 0:33:08.120 I'm called church, called church, looked up the number, and 0:33:08.160 --> 0:33:10.080 it rings and rings and rings and rings. 0:33:10.080 --> 0:33:11.320 It rings like five times. 0:33:11.320 --> 0:33:15.160 I'm like, Lord, didn't tell me to leave a voicemail, 0:33:17.040 --> 0:33:20.600 so I promise you. On the sixth ring, God picks up, 0:33:20.640 --> 0:33:22.240 says the name of the church and how can. 0:33:22.120 --> 0:33:27.880 I help you. I'm like crap, and I said, hey, man, 0:33:29.120 --> 0:33:30.360 this is my name. 0:33:30.400 --> 0:33:33.120 Is Stephen Ferdick. Come over in Charlotte. And I was 0:33:33.200 --> 0:33:36.520 just calling, I know, to talk to the bishop. I 0:33:36.560 --> 0:33:40.200 know he's not available. I'm sure he's not available. But 0:33:40.280 --> 0:33:42.240 you don't have to give him a message or anything. 0:33:42.800 --> 0:33:44.920 He's no, no, no, I'll give him a message. What's 0:33:44.960 --> 0:33:45.720 a message? 0:33:46.080 --> 0:33:48.600 I said, well, you just tell him. Here's my phone number. 0:33:48.600 --> 0:33:50.560 I'm calling about the revival. If he wants to call 0:33:50.560 --> 0:33:51.760 me back. He doesn't have to call me back. You 0:33:51.800 --> 0:33:53.479 probably have time to call me back or anything like that. 0:33:53.680 --> 0:33:54.640 Just calling about the revival. 0:33:56.760 --> 0:34:02.840 A few minutes later, the pastor and he goes, are 0:34:02.880 --> 0:34:03.800 you serious? 0:34:05.160 --> 0:34:07.920 Are you serious that you're calling me right now? 0:34:08.120 --> 0:34:14.960 I said, yeah, I said, I met Addie May over. 0:34:13.400 --> 0:34:14.719 At the Farmer's market. 0:34:16.239 --> 0:34:19.680 And I told her that I was here on vacation, 0:34:19.840 --> 0:34:20.600 and she told. 0:34:20.440 --> 0:34:21.960 Me that you would invite me. I know you probably 0:34:21.960 --> 0:34:22.399 don't want. 0:34:22.320 --> 0:34:23.560 To do this, and I know you got to cover, 0:34:23.640 --> 0:34:25.719 but I heard that your speaker is back, went out 0:34:25.760 --> 0:34:27.200 and all this, and I'm sure you got it cover 0:34:27.320 --> 0:34:30.120 by now, but I just felt like prompted to tell 0:34:30.160 --> 0:34:32.239 you that if you want me to come preach, and 0:34:32.280 --> 0:34:34.400 I'll preach. I'm on vacation and everything like that, but 0:34:34.600 --> 0:34:36.440 you want to come preach, he said. 0:34:37.000 --> 0:34:38.600 We were praying this morning. 0:34:40.360 --> 0:34:44.000 He said, I've had the most crazy week you can imagine. 0:34:44.000 --> 0:34:45.680 I've done three funerals. This week. 0:34:45.920 --> 0:34:49.200 I called five of my friends and asked them could 0:34:49.239 --> 0:34:50.160 they come preach tonight. 0:34:50.280 --> 0:34:51.279 None of them could come. 0:34:52.280 --> 0:34:55.120 You are the only speaker that we invited to their 0:34:55.440 --> 0:35:01.160 convocation that couldn't come. He said, would you come tonight 0:35:02.160 --> 0:35:05.960 and preach for us? He said, because I was so 0:35:06.120 --> 0:35:09.600 stressed out when I was praying and I got up 0:35:09.600 --> 0:35:13.000 from prayer and one of my staff members looked at 0:35:13.000 --> 0:35:14.200 me and said, don't worry about it. 0:35:14.280 --> 0:35:21.120 Pastor. God has a ram in the bush. And I said, well, 0:35:21.160 --> 0:35:24.520 I'm your ram, baby. What time do I show up 0:35:24.560 --> 0:35:25.240 at the church. 0:35:27.560 --> 0:35:29.600 Where is the church? I don't even know where the 0:35:29.680 --> 0:35:33.000 church is. He said, don't worry about it. I'll send 0:35:33.040 --> 0:35:36.839 you a car. I'll pick you up. And man, I'm 0:35:36.840 --> 0:35:38.839 gonna tell you. They picked me up and I went 0:35:38.880 --> 0:35:40.480 to church. I told him, I said, I don't have 0:35:40.520 --> 0:35:44.440 any church clothes now, because this is holy convocation. People 0:35:44.440 --> 0:35:47.600 got church hats and church dresses. I said, man, all 0:35:47.640 --> 0:35:51.000 I have is T shirts and skinny jeans and Yeezies. 0:35:52.280 --> 0:35:54.680 And he said this all right, I'll wear my jeans 0:35:54.719 --> 0:35:59.879 and my Jeezy's too, he'd get them Jesus. I said 0:36:00.000 --> 0:36:00.279 all right. 0:36:00.360 --> 0:36:02.960 I said, I'll be there and man, it was amazing. 0:36:03.040 --> 0:36:05.240 And he got up and he told his church, he said, 0:36:05.719 --> 0:36:06.800 our speaker. 0:36:06.440 --> 0:36:06.879 Is not here. 0:36:06.920 --> 0:36:08.960 And they all moaned and growned because they all loved 0:36:08.960 --> 0:36:10.399 that preacher couldn't make it. 0:36:10.640 --> 0:36:12.960 And they all moaned and grown and he said, and 0:36:13.000 --> 0:36:14.319 that's y'all's problem. 0:36:14.520 --> 0:36:17.920 Some of y'all come for the personality, oh that you 0:36:18.080 --> 0:36:21.000 come for the principles of the presence of God and 0:36:21.080 --> 0:36:21.879 the power. 0:36:21.600 --> 0:36:26.799 Of the man. He laid them out, and then he 0:36:26.880 --> 0:36:27.800 told the story. 0:36:28.520 --> 0:36:30.520 And just I don't even know how well I preached 0:36:30.560 --> 0:36:32.319 that night or anything like that. I mean, I gave 0:36:32.320 --> 0:36:34.840 it everything I had the best I could on short 0:36:34.960 --> 0:36:38.000 notice in my ye'zis and my T shirt at. 0:36:37.840 --> 0:36:38.840 The Holy Convocation. 0:36:39.200 --> 0:36:41.040 But God shoot up in an amazing when you know that, 0:36:41.080 --> 0:36:43.520 Pastor said to me. He said, in twenty seven years 0:36:43.520 --> 0:36:46.400 of ministry, I've never been more convinced of God's favor 0:36:46.440 --> 0:36:49.360 on my life than to know that he heard my prayer. 0:36:56.640 --> 0:37:02.000 But I told you that story not because not because 0:37:02.040 --> 0:37:06.920 I'm so obedient. I didn't even want to do it. 0:37:06.920 --> 0:37:09.080 It turned out to be a blessing. I would have 0:37:09.160 --> 0:37:09.680 missed it. 0:37:10.160 --> 0:37:12.719 I would have missed the blessing if I would have 0:37:12.760 --> 0:37:17.400 ignored the impression, but really I would have missed the 0:37:17.440 --> 0:37:23.600 blessing of Addie made hadn't brought over a cupcake. When 0:37:23.680 --> 0:37:26.960 Addie May showed up to work that day, she had 0:37:26.960 --> 0:37:27.879 no idea that she. 0:37:28.000 --> 0:37:32.359 Was the answer to her church's prayers. Do you see 0:37:32.400 --> 0:37:33.799 what I'm trying to say to you. 0:37:34.800 --> 0:37:39.600 I'm trying to say that God wants to use. 0:37:39.480 --> 0:37:45.560 You right where you are, with what you have. 0:37:46.480 --> 0:37:49.799 David said, I don't have much. All I got is 0:37:49.800 --> 0:37:52.960 a sling in a stone. But in the name of 0:37:53.000 --> 0:37:53.879 the Lord. 0:37:54.000 --> 0:37:58.480 Goliath, when I do what I do with what I have, 0:37:59.200 --> 0:38:03.080 you've kind of down. And I declare that when the 0:38:03.160 --> 0:38:06.480 people of God do what we can in the. 0:38:06.520 --> 0:38:10.480 Power we have, colia must fall. 0:38:10.719 --> 0:38:12.160 Somebody shout about it. 0:38:22.160 --> 0:38:25.759 Touch your neighbors said, don't miss your turn, don't miss 0:38:25.760 --> 0:38:31.839 your turn. If David had not been willing to do 0:38:31.880 --> 0:38:36.239 the simple thing, he never would have seen the supernatural thing. 0:38:39.560 --> 0:38:41.440 And I guess why the Lord put this message on 0:38:41.480 --> 0:38:46.319 my heart. Everyone's standing is because in our nation right now, 0:38:46.360 --> 0:38:49.120 there's a lot of supernatural breakthroughs. 0:38:48.560 --> 0:38:49.040 That we need. 0:38:55.440 --> 0:39:00.160 Systemic racism is a real issue. 0:39:02.880 --> 0:39:04.920 There are epidemics in our land and we're praying to 0:39:04.960 --> 0:39:07.879 God about stuff I want to get beyond that. Even 0:39:07.880 --> 0:39:10.120 I want to get beyond that. See. 0:39:08.920 --> 0:39:13.959 I was getting this message ready while I was still 0:39:13.960 --> 0:39:18.399 in Australia and I got on the plane. 0:39:18.400 --> 0:39:21.520 I had my little message ready when I landed. 0:39:23.440 --> 0:39:26.440 While I was in the air, young men gets shot 0:39:26.480 --> 0:39:28.120 in Paton Rouge. 0:39:29.480 --> 0:39:33.239 Young men gets shot in Minnesota. And I look at 0:39:33.239 --> 0:39:38.120 that and I was like, Okay. I was thinking, I 0:39:38.120 --> 0:39:39.480 need to change my message now. 0:39:39.680 --> 0:39:42.960 I've prepared a message on David and Goliath before I 0:39:43.040 --> 0:39:46.600 left Australia. I came back to America and I realized 0:39:46.640 --> 0:39:50.279 everything that's going on, and I thought, well, this isn't 0:39:50.320 --> 0:39:51.560 an appropriate message anymore. 0:39:52.760 --> 0:39:53.719 The Lord said, yeah, it is. 0:39:55.400 --> 0:40:00.600 You're just looking at Goliath on the wrong level. When 0:40:00.680 --> 0:40:03.440 we preach about Goliath, we make it a personal issue, 0:40:03.560 --> 0:40:06.720 your addiction, your struggle. 0:40:07.239 --> 0:40:13.160 Your debt, your depression. But when I was reading it 0:40:13.239 --> 0:40:14.560 this time, the Lord showed. 0:40:14.320 --> 0:40:19.400 Me Goliath wasn't a personal issue for David. It was 0:40:19.440 --> 0:40:23.480 a national issue that was keeping. 0:40:23.120 --> 0:40:31.000 The whole nation deadlocked in the stranglehold of fear. 0:40:37.600 --> 0:40:42.600 Something interesting happened just before David went to fight Goliath. 0:40:44.560 --> 0:40:48.239 The Bible says that when David showed up that day. 0:40:48.280 --> 0:40:50.319 You know, he's got his cheese and his bread. He's 0:40:50.360 --> 0:40:51.439 just doing a simple thing. 0:40:52.040 --> 0:40:56.400 Don't think that because you can't affect something at the 0:40:56.480 --> 0:40:59.799 highest level of power, that God can't use you in 0:40:59.840 --> 0:41:03.719 a great way. David wasn't even in the army and 0:41:03.840 --> 0:41:07.759 he won the war. I said, he wasn't even in 0:41:07.800 --> 0:41:12.440 a uniform. He didn't even have a weapon that was 0:41:12.520 --> 0:41:13.560 fit for combat. 0:41:14.280 --> 0:41:18.040 And he's the one who brought down the giant. So 0:41:18.040 --> 0:41:19.320 so David. 0:41:19.120 --> 0:41:22.200 Here's this giant taunting the armies of God. 0:41:22.360 --> 0:41:24.279 And he says, what's up with this? This isn't right. 0:41:24.680 --> 0:41:27.480 He can't talk that way about my God. He can't 0:41:27.480 --> 0:41:30.600 talk that way about my people. He can't talk that way. 0:41:30.880 --> 0:41:37.040 This isn't right. And his brother overheard him, Eliah, the 0:41:37.120 --> 0:41:41.840 tall one, and he comes up to David, and you know, 0:41:41.880 --> 0:41:44.839 we actually accused this David when Eliah verse twenty eight, 0:41:45.040 --> 0:41:47.319 David's older brother, the one that they thought was fit 0:41:47.400 --> 0:41:49.200 to be a king, the one that you would have 0:41:49.200 --> 0:41:53.680 thought won the battle. When Eliab heard David's conversation, he 0:41:53.840 --> 0:41:56.960 burned with anger at him and asked, why have you 0:41:57.000 --> 0:41:57.680 come down here? 0:41:58.000 --> 0:42:00.279 And with whom did you leave those few shit in 0:42:00.280 --> 0:42:02.120 the wilderness. Do you know what. 0:42:03.840 --> 0:42:06.239 If David and this really spoke to me. And I 0:42:06.280 --> 0:42:08.920 didn't say this in my message last night, but I 0:42:08.960 --> 0:42:09.440 wanted to. 0:42:09.360 --> 0:42:10.040 Say it today. 0:42:11.040 --> 0:42:17.040 If David would have listened to Eliab, he never would 0:42:17.120 --> 0:42:23.239 have even seen Goliath. If David would have fought with 0:42:23.360 --> 0:42:30.040 his brother, he never would have killed his enemy. Do 0:42:30.080 --> 0:42:32.399 you know what I think the devil tries to do 0:42:33.080 --> 0:42:36.919 to keep us from being victorious as a church, as 0:42:36.960 --> 0:42:40.160 a people, as a nation, as the body of Christ. 0:42:40.680 --> 0:42:45.760 He wants to keep us so divided, fighting each other 0:42:46.239 --> 0:42:50.840 that we never even engage our real enemy. We're not 0:42:51.040 --> 0:42:54.640 fighting each other, We're not against each other. 0:42:55.080 --> 0:42:59.000 You're my brother, you're my sister. We're in this together. 0:42:59.360 --> 0:43:02.760 If we're gonna oh my darkness, we gotta stand together. 0:43:11.600 --> 0:43:15.880 So David has his eyes on something bigger, and the 0:43:15.920 --> 0:43:19.640 Bible says in verse twenty nine, I close with this. 0:43:22.239 --> 0:43:25.360 Now what have I done? Can't I even speak? And 0:43:25.400 --> 0:43:30.759 then he did something much. He then turned away to 0:43:30.880 --> 0:43:38.080 someone else. He then turned away. Touch your neighbor one 0:43:38.080 --> 0:43:40.400 more time. This will be the last time, and tell him. 0:43:40.520 --> 0:43:42.960 Don't miss your turn. 0:43:45.400 --> 0:43:49.360 See, because if you get distracted by Eliab. If you 0:43:49.440 --> 0:43:53.839 get distracted by what the media presents to us, that's 0:43:53.920 --> 0:43:58.080 not reality, that's an image that is projected to. 0:43:58.200 --> 0:43:59.360 Sell us on fear. 0:44:00.120 --> 0:44:04.760 If you'll fight Eliath, you'll miss Goliath. But I feel 0:44:04.800 --> 0:44:08.440 a turn coming in the Body of Christ, and we 0:44:08.560 --> 0:44:11.760 will stand together and we will turn together. 0:44:12.280 --> 0:44:14.920 I hear second Chronicles say, if my. 0:44:15.200 --> 0:44:19.960 Vegle who are called by my name, will humble themselves 0:44:20.560 --> 0:44:22.799 and pray and seek my. 0:44:22.960 --> 0:44:29.560 Face and turn and turn and turn. I want to 0:44:29.600 --> 0:44:34.759 plead with the Body of Christ, don't miss your ter. 0:44:35.960 --> 0:44:39.839 You are the light of the world, and you are 0:44:40.719 --> 0:44:46.279 the sought of the earth. And Goliath, my small in 0:44:46.360 --> 0:44:47.080 the name. 0:44:47.920 --> 0:44:48.680 Of the Lord. 0:44:49.640 --> 0:44:55.359 In justice, my small in the name on the law 0:44:56.600 --> 0:44:59.960 prejudice mys all, and. 0:45:01.520 --> 0:45:06.640 How the Lord come on out the church comedy. That's all. 0:45:07.920 --> 0:45:15.880 Name my neighbors, Jesus, kind of the Friend. 0:45:19.160 --> 0:45:20.200 Thank you for joining us. 0:45:20.560 --> 0:45:23.000 Special thanks to those of you who give generously to 0:45:23.120 --> 0:45:23.800 this ministry. 0:45:24.200 --> 0:45:26.560 Is because of you that this ministry is possible. 0:45:27.040 --> 0:45:29.239 You can click the link in the description to give 0:45:29.320 --> 0:45:33.239 now or visit Elevation Church dot org slash podcast for 0:45:33.320 --> 0:45:37.120 more information, and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. 0:45:37.560 --> 0:45:38.840 You can share it with your friends. 0:45:39.200 --> 0:45:41.440 You can click the share button, take a screenshot and 0:45:41.520 --> 0:45:43.600 share it on your social stories and tag us at 0:45:43.640 --> 0:45:44.480 Elevation Church. 0:45:44.600 --> 0:45:46.200 Thanks again for listening. God bless you.