I Was Prepared for This Pt. II
I Was Prepared For This, Pt. II
By David Anthony Clarke, Sr.
Have you ever seen the Today show when they showcase birthdays of folks 100+ years old? They'll show folks like Mrs. Tessie Sue Mabellene McGillicuddy of Billarickatickaville, VA at 114 years old. Anyway, that segment is sponsored by Smuckers, the jelly folks, and their slogan is, "With a name like Smuckers, you know it's good."
The Scripture we looked at last month, II Sam. 5:17-25, shows David in a serious jam as the Philistines came against him to do battle. This is no problem for the newly appointed king because he was prepared for what he was facing. John Maxwell, in his book, Talent is Never Enough, says, “Preparation positions people correctly, and it is often the separation between winning and losing.” What prepared David for the situation he’s in? Obedience. David’s obedience on his way to the top has enabled him to jell with God as a worshipper and now that he is under pressure, he preserves his good name as a man after God’s own heart by keeping prayer as a part of his decision-making process. There are waaaaaaaay too many leaders who want to climb to positions of great visibility and notoriety, but have inadequately prepared themselves for the responsibility to make great decisions under pressure.
Leaders in the kingdom at all levels need to understand the importance of obedience. Obedience reflects appreciation for authority. Disregarding authority is what has caused many talented, anointed leaders to cave in to pressure and become coulda beens; people who coulda been great and prosperous if they had only taken time to pray, hear from God, and obey His voice.
Obedience also reflects security in God's sovereignty and ability to work things together for good (Rom. 8:28). This security reflects trust in God and empowers us to make the best decisions under pressure, bring glory to God, and success to our organizations. God, in turn, makes our name synonymous with honor, victory, trustworthiness (that’s a biggee, y’all!), and mission accomplishment. Remember, a good name is priceless (Eccl. 7:1).
How did David obey God now that he has reached the top?
1. He did what God wanted done.
In the text, when God said fight, David fought. When God said wait, David waited. Just as David did what God wanted done, we need to do the same. I’m simply proposing that we, as leaders, come to the table with a core value of obeying God-doing what the Lord says for us to do. This is easier said than done because the real truth is that it’s easy to take for granted that you can whoop enemies that you have whooped before. That’s a form of pride. Remember leaders, pride comes before a fall and no matter how many times you’ve defeated your Philistines and beheaded their Goliaths in the past, don’t assume you don’t need to seek God for guidance when they show up again. Pray and obey.
2. He did what God wanted the way God wanted it done.
In the text, David was first instructed to battle the Philistines by attacking them head on. In the second battle, however, he was told to come around the back and wait on God to move. Let me share two things here:
Flexibility
David showed he could be flexible and fight the same enemy with different approaches. As leaders, we need to show flexibility in how we resolve the issues we face. For example, sometimes we may solve problems ourselves or delegate and get someone else to do it. There are times we can immediately solve problems or wait and perhaps get involved later. Be flexible in solving problems.
Patience
Again, David hit the Philistines head on at first. But, in the second battle, he had to wait on God to make a noise. David was prepared to fight the way God told him because he developed patience on his way to the throne. After all the years he waited to ascend to the throne over all Israel, being patient with God was nothing new.
Leaders can lose "winnable" battles due to their own impatience. Sometimes, a leader’s greatest battle is with their own impatience. Leo Tolstoy said, "The strongest of all warriors are these two - Time and Patience." Simply put, if God says wait, then wait.
3. He did what God wanted when God wanted it done.
In the second instance of the Philistines stirring up drama, David was to move after God made His move. Let me share two things:
Timing
David obeyed in his timing. He made his move after he heard God's noise in the treetops. Have you ever paid the price of doing the right thing, but at the wrong time? Perhaps it was impatience that caused you to launch a great plan too soon or procrastination that made you move too late. If there's one thing that separates the men from the boys or the women from the girls is timing. Don't let impatience or procrastination get the best of you. I like what Laurie Beth Jones says in her book, Jesus: Life Coach, “There is a difference between waiting on the Lord and just plain waiting. Or delaying. Or deciding to wait until the sky clears up or the fear goes away. If you are moving forward toward your vision, the fear will never go away.” Move when its time to move.
Initiative
David had to "bestir" himself. In other words, he had to get himself together at the right time and take the initiative to make his move. This is one thing coulda beens lack: initiative. John Maxwell says in his book, Talent is Never Enough, "Talent without initiative never reaches its potential. It's like a caterpillar that won't get into its cocoon. It will never transform, forever relegated to crawling on the ground, even though it had the potential to fly."
Make your name jell with obedience, honor, and victory. If we are going to be trustworthy leaders after God’s own heart, let’s prepare ourselves for tomorrow's honor by praying and obeying today.
Copyright © 2008 by David Anthony Clarke
All rights reserved
By David Anthony Clarke, Sr.
Have you ever seen the Today show when they showcase birthdays of folks 100+ years old? They'll show folks like Mrs. Tessie Sue Mabellene McGillicuddy of Billarickatickaville, VA at 114 years old. Anyway, that segment is sponsored by Smuckers, the jelly folks, and their slogan is, "With a name like Smuckers, you know it's good."
The Scripture we looked at last month, II Sam. 5:17-25, shows David in a serious jam as the Philistines came against him to do battle. This is no problem for the newly appointed king because he was prepared for what he was facing. John Maxwell, in his book, Talent is Never Enough, says, “Preparation positions people correctly, and it is often the separation between winning and losing.” What prepared David for the situation he’s in? Obedience. David’s obedience on his way to the top has enabled him to jell with God as a worshipper and now that he is under pressure, he preserves his good name as a man after God’s own heart by keeping prayer as a part of his decision-making process. There are waaaaaaaay too many leaders who want to climb to positions of great visibility and notoriety, but have inadequately prepared themselves for the responsibility to make great decisions under pressure.
Leaders in the kingdom at all levels need to understand the importance of obedience. Obedience reflects appreciation for authority. Disregarding authority is what has caused many talented, anointed leaders to cave in to pressure and become coulda beens; people who coulda been great and prosperous if they had only taken time to pray, hear from God, and obey His voice.
Obedience also reflects security in God's sovereignty and ability to work things together for good (Rom. 8:28). This security reflects trust in God and empowers us to make the best decisions under pressure, bring glory to God, and success to our organizations. God, in turn, makes our name synonymous with honor, victory, trustworthiness (that’s a biggee, y’all!), and mission accomplishment. Remember, a good name is priceless (Eccl. 7:1).
How did David obey God now that he has reached the top?
1. He did what God wanted done.
In the text, when God said fight, David fought. When God said wait, David waited. Just as David did what God wanted done, we need to do the same. I’m simply proposing that we, as leaders, come to the table with a core value of obeying God-doing what the Lord says for us to do. This is easier said than done because the real truth is that it’s easy to take for granted that you can whoop enemies that you have whooped before. That’s a form of pride. Remember leaders, pride comes before a fall and no matter how many times you’ve defeated your Philistines and beheaded their Goliaths in the past, don’t assume you don’t need to seek God for guidance when they show up again. Pray and obey.
2. He did what God wanted the way God wanted it done.
In the text, David was first instructed to battle the Philistines by attacking them head on. In the second battle, however, he was told to come around the back and wait on God to move. Let me share two things here:
Flexibility
David showed he could be flexible and fight the same enemy with different approaches. As leaders, we need to show flexibility in how we resolve the issues we face. For example, sometimes we may solve problems ourselves or delegate and get someone else to do it. There are times we can immediately solve problems or wait and perhaps get involved later. Be flexible in solving problems.
Patience
Again, David hit the Philistines head on at first. But, in the second battle, he had to wait on God to make a noise. David was prepared to fight the way God told him because he developed patience on his way to the throne. After all the years he waited to ascend to the throne over all Israel, being patient with God was nothing new.
Leaders can lose "winnable" battles due to their own impatience. Sometimes, a leader’s greatest battle is with their own impatience. Leo Tolstoy said, "The strongest of all warriors are these two - Time and Patience." Simply put, if God says wait, then wait.
3. He did what God wanted when God wanted it done.
In the second instance of the Philistines stirring up drama, David was to move after God made His move. Let me share two things:
Timing
David obeyed in his timing. He made his move after he heard God's noise in the treetops. Have you ever paid the price of doing the right thing, but at the wrong time? Perhaps it was impatience that caused you to launch a great plan too soon or procrastination that made you move too late. If there's one thing that separates the men from the boys or the women from the girls is timing. Don't let impatience or procrastination get the best of you. I like what Laurie Beth Jones says in her book, Jesus: Life Coach, “There is a difference between waiting on the Lord and just plain waiting. Or delaying. Or deciding to wait until the sky clears up or the fear goes away. If you are moving forward toward your vision, the fear will never go away.” Move when its time to move.
Initiative
David had to "bestir" himself. In other words, he had to get himself together at the right time and take the initiative to make his move. This is one thing coulda beens lack: initiative. John Maxwell says in his book, Talent is Never Enough, "Talent without initiative never reaches its potential. It's like a caterpillar that won't get into its cocoon. It will never transform, forever relegated to crawling on the ground, even though it had the potential to fly."
Make your name jell with obedience, honor, and victory. If we are going to be trustworthy leaders after God’s own heart, let’s prepare ourselves for tomorrow's honor by praying and obeying today.
Copyright © 2008 by David Anthony Clarke
All rights reserved
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