A Heart for God, Part 4

After more than 35 years of passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth, Dr. Michael Yusef is even more passionate today, seeking to live and serve in such a way to pave the way for as many men and women and youth of all ages to know and to love Jesus as possible. Invest in eternity today.

Become a frontline mission partner. And if you'd like to have a conversation with one of the Leading the Way pastors or counselors about Jesus or about living life biblically in 2024, start that conversation by filling out a short contact form at ltw.org slash Jesus. Now in just a moment, go with Dr. Yusef, get to know a man who slayed a Philistine giant, experienced public victory and popularity, a man seemingly unstoppable and on top of the world, and yet, at times, trapped by fear.

Listen closely as Dr. Michael Yusef begins this practical episode of Leading the Way audio. David gives us an amazing example of courage. He gives us amazing examples to follow in many ways, but then he also shows us a very solemn warning for each one of us in our lives. While he taught us that a willing heart, God uses a courageous life, God honors that God totally protects us when we are focused on him first and foremost. And yet here today, that same David teaches us that defeat comes to any of us and all of us when we allow the flesh to dominate. Fleeing takes over when self-pity sets in. Running away in failure takes over when you take your eyes off the living God. David runs off to the prophet Samuel first, the Lord's prophet, you remember from the very first message, whom God sent to the house of Jesse and said, anoint for me David, that very prophet. He goes there because David, at this moment in his life, needed human encouragement. And beloved, listen to me. All of us need human encouragement.

We all need it. But Saul tracks David to where Samuel was. First of all, he sent his servants. He said, you go kill him. But God protects him. You see, I told you when you're in God's protection program, nobody can touch you.

Nobody can harm you. Because David was in God's protection program, these servants come in and they get into an ecstatic trance. And so when Saul basically said these rascals, they don't know how to kill him, I'll kill him. So he shows up in person. He too gets caught in that ecstatic trance. What is God doing? He's protecting David. He's protecting him. When you are in your fleeing mode, and I'm not talking about physically, when you are spiritually in a fleeing mode, God might be doing amazing things all around you for you. He is doing these great things to assure you that you are in his protection program, but because you are in a fleeing mode, you're oblivious to what God is doing. I've been there. I know what I'm talking about.

You're oblivious to it. He rescued David from Saul's messengers, then he rescued him from Saul himself, and that is why the Word of God here today is showing us that even great men of God have clay feet, just like the rest of us. Hear me right, please. I want to declare to you this day on the authority of the Word of God, and I know it is my testimony, but on the authority of the Word of God, that when God is with you, as he said to Moses, he will ride the clouds for you. He will let his everlasting arms to come underneath you. He will turn the rock into a fountain of water. He will command the ravens to feed you, just as he did with Elijah. He will use Rahab the prostitute to protect you, just as she protected Joshua's men. He will command his angels to pull you out of Sodom and Gomorrah, even as he did for Lot. He will command his angels to come down and zip the mouth of the lion, as he did for Daniel. He will send his angels to open the prison door, just as he did for Peter. And even he may show up himself as he did for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace.

Amen belongs here. I hope you already turned to 1 Samuel chapter 20. David panics, and he runs, and he goes to his eternal friend Jonathan. And there he says to Jonathan, what have I done?

What is my guilt? What is my sin that your father want to kill me? I want you to notice, in case you haven't, have you noticed how many times he says, I, mine, and mine.

And I want to say, my, my, my. Question, how many times at this point when he's talking to Jonathan, did he say, or give his testimony and says, you know, your servant killed the lion and the bear, or look what happened to how God used me to defeat the Philistines by killing Goliath. How many times does he witness here?

Zilch. Not one time. Not one time. The moment you start feeling sorry for yourself, I want you to look out. Just look out. Look out. Snap out of it.

Snap out of it. Go back to your testimony. Go back to your testimony. Say that with me. Go back to your testimony.

And you know what? You don't have to leave the church for you to lose your testimony. You don't have to leave the church to mentally, emotionally, spiritually, let your testimony rust. Oh, there are many people who have lost their testimony in the pews.

Oh, physically they're there. Sure. And they look back and they remember, oh yes, I remember.

I remember. You go to church, you go through the motions and you go to Bible studies and you even read the Bible and you may belong to a small group, but your testimony has rusted and only the Holy Spirit of God can polish it. No one can do it. No pastor can help you. No preacher can help you. No friend can help you.

No counselor can help you. Only the Holy Spirit of God. And that's who you need to help you polish your testimony. Would you ask him today?

Would you ask him today? Say, Holy Spirit of God, polish my testimony afresh. In David's case, he thought that Samuel could help him. But then he thought, well, Jonathan might be able to help me. And indeed, Jonathan gave him all of the sympathy that a friend can give a friend.

There's no doubt about it. And David got some encouragement. But only the Holy Spirit can give the healing.

Only the Holy Spirit can renew you from the inside. It gets worse. It gets worse. Beloved, listen to me. If you are internally on the run, if you are fleeing from the will of God, if you're thinking that you can really hide from God and what God is calling you to do, if you allow your fear and your doubt and your disappointments to break the line of intimacy with God, you will never stand still. You'll never stand still. You'll keep on the downward slide.

It goes from bad to worse. Look at here. Look at him.

Things will slide into downward direction unless and until you make a U-turn. Look at verses 5 and 6 of 1 Samuel 20. David asked Jonathan to lie for him. So he didn't only lie, but then he asked Jonathan to lie for him as well.

And that is why it is not a surprise. When you read David writing in Psalm 119 29, remove from me the way of lying. Remove from me the way of lying. David's greatness is not because he is a perfect man. He was not. But because he recognized his sin. When he was convicted, he turned and whipped tears of repentance and turned to the Lord.

That's his greatness. We have seen this in people in public life. You know, when they get caught, they start lying. Shake their finger at the camera. I've never done it.

I didn't do it. And it goes down from there. These folks not only develop a siege mentality, but they become paranoid.

They go from protecting the public image to an out lie and then ask others to lie for them. Here David is asking Jonathan to lie for him. What they let down from the valley of Elah when he said, who is this Philistine is mocking the armies of the living God?

A downward slide. For all of us who love Jesus, there is no other way other than keeping short accounts with God. The moment you sin, the moment you immediately ask for forgiveness.

Don't linger because it will build up and gets worse. Have you ever wondered why the reason the scripture had never provided an armor, a protection for the back? Ephesians chapter 6 verse 11, beginning at verse 11. And you look at all the armor that are provided, probably when Paul was in prison and he has his guards and he was looking at them in the way they were dressed. And the Bible doesn't provide a protection for the back. It has nothing to do with the front.

Do you know why? Because in the spiritual war, there is no protection for turning back and running away. Only advancing, only conquering, only moving forward.

The only option is advancing and conquering. And that's what God wants us to do in our private life and in our public life. And that is why there's no protection for the back. Now, beloved, listen to me. This is not harsh. This is not heartless. This is not careless.

This is pure love. God promised to never leave us nor forsake us. But when we leave him and forsake him, we bring pain on ourselves. Listen to me. God never moves.

Say that with me. God never moves. He never moves.

We do. He never moves. And all along, even when we do run away, whether internally or physically or emotionally, spiritually, in any way, the whole time we're running away.

His arms are wide open. Come back. Come back.

If you are in the run in any way, if you are retreating, if you stop moving forward, if you have settled in your Christian life, if you have lost your first love, if your heart has been hardened toward the Lord and his will in your life, if you are running in place, if you have stopped producing fruit, if you have lost the joy and the journey, if you are just going through the religious motions, listen to me. I want to plead with you. Hear the voice of God calling you. Come back. Come back.

I know I'm speaking to someone today. Come back. Come back to the loving arms of Jesus. Come back to the forgiving heart of Jesus. Come back to the waiting father.

Come back to your first love. In fact, this condition of running away and basically never get blessed is described powerfully in the book of Haggai, chapter 1 verse 6. Chapter 1 verse 6 of the book of Haggai. He says, you have sown much, but you reaping so little. You've eaten much, but you're still hungry. You drank lots of water, but it's not quenching your thirst. You put on fine clothes, but you're not warm.

You make a lot of money, but have nothing to show for it because it's like there's holes in the pocket and the money is running out. You've got nothing to show for it. I don't know what is causing you to be in a mode of inward fleeing from the Lord. I don't know.

Only you know. Is it unresolved bitterness, anger? Is it unforgiving spirit? Is it unhealthy relationship that the Lord says it doesn't belong there? Is it unfaithfulness with God's money? Is it sexual immorality of any kind? Whatever it may be, you can never run far enough away from the grace of Jesus.

You could never run far away, far enough from the grace of Jesus. Look at the latter part of 1 Samuel chapter 20. Jonathan and David sign a contract. I want you to look at this contract with me together.

Contract is really very simple. David is going to hide in the field, is going to hide in the bushes. And Jonathan was going to go home and sound out his father to see if he really serious about killing David or he just blowing smoke. That's really what it says.

But I give it to you in a vernacular so you understand it. David standing at a crossroad. Some of you might be standing at a crossroad right now.

And you're not sure which way to go while waiting in the field, in the bushes. David is wondering, will he go home back to his home and his wife, Michael? He was wondering, would he be able to go back to his comfortable and familiar surroundings or would he become a fugitive on the run or would he be have to keep on running into the unknown? Would he face uncertainty and uncharted water?

Would he be all alone leaving behind all that has become near and dear to him? Look at verses 21, 20, 21, 22. Here is the signal that Jonathan and David have devised together in this contract, this agreement.

Which way his father is leaning is going to indicate where those errors are going to fall. If the arrows are falling in front of the stone Israel, then it is safe to go home. Come home, David. But if the arrows are going to go beyond the stone, Israel, keep running. You're in danger.

It means a separation from Jonathan, separation from his wife, separation from all that is hold dear and near to him. How is David feeling at this point waiting in the bushes to see which way the arrows are going to land? And yet I know that some of you have stood there outside operating theaters waiting for the result of the surgery. I know some of you have waited patiently, sometimes impatiently for test results.

Some of you have waited for the news that tells you which way you should go. You understand a little bit of how David, he was waiting, he's watching, he was hoping, and he was uncertain. And as the three arrows fell beyond the stone, his heart nearly stopped beating. He can only imagine. His stomach was knotted in a hundred knots. His whole future just passed in front of him. Can you imagine his feeling of despondency, his feeling of discouragement, disappointment, and uncertainty as he stood there in the bushes?

Where do I go from here? I don't think that I'm doing violation to the scripture when I tell you that you can easily view the stone as hell as you view the cross of Christ. Before the cross, there is a worldly kingdom to which we belonged and in which we lived. But after the cross, beyond the cross, there is a separation from that world and only Jesus. That is why the Apostle Paul could say, I only glory, that is I only brag, in the cross of Christ by which the world has been crucified to me and I'm to the world. To glory in the cross of Christ means that you can say with Henry Light, that's L-Y-T-E, Jesus I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow thee, destitute, despised, forsaken, though from hence my all shall be. Perish every fond ambition, all I have sought or hoped or known, yet how rich is my condition. God and heaven are still my own.

Amen. You might be experiencing some circumstances totally out of your control, totally out of your control. And you might be just like David at this point in his life. The arrows have been cast beyond the stone as hell for you. The arrows of losing a loved one. The arrows of deteriorating health.

The arrows of financial reversals. The arrows of betrayal by the nearest and the dearest. The arrows of children that deeply disappointed you. These are arrows that have fallen for you beyond the stone of as hell. Perhaps no one else can feel that nothing in your stomach, but let me tell you God does.

God does. You are trying so desperately to hold on to something or someone, but it has been snatched out of your hand. Your heart is clinging to that which is ripped from you. The arrows have landed beyond the stone of as hell for you. The arrows have landed beyond your preferable target. The arrows have landed where you have nothing and no one except God, but his everything. In this case I want you to remember, I want you to remember, like David, God is leading you onward and upward.

Amen? God is supreme above all your current circumstances. God is supreme above all your current surroundings. God is destining you to the throne.

Did you know that? Say it with me, I am destined to the throne. You are, I hope you believe it.

Some of you mumbled it because you don't believe it, but for those of you who believe it say it with me. I am destined for the throne. God is working his purposes out in you.

Oh, but listen, listen. Sometimes you're going to reach the throne by way of the cross. God had prepared the throne for David, but it's going to be beyond the stone as hell. God has prepared the throne for you. So don't judge your future by the present. Don't judge what God has for you, but what you're going through now.

Please, please let me plead with you. I've been there several times. When I watch the arrows fall beyond the stone as hell. Three of those times my precious wife and I had to follow these arrows and leaving the familiar and the comfortable.

I am here to testify to you. With all of those puzzlements and all of those apprehensions. With all of those knots in the stomach. With all of the, yes, confusion and anxiety at the time. With all of that fear and uncertainty that accompanied us as we watched those arrows fall on the other side of the stone as hell. We are fully trusted in God. We are fully trusted in God who never fails us. We're fully trusted in the God who asked us just to trust him. In fact, the greatest honor you can give God is to trust him when you cannot see a way out.

And here's the testimony. We found him. We found him in all these years to do exceedingly, abundantly, say it with me.

Exceedingly, abundantly and beyond what we could imagine. What a great God we have. What a great God we have. Give God glory. Give him glory. One of the early verses that I taught our children as I was driving them to school in the mornings. Those many years ago. You try to memorize different verses of the scripture.

One of those that really left an indelible mark. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, now beloved, all your ways means whether the arrows fall beyond or before the stone as hell. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your ways. Heard in 28 of the most spoken and understood languages across six continents, this is Leading the Way Audio with Dr. Michael Youssef. Would you like to spend time with a Leading the Way pastor or counselor and chat about matters of your heart?

Well, you can begin by filling out a short contact form at ltw.org slash jesus. As we close today's Leading the Way Audio, here are some testimonies our team recently received. We thought you would be encouraged to hear how God is working. Chris writes to us from New York saying, I was really lost this year when my boyfriend died of liver cancer.

I thought life was over. I started reading my Bible daily and God completely turned my life around. I've been listening to Leading the Way with Dr. Michael for about four months every morning on the way to work. Daniel writes to us from Massachusetts saying, I just said the prayer to accept Jesus into my life.

Arlene in Florida tells us, I want to have God and Jesus in my life. We're able to continue ministry because of you. Learn ways that you can stand with Dr. Youssef and Leading the Way when you call us at 866-626-4356 or online ltw.org. Thank you. This program is furnished by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.