A Heart for God, Part 2

Thank you for joining Dr. Michael Youssef for Leading the Way. Today, the continuation of his series, A Heart for God, words of wisdom from the pages of the life of King David, described as a man after God's own heart. Now, to complement the series, Dr. Youssef has also released a book on the life of David.

Get the ordering details when you call us at 866-626-4356 or ltw.org. Right now though, listen with me as Dr. Youssef begins today's audio episode. In the last message of 1 Samuel chapter 16, we saw the young 16-year-old David anointed with oil to be the future king of Israel. He also entered into the royal palace to be an artist in residence to play the harp for King Saul. 1 Samuel 17-15, we are told that David held two jobs. See it there in your Bible, he held two jobs. David, when he was not performing for King Saul, he was out feeding his father's sheep. For four years, he kept going between the family farm and the king's palace.

The family farm and the king's palace. Now that he's 21, he shows up on the scene. His father sends him to take some provisions for his older brothers. So he's coming on a mission to help. He's providing, he's not there to be a spectator, he was there to do something in helping his brothers in the fight against the Philistines.

And then he finds them absolutely terrified and they were shivering in their sandals. Let me tell you a couple of things about the Philistines you need to know. They worshiped a god named Dagon. Dagon was the god of the crops. But they also worshiped the feminine or female counterpart, the goddess Asher.

Asher was the moon goddess. And for hundreds and hundreds of years, the Philistines were the source of pain, aggravation, suffering, grief to the people of God. You know why? Because of their disobedience.

Let me explain this to you. When Israel, people of Israel came out of Egypt, the land of the slavery, were in the wilderness for 40 years, then they go into the promised land. God says to them, when you get into the promised land, there are wicked people, there are evil people, there are people who are absolutely so wicked that they do not deserve to even live on the face of the earth, just like God did with Solomon Gomorrah. And he said, when you go into the promised land, wipe them out. But they wouldn't.

They wouldn't. And so, they experienced that pain for the rest of their existence. These Philistines had a national hero by the name of Goliath. So let me tell you about Goliath. He was a huge man. You have an idea of his size, over nine feet tall. When Goliath attended Gath High School, he always won the national trophies. Now I told you, you're not going to hear that from anywhere else.

You're going to only hear it from me. By being nine foot tall, 350 pounds, he would make, actually, Shaquille O'Neal look like a midget. Think about this. After high school, he won a full scholarship to Ashdod University, where he actually played for the NCAA final. Every year, one. You see, when you think about it, that from the top of his head to the rim of the basket, seven inches. He doesn't have to run. He just puts the ball over the.

That's all he did. Furthermore, during the off-season when all the other athletes were resting, he was playing football. The off-season of basketball he's playing football. You say, Michael, how do you know he played football?

Well, look at it. Verse five. He wore a bronze helmet. Now, he would have been a nightmare to have you as your blocking assignment. After college, Goliath signed up for $20 million to play for the Philistine Celtics. This was the case, of course, until he was drafted in the military. In the military, he became a military hero for the Philistines. His hometown of Gath was 12 miles from the Valley of Elah where they were fighting. And he would jog home just for lunch and for a warm-up and come back.

Twelve miles. Verses five and six. You're going to find a description of his uniform. His coat weighed 120 pounds. His legs were covered with greaves of bronze. Verse seven. The iron point of his spear shaft was 17 pounds.

Imagine, carrying that thing. Verse eight. Underline it. I want you to mark it. It's very important. Remember it and don't ever forget it. Here's what Goliath said.

Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine? And you, are you not the servants of Saul? Oh, how painful that is. I hope you can get the feeling.

Just get the meaning of that word. Are you not the servants of Saul? Remember from the last message, the people of God rejected the kingship of Yahweh and wanted an earthly king and God gave them the desire of their heart.

Be very careful what you pray for. And when that happened, their uniqueness as the servants of the living God, as the army of the living God, as the children of Israel was no longer true. Their representation of Yahweh has been replaced by being servants of Saul. They are now the army of Saul, the servant of Saul, not the army of the living God. Every time you find yourself in a spiritual defeat, it is because you have replaced the lordship of Jesus Christ over your life with someone or something else.

Take it from me experientially. Every time you find yourself in a spiritual doldrum, it is because you replaced Jesus as the king of your life with someone or something else. Every time you find yourself in a spiritual disarray is because your last priorities have been turned upside down, selfish ambitions on the top, Jesus at the bottom.

Oh, but wait a minute, it gets worse. It gets worse for Saul and for his army. Goliath got so belligerent that in verse 10 and several times in this chapter, use the word defy, defy, defy. I don't know about you, but listen, this is my testimony and I am responsible for it.

In any area in my life where the spirit of God does not rule supreme, the enemy of my soul defies me constantly. Verse 11, when Saul and all of Israel heard these words, they trembled in their phobia. What about Saul? What about Saul? He had more military experience than anybody else. He was six foot ten. He was the only one in Israel who had more.

The others did not have it. He was king. He was king.

He was representing the living God among the people. All of that means nothing when the spirit of God is not leading you. All of that means nothing if you are operating your life based on the external assets and liabilities.

All of that means nothing if you are constantly comparing yourself with somebody else. Saul whips up his royal yellow pad and he divided it into two sections and he would write assets, liabilities, assets. Goliath is over nine feet. I, six ten, he's got big heavy armor.

I can't compare it with the armor I've got. Every time he counts his assets and liabilities, he comes out short. Under assets and under liabilities, he says look at this, look at this, look at this, look at this. I can't do this. Every time poor Saul whips up his calculator and he starts counting, he realizes it's just not adding up. I know this temptation of sitting down and figuring out your assets and your liabilities.

I know the temptation. Had I walked in fear and not in faith and trust in the living God that God is mightier than all of my problems. Had I walked by sight and not by faith in the power of the living God. Had I lived by the human calculation. Had I took counsel of my fears. Had I lived by the secular mindset, I wouldn't have had the honor of being your pastor today. And that happened again and again and again and again. Furthermore, I wouldn't have honored the God that who knows every one of us by name. And he knows everything that is to be known about each one of us.

I wouldn't have honored him. Listen to me. The reason there are so many people do not tithe their income or their money and do not give over and above the tithe is because of fear.

They are fearful lest the God who had provided for them in the past will not provide for the future. Test me on that. Can I ask you a genuine question? I pray that you would give yourself a genuine answer.

Don't give it to me. How different would your life be if there were no Holy Spirit? Please answer it to yourself. Not to anybody else.

You see too many Christians in our day to whom the Holy Spirit makes no difference. They live in the natural realm. They think in the natural realm. They operate in the natural realm. They function in the natural realm and they run their businesses in the natural realm and say, Michael, this is the way the world is.

Really? But I have a God who said he who's in you is great that he is in the world. It's no wonder that the moment, the very moment a giant pops up in our lives, we run and scurry in fear. This is Saul's phobophobia. He quenched the Holy Spirit and would not live by and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

He placed his trust in his past successes. He ultimately allowed the Holy Spirit to grieve and stay out in a corner and as always the case, trust me, always the case, when the Holy Spirit is grieved or quenched, the spirit of fear comes in and takes his place. Ah, but then David shows up. He shows up to just bring food for his brothers. He comes in and he sees this gorilla defying the living God and he got livid. He got livid. Here's a use of translation.

He said, who is this twit? Who thinks that he can defy the armies of the living God? Remember this, by the time David shows up, this shenanigans has been going on for 40 days, 40 days. In fact, it went so long that international crisis intensified and all the network cameras do, they come up in the morning and they cover Goliath as defying and threatening. I think this kind of made for television, don't you think? Yeah, this guy coming out there, coming out every morning and every evening and the cameras rolling, he's defying the living God and all the reporters say, oh, this is going to be the mother of all battles.

We need to impeach Saul. Right. Question, why didn't God send David on the second day? Seventh day?

Twentieth day? Why? Why doesn't God answer your prayer the moment you ask?

Why? Beloved, that's a great question. I'm glad you asked it because I want to answer it. God often, I'm not saying always often, wants us to exhaust our resources. God often wants us to come to the end of ourselves. God often wants us to do things that he wants to do things in such a way that nobody can say God and I did it.

There are some people who even don't give God the credit. Even they cry their eyes out and ask God, the moment God answers, well, I did it. In fact, David arrives at the 82nd, calculate them, the 82nd appearance of this gorilla, gruesome gorilla. And he sees what's going on and he runs to his big brothers. The older brothers must have felt embarrassed in front of all their friends and other military guys.

And this kid brother comes in and he's showing them up. Think about this. Go away, David. Go away, boy. Go away. You're embarrassing me. Here's a use of translation.

What are you doing here, you little brat? You notice they accused him of being arrogant. You notice that?

Just look at it in the scripture. It never fails. The weak person sees you as weak. The arrogant person sees you as arrogant. The distrustful person doesn't trust anybody.

Often we judge people with our own motives. David asked three times, just in this chapter, what is the reward for the one who kills Goliath? And three times they tell him, marrying the king's daughter, his family will get a tax holiday, and then actually going to get a fortune. Now there are some who have concluded that because David asked that question three times, it's because he was only interested in the reward. But the text absolutely makes that to be a false assumption. The text makes it very clear that David loved God so much that he was broken inside when he heard the name of his God being insulted.

Not like today. We sit and laugh when our name of our God is insulted. David felt that this is even worse than insulting your own mother. David revered and honored the Lord so much that he could not stand to hear this blasphemy of the great name of our God. In fact, that is one of the motivation that caused David to forego his fears. This was enough for him to risk everything. This was enough for him to defeat his fears by faith in the living God. Here's something I don't want you to forget.

It's very important. David arrives from the shepherd's fields, from the work of a shepherd, where he often spent time and intimacy with God. Praying, singing, writing psalms, that's what's happening when he was working with the sheep.

He sung, he wrote hymns, he wrote psalms, he praised God, he worshiped God, and so he comes in from that posture of praise and worship and adoration and power into this situation. Had David been in the midst of this fear feeding frenzy, he would not have reacted this way. This fear is contagious. It's contagious. Had he been sitting there watching the news all the time and getting depressed over what's happening, this gorilla would have frightened him too.

No. He was in the presence of his glorious God and he came down being filled with the power of God to face this giant. David gives all his testimony, experience of the power of God. As a young boy with his bare hands, he taught a lion and a bear.

Now you can be absolutely sure that the very God who did this in his past is going to do it now. Beloved, that's a lesson so many of us forget. I know that.

I know it experientially. We forget this important lesson. Why is the God who did what he did in the past is going to drop you now? Poor old Saul. He's still not getting it. He's still not getting it. He insisted that David puts on his armor.

You know, I thought about this long and hard. If that was me, here's how I'd have reacted. King Saul, if that piece of junk didn't do you any good, why do you think it's going to help me?

No, but that's me. David didn't say that. He was too polite. As if to say to the king, hey king, I have an invisible armor. Hey king, I have spiritual power. Hey king, I have the spirit of the living God.

Hey king, I have the only one who is truly the source of victory and his name is Yahweh. Verse 40, David picks up five stones, sling and a staff, and he gets so close to Goliath that he can see his eyeballs. Let me stop here and tell you that the critics, Bible critics say the reason he had five stones, not just one, because he really wasn't sure if one would work. It's absolute false.

Absolute false. I'll tell you why there were five. In 2 Samuel 21, 22, easy to remember. 2 Samuel 21, 22, very easy to remember. There were four sons of Goliath standing up on the hill and he was prepared for them. In case any of them come down and try to take the daddy's place, he was going to whip them. He got one for each.

That's why his faith was not faltering. Now when he gets so close to Goliath, he kind of looks at David and he cannot see the sling or the stones. All he can see is the stick. And he said, what?

Am I a dog? You're coming after me with a stick? And then he mocks the living God one more time. And David said, you may have the trappings of your armor, but I came upon you in the name of the Lord of hosts. Say it with me. I come upon you in the name of the Lord of hosts.

And the next thing you hear David say, timber. I want to ask you this. What kind of fear that is haunting you today? What kind of anxiety that seemed to be possessing you? What kind of worry that seemed to keep you up all night?

Only you can answer that question. And whatever kind of phobia you are nursing, I want you to say with me. I come upon you in the name of the Lord of hosts. Let's do it together. I come upon you in the name of the Lord of hosts. And then I want to do it again tomorrow and the day after and the day after.

And don't stop. Thank you for joining listeners around the world for Leading the Way and a look at a man who did not let fear rule in his life, at least right now. If you'd like to spend time talking with a pastor or a counselor about the challenges in your own life, won't you consider connecting with Leading the Way?

Start your conversation at ltw.org slash Jesus. In a world where power and influence are often overvalued, God honors the humble and those who have a heart for him. There is no greater example in the Bible than the life of King David through times of victory, epic failure, weakness and brokenness. God used David to shape a generation and be an example to all of history. In his new book, A Heart for God, Dr. Michael Youssef offers you powerful reminders of God's faithfulness to bring glory and victory out of brokenness and failure. Walk through David's desperate cries recorded in the Psalms and witness how God honors a heart for God as he leads him to impact a nation and world.

A Heart for God is available right now when you give a gift of any amount to the ongoing ministry of Leading the Way. The website where you can learn more about the content and order your copy is ltw.org, ltw.org. Learn more about the inspiring content and how to order your copy at ltw.org. You can also speak with a ministry representative in the call center. That number 866-626-4356. That's ltw.org and 866-626-4356. And we love hearing from you through the Postal Service as well. Write to us. Our address is Leading the Way, Post Office Box 201100, Atlanta, Georgia 30325.

That's Post Office Box 2100, Atlanta, Georgia 30325. When you have God's favor, no matter who does what, you are untouchable until God takes you home. When you are enlisted in the army of the living God, your commander-in-chief will ensure that you are invincible until time to go home. When you have God's anointing, the enemy of your soul might huff and puff, but you stand. That was just a preview of what Dr. Yousef will be teaching next time on Leading the Way. Make plans to join him for this powerful message when he digs further into this thought. This program is brought to you by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Yousef. Connect further with audio and video content at ltw.org or through your favorite social media platform, including YouTube, Facebook, X, previously called Twitter, Instagram, and more.