Title: Obtaining Your Destiny III (Developing a Purpose)
Text: I Samuel 17:24
Intro: If you are going to reach your destiny in Christ, many times you will go through the valley. You must move from your place of safety and comfort; walk into that valley; and face the giants of your life before you will be able to get to the other side. Many would just assume to bypass the valleys of life but it is in the valleys of life that God stretches us into what He wants us to be.
I. Watch out for Dream Killers
A. Many people dream dreams of great things for God only to drop their dream.
- Eliab, his brother, walks up on the conversation
- “Hey did you hear what this kid is saying?”
- Then his brother begins to chew him out
B. When God has given you something you may be ridiculed, laughed at, told every reason under the sun why you cannot do it; don’t drop the dream.
- Many of you when you came to Christ were told, “You’ll never make it”
- “You will backslide”
- Many have said, “You can’t expect to see a large church in Vincent, Alabama, static’s will tell you in just cannot happen.”
- When God calls you & puts that vision into your life, we must become DETERMINED that no matter what any one tells us; no matter what any demon of hell might say or do to us, We are going to keep walking through that valley holing on to the UNSHAKEABLE, ALL POWERFUL hand of God. & we will experience complete victory.
- It doesn’t matter what man might say
- It doesn’t matter what hell may say
- It only matters what God is saying
Romans 8:31 If God be for us, who can be against us?
Zechariah 4:6 Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
- I am not into what everyone else says I am into what God’s says.
- Don’t drop the dream because someone else say’s it can’t be done. Stick with God, and hold onto that dream.
C. Their reputation was in jeopardy. That was the reason that Eliab attacked David.
- Because his lack of zeal was being exposed by his younger brother
- He was supposed to be the great warrior of valor not David.
- The cause should be greater than anyone’s reputation
- God if you cannot use me use someone else
• I don’t care if I am patted on the back or not
• I don’t care if I get recognized from the pulpit or not
• I don’t care if my name appears in the bulletin
• My goal, my vision is for the ministry of this church and the Word of God to move forward
D. Some of you are going to have great dreams for God. When you share them with others they may not grasp them.
- People that do nothing for God become faultfinders of those that are working for God.
- We need to have the attitude of praise God you can make it rather than that of “We tried it before and nothing happened”
- We need to encourage each other to move forward rather than pulling each other back down.
E. There are those here today that would say:
- I can’t do anything for God
- It is tuff
- This is bad
- HELL IS WORSE
• I have this or that going on in my life
• The People I work with are always cursing
• I stay under such a cloud of depression
- We should be praising God that we can be a light shining out in darkness and make a difference
- Old saying goes, “Bloom where God plant’s you”
- We must get the attitude that if Jesus were here this is where He would put me.
- I am not going to fold up, I am Going to be a warrior that Dreams Of Victory
F. What was David Doing
- He was forming a purpose
- He ask the Question again
• Do we have a purpose in life
Why are we here today?
Because we are saved
To do what?
To go to church
To do What
TO SIT
• This is not a reason nor a purpose
Why do we sing
Why do we raise our hands
Why do we pray for the sick
Why do we desire to grow in God
To set in the camp of comfort and say thank you Lord, bless me some more I want to feel those goose bumps again.
G. We must develop a purpose for our lives
- What is my purpose this year
- What do I want to see happen this year:
• In my life
• In my family
• In my church
• In my friends lives
• At work
- I want my dream, my vision, my purpose of what God can do through me
H. My times it feels as though we are only sustaining the saints rather than equipping them
- I don’t want to go there that preacher thinks I am supposed to work for God
- You are finally getting it.
II. Pursue Your Destiny
A. Don’t buy into the negative words of older brother
- David turned to someone else to find some one that would encourage him, that would build up that dream, in his life
- He ask the question again
B. Many People have a problem with problems
- They have so many problems they can’t do anything for God
- And they don’t want to get free from those problems but want to hold on to them so they can justify their anemic spiritual lifestyle
• I can’t live for God, not enough Christians at my school
• I can’t live for God with all of the sinners I work with
• I can’t keep my tongue pure with all of those people that curse around me
• I can’t live for God, Preacher you just don’t know what I have to live with everyday, My husband is not a Christian
• I can’t read my Bible because
• I can’t pray because
• I can’t witness because
I can’t I can’t I can’t
- We say we can’t because of Goliath
- We need to focus on what God Can not what we can’t
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
C. You cannot be victorious without getting into the battle. You cannot be used of God until you accept the challenge
- We are challenged by the enemy of our soul daily
- Satan says:
• You better not what will so and so think
• You can’t do that, it will never work
• You are going to get sick
• Your family is falling apart
• Your husband/wife is going to leave you
• Your kids are headed in the wrong direction
• You will never get out of your money problems
D. My faith is not in what Satan has to say but in what God says
2 Timothy 1:12 for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
- What are we going to base our life upon our problems or our God
- What are we going to focus on, The giants in our life or the God that gives us the victory.
- Let us rise up in power and proclaim, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?”
Conclusion: Get a picture in your mind of this campfire. How did these men look? What were they wearing?
• These Guys were dressed for a battle
• Swords sharpened
• Standing around looking tuff
• But they never moved from their comfort zone
We can look good here with our Bibles and notes and our worship. But what have we accomplished until we have dreamed a dream, established a purpose and entered the battle to pursue our destiny in God.
