May the Lord Bless You – 1

                                                             May the Lord Bless You – 1

Subject – Experiencing the Blessings of God

By Rick Welborne

Numbers 6:22-27 (NLT2)
²²  Then the LORD said to Moses,
²³  “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:
²⁴  ‘May the LORD bless you and protect you.
²⁵  May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you.
²⁶  May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace.’
²⁷  Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my Name, I myself will bless them.” 

--Today we welcome Pastor Neftali, Shelia, and La Vida Church. How exciting to have a thriving Spanish ministry and a great pastor leading it. I truly love these guys.

--Because of time, let’s jump into the message. It appears the theme of the message and this service today is based on my title…May the Lord Bless You! How many of you want God’s blessings?

--If you do not want His blessings on you, your family, and your church, there is not much I can do or say to help you but if you want Jesus to smile on you…get ready…get ready! We just sang: The Blessing

The Lord bless you, and keep you. Make His face shine upon you. And be gracious to you

The Lord turn His Face toward you and give you peace

Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen

The Lord bless you, and keep you. Make His face shine upon you. And be gracious to you

The Lord turn His Face toward you and give you peace. As we receive, we agree, amen

May His favor be upon you and a thousand generations. Your family and your children

And their children, and their children

May His presence go before you and behind you, and beside you

All around you, and within you. He is with you, He is with you

In the morning, in the evening. In your coming, and your going. In your weeping, and rejoicing

He is for you, He is for you, He is for you, He is for you, He is for you, He is for you

He is for you, He is for you

Amen, amen, amen. Amen, amen, amen!

--I love songs that are biblical because it is powerful to speak and to sing the Word of God. May the Lord Bless You. God laid on my heart Abraham’s blessing over the children of Israel after he offered his son.

Genesis 22:15-18 (NKJV)
¹⁵  Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,
¹⁶  and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son--
¹⁷  blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
¹⁸  In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

1. The Lord said I will bless you.

--The Lord said to Abraham because you have been obedient and because you have been sacrificial by being willing to give your son…blessings I will bless you.

--I truly believe God is still looking for a remnant who is obedient and sacrificial. When He finds a person or a church like this, His blessings will begin to flow. Revival will come!

--Is there an example in the Bible that shows us what this obedience and sacrifice looks like? Absolutely! This verse is talking about the Macedonians and their willingness to give. 

2 Corinthians 8:5 (NLT) ⁵  They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. 

--Please do not think God is going to simply bless you because you are cute, talented, or all that. He blesses those who are willing to totally give themselves to the Lord.

Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)
¹  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
²  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 

--Think about the context of Abraham receiving the blessings from God was because of his willingness to sacrifice his son. Not many of us would be willing to do that. Depends on what day it is.

--I have heard people say foolish things like, Abraham knew God would not require him to go through with killing his son but listen to the New Testament.

Hebrews 11:17-19 (NLT2)
¹⁷  It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac,
¹⁸  even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”
¹⁹  Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

2. The Lord said I will multiply you.

--As we read through the Book of Acts we see the church birthed at Pentecost and God began to add to their numbers daily. The 120 became 3120, then 5000. How amazing!

--Something changed as Jesus was building His church. In Acts 6 what had been adding became multiplication. The apostles were accused of being the people who were turning the world upside down.

--When it comes to the church in the area of finances, many have been happy with living a life of addition when the blessing of Abraham tells us God wants us to multiply. 

2 Corinthians 9:10-12 (NKJV) ¹⁰  Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
¹¹  while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.
¹²  For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,

--Life Church used to be a church of addition. We had enough to pay the bills, pay salaries, and support a handful of missionaries. Yippee. But we decided to become generous. He multiplied our seed.

--Fifteen missionaries became 215, 9 acres of land became 26 with 3 houses, 2 pastors became 7, an old building became a new debt free sanctuary. God multiplied our seed because we were generous. Result:

--For the administration of this service (your generous giving) not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God…joyful multiplication.

3. The Lord said your descendants (children) will storm the gates of their enemies.

Matthew 16:18 (KJV) ¹⁸  And I say also unto you, That you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

--Yes, I want to do great things for God and yes I want to do my part to see the Kingdom of God grow…I want to help Jesus build His church. What I really want is my kids storming the gates of their enemies.

--I want to be Elijah but I want my kids to be Elisha with a double portion of the Spirit of God!

4. The Lord said in your seed nations will be blessed. 

--Come on La Vida Church, Life Church Villages, Life Church main campus, if you want to grow spiritually, numerically, and financially make missions a priority. 

--If we bless the nations by sending out more and more missionaries God will multiply us. We must be thinking about our seed (our kids) coming up after us. They must have this vision. 

Matthew 9:37-38 (NKJV)
³⁷  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
³⁸  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

Numbers 6:22-27 (NLT2)
²²  Then the LORD said to Moses,
²³  “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:
²⁴  ‘May the LORD bless you and protect you.
²⁵  May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you.
²⁶  May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace.’
²⁷  Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my Name, I myself will bless them.” 

--In My Name. Whose Name…The Name of Jesus Christ!

Wonderfully Complex – 6

                                                               Wonderfully Complex – 6

Subject – Seasons and Delays

By Rick Welborne

Psalm 139:13-18 (NLT) 

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 

15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 

16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 

17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 

18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! 

Last sermon in this series:

1. In discovering God’s soul print you may find that your greatest weakness may become your greatest strength. 

2. In discovering our soul print we find out God will use past experiences and present circumstances to unfold our destiny.

3. In discovering your soul print God will use your greatest challenge to uncover His divine preparation.

–Today’s message:

1. In discovering your soul print you will discover that God allows us to go through certain seasons on our journey.

 

–As you get older and mature you realize the battle is won long before you are on the battlefield. You win or lose based on your faithfulness to whatever season you are in

–In our impatience we forget there is a time to be on the front lines and a time to be on the sidelines. There is a time to be in the limelight but there is a time to be in the shadows.

–Moses needed to take care of sheep for 40 years before he could lead and shepherd Israel. The disciples had to learn to be fishers of fish before they became fishers of men.

Batterson: Every divine appointment is preceded by a season of preparation. And if we submit to the preparation, God will fulfill His promise. If we don’t, He won’t. Why? Because God never sets us up to fail. 

–As I think about God’s preparation for me (some extremely difficult - Hitler), I can now look back and see how all of that was necessary for me to be who I am and where I am.

–Were those seasons tough? Absolutely! Did I think about quitting? Of course! Did I seemingly barely survive?  Oh yes! Were there people to encourage me to quit?  Yes!

–Another key to fulfilling your destiny is to recognize the season you are in and not let frustration and disappointment take over.

–There are seasons when learning to lead is not as important as learning to follow. There are times learning to handle failure is better than handling success.

–We worry so much about making our business, church, or whatever grow, but before God can grow them, He has to grow us. If you are growing thru the tough seasons God will grow the institution you are leading.

–One of the biggest mistakes we can make is focusing all our energy on the next season of our life instead of enjoying the season we are in. Or possibly enduring.

–What we perceive to be the worst season of our lives may just turn out to be the portion of our lives that benefit us the most in the next season.

2. In discovering your soul print you will discover that often there will be divine delays.

Batterson: Your dream seems like a mirage that remains the same distance away no matter how fast or how far you pursue it. You know you have a destiny to fulfill, but the elapsed time causes you to second-guess yourself.   

–This is what you must understand...if you arrive too early at what you think to be your destination (your destiny) you will miss the growth you would have experienced.

 –My personal opinion: many teach out of theory having very little substance to back up what they are saying ...second hand knowledge is not as convincing as firsthand experience, real life situations and delays.

–Consider the disciples of Christ who went thru 3 years of intense life with Him and then came what they thought was a delay...it was...a divine delay.

–There came the cross which made them feel that their hopes were dashed...Jesus died...Peter said I am going fishing...Our dream or destiny is dead.

–What they did not realize was the resurrection, the ascension, and Pentecost were on their way...divine delays do not always mean that hope is gone.

–Even after Jesus rose from the dead...yippee renewed hope...Oh yes, guys, I am going to Heaven but I will send Holy Spirit to be with you...another delay.

–They came very close to losing God’s destiny for them because life had not gone the way they had expected ...can you imagine in those 10 days of waiting...is it over?

–Obviously we know that it was not over because Pentecost came...The Spirit came...the fullness of time came and 3000 were saved that day. 

Dutch Sheets: Are you struggling to get to the next stage? Don’t give up. Your struggles won’t be wasted; they may even be necessary. The key is not to quit.  

–You must realize that God wants you to get to your destiny more than you want to get there. Take a deep breath, enjoy the journey, and know God will get you there when you are ready to be there.

–Your current frustration (your current delay) will be cause for future celebration if you hang in there long enough. Don’t give up!

Batterson: God is building emotional endurance. And the key to emotion endurance is experiencing high levels of disappointment that break us down so God can build us back up with holy confidence. 

3. In discovering your soul print you will discover that without a crucifixion there is no resurrection.

–The days between death and resurrection are long and dark but that is often when a miracle is about to happen.

Batterson: You never know how or when or where a dream will be resurrected, but if it’s God ordained, then God Himself will bring it back to life somehow, somewhere, sometime.

–I can imagine that David (as he watched his brothers go off to war) felt overlooked and underappreciated. It seems like everyone else is getting the recognition, the promotion, or the guy or girl. Your day will come.

 –Don’t short circuit God’s plans for you by taking short cuts and by doing what so many have done by compromising...there is a price to pay for forcing your desires and wishes.

–God is setting you up just like He was setting David up...His day of destination was coming and what he had to do in the meantime was to be faithful where he was.

Matthew 25:21 (NKJV) 

21 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' 

–Notice the faithfulness to the few compared to being a ruler to many things. David was faithful to a few sheep and God made him ruler of a nation.

–Maybe you are being faithful to a few (single mom faithful to her children or a SS teacher faithful to a few children in her class) ...you fill in the blanks.

–The Master is keeping good records and the reward...the resurrection will come...don’t give up...don’t compromise. Compromise or unfaithfulness costs more than you want to pay. 

Matthew 25:24-30 (NKJV) 

24 Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 

25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.' 

26 But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 

27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 

28 Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 

29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 

30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 

–What was the wicked servant saying about his master:

A. You are a hard man...God, you are too hard to serve...I’ll make my own choices.

B. You reap where you have not sown. You receive when you have not given. Where did the talent come from?  

C. You make me afraid...You can’t be trusted to do what You say. No compassion.

 –Hear me, one of the fastest ways to mess up what God has for you is to not trust Jesus, to try to help Him fix your situation, and to compromise the Word of God.

–OK, life has been tough, Jesus has been there, most of us have been there but without a crucifixion there is no resurrection. Your choices...your decision to be faithful will be the catalyst for you discovering your soul print.

Matthew 24:12-13 (NLT) 

12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 

13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 

You Be the Change You Want to See - 5

                                                You Be the Change You Want to See - 5

Subject:  Leading The Change in Your Family, Church, or Business

By Rick Welborne

Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 11-14 (NKJV)
¹  To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
¹¹  He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
¹²  I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,
¹³  and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor--it is the gift of God.
¹⁴  I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him. 

Romans 8:28 (NLT)
²⁸  And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

--Both of these portions of scriptures are references to time…there is a time for everything…God has made everything beautiful in its time…we know God works everything for our good…but all in His time.

--We all want everything faster…fast food (joke), fast internet, fast delivery of what we order from the internet,

fast service at stores, fast responses to text messages…we all want and expect faster.

--I don’t want any of you to be disillusioned but, more than likely, the change you are looking for will not necessarily happen quickly…it may…look how long God has been patient with you!

--Some organizations do not want change at all and if you do not believe it, try to change something quickly.  Church is a perfect example of this resistance. I shall not be…I shall not be moved.

--Those who try hard to resist the process of changing can cause those who really want to see good positive change to get discouraged.  My staff pastors are always stretching me in ways I didn’t think they could.

1. There are healthy ways of making change happen…ways of helping the organization and ways of keeping people from getting hurt or left out.   

A. Identify the motivation (the why) for the change.

--If people understand what your motives are and your motives are pure…they will sense your urgency and passion to see this happen. It cannot be about your personal agenda or cause.

B. Identify what you need or what will be required for the change.

--Identify the people, the facilities, the money you will need to accomplish the change you want to see. If you fail to plan you are just planning to fail.

C. Clearly state the incremental steps in the change.

--Back in 1995 I went to the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Fl. And God turned me every way but loose.  I wanted change in our church. I prayed for wisdom about where I felt God wanted to take us.

--I knew rushing my desires on the people would be detrimental to our church. I came home and shared what happened to me, I modeled in front of them, I stuck with it until change came.  

D. Identify the people who will be affected by the change. 

--Again, if your motives are pure, if you know where you are going, if you explain the vision clearly, more than likely, people will follow the change you are leading them into. 

E. Try to identify any obstacles that might hinder the process of change you are seeking.

--Try to ask yourself the right questions: Will people be resistant, do we have what we need to make the change, who might challenge this idea, do I really feel God is in this? Have I received confirmation?

F. Identify opportunities to recognize and celebrate progress.

--Celebrate the people who are helping you get to where you want to be and celebrate the progress along the way…Have someone else who is a leader share what God is doing in them.

G. Realize that it is going to take time…lots of time. 

--There is a season and a time for everything and God can work it out in His time…we must be patient and wait. Recognize Who God is while you wait.

Isaiah 40:29-31 (NKJV)
²⁹  He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.
³⁰  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,
³¹  But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. 

2. As you seek to be the change you want to see expect frustration and delays.

Leon Trotsky – Life is not an easy matter. You cannot live through it without falling into frustration and cynicism unless you have before you a great idea.

--Though we do not agree with Trotsky’s thoughts on political matters…his perception of frustration was accurate. I am so glad that the Bible shows us the reality of life in its characters.

--All of us can agree that life isn’t easy. That is so well depicted in the life of Joseph. As close as I could figure it took 22 years for him to experience the dreams he had at the beginning. Much frustration.

--When people sympathize or empathize with me about my feet I always say ‘compared to a lot of people I do not have problems’…do I want my feet well? Of course but others have it so much worse.

--If we are not careful our frustration can lead us to cynicism. The tendency to disbelieve in the sincerity or goodness of human motives or actions. We all are cynical at times…just watch TV commercials.

--Warning: Frustration and cynicism are cyclical…one leads to another. If we are not careful we will find ourselves (even believers) living very frustrated lives…I am sure you know people who are.

A. So how do we overcome frustration?

--It is hard to follow a frustrated leader. Frustration, as you know, is hard to hide.  It is even more difficult to lead a group of people who are frustrated followers. It has the ability to affect every aspect of life.

WebMD – Unresolved frustration and anger may grow until you are not able to deal with them. You may then yell, scream, or hit someone or something. Unexpressed anger and frustration can also cause other problems, such as physical illness or depression. 

--I have always been amazed at how people age so quickly who have horrible anger issues…it is unnatural for your face to be contorted that way. Song: If you are happy, notify your face.

--Imagine the frustration Joseph felt in his situation…rejected by siblings, sold into slavery, falsely accused, forgotten in prison…what helped him?  He had someone to talk to…The Lord was with him.

--We all need the Lord but sometimes we need a true Christian friend who will listen, empathize, pray for us, encourage us, and even correct us if it is needed. Someone who is blatantly honest with us.

--Sometimes you to talk to yourself and encourage yourself…When Ziklag was burned and the families of all of David’s men had been taken and they were talking of stoning him the Bible says:

 1 Samuel 30:6 (KJV)
⁶  And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. 

--Journaling really helps some people…when you are frustrated write down what you are dealing with, pray, and then write down what you believe God and His Word are saying to you.

B. How do we handle delays?

--Things do not always happen in our timelines…ask Joseph.  Our prayers are not always answered as quickly as we would prefer.  Doesn’t God know what I am going thru?  Yes, and He will help you go thru.

--Whenever people are involved the possibility for delays becomes greater…things (especially change) will seldom move as quickly as you would like.

--When you see the delay coming, set your mind and your heart on the Lord and do not become impatient. Joseph had to continually look to the Lord every time he faced a delay or set back…we must do the same. 

Ketterling:  Not all delays have a divine purpose, but some do.  Ultimately, time is in the hands of the One Who created it.  Our perceptions of time are not the same as His.  What we see as a delay might be a momentary pause for His ultimate purposes.  Pushing through delays might cause us to miss something with eternal significance. 

3. As you seek to be the change you want to see, understand the power of clarity.

Albert Einstein – If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself. Keep it simple so people will understand.

--Jesus purposely spoke in parables so that His audience could understand His message.  Become a student of Jesus and other great communicators to make your message clear.

--Children’s pastors and youth pastors have learned to use visual aids to help people understand.  I try to use any situation I can to teach my daughter some kind of life lesson.

--For example: when someone makes very poor decisions and has horrible consequences…why waste them?  Take the time to speak to your kids so that they get the message.

--We can all determine to be good communicators and to speak with clarity…if you get that deer in the headlights look…take the time to ask if you were understood.

James 5:12 (NLT)
¹²  But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.

Ephesians 4:11-15 (NLT)
¹¹  Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
¹²  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
¹³  This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
¹⁴  Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
¹⁵  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 

Wonderfully Complex – 5

                                                                 Wonderfully Complex – 5

Subject – Freedom in Being Yourself

By Rick Welborne

Psalm 139:13-18 (NLT) 

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 

15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 

16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 

17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 

18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! 

Last sermon in this series:

1. Because you are God’s child your heredity and destiny are from Him.

2. Why is it that we all start out as “one of a kind original” but too many of us end up as carbon copies of someone else.

3. If we will have God’s uniqueness for us, and if we will be who we are, we must be willing to take Saul’s armor off.

1 Samuel 17:38 40 (NKJV) 

38 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. 

39 David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them." So David took them off. 

40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. 

Soren Kierkegaard: The deepest form of despair is to be another than oneself.

 

Batterson - At the end of the day, God isn’t going to ask, “Why weren’t you more like Billy Graham or Mother Teresa?”  He won’t even ask, “Why weren’t you more like David?”  God is going to ask, “Why weren’t you more like you?”

–Today I want us to see how we can have confidence in who God created us to be...in our uniqueness.

1. In discovering God’s soul print you may find that your greatest weakness may become your greatest strength. 

–Around the turn of the twentieth century, a pioneering psychologist by the name of Alfred Adler proposed the counterintuitive theory of compensation.

Adler - Perceived disadvantages often prove to be disguised advantages because they force us to develop attitudes and abilities that would have otherwise gone undiscovered. And it’s only as we compensate for those disadvantages that our greatest gifts are revealed. 

–He discovered 70 percent of the art students he studied had eye problems, he found that some of the greatest composers, Mozart and Beethoven had degenerative traces in their ears, hearing problems, probably loud music.

–Adler concluded that people with perceived disadvantages such as birth defects, physical ailments, and poverty can be springboards to success. 

--That success is not achieved in spite of those perceived disadvantages. It’s achieved because of them. You are not a victim. Listen to what Paul says:

2 Corinthians 12:7 10 (NKJV) 

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 

8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 

9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

–Can you even perceive how powerful this is? What a confidence we can have in Christ.

–We may think that what we are strong in is where our greatest advantage lies but our greatest advantage may be hidden in our greatest disadvantages. 

–One of the keys of finding what your soul print is identifying what our weaknesses are and letting God redeem them...Example of my speech impediment growing up.

–Batterson shared how he could not preach like many of his friends either from memory or from short notes but had to write out his sermons in manuscripts. Was embarrassed. 

 –What God uncovered by him doing this was God revealed his hidden gift of writing.

–When was the last time that you thanked God for the challenges and disadvantages in your life?  Without them you may never uncover God’s hidden gifts that give you holy confidence.

–David would have never discovered his greatest strengths without being confronted with his obvious weaknesses...He was not a warrior but a shepherd.

2. In discovering our soul print we find out God will use past experiences and present circumstances to unfold our destiny.

–All of us have heard that when you are staring death in the face that you begin to have your life flash before your eyes...can you imagine what David was seeing as he looked at Goliath?

–He is probably googling or binging trying to find anything that would help in this situation. He has a flashback of a lion coming after his father’s sheep on the hills…a bear coming after the sheep...holy confidence comes.

1 Samuel 17:34 37 (NIV) 34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 

35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 

36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 

37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you." 

–In that moment fear begins to evaporate...and his confidence rises up...it is more than realization...it is revelation...it is more than self-confidence...it is holy confidence.

–The un-circumcised Philistine who is staring him down is no different than the lion or the bear David faced and fought as he tended the sheep.

–David is able to connect the dots between his past experiences and his present circumstance and it empowers his soul with a sense of destiny.

Batterson - Every past experience is preparation for some future opportunity. God doesn’t just redeem our souls. He also redeems our experiences. And not just the good ones. He redeems the bad ones–especially the bad ones.

 

–He goes on to say that the way he does that is by developing our character and teaching us lessons that could not be learned any other way than going thru the fire...not classroom teaching...this is on the job training.

–Let’s face it...we have all failed at some point. If you learn the lesson God is trying to teach you, no matter how things turn out, you have not failed. In fact, you cannot fail.

–Every wild beast that attacked David’s flock was a quiz for the big test that was coming. David could have sacrificed his sheep over his own safety. Preparation. Why is that so important...God was getting him ready to shepherd His flock...Israel.

3. In discovering your soul print God will use your greatest challenge to uncover His divine preparation.

–On paper, it was obvious that David was at a great disadvantage in facing Goliath on the battlefield. He probably was not good with a sword or spear...He was a shepherd.

–That perceived disadvantage gave him the advantage he needed to defeat Goliath. We all must learn that we cannot fight our enemy on his terms. The rules of engagement have to be changed to beat this giant or devil.

2 Corinthians 10:3 6 (NKJV) 

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 

5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 

6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 

–David may have been weak as a soldier but he was a great shepherd. He may not have been good with a sword but he was deadly with a sling...his holy preparation is leading to holy confidence.

--He was perfectly prepared and positioned to win this battle. The battle with Goliath was not won in the valley of Elah it was won on the hillsides outside of Jerusalem.

–There must have been times when David thought he was the one who was put out to pasture...could not go to war...could not be with the other brothers...He was exactly where God wanted him to be...getting prepared to shepherd His people.

–You may fill that way about your life but God is preparing you for your date with destiny. That is why it is imperative for you to be faithful where He has placed you!

--Pastor Rick, how do you know He has anything planned for my life?

Psalm 139:16 (NLT) 

16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 

–God wants you to have a holy confidence that He has you in His hand.

 

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV) 

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 

13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.