God is looking for people with:
• Courage
• Conviction
• Character
You may be sitting in your seat thinking: I don’t have courage...
Today, I want to encourage you – God wants to use you!
I Samuel 16
(Paraphrase vs. 1-11)
12 ...then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one."
13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power.
• We know that God chose David, but why?
GOD IS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WITH CHARACTER
What is character?
• When I was a kid
• Being a person of character means doing what is right, rather than what is easy. (integrity)
D.L. Moody
Character is what you are in the dark.
How does God define “character”
Acts 13:22
22After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ’I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
John Wooden
Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
• I think that’s true. If you read only certain portions of David’s story, you would think he was a womanizing, hot-headed, war monger!
But David’s character is evident in his writings:
• Psalm 17
Are you a person of character?
• If a camera...
• Would God consider you a “man after my own heart?”
Luke 6:43-45 (MSG)
"You don’t get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It’s who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.
• God is looking for people with character, but next
GOD IS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WITH COURAGE
• When God choose David as future king, he didn’t just see a boy of character, but also a person of courage.
• Adrian Rogers tells about the man who bragged that he had cut off the tail of a man-eating lion with his pocket knife. Asked why he hadn’t cut off the lion’s head, the man replied: "Someone had already done that."
I Samuel 17:34-37
34 ...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."
• God needs people who are courageous! – those who are willing to share their faith, who are willing to go the extra mile, who are willing to stand up for Him!
• You will most likely never be confronted with a bear or a lion, but if you make yourself available to be used by God you will confront the enemy!
• I like to fancy myself as someone who is courageous. Have you ever had one of those times where you catch yourself daydreaming that you are in a store...
Take time to imagine how you could be courageous for God.
• Defend his name when used in vain
• Stand up for something you believe in
• Defend your faith against attack
• Are you a person of courage?
• God is looking for people of character and of courage.
GOD IS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WITH CONVICITON
DEF: an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
In the events of the bridge collaple here in Minneapolis this past week, you have probably heard of countless examples of people acting with conviction.
• Ed Nelson M.P.D. - when you encounter a situation like that, you just do it.
• Shannon Hanson E.M.T. - "It’s just part of the job,"
• Jay Reeves, Red Cross - "What I did," he said, "that’s what I do. I’m a public servant."
• Jeremy Hernandez, helped on the bus - "They are like my brothers and little sisters. They are part of me,"
• Lori Peterson - "Then, I really got this deep-seated feeling that I needed to ask people if they wanted to pray," she said. She hesitated, but then she shouted out, "Does anyone want to pray for the people on the bridge?"
The crowd "looked at me like I was nuts," she said. She shouted out her request two more times. A young woman raised her hand and said, "Yeah, I want to pray with you."
Each of these people had a strong sense of conviction. They knew had to be done and they did it.
I Samuel 17:48-49
48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
• This is the same word used for when David’s father told him to run to the battlefield to meet his brothers.
In this same passage, we also see the complete opposite of conviction.
I Samuel 17:51
When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.
• The word “run” there means to flee, to escape, or to take flight.
Unfortunately, that is the reaction of many believers to situations where God is calling them to action.
• Instead of standing firm and springing into action, some run away and take shelter and watch others do the work from a distance.
• But God is looking for people of conviction. He is looking for people of Character, and He is looking for people of Courage.
