Things Are Not as They Appear
1Sa 17:34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
I came to tell somebody that everything is not as it appears.
I came to tell somebody who has been overwhelmed by their circumstances {there is more to this than meets the eye}
I want somebody to shift out of the natural into thesupernatural. Out of the visible into the invisible,
Out of the realm of the senses into the realm of faith.
You see by faith the elders obtained a good report {Joshua and Calebs report was a good report because it was a faith report}
The other 10 spies brought back what the Bible calls an evil report.
Why was it an evil report? Because it disagree with the Word of God.
IF you’ve been listening to an evil report,
You’ve been listening to what your circumstances are saying, You’ve been listening to what your feelings are saying and what your enemies are saying, and what your friends are saying. Open Your ears to what the Spirit says.
Isaiah asked the question (Whose report will you believe?)
David was tending his fathers flock one day and a lion, suddenly appeared and stole a lamb from the fold.
The Lion is representing the Devil
Most people would have said: “I’ll never see that lamb again” most people would have just written it off as one of life’s casualties and said the devil got that one.
Most people would have said: I better just stay here and protect what I got left.
And that is what the devil was counting on}
The devil never counted on someone like David}
David wasn’t like most people,
He took it personal
He took it hard,
It angered him that a lion would break into his fold, and invade the safety of his fold and steal from him.
No doubt this devil had invaded many flocks and
tore up marriages, and
killed dreams, and
stole hope and joy and
peace from many homes.
This devil had carried sons and daughters off into drug addiction, homosexuality, perversion.
This was not the first flock, he had invaded, It was not the first lamb he had stolen.
And time after time he left behind him a broken man broken women, broken homes, broken children.
And from all natural appearances this devil had succeeded again.
But David sitting down and crying, and saying why me? Why’d this have to happen to me?
David refused just to write off his losses and settle for leftovers.
Some of you are settling for leftovers
Just happy to have something left over,
Just thankful that the devil didn’t take it all.
Just satisfied to have enough money to make ends meet.
I’m talking to somebody that is sick and tired of Leftovers.
Somebody here wants some of that milk and honey.
Somebody here believes that God wants you blessed.
David had that Shepherds Anointing.
The kind that the Great Shepherd has.( He left the ninety and nine and went out searching until he found the one lost sheep).
David went out after that lion and hunted him down.
And when he found him, the lamb was still in his mouth (ALIVE) he smote him and took the lamb out of his mouth.
(You’re not going to smite the devil without a response)
The lion rose up against him, and David caught him by the beard and killed him.
Everything in the natural would have told David: write off that lamb. It’s history.
His imagination probably was showing him a horrific death of this little lamb.
But that lamb had not been torn to shreds by this lions paws, and teeth, (this lamb was alive and well).
I was reminded of Jacob and how his sons had brought Josephs coat to him, dipped in blood and asked him who coat it was.
Jacob saw the coat and he saw the blood and his mind went crazy, his imagination went wild.
Ge 37:33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.
For 15 years Jacob saw Joseph’s horrible death in his imagination.
But, He was wrong, Joseph was not dead, Joseph was alive.
Jacob looked at the stuff in front of him, and based on that, he wrote the rest of the story.
You can’t judge a book by one chapter.
You can’t see where I am now and write my story.
Acts 3: 2-6
There was a lame man, who was a beggar, he had never walked. He was a burden on society. That was who he was in verses 2-6
8 He is walking and leaping and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
10 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
My life may look rough, things might not look too good,
I may have even slipped a couple of times.
I might have had to cry myself to sleep.
But don’t judge me yet,
Don’t write me off,
I’m going to be amazing.
Jacob looked at the evidence and wrote Joseph off
Jacob was grieving over Joseph’s death,
But Joseph was ruling over Egypt.
I’ve got some news for you. I’m Still Here!
The time you had nothing but Spam to eat, You are still here.
The time you could not pay your electric bill, You are still here.
The time the Doctor said you had cancer, You are still here.
When the Doctor said your heart was failing, You are still here.
When everybody was saying Close that Church, WE are still here.
The Devil wanted to destroy you But God turned it out for good.
Joseph was not dead
That lamb was not dead
It was the devil intention to kill Joseph
It was the lion’s intention to kill that lamb.
God wouldn’t let the enemy close his mouth.
Sometimes God closes the lions mouth and he can’t get it open, and sometimes he holds it open and he can’t close it.
You’ve been looking at the evidence in front of you, and all the evidence is screaming disaster, it’s screaming death, it’s screaming hopeless,
(It’s saying: Just settle for the leftovers).
Somebody here is sick and tired of leftovers,
You’re sick and tired of settling for an ant hill when God has promised you the mountain.
The evidence is misleading,
Yes its Josephs coat, yes it covered in blood.
It was not torn by a wild beast and it was not Joseph’s blood.
The enemy wants to show you enough evidence that you will believe what you see in the world more than what you see in the Word.
David and his men had returned to Ziklag to find their city burned with fire.
David knew the enemy stole and destroys everything.
All the men including David began to weep:
Everything even their wives and children were gone, (They began to speak of stoning David)
David could have sunk into deep depression,
He could have contemplated suicide,
He could have started blaming God.
He could have lost his mind.
But in the darkest hour of David’s life, David knew God was his answer.
I believe he remembered the day a lion tried to kill his lamb.
I believe he remembered that things aren’t always as they appear.
I believe he remembered that the enemy is a master at presenting false evidence.
And David enquired of the Lord. Shall I pursue?
God said: Thou shalt pursue, and thou shalt overtake and thou shalt surely recover all.
He has made provision for our salvation- John 3:16
He has made provision for all our needs to be met - Philippians 4:19
He has made provision for our healing- Psalm 103:3; Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24
He has made provision for us to have strength when we are weak- 2 Corinthians 12:9
He has made provision for us to have wisdom- James 1:5
He has made provision so we can have peace of mind- Philippians 4:7
He has made provision for us to be able to walk in victory- 2 Corinthians 2:14
He has provided a way of access into His presence- Hebrews 4:15,16
He has made a provision for us to be forgiven when we miss the mark- 1 John 1:9
He has made provision for us to have abundant life- John 10:10
He has made provision for our comfort in times of grief- 2 Corinthians 1:3,4
He has provided a way of escape in every temptation- 1 Corinthians 10:13
The good news is (things are not what they look like)
It ain’t over till you quit,
It ain’t gone it’s just out of sight.
Joseph isn’t dead he’s just out of sight
The lamb isn’t dead it’s just out of sight
Somebody today is getting a faith lift;
And somebody is getting ready to take back what the devil stole from you.
That lion wanted to destroy that lamb, but God wouldn’t let him close his mouth.
Here’s some good news for you today
With all the Provisions, we are going to take back the things that were stolen.
We are going to bring in the lost, the family, the hurting if you will use what God Has already Provided for us.
Give the Money that He has given us Provided for us to give.
Witness to those He put in our Path.
