INTRODUCTION

Astronauts spend many years preparing themselves for their launch to space. Athletes and sportsmen too, spend many hours in training before they qualify for major competitions. The simple truth is this, we need a great amount of preparation before we can step into our God-given assignments. If we work with the Holy Spirit during the season of preparation, we can be ready for our ‘promotion’. God prepares those He promotes. In this sermon, we look at David’s life before he became the king of Israel and learn to respond the same way he did towards God’s preparation journey for him,

• Learn to embrace faithfulness
• Learn to pay attention to our inner life
• Learn to surrender

DISCUSSION

Ice-breaker: Pick one appropriate for your group

1. a. What is a new skill that you hope to learn or acquire in 2021?

   b. What has 2020 revealed to you about you? And what has 2020 revealed to you about God?

2.  Read 1 Sam 16:6-13, Matt 23:27-28, Luke 16:15 and 1 Pet 3:3-4.

   a. Why did Samuel think that Eliab was the one? What was his criteria?

   b. What do you think it means that God judges us by our hearts?

   c. What are some common ways people fall into the trap of looking at someone’s appearance?

   d. Have you been overly concerned with what people think of you on the outside?  Do you attempt to give others a good impression? Do you display a façade? (see Col 3:12-16 about how important the heart is.)

    

3. In 1 Sam 16:13, David is filled with God’s Spirit and stands before his brothers the anointed successor to Saul. Read 1 Sam 16:14-23 and notice that God leads David, not to the throne, but to the servant’s quarters. Why do you think God takes David through this humble process?

    

4. Read 1 Sam 17:17-20. We see in these verses that David was faithful to what his father told him to do and made sure his primary assignment was taken care of (he left his flock in the care of a shepherd). Faithfulness often gets tested in the mundane, the menial and the monotonous.

    

   Is there an assignment He has given to you to do and you are feeling so overwhelmed by it or “so sian” about it that you are about to throw in the towel? Before you throw in the towel, would you go back to the Lord and ask Him how you are to proceed with it. Ask Him if it is time to move on or time to press on (see 1 Sam 15:22).
5. Think about your own journey, how has God prepared you for the assignment(s) you have taken on today? How can you encourage others to embrace the season of preparation?

WHAT WILL YOU DO

David was a little shepherd tending to his sheep and subsequently a servant in King Saul’s court for a long time before he assumed the most important title in the nation of Israel. Even Jesus, the greatest example of a leader in all of history, began his life in the middle of nowhere, sleeping in a straw-filled feeding trough. Yet despite those humble beginnings—or perhaps because of them—biblical leaders were able to do great things through their obedience to God and his call (or purpose) for their life.

There were years of consistent obedience before big things happened, and that’s a trait we’ve lost sight of in this day and age. Many feel like they should be overnight success stories, but they fail to realize that their character needs maturing first in order to handle the success. Godly character is built intentionally over time, and the Bible helps us remember that. 

What is the Holy Spirit requiring of you? Do you need to repent for having a bad attitude towards an assignment from God or harbouring anger towards someone? Or have you been running on your own power, especially in things you have been doing for a while? The Holy Spirit is nudging you to surrender to Him? God’s assignments must be done God’s way.

MEMORY VERSE

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV