Starting Well is One Thing - Finishing Well is Everything!
Theme: Jealously, Fear, Credibility,
Scripture: 1 Sam 18:29 - Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.
Observation: Saul began to hate David the minute one thing took place; When suddenly David's popularity and affection from the girls over took his own popularity things began to change. The girls sang 'Saul has killed his thousands but David has killed his ten's of thousands' and those words lodged in Saul's heart and mind and from that moment on he began to keep a close eye on David, this was the beginning of his end.
Saul goes from loving and celebrating David's success to fearing and despising it.
Jealously and anger consumed his heart and this left an openning for an evil spirit from the Lord to take over. He tries to kill David with a spear twice. Saul now feared that David's popularity would overthrow him so he tried to place him in very dangerous military positions to have him killed by the enemy. But no matter what Saul sent David, God was with him bringing him great success, and the more success he achieved the more Saul hated him, out of insecurity, in fact they were enemies all the remaining days of his life! What a way to live and what a way to die!
Application: We have to be so careful to not let insecurity and the blessing of others to penetrate our hearts. If God is doing something spectacular with someone in your team and they start to grow bigger and better than you for the Kingdom, celebrate it understanding that only God brings the increase in anyone's life. Any victory we have is a result of God's hand on our lives and when God begins to raise up the next generation of leaders under us don't get jealous and keep a steady eye on them, don't try and sabotage them with verbal spears, don't try and put them into situations where they will fail just to make yourself look good. Just celebrate that God is doing something special! Be a part of it, instead of being on the outside looking in! Jealousy really is a curse and words can penetrate the heart setting us on a path of destruction!
Prayer: Father help me to be totally secure in you so I can celebrate the success of the next generation coming up under me. Starting well is one thing, the real test is to finish well also!
Created about 1 year ago
