Today, we continue our series entitled “Laser Focus,” emphasizing living with a Laser Focus on the Fixed Purpose God established for us before the world began.
(Proverbs 4:25 TPT)
Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions.
Scriptures for today:
(James 1:2-4 TPT)
2 My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can!
3 For you know that when your faith is tested, it stirs up power within you to endure all things.
4 And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.
(Ecc 3:1 ERV)
There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time
(Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13)
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. God Protected David For His Purpose Even Before He Knew What His Purpose Was.
Yesterday, we learned how God saw fit to call David out of the field, where he was dutifully taking care of his father’s sheep, to anoint him in front of his father and brothers. I thought I would move forward beyond David’s selection, but I am led to take a little more time to discuss what happened to David.
We will learn later that David spent a great deal of time with his father’s sheep. The lessons he learned as a young shepherd helped him better understand God, who became the Great Shepherd of his life. David would go on to pen the 23rd Psalm. With that in mind, the first point I will make this morning is this: God is always at work in your life, even before you acknowledge who He is. God made plans for you before you were born, and He also actively participated in your life before you accepted Him as Lord.
One of the greatest moments I experienced in my early days with God (shortly after I was Born-Again) was a day when the Holy Spirit took me back (in my heart and mind, as if it were a movie) over all the times He shielded and protected me, while I was growing up in Brooklyn and the Dominican Republic. I accepted Jesus as Lord at 23, but I would have never made it to 23 if the Lord had not actively protected me for my purpose. The same can be said of David. While he was just a young boy, out protecting sheep, David had a life-and-death encounter with a lion and another with a bear. In both cases, the Lord protected David and helped him kill both animals with his bare hands. Had the Lord not been with David during those encounters (and I am sure many others), like me, David would not have been alive to receive and fulfill his purpose. What the Lord did for me and what He did for David was completely unmerited. This is the grace of God.
As a young man, I went to church, but I did not know God. The Bible does not indicate that David was exceptionally righteous as a young man either. So, in the case of David, in my case, and I am sure in yours as well, the Lord helped us and protected us for our purpose, even when we had not acknowledged Him as Lord. Do you know what that is called? It’s called GRACE! Completely unmerited, undeserved, unexpected, and borderline unbelievable. Grace is amazing!
How this applies to you:
— Reflect on the many ways God has protected you, even before you knew Him. When you meditate on this, the proper response is to give God praise. Thank Him for shielding you for your purpose.
— Recognize that God’s grace is always at work in your life, guiding and protecting you for His purpose.
— Understand that you have been chosen and set apart by God, even when you didn’t realize it.
— Embrace the grace God has bestowed upon you, knowing it is unmerited and freely given.
— Trust that God has been orchestrating your life for His glory and your good.
— Acknowledging what God has done should help you build up your faith for what He has yet to do. In other words, looking back and saying, “Thank you,” helps you to look forward and say, “Yes, Lord. I am open to all You planned to do in my life!“
2. God’s Grace to be a King Came Upon David From the Moment He was Anointed by Samuel.
A special empowerment came upon David when Samuel anointed him with oil. From that moment, David was graced to be the King of Israel. If you read the context of the story, you see that the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and the anointing to be king was placed upon David. Why is that important? It is essential because you must understand that you are here for a reason, and you must settle in your heart the fact that you have divine grace for your divine assignment.
The Father will never expect you to do something He has not equipped you for. I am sure David did not fully understand the enormity of the assignment, nor could he comprehend the enormity of the grace on his life to fulfill it, but both the assignment and the grace were his. Guess what? The same can be said of you. You have both a God-given assignment and the God-given grace to fulfill it. No matter how big your assignment seems and no matter how unqualified you may feel, you must settle in your heart that you have grace for your assignment. If you fulfill it, it will not be because of your strength, ability, intellect, or education. It will simply be because of the grace of God.
Where God leads, He feeds. Where He guides, He provides. Whatever He tells you to do, He gives you the grace to do. So enter this day with your confidence rooted and grounded in God and His grace.
How this applies to you:
— Open your heart fully to the divine grace God has given to you for your unique assignment.
— Trust that God equips you with everything you need to fulfill your purpose becuase without God’s grace, you would be forced to rely on your humanity, and to be clear, your humanity is not enough to fulfill what God has called you to do. The good news is that God’s grace is always enough!
— Know that your assignment comes with divine empowerment from God.
— Recognize that God’s grace is sufficient for every challenge you face.
— Be confident that you are capable of accomplishing your God-given mission because of His grace. Not because you are good, but because God is, and He has empowered you to do what He called you to do.
3. God Can Bless You Right Where You Are.
David was called out of the fields, where he was faithfully tending his father’s sheep, to be anointed as the next king of Israel. He didn’t have to strive or position himself for the blessing; God found him exactly where he was. David’s story reminds us that God’s favor isn’t limited by our location or status. While others might be striving to get ahead, pushing themselves into the spotlight, David was simply doing his job, fulfilling his responsibilities. He wasn’t seeking attention or recognition, yet God chose him.
David’s anointing happened in a place of humility and service. This teaches us that God often meets us in our ordinary, everyday lives. When we are faithful in the little things, God sees our hearts. God can elevate us, and He will, at the appointed time.
David’s selection was not based on human expectations because he was the 8th son of an ordinary man, shepherding sheep out in the fields all by himself. David did not have the right pedigree to be the next king. He did not have the right connections. David was certainly not groomed by the elite. He had no royal training or even a glimpse of exposure to the monarchy. But God, in His sovereign will, chose David for this special assignment, and He gave David the grace to do it. This should encourage us to trust in God’s process and timing for our own lives.
How this applies to you:
— Faith is not about striving. Faith is about surrender.
— When you understand the sovereignty of God, you know God called you for His unique purpose, and you don’t have to make it happen. What He is looking for from you is openness and faith.
— You must be open to what God reveals as He reveals it, and then live by faith once you know what the will of God is.
— When you get a revelation of God’s grace and your requirement to live by faith, you realize that God can locate and bless you right where you are without you needing to chase opportunities.
— Be faithful and diligent in your current responsibilities, knowing that God sees and values your efforts. He is preparing you for what he prepared for you. Once you are ready to handle more, God will release it.
— Remember that God’s blessings are not based on your location or status but on His grace and purpose for your life.
— Understand that you don’t need to be in a prominent position to receive God’s favor; He can elevate you from obscurity.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for protecting and shielding me even before I knew You, orchestrating my life for Your divine purpose.
I acknowledge that Your grace has been at work all my life, guiding and preparing me for my assignment.
I trust in your equipping, knowing that Your grace is sufficient for every challenge I face.
I am confident that You have equipped me with everything I need to fulfill my God-given mission, not by my strength, but by Your grace.
I embrace the divine favor that locates and blesses me right where I am, knowing that I don’t have to chase opportunities.
I know faith is not about striving. Faith is about surrender. By faith, I say “YES” to Your grace, and the result is a manifestation of Your will in, with, and through my life!
Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
