Move When Approved
Prayer 365 // Finding the Flow (Day 4)
More From This Week:
Today's Scripture:
“So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” 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 powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.” - 1 Samuel 16:11-13 NIV
Today's Scripture:
I will preface this by saying that what you will read in this devotional is clearly different from what you will hear in the recorded call above. Immediately after the call was over, God began to open this subject up to me in a deeper way which you will find below:
As we’ve looked at Samuel throughout this week, we’ve observed his value for both God’s presence and His word. We’ve also seen his refusal to sit until he finished the task he was commissioned to do (which was to anoint the next king). Yet I believe the most efficacious thing Samuel did was that he didn’t move until God approved. He didn’t move an inch until God gave His approval of that which stood before him. This moment was historical, it was pivotal. It would be through the lineage of David that we would see Jesus Christ. This moment made it possible for us to celebrate this Advent season, the first coming of the Christ and the awaiting of His next.
However great this moment was, it did not come without it challenges – both internal and external. Internally, Samuel had to overcome the power of his past, grief and anxiousness. When it came to his past, he couldn’t allow the failure of one king to affect the anointing of the next. In regards to grief, this was the state he was in when God gave him the instruction to go to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons. Samuel had to let go of grief and take hold of his assignment. If grief was still gripping him, it would’ve overtaken him and affected his decision making ability. And lastly, when it comes to anxiousness, it’s likely that Samuel was eager to see success which drew his attention to Jesse’s eldest son, Eliab, only to find that God had not chosen him.
I believe, like Samuel, you too must overcome the power of your past, grief and anxiousness through God’s grace – freeing you to find the flow of God. Don’t allow your past to dictate your future. Our history should inform us but it must not control us. If not careful, our past failures or successes can hold us hostage from walking into our next.
When it comes to grief, while it can come from many places, two are very momentous: failure and loss. Both have the power to bring a halt to our While we cannot control what brought grief into our lives, we can control who’s hands we put it in. Instead of carrying the debilitating weight of grief, I encourage you to place it in the hands of Jesus who cares for you dearly (see 1 Peter 5:7). Not only will He relieve you of the weight of your grief, He will heal the brokenness of your heart (see Isaiah 61:1-3). God has the ability to do this healing on His own but I’ve learned that he also uses our relationships, those around us, to contribute to the healing process. Be healed so you can flow.
Lastly it’s easy to become anxious for success after you’ve experiencing great failure. One can be anxious in the sense of being overly eager or painfully fearful. Anxiousness has the power to pull you towards a false positive or to push you from the promise. A false positive, meaning something that appears to be the promise only to later find out it’s not. If you are governed by your eagerness, you can be fooled by a false positive. On the other hand, you can have be anxious in the sense of being awfully afraid or uneasy, causing you to walk away from what God has prepared for you. I encourage you to be anxious for nothing (whether it be overly eager or painfully fearful) but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6). Don’t rush to decisions out of eagerness or stall out of fear, instead, with a thankful heart, take it to the Lord in prayer. Trust His lead, know Him through his presence and word and He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). By overcoming each of these internal challenges, it positions us with power to overcome the external ones.
Samuel had three significant external challenges he faced when He arrived to anoint the next king: Present Authority (King Saul), Physical Attraction and Cultural Traditions. In regards to present authority, God has given Samuel the mission/instruction to anoint the next king while the current king is still living. Samuel’s concern was that if Saul heard of this, he would lose his life (1 Sam 16:2). Saul, although rejected by God, was still alive and still the king. As king, he possessed great authority and influence among the people. I want you to see that Samuel’s challenge was not simply Saul, but Saul’s influence. In anointing another king under the rule of another can be considered treason. Understand this: in pursuing the flow of God, you will learn that God’s flow is always contrary to the ways of the world (see Isaiah 55:8-9). However, God is not reckless in the sense of allowing Samuel to needlessly lose his life, however God gave him a strategy to complete his assignment without starting a war or resulting in execution. In your pursuit of the flow of God, I encourage you to also seek for strategy. This God-given strategy will help you navigate through the influence of this world while planting seeds that will grow the influence of Heaven. In this way you will be wise as a snake but harmless as a dove (Matt 10:16). Trust that if He has given you a mission, He will give you provision to fulfill that which He assigned you to do.
Next, let’s look at the challenge of physical attraction. Samuel looked at the eldest of Jesse’s sons, Eliab’s physical appearance and immediately said, “Surely, the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord” (1 Sam 16:6). We are humans, spirits housed in fleshly bodies, we can see what's physically obvious before anything else. And when we see something that looks exceptional, we compliment it. Such as beautiful hair, an electrifying smile, smooth skin and a nice build, all of these things are pleasing to our eyes and grabs our attention. This is both normal and expected. However, because this is expected, it can be anticipated. Don’t allow yourself to be moved by what looks good at a glance, instead move by what God has approved according to His purpose. It’s easy to see what looks good to the eye but it takes discipline to see what looks good in the spirit.
Finally, in our text, we find Samuel up against what I believe is the greatest of the three external challenges and that’s cultural traditions. When Jesse began to present his sons before Samuel, he began with the eldest, Eliab. It’s customary in Jewish tradition that the eldest son that would receive from the father, the blessing of the first born. The eldest also receives the greatest portion of the inheritance (Deuteronomy 21:15-17). There’s even evidence that the first-born daughter would customarily be married off before her younger sisters. Thus it would be normal to expect that the eldest son would be chosen. Yet in this moment when Eliab stood before Samuel, God declared this was not the one. I can imagine the confusion that erupted in the hearts of those who watched this unfold before them. This moment disrupted a tradition that had been in place for hundreds of years! However, God continued to express his disapproval seven times until they reached the eighth son, David. When David walked in the room, Samuel was allowed to release the flow of the oil he was carrying.
Until now, I’ve been dancing around this truth but I want you to see that according to the Bible, seven is the number that represents completion. Seven times Samuel heard “no” but I believe that with each no, something was happening that the others couldn’t see. While they were confused on the outside, God was building Samuel's faith on the inside. With every “no”, it built his confidence. With every, “no” it built his expectation. The longer he waited, the more that He trusted, knowing that God had not failed him yet. By the seventh “no”, his faith was now complete and God could carry him to his next. Now here comes the eighth son, the youngest of them all, David. This young man had been out tending His father’s sheep. It’s very likely he was dirty, very likely he smelled, yet when he stood in their midst God said to Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” This was the moment everyone had been waiting for, this was the moment that God said "Yes.”
David was the eighth son, the youngest son. In the Bible, the number eight often represents new beginnings. This moment was momentous and even tectonic because it changed everything. In this act, God shows us that He is not obligated to honor our cultural traditions, He is only obligated to honor His word. God discarded what was comfortable and acceptable according to man and introduced something new, something disruptive, something innovative, something that would shock the world. God did a new thing. In Isaiah 43:18-19, God says “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Friend, as you’re pursuing a the flow of God, don’t be surprised if where He leads you is some place new. God is not limited by our cultural traditions, but we can limit His effectiveness in our lives if we refuse to abandon what’s conventional. Our loyalty must not lie in we’re used to but in what God has approved. Because the anointing is not governed by our traditions by God's intentions – His purpose.
Before I conclude, I find it important to highlight that Samuel experienced seven “No’s” before he found the “Yes". Friend, I encourage you to not get discouraged in your pursuit when faced with a “No.” Instead, learn how to trust God in a “no.” You can trust that with every “no” you are one step closer to your “yes.” And God’s “yes” is the place where you will find the flow – the flow of His unmerited favor, grace. Don’t allow internal or external challenges to stop you from finding the flow of God. Through Him, you have the power to overcome your past, grief and anxiousness within your heart plus the influence, attractiveness and traditions of this world. Don’t allow anything to move you except God’s approval! Move when approved and experience the flow!
Prayer Focus: That you would overcome the internal and external challenges of life and only move when approved by God.
I'm praying for you and with you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
As we’ve looked at Samuel throughout this week, we’ve observed his value for both God’s presence and His word. We’ve also seen his refusal to sit until he finished the task he was commissioned to do (which was to anoint the next king). Yet I believe the most efficacious thing Samuel did was that he didn’t move until God approved. He didn’t move an inch until God gave His approval of that which stood before him. This moment was historical, it was pivotal. It would be through the lineage of David that we would see Jesus Christ. This moment made it possible for us to celebrate this Advent season, the first coming of the Christ and the awaiting of His next.
However great this moment was, it did not come without it challenges – both internal and external. Internally, Samuel had to overcome the power of his past, grief and anxiousness. When it came to his past, he couldn’t allow the failure of one king to affect the anointing of the next. In regards to grief, this was the state he was in when God gave him the instruction to go to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons. Samuel had to let go of grief and take hold of his assignment. If grief was still gripping him, it would’ve overtaken him and affected his decision making ability. And lastly, when it comes to anxiousness, it’s likely that Samuel was eager to see success which drew his attention to Jesse’s eldest son, Eliab, only to find that God had not chosen him.
I believe, like Samuel, you too must overcome the power of your past, grief and anxiousness through God’s grace – freeing you to find the flow of God. Don’t allow your past to dictate your future. Our history should inform us but it must not control us. If not careful, our past failures or successes can hold us hostage from walking into our next.
When it comes to grief, while it can come from many places, two are very momentous: failure and loss. Both have the power to bring a halt to our While we cannot control what brought grief into our lives, we can control who’s hands we put it in. Instead of carrying the debilitating weight of grief, I encourage you to place it in the hands of Jesus who cares for you dearly (see 1 Peter 5:7). Not only will He relieve you of the weight of your grief, He will heal the brokenness of your heart (see Isaiah 61:1-3). God has the ability to do this healing on His own but I’ve learned that he also uses our relationships, those around us, to contribute to the healing process. Be healed so you can flow.
Lastly it’s easy to become anxious for success after you’ve experiencing great failure. One can be anxious in the sense of being overly eager or painfully fearful. Anxiousness has the power to pull you towards a false positive or to push you from the promise. A false positive, meaning something that appears to be the promise only to later find out it’s not. If you are governed by your eagerness, you can be fooled by a false positive. On the other hand, you can have be anxious in the sense of being awfully afraid or uneasy, causing you to walk away from what God has prepared for you. I encourage you to be anxious for nothing (whether it be overly eager or painfully fearful) but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6). Don’t rush to decisions out of eagerness or stall out of fear, instead, with a thankful heart, take it to the Lord in prayer. Trust His lead, know Him through his presence and word and He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). By overcoming each of these internal challenges, it positions us with power to overcome the external ones.
Samuel had three significant external challenges he faced when He arrived to anoint the next king: Present Authority (King Saul), Physical Attraction and Cultural Traditions. In regards to present authority, God has given Samuel the mission/instruction to anoint the next king while the current king is still living. Samuel’s concern was that if Saul heard of this, he would lose his life (1 Sam 16:2). Saul, although rejected by God, was still alive and still the king. As king, he possessed great authority and influence among the people. I want you to see that Samuel’s challenge was not simply Saul, but Saul’s influence. In anointing another king under the rule of another can be considered treason. Understand this: in pursuing the flow of God, you will learn that God’s flow is always contrary to the ways of the world (see Isaiah 55:8-9). However, God is not reckless in the sense of allowing Samuel to needlessly lose his life, however God gave him a strategy to complete his assignment without starting a war or resulting in execution. In your pursuit of the flow of God, I encourage you to also seek for strategy. This God-given strategy will help you navigate through the influence of this world while planting seeds that will grow the influence of Heaven. In this way you will be wise as a snake but harmless as a dove (Matt 10:16). Trust that if He has given you a mission, He will give you provision to fulfill that which He assigned you to do.
Next, let’s look at the challenge of physical attraction. Samuel looked at the eldest of Jesse’s sons, Eliab’s physical appearance and immediately said, “Surely, the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord” (1 Sam 16:6). We are humans, spirits housed in fleshly bodies, we can see what's physically obvious before anything else. And when we see something that looks exceptional, we compliment it. Such as beautiful hair, an electrifying smile, smooth skin and a nice build, all of these things are pleasing to our eyes and grabs our attention. This is both normal and expected. However, because this is expected, it can be anticipated. Don’t allow yourself to be moved by what looks good at a glance, instead move by what God has approved according to His purpose. It’s easy to see what looks good to the eye but it takes discipline to see what looks good in the spirit.
Finally, in our text, we find Samuel up against what I believe is the greatest of the three external challenges and that’s cultural traditions. When Jesse began to present his sons before Samuel, he began with the eldest, Eliab. It’s customary in Jewish tradition that the eldest son that would receive from the father, the blessing of the first born. The eldest also receives the greatest portion of the inheritance (Deuteronomy 21:15-17). There’s even evidence that the first-born daughter would customarily be married off before her younger sisters. Thus it would be normal to expect that the eldest son would be chosen. Yet in this moment when Eliab stood before Samuel, God declared this was not the one. I can imagine the confusion that erupted in the hearts of those who watched this unfold before them. This moment disrupted a tradition that had been in place for hundreds of years! However, God continued to express his disapproval seven times until they reached the eighth son, David. When David walked in the room, Samuel was allowed to release the flow of the oil he was carrying.
Until now, I’ve been dancing around this truth but I want you to see that according to the Bible, seven is the number that represents completion. Seven times Samuel heard “no” but I believe that with each no, something was happening that the others couldn’t see. While they were confused on the outside, God was building Samuel's faith on the inside. With every “no”, it built his confidence. With every, “no” it built his expectation. The longer he waited, the more that He trusted, knowing that God had not failed him yet. By the seventh “no”, his faith was now complete and God could carry him to his next. Now here comes the eighth son, the youngest of them all, David. This young man had been out tending His father’s sheep. It’s very likely he was dirty, very likely he smelled, yet when he stood in their midst God said to Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” This was the moment everyone had been waiting for, this was the moment that God said "Yes.”
David was the eighth son, the youngest son. In the Bible, the number eight often represents new beginnings. This moment was momentous and even tectonic because it changed everything. In this act, God shows us that He is not obligated to honor our cultural traditions, He is only obligated to honor His word. God discarded what was comfortable and acceptable according to man and introduced something new, something disruptive, something innovative, something that would shock the world. God did a new thing. In Isaiah 43:18-19, God says “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Friend, as you’re pursuing a the flow of God, don’t be surprised if where He leads you is some place new. God is not limited by our cultural traditions, but we can limit His effectiveness in our lives if we refuse to abandon what’s conventional. Our loyalty must not lie in we’re used to but in what God has approved. Because the anointing is not governed by our traditions by God's intentions – His purpose.
Before I conclude, I find it important to highlight that Samuel experienced seven “No’s” before he found the “Yes". Friend, I encourage you to not get discouraged in your pursuit when faced with a “No.” Instead, learn how to trust God in a “no.” You can trust that with every “no” you are one step closer to your “yes.” And God’s “yes” is the place where you will find the flow – the flow of His unmerited favor, grace. Don’t allow internal or external challenges to stop you from finding the flow of God. Through Him, you have the power to overcome your past, grief and anxiousness within your heart plus the influence, attractiveness and traditions of this world. Don’t allow anything to move you except God’s approval! Move when approved and experience the flow!
Prayer Focus: That you would overcome the internal and external challenges of life and only move when approved by God.
I'm praying for you and with you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
Did you know that Thryve Church prays together 365 days a year? Join us Monday-Friday at 6:30am & Saturdays at 8am for "Prayer at the Altar" by dialing 339- 207-7471 and then join us Sundays at 11am for Worship Service! Learn More