Sister Tracey Carter | The Key of David

Victory Outreach Leadership Summit

PART ONE

1. The Man

Our introduction to David is in 1 Samuel 16. Gods send Samuel to go and anoint the next King of Israel. What is significant about our initial introduction to David?

  • Jesse disqualifies David because he doesn’t see the natural gifting upon David to be King – the outer appearance, the physical capacity.
  • Vs 7 is the KEY – God looks at the heart. The other brothers were all lining up waiting for the platform to be honoured whereas David was in the pasture so he could serve.

KEY 1 : ARE YOU LOOKING FOR PLATFORM OR THE PASTURE

  • God knew the muscles could come later but the character was of primary importance.
  • Yes it is always beneficial to have gifted people but Saul was a gifted King with weak character which was the downfall of Israel.
  • The KEY here is in Psalm 78:72 : “So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them with his skillful hands.”

KEY 2 : SKILLFUL HANDS AND INTEGRITY OF HEART

  • What would our response be if we were anointed as king today? Or if we were chosen to higher level of leadership? Surely that would mean we don’t have to pack chairs any more, or help set up for the outreach, or assist the band to pack up?
  • What is David’s response? KEY : 1 Sam 16:19 “Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”
  • David goes back to the sheep – he goes back to place of service. He isn’t too good for the sheep because he understood that’s where his anointing came from.

KEY 3 : NEVER RAN FOR STATUS BUT RAN TO THE SHEEP

Every time he is called for some thing significant he is called from the sheep. To be anointed , to play for Saul, to go Goliath – he is called from the sheep. Don’t become too big to serve in the pasture.

2. The Music

Our introduction to David as a musician is in 1 Sam 16:17 “So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.” What does this tell us about David?

  • Saul doesn’t just say find me someone who can play but find me someone who plays well.
  • David was serious about his craft and spent time perfecting his skill
  • We see this standard doesn’t change when he becomes king and has to appoint people to run various departments in the music ministry 1 Chronicles 15:22 it says : “Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it”.

KEY 1 : COMMITTED TO HIS CRAFT

Carl Prude Jr

Business Culture leader & Author

The gap-filler between our raw aptitudes and our greatest yields is a tricky little word called “skill”. Skill is the result of the time and effort we invest in ourselves to develop and improve our raw talent. Skill is a legitimate synonym for a four-letter word that’s become a profanity for lot of people: work. We’ve become a shortcut-loving culture. Getting something with little to no effort appeals to us. But shortcuts, in the long run, can rob us of the indispensable contributions hard work makes in building our character and impacting our quality of life.

  • We can be born with talent but we develop our skill. The skill equation is very simple :

WORK + TIME = SKILL

  • In 1 Samuel 16:23 we see that when David played, something happened. 23 Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him. He was not only a skillful musician, but he knew how to access the presence of God.
  • In Psalm 84 we see David’s deep love for the presence of God where he writes :

1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.……………………………………………………….. 10 Better is one day in your courts

than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”

KEY 2: PRACTICE THE PRESENCE

  • I have to understand that I can only take someone somewhere I have been.

3. The Ministry

  • You may ask the question what was David’s ministry? We often become so tunnel visioned in our understanding of ministry and only see it within the confines of service in the local church but we have to understand we each have a purpose that God has placed within us and fulfilling that purpose is our ministry which may be both inside and outside of the church.
  • David’s ultimate purpose was to be king and to unite the tribes of Israel, as well as getting the plans for the temple. What we don’t often realize is that it took over 15 years to be appointed king of Judea after her was anointed by Samuel and then another 7 years before he became king over Israel. That means it was over 20 years before the vision that was set for him came to pass. So what did David do is those 20 years – just sit under a tree and wait to become king?

KEY 1 : STAYED FAITHFUL IN THE SEASON OF PREPARATION

  • David refused to seize the throne, either by force or manipulation. He was sorely tested on one occasion when he was hiding in a cave from Saul’s men and Saul came in to relieve himself. David had the perfect chance to kill Saul. His men urged him to do so, saying that it was obviously a God-given opportunity. But David refused. He stayed faithful to King Saul and chose, instead, to wait until God made him King, rather than grab power for himself.

1 Samuel 24 : 10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the LORD delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, `I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the LORD’s anointed.’

KEY 2 : HE KNEW WHEN TO STEP BACK AND WHEN TO STEP UP

  • This is one of the skills we have to learn as we grow in leadership. There is a problem with being over eager and always being the one to take charge and give the ideas but it is equally unhealthy to be the one that always puts his hand up last and shrinks back. Neither of these characteristics makes an effective leader but rather understand the beautiful dance of when to initiate and when to delegate.
  • We see David stepping up in 1 Sam 17 when he is simply tasked by his father to deliver food to his brothers and sees Goliath. He knows in that moment that he has the skill, anointing, experience and faith to step into the space and break the deadlock being experienced by the nation.
  • There are often seasons of stagnation within the church because people are not willing to step up. It was in that moment that Israel saw the anointing upon David and he won the hearts of the people. How can we expect to move forward if we are not willing to step up and sometimes take on huge challenges but there is nothing quite as fulfilling as a huge victory!

I trust this teaching has given you Keys to help unlock your capacity and
purpose as a minister of the kingdom. David was by no means perfect
but he lived his life in service and honour to
God and my prayer is that we would do the same.

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