Character Development

This post is not for everyone. It’s important for you to take this back to the Lord and confirm with Him that this is for you. Not every word is meant to be applied to your life in the immediate moment. If you are receiving this in season it should not be the first time you are hearing about it. If the Lord has not been speaking to you about this already, take the wisdom and knowledge as a form of learning the ways of the Lord that you might choose to walk in them. If this is for you it should serve as confirmation and give you understanding. Glory be to God!

**- 1 Chronicles 13,14 & 15 gives us an overview of a process that David went through when being inspired to action by God. In Chapter 13 we see David consult his community with intentions to carrry out the will of God by moving the Ark of the covenant. He led with the right intentions but failed in his first attempt. Our intentions do not overpower the order of Gods processes. We can learn a lot from that failure. In Chapter 14 we see David receive confirmation from the Lord of his position. The confirmation of the Lord came after the first failed attempt. Once confirmed by the Lord, David had provision. He had a better understanding of who God was and how He operated making his next attempt successful because this time, you will see in chapter 15– David carried out the action by the leading of the Holy Spirit with complete understanding of the instructions of the Lord. This time it was successful because David was fully surrendered to the purpose and plan of God. Davids character development in his failure was necessary for his success in carrying out actions according to the will of God— I encourage everyone to read the chapters themselves but am grateful to share with you the things the Holy Spirit has revealed to me in my personal study as well. Glory be to God and thank you for being here. -**

They call David “a man after Gods heart” and to me, there’s a level of humility in recognizing that in order to be after something you’re admitting that you don’t have it to begin with. If you had it, you wouldn’t have to chase it. His desire was to know God and through all of his experiences in warfare and trial and error his own character began to develop into one that KNEW the true character of God— including His desired order of things. He knew the processes because he was able to learn from his failures. No matter how close David got to the Lord, he continued to accept correction and direction as he moved forward in his journey to carry out the will of God. Today we are going to focus on the importance of confirmation, provision and preparation from the Lord. Learning from Davids mistakes in his first attempts to move the Ark according to the will of God, let’s explore what the process looks like when we are being called to action?

When we come to Christ and begin to receive the anointing it’s like a give-in to desire to serve the Lord. There is an eagerness to “do” that comes with recognizing the Lords presence. How can I do more? What can I do for God? David and the Israelites were an example of this freshly anointed energy. David had begun to receive recognition for what was believed to be a call to leadership and the Israelites stood in agreement with his position but the order of things was not lined up properly as they started to move. David had the right intentions when he presented the idea of moving the Ark to the Israelites, he said, “If you approve and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send a message to all the Israelites throughout the land, including the priests and Levites in their towns and pasturelands. Let us invite them to come and join us. It is time to bring back the Ark of our God, for we neglected it during the reign of Saul.” (1 Chronicles 13:2) He was publicly recognizing that the old way of doing things was not aligned with Gods truth and his desire was to restore things back to the way they were meant to be in accordance to the will of God. When the Israelites agreed, David started to make plans and he made an attempt at moving the Ark. This attempt failed and the people experienced first hand the anger of the Lord. This put fear into David and he left the Ark where it was. What went wrong? David and the people were in agreement and that is part of the process but what David didn’t do was wait for confirmation and instruction from the Lord Himself. Yes, it is important to have a community of believers to stand in agreement with your position as you learn and grow in Christ but the agreement of the people is not what is meant to move you. The approval of man can not go before the approval of God. He doesn’t put us in position to carry out our plans— He expects us to carry out His. We are encouraged to stand in agreement with fellow believers but we are meant to move by the leading of the Spirit of the living God. David went before the Lord in action and if we are assigned to any specific task by the Lord, we have to follow the rules and regulations in the order of the One who hired us. 2 Timothy 2:4-6 reminds us that “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.” Do not let the eagerness to act keep you from receiving all of the instruction and guidance necessary to carry out the orders of the one commanding you, Jesus Christ.

After the failed attempt, David moved forward and now through that experience, he carried the fear of God. After some time passed, there were messengers sent to David by a king and with them they brought all of the necessary tools and workers to build a palace. This was the Lords way of revealing to David that yes, this desire and fire in his heart was the will of God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Now we can understand that people standing in agreement with us is not a call to action, instead it is an alignment of faith but what we really need is instruction from the Holy Spirit. Jesus will send you confirmation in a way that you do not have to go look for. This is why when you read a word that I write, I always say something like, “take this back to the Lord in prayer and confirm it through His voice not mine.” That should be the way you receive all things, yes community and fellowship is necessary to further the kingdom of God but Gods purpose and plan surpasses our human understanding. We have to seek His. He will bring those with parallel purposes together to help each other carry out the will of God but we have to be mindful of the order of things. He will plant the seed in you and begin to bring about destiny helpers to edify and stand in agreement with you but before you start to move— it would be wise to seek confirmation, provision and preparation. Respect the processes of the Lord.

At the same time the Lord confirmed Davids position and brought him the ones meant to help him build properly— there were enemies that were made aware and they began to plot to interfere and capture David. The enemy was intimidated. There were previous seasons in Davids life where he ran and hid from enemies out of fear. Through those seasons, David gained provision. He learned how to discern and walk in obedience. Before he ran or acted— he took it straight to the Lord and waited to receive the reply. He acted in accordance to God and then, a second time he did the same. The enemy didn’t let up the first go around but instead of doubting God or living in defeat— he operated in faith. He was not shaken, he went right back to the Lord and received instruction over his enemies. This time the Lord gave him specific instruction on how to strategically deal with them. He learned the character of God and endured through his own character development, he trusted the Lord and was able to carry out his journey walking confidently and in obedience to avoid distraction, backsliding or veering off in the wrong direction out of fear. Our responses are tested to determine our readiness to step into purpose. Running from your calling because you face enemies is a sign of spiritual immaturity. David now had double confirmation in the way God was providing for him and protecting him. When the Lord is sending you on assignment, you will know what to do and you will not need to go outside of yourself for confirmation. God will bring it all to you and instruct you strategically in the way that you should go as well as guide you through your warfare. This goes to show why before jumping in to the anointing, it is wise to allow yourself to be prepared. Ask God for provision. Ask God for instruction. Confirm with Him the steps you should take in the order He desires you to take them in. He may lead you to work with someone for a season that can help you understand and grow but it should be by His leading that you go in that direction.

Moving forward we see David begin to receive aid in all ways. He knew that he was meant to move the Ark and bring about change but this time he made sure to follow the orders of the Lord. David said “Because you Levites did not carry the Ark the first time, the anger of the Lord our God burst out against us. We failed to ask God how to move it properly.” (1 Chronicles 15:13) He admitted his mistake in moving without knowing how to move. He also admitted that he wrongfully placed others in positions God had ordained the Levites to be in. Did it stop him from trying again? No. He allowed himself to learn. He made use of his failures by absorbing the wisdom and getting to know Gods character. He realized that God puts people in positions that are meant to be honored and wants to give us instruction on how to do the thing he confirms we’re meant to do. Receiving the anointing is one thing but carrying it out properly requires training. Are you willing to do it the way God desires? It requires patience to hear His voice. He may have said “YES this is what I want you to do”, but do not be so caught up in pride and ego that you rush the timing and forget to be prepared. You will meet failure. You will receive correction. The enemy will try to discourage you and stick you in a mental prison but through our authority in Christ— the enemy has no power. From David we learn that in order to be a great leader there are characteristic traits built through experience in failure and the aid of the Lord comes when we have the fear of God, admit our mistakes, and seek His guidance overall. So I leave you with this— what is leading you? Is it the fear of failure? Are you going before God because you have the approval of man? Do you lack provision? Who you are meant to be is not a product of who you think you are or what people think of you— there is an anointing on your life and a process that will lead you to becoming exactly who you were created to be. Wait on the Lord, seek His provision, honor the preparation— you were made for this.

• Heavenly Father, glory be to You. Thank You for Your anointing. God I come to You seeking provision for the call You have on my life that I would not go before You. Thank You for giving me a surrendered heart and revealing to me the things I need to know in preparation. Keep me in alignment with Your steps for me for You are the lamp that lights my path. Fill me with Your peace and teach me Your ways. All glory be to You and thank You for sending Your son. We love and praise You in Jesus mighty name. Amen and amen.

Don’t forget to practice good spiritual hygiene! I love you guys— until next time!

Ari.