Grapevine Ministries
Messages from the bible to uplift and encourage those that need a word from the Lord, to strengthen their faith. Ps Phillip Barker is an itinerant pastor in Perth, Western Australia.
Grapevine Ministries
Faith Through Weakness: David's Journey to Kingship
Pastor Gary Pratt delivers a profound message examining how King David's confession "I am weak today" reveals the paradoxical nature of spiritual strength. This insightful teaching explores one of the most powerful moments in David's journey when, despite being anointed as the future king, he openly acknowledged his weakness—yet remained divinely appointed.
The message cuts to the heart of what many believers struggle with: feelings of inadequacy and insufficiency in fulfilling God's calling. Drawing from 2 Samuel 3:39 and supporting scriptures like Isaiah 40:29 and 2 Corinthians 12:10, Pastor Gary illuminates how God's power operates most effectively through acknowledged human weakness. "We often fail to realise that when we're at our weakest we're still anointed," he notes, challenging the notion that spiritual leadership requires perpetual strength.
The latter portion of the message extends into reflections on David versus Saul's leadership, highlighting how David consistently returned to God after falling, while Saul became increasingly self-focused. This crucial difference speaks volumes about maintaining spiritual resilience through life's inevitable stumbles. We're reminded that regardless of our circumstances—health challenges, family difficulties, or financial struggles—God lights our path and remains our refuge.
Good morning, good afternoon, wherever you are in the world - Welcome to Grapevine Ministries.
Today we get another message from Pastor Gary Pratt from Podchurch, and he's talking about David, who was to become King David, and in this he talks about his weaknesses, his strengths and he relates this to us in modern terms. So as you sit back and listen to Pastor Gary Pratt, just try and take on board what he's saying and see if you can get that understanding of what it really is, that you can falter, you can fall and God is still there with you. So just listen to Pastor Gary about weaknesses and strengths of David and Samuel.
Speaker 2:Even in his weakness he was still anointed. However you may feel today, god can use you, like David, in extraordinary ways during his reign as king over Israel, and we get a glimpse of that when you read through Psalm 69, 13 through to 28. And it reads a little bit like this I haven't done it all, but it's for me. My prayer is unto the Lord in an acceptable time. O God, in the multitude of thy mercy, hear me in the truth of thy salvation David out of his misery. The same he ought to repair God's loving kindness and his tender mercies. He was crying out to God. When you read that psalm, he's literally broken and he's crying out to God and God's saying I've anointed you, I have mercy on you. He's done all those things. There is the most argument with God. He can do no other than redeem the soul that clings to him with such unfaltering faith. He says though they slay me, yet will I trust in him Though they slay us, yet will I trust in him? Though they slay us yet will I trust in him? In Acts 1.22, luke informs Theophilus the name means a lover of God.
Speaker 2:This gospel told a story what the Lord began to do we're talking about Acts and to teach. His further book is in a constitution of the deeds and words that were spoken. It really should have been called the Acts of the Ascended Christ, because it all spoke about what Jesus and what he'd done. He tells us what he did through a mortal body and his book what he did through the church, which is his body, how long it was through the resurrection and ascension. It was 40 days. It took from the resurrection to his ascension. The commandments that would have been given to the apostles regarding the church. His kingdom was going to be established on earth, not with soldiers, but with the gospel being preached, and the gospel of the kingdom. See, when you look at that, they're all. When Jesus comes, they're all looking at well, he's going to lead the army, we're going to take over Rome. But it wasn't about that at all. It was about preaching the gospel message of the kingdom.
Speaker 2:You are anointed by the Holy Spirit. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is in you. We carry the baton to this generation and it continues in you. It doesn't matter how good you were at school or whether you tick all the boxes, but it's your obedience to the master's voice. That's what it's all about here.
Speaker 2:Am I, lord, use me? That should be our cry, from our heart. It is rooted in a half-truth when I say this I am not good enough on my own, and on our own we aren't. But in Christ I am more than a conqueror. I can't do anything in my own strength. I can try, but I can tell you what we fall over pretty easy. But in Christ I can do all things I am and have more than I could ever need or imagined, and this gives me the courage to keep pressing on. The spirit of inadequacy works to imprison us through our shame, fear, anger and sin, but in Christ I am an overcomer. See, it's interesting when the enemy he tries to put all this stuff on us that we're not good enough. You know, we never had enough education. We didn't do this, you didn't do that. The enemy's always trying to pull us down, but God said no, I've lifted you up onto a higher plane in me. I am that overcomer.
Speaker 2:Isaiah 40, 29 says he gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Psalm 119, 114 says you are my refuge and my shield and increases the power of the weak. Psalm 119, 114 says you are my refuge and my shield. I have put my hope in your word. Our hope is in Jesus. We have no other hope but him, amen. Psalm 73, 26 says my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 2 Corinthians 12, 10 says therefore, I will mostly gladly boast all the more about weakness so that Christ's power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and in difficulties for the sake of Christ, and you'll get all this during your life's journey with him. Amen. He says we go through trials, david.
Speaker 2:In Samuel 3.39. It's interesting when you read this scripture. It says David said I am weak today. That's an interesting statement. In 2 Samuel 3.39. It says I am weak today. He was anointed king. We often fail to realise that when we're at our weakest we're still anointed. Hear David saying the only time he said he said I am weak today, the only time he said it. But he was still anointed. Why was he still anointed? Because Samuel anointed him to be king, but he hadn't got the crown yet. Remember, saul hunted him all that time, tried to kill him. Then he ends up.
Speaker 2:The Bible says we are a royal priesthood in 1 Peter 2.9. We are. Ephesians. 2.6 says that we sit in heavenly places. Hallelujah, what a rejoicing that will be. I want to remind you today, and encourage you, that when you begin to understand who you are you're an anointed king this day and who your God is you don't have to fear the enemy. You may be weak, but you're still anointed, for greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
Speaker 2:David said this day I am weak. The devil caught him on a bad day. He wasn't weak when he killed Goliath and he wasn't weak in the cave of El Gedi, in the cave of the Dullin, where he had another 400 mighty men under him. That time they were men of valour. Remember who you are in Christ under him. That time they were men of valour. Remember who you are in Christ, even in my weakness. There I am made strong. I'm still anointed. This day does not define me who I am or who you are. It is about remembering in Christ what he actually has done on the cross for you and me, that we can begin to rise up and begin to speak out of what God has fallen through, that he's challenging us, that he wants us to go further and deeper in the things of him. You'll have a greater relationship in him. We might know and experience the fullness of what God has for us.
Speaker 2:You know, the enemy always comes along and whispers in our ears all the time. It's always a mental thing and the spirit goes on to battle us in our mind and he always attacks the mind when you begin to step out. Oh, you're not good enough. You know what happens if things go wrong. We tend to back off because we hear the voices in our head. You know, don't do that. What will people say? Oh, I'm praying for the guy in the wheelchair to get out, don't do that. That's what happens. Don't be held in awe until you get out of the boat and have a go and allow the Holy Spirit to move through you and be so in tune with him that when he says I want you to move, you move. When he says I want you to stop, you stop. When I want you to pray for this person and you pray for him, believing that God will raise him up.
Speaker 2:As I say, we've seen everything that God can do other than raise the dead, and it's got nothing to do with us, but it's got everything to do with him, because his word says that you pray for the sick and they shall recover. It's not about me, but it's about him, his word and that which has come upon. So we begin to start declaring what he's got for us and stand in, regardless of how I feel, whether I think I'm inadequate, whether I think I'm weak and don't have the ability. God says in his word I will give you the words to speak. Don't worry about it. When you're in conversation with people, I'm going to say it. And then, all of a sudden, the words begin to flow out and begin to speak and person's life God will give you the words to speak in their life. It will change them. You know you can be speaking to someone and God will give you a prophetic word that will actually just illuminate them and begin to open their doors in their life. And they go wow, how did you know that? I didn't know anything, but God knows everything about you. And you begin to speak the word out and things begin to manifest because God did it and it's regardless how it feels. Begin to manifest because God did it and it's regardless how I feel. Regardless, it doesn't matter, I'm still anointed.
Speaker 2:I'm walking through the valley and we'll have valley experiences, but as you go through the valley, no one is with you going through the valley and we're not there to build a house. We're there to walk through and get to the mountain top. I never said to build a house in the valley. I never told him in the first place he'd go the other side. He didn't say we're going to come up the ground. He said we're going across. It wasn't about we'll go all the way and then the boat sinks. It was about no, we're going across. God's word said no, we go across. It's interesting when he rebuked the storm he mentioned it on the land. It was only halfway across. All the ghosts anointing Like killing Time travel.
Speaker 2:We just need to start realising that who we are in Christ and what he's done for us, regardless of how we feel or think or whatever, start relying on what God says and what his word says, and then we begin to stand on that and declare it as it is and allow God to work it out, because he knows the bigger picture. I don't. We see in part. We know in part. We prophesy in part. We don't know the whole picture. We know in part, we prophesy in part. We don't know the whole picture. But God says his word, says I'm more than a conqueror in him, I'm more than an overcomer in him, and I am anointed, whether I feel like it or I'm not, I'm anointed to do what he's called me to do, amen.
Speaker 2:Now, this is a short sermon this morning, but I just pray that God would begin to speak to you in it, that when you go from here, that the Holy Spirit would begin to speak to you and begin to make it plain in you, in your heart, who you are in Christ and what you are and what you've been called to, because he wants to take you, I believe further and deeper in the things of him.
Speaker 2:We've been praying for 25 that it would be a year of breakthrough. It would be a year of breakthrough. It would be a year of manifestation. It will be a year we've got to take you from this side to this side. It's a year of where we can walk through the water and find the things that we've never trusted and believed. That we get an expression in our own hearts, say Lord, I'm trusting in you. And that word trust is a big word, because a lot of us like this. I can do it like Charles did, I can do it my way, and it doesn't work that way. I think we're all being guilty of that. I've done it my way and God's saying no, I want you to do it his way, because his way is far better than my way. He's our light on our feet, he's our guide way.
Speaker 1:Because his way is far better than my way.
Speaker 2:He's our light on our feet. He's our guide. He directs our path. We need to just stay focused on him Because, I tell you, the times are going to get more and more troublesome in the days to come. We need to be focused on him. We need to be a body that is so related in unity that we're lifting one another, we're praying for one another. We are just part of the body. We are the body. That's what Christ said. We are the body, so we need to be looking after one another. We need to be making sure, we need to be ringing up. We just felt something in the spirit. Just want to ring you up and pray for you.
Speaker 2:At the first time that I get on the phone and talk with people, I'll say no, we just have to be in tune with Him and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us. Amen, because God will give you things. You'll be standing in the gap for other people, because things come on you. You think why am I feeling this way, lord? I want you to pray for this person you don't even know, and sometimes God will show you who they are, but other times you'll be standing in the gap for people that you don't know, that they're going through things, and he wants you to stand in the gap for them because they might not be the same but you do. That you can actually begin to be that pillar for them if you stand strong in them. And I believe that's what God is doing this year. It's like God's building a wall. He's just brick upon brick upon brick and God's just going to keep building to what he wants in us. Amen.
Speaker 2:You know, I look around and think, you know we're small enough we could be a home church. It's amazing. We get plenty one week and then, you know, jesus had 12. If we focus on the number, it's not what I want. He wants to focus on him. Amen. I'd love to have you, paul, it'd be great. I've been here so Well, that's true. Yeah, you don't think else. It's brilliant, it's better than anything. Yeah, it's just interesting. You know, on this journey and it's for you guys that I'm actually going, for you guys that we're going I just had a phone call this morning. We've got a guy from Kenya who wants us to do meetings while we're there and I'm thinking, lord, it's finally getting bigger than being hurt.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm thinking every day, it's just, it's expanding, it'll work out there is a plan and a purpose for what we are doing in the kingdom of God and, irrespective of the obstacles that we face, the trials and tribulations that we go through, irrespective of all of those, we need to remember, but God and I'm reminded of that because there was a pastor at Victory Life Center by the name of Rob Scott and he got this beautiful song out but God. So, irrespective of what is going on in your life, you need to remember. You put God first and foremost in everything you say and everything you do and watch him light your path. I was reminded of this because I'm away at the moment and so this is just little bits and pieces, but I'm not actually doing the main body of the service. But have you ever been on a plane and the air stewardesses are explaining to you what actually happens when things go wrong? And one of the things that they speak about is that knowing where your exits are, knowing where you can escape and it says that the pathway will be lit with lights. I sometimes feel that that's what happens with God. We are finding ourselves in a difficult time or a difficult place, and God is lighting the way, he is showing us the direction, and that direction always is towards him. See, in the natural you have this thing which is called fight or flight. Okay, do you stand and fight the trials and tribulations that are coming from you, or do you turn and run? And he says if you run away today, you live to fight another day. But the thing is if you look at it from a spiritual perspective. But the thing is, if you look at it from a spiritual perspective, when we are facing challenges, hardships, sickness, disease, financial insecurity, even you know we could be finding ourselves where we have loved ones that have walked away from God or are not yet there and we don't know what to do. We turn and run, but not run away from the situation. We run into the loving, caring arms of God.
Speaker 1:Pastor Gary was talking about David. He's a classic example. He was anointed by Samuel at a very, very young age to be the next king of Israel because Saul had lost his way and instead of it all being about God, it became all about soul and he was glorifying and edifying himself and lifting himself up. But if you read through Samuel 1 and 2, you find out that look at everything that David went through from the time that he was anointed to be the next king of Israel to the actual time when he actually became king of Israel. He went through so many things. You would have to think that did I get it right or did I get it wrong? Right or did I get it wrong? Was that anointing just something that I dreamed about, perhaps, but no, it wasn't.
Speaker 1:It was that God was with him, no matter what he went through, no matter what challenges he had. He always reminded David that he was with him. And even once David had become king, he had some challenges himself, as most people do in a position of authority, and he would fall away from God, but then he would come running back. He would fall away from God, but then he would come running back. The difference between David and Saul was that David always knew where his refuge was, and that was in our Lord and Saviour. But Saul, once he fell away from God and it all became about him, that was the path that he continued to go down and, as we know, eventually that was the end of Saul. But David, no matter what the challenges, no matter what the situations, no matter whether he was in God's favour or out of God's favour, when all else failed, he went back to God.
Speaker 1:So, irrespective of where you're at today and what you're going through and I don't know everybody's challenges, I don't know everybody's circumstances it could be just that you're having a difficult time with your family. It could be that someone has walked away from God or has yet to have a relationship with God. It could be that you're going through challenges with your health, with your finances, with everything. And I have seen just over the last few months that you know one thing I've realized it doesn't matter how much money you've got, it is no earthly good to you if you don't have your health. And if you look at Saul, he had everything, but once he had lost the anointing, he had lost the covering of God. Okay, it was his health that was messing with his mind and causing him to think the wrong things and to do the wrong things, and eventually it was his downfall.
Speaker 1:Always put God first in everything you say and everything you do, and irrespective, like Pastor Gary was saying, when you're in the valleys okay, you know it says yea, though I walk through the valley of shadow or death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. God is with you in your valley times. He's not just there. When you're on your mountaintops and everything is going right, he's always with you. He'll never leave you nor forsake you.
Speaker 1:So I want you to remember that, and I know that I'm not there. You know communicating with you all on a regular basis at the moment because I've got my own challenges, but I will always put every listener that I have over my own circumstances, and if you need me, just leave a message on the board. Okay, give me a phone call or whatever. I will always be there for you. And if someone needs something, just reach out. And if I can't do it, then together we'll take it to God, because it says a three-core string is not easily broken. The three-core string is not easily broken. So that's me, you, the listener and God. The three of us together can overcome all obstacles, and I hope you've actually enjoyed this and next weekend I'll be back, hopefully doing a complete sermon with you. So God bless you all and keep safe and always remember Him first, always.
