Mike Bickle emphasizes the dramatic life of David, exploring the five key cities that represent different seasons in his journey. He highlights how David, despite being overlooked and rejected, developed a deep connection with God, which defined his identity and purpose. Each city—Bethlehem, Gibeah, Adullam, Hebron, and Jerusalem—teaches vital lessons about faithfulness, humility, and the importance of seeking God's heart over personal ambition. Bickle encourages the audience to read the life of David regularly to understand the depth of his relationship with God and the lessons it holds for their own lives. Ultimately, he calls for a commitment to connect with God in every season of life, especially during times of obscurity and hardship.

Turn to 1st Samuel chapter 13 Father we ask you to release your blessing Upon the hearing and the speaking of the word Lord release the inspiration of your spirit In Jesus name Amen Well tonight what I want what I'm aiming for is that you would catch the David story There is a most dramatic Story in the Bible in the Old Testament now everybody knows King David the king of Israel But many people really don't know his story There's more on David than any other person in the Bible besides Jesus The story is very dramatic. It's got all the elements It's got Dignity heroic commitment power of God Scandal murder, I mean everything Imaginable is in the story and it's inspired by the Holy Spirit. It's the most dramatic story. It's interesting Inspiring in one sentence. It's must read. It's a must-read story the life of David So part of my goal tonight is to convince you That from this night forward you are gonna make it a point to read the whole life of David through a couple times a year It's in 1st and 2nd Samuel and I've got it. Oh, they got the passages there. It's 1st and 2nd Samuel and You'll read it through like in a weekend. You can read it through in a weekend or or a couple nights And I want to challenge you to know this dramatic story Paragraph a 1st Samuel 13 verse 14 the Lord this is what the Prophet Samuel now, there's a One of the key players in the drama is Samuel the prophet the old prophet He's 80s or 90s. We don't know He's got long hair. He's been a Nazarite from his youth Piercing eyes and he has a walk with God like nobody in the earth in his day And when Samuel came to town the whole town trembled because he walked with such authority with God well Samuel Comes to the first king of Israel. His name is Saul and he tells him in 1st Samuel 13 We're not gonna look at the whole thing For Samuel 13 verse 14. He says this And you can read the whole verse later. He says God's rejected you King Saul and God's Chosen another king in your place and here's the phrase he has sought for himself a Man after his own heart now the thing that makes this passage remarkable is That this is God Describing a person. I mean, it's one thing for me to call you a man after God's own heart or a woman after God's own Heart, it's another thing for God to call you a woman after God's own heart It's the only person in the Bible that God said This person is a person after my heart now many people in the Bible have been a person after God's heart but God said this one and God's Especially sought for this man and this man's about 15 years old. I Mean you you're kind of a little thrown off. He sought for him a man. Well, he's 14 15 years old And God's point of view. He said he's a man. I Take him seriously. He loves me like nobody else And he lives in a little out-of-the-way town Think of the most remote town you can imagine Bethlehem was that we're talking 500 people far side of West, Texas You know an hour from the closest Walmart that's Bethlehem and I mean it seriously This guy is so off the radar. He doesn't have a chance to get picked by anybody for anything But God finds him now in paragraph a I give a three different Dimensions of being a person after God's own heart. I don't want to go into that right now I wrote a book on this and so I'm not gonna spend a lot of time You can get it and read it if it is interesting to you But to be a person after God's own heart number one, you're committed to obey the commands of God's heart, but that's not enough number two David was committed to study the emotions of God's heart See it's one thing to commit to obey but if you study the emotions of God, then you're empowered to obey and number three David was a person after God's own heart because he contended or he fought for the purpose of God in his generation It wasn't enough that he touched God. He wanted his generation to be changed and to fulfill God's purpose It says in Acts 13 David served the purpose of God in his own generation Now, did you know and you do? there is a specific purpose for your generation and Here's the idea find out What God is doing in your generation and throw yourself into it a hundred percent no matter what it costs you to be involved in it Find out what God's doing in your generation and throw yourself into it with no reserve Don't hold back anything paragraph B 2nd Chronicles 16 Now this is the secret or this is the behind the scenes of what's happening the eyes of the Lord 2nd Chronicles 16 9 The eyes of the Lord are searching all over the nations the eyes of the Lord are searching for Men and women young and old who has a loyal heart for God and God can find them in the remotest village in the deserts of Arizona or like I said West Texas a mile from the closest Well, I'm in an hour from the close to the closest Walmart. I'm telling you the most remote place The eyes of the Lord can find you if you have a heart that's determined to be loyal to him My prayer tonight is that some of you Will make a new determination to be loyal to God regardless of anybody sees it That you would say I'm going to be a woman after God's own heart like David I'm gonna be a woman but with the Spirit of David or I'm gonna be a young man or an old man God's eyes are searching right now. They're looking through this auditorium They're looking in the most remote places of the earth because God is passionate about people that would be loyal to him paragraph see Isaiah 55 verse 4 God told the Prophet Isaiah He told the Prophet Isaiah I've made David a witness now, this is why we want to study the life of David Not just because it's a dramatic story it is it's a very interesting story and again It's there's more on David than any other person in the Bible But it says here in Isaiah 55 verse 4 but God Let's go ahead and put that verse back up there. I want you to read this God said I have given him to be a witness. I've made David the model of what I'm after David is the picture you study the life of David because you want to know what God's after Paragraph D. Jeremiah 30 315 Now this is a promise for the generation the Lord returns God says this I Will give shepherds after my own heart or according to my heart in other words God is going to raise up in the end times. This passage is about the generation the Lord returns He's raising up shepherds like David according to God's own heart We're believing God for a million ten million a hundred million. We don't know the number But God is right now looking for shepherds after his own heart. I Want to be one? You want to be one? paragraph F Now I give you the this is just marked paragraph F This is where you can find the life of David Again, I want to challenge you Maybe once a month. I'm talking about a big weekend. It might take you Six seven eight ten hours, but you're gonna say this weekend is my life of David weekend Maybe you get two or three people you take turns you read the whole life of David Now I did a bit of traveling When I'm 54 now, but in my 30s About that time and I had this deal when I go overseas like a 10-hour flight overseas or whatever 12 I always read the whole life of David going and I read the whole life of David coming. I just automatic pilot Whenever I took a long flight and I took a bunch of them in those years. I would start 1st Samuel 16 reading the life of David 10 or 12 hours later the stewardess would be going Man What are you reading? I go the most dramatic story you could imagine But hang on stewardess because I still got four chapters to go and we're here a to land I'm really in a real juicy part. So I'll talk to you after we land But here's the point I'm saying to you Get a vision That you're gonna read the whole thing a bunch of times Three four times in a year, maybe once a month or well know the life of David. That's my point Now to make it easy because Mike my goal tonight is for you to catch the David story the David drama To kind of when you leave in a few minutes Well, you'll worship a little bit later after this but after this teaching my Ideas that you've got a feel for the storyline you go. Yeah, I don't know the whole thing But I kind of got a little touch about it. I got a little feel for it so What what the scriptures has done has organized the life of David around five cities there's five key cities in his life and each one of those cities is A season of a number of years and there are specific lessons related to each one of those seasons Now most of you in this room would be in the first season because of just by virtue of being young But David had five main cities in his life that represented five seasons in the spirit that had five Distinct lessons that were different and unique and if you understand These five seasons these five cities you will have the main storyline of the life of David besides You will have a roadmap on how the Holy Spirit is leading your life so you'll have an overview of the life of David and You will have a roadmap because God made David a witness. He made him a picture He made him a roadmap of what God does in the lives of people that are loyal to God with all their heart Let's go top of page two city number one And we're gonna look at just a few minutes. We'll look at The most time at the first city Because most of you in this room by virtue of being under 20 most of you are You're in the first season It's what I call the Bethlehem years paragraph a the Bethlehem years Now again, Bethlehem only had a few hundred people living. It was a remote city out of the way of everything nothing big ever happened in Bethlehem and Till David came and then a thousand years after David something really big happened in Bethlehem what happened Jesus was born the greater David and the lesser David were both born in Bethlehem the greater David the Lord Jesus was born in that little remote town in this city What in this season of his life, let's say approximately Age From the time he's born to about age 17 age 18. We don't know exactly But that's approximately about 17 or 18 years old. He lives in this little out-of-the-way town What God wanted David to do in this season of his life Was to develop his spiritual identity in God What's his spiritual identity just abbreviated God wanted David in this Bethlehem years to understand that God loved him and that for David to cultivate love back for God as the most important defining reality of his life The most important thing to David was not that he was king of Israel The most important thing to David was the fact that the God of Israel loved him and he loved the God of Israel He would take that over being king any day. That's what made him such a powerful King He didn't care about being king. That was not his primary dream the primary dream of David's heart Was established in the Bethlehem years When he laid on his bed at night when he played his guitar his harp out with the sheep late at night He didn't dream of being king. He dreamed of the God of Israel being near him He dreamed of giving his heart to God with loyalty and love. That was the biggest dream of David's life his whole life And then the Bethlehem years That was being established in him in a deep way and right now That is what God is establishing. That's the premier thing. He's establishing in your life Now if you're not in the Bethlehem years, that is still the primary thing he wants in your life Now what happens is that most people in their teen years? They're focused on being popular They're focused and there's nothing wrong being popular But when that Dominates our heart that focus does they focus on being something before people? But God has a different agenda for the people in the Bethlehem years. He goes I appreciate That you want to be liked that's right. You want to be popular. You want to make something of yourself? That's good But I want that to be the secondary dream in your heart. Not the first dream of your heart. I Want you to know that I love you And I want you to know that I will anoint you to love me if you want that from me it's more important than anything you will achieve in high school or college or in your career to operate in the anointing that God loves us and we have the ability to cultivate in the grace of God an extravagant love back Now it was in the Bethlehem years where David received dramatic promises God said you're going to be the king of all of Israel But I tell you we look at that and we go Wow But when you read the truth about David's heart, that is not what Wow David what Wow David was connecting with God Being king was his assignment Not his dream. His dream was connecting deep with God. His assignment was being king of Israel and That is what God wanted to establish In David's life in the Bethlehem years, that's how he measured success David are you successful? Yes Well, how could you say that? You have the lowest job in society, which you're over sheep That was one of the lowest jobs That was like, you know the guy you pay a few dollars to come over, you know, the kid to come over mow your lawn It was David said that's not why I'm successful I know the God of Israel his eyes are on me He loves me and I know that my heart is towards him. I am successful. I'm loved and I am a lover Therefore I'm already successful and it was in that context. God gave him the promises about being king one day David said I'll be king if you want me to that's not even my big thing. I will if you say now some people their big thing is to be king and If they connect with God, that's cool But that's not the dream of their life. They want to connect with God if it works, but they really want to be king They want to be big and famous and really everybody know him and make a huge impact And making impact is good But we make our impact after we make our connection with God I am focused on connecting with God and I we can make an impact at the same time It's not like you do it for ten years you connect with God then one day you make an impact we do them at the same seasons It's an issue of focus. Our primary focus is to connect with God and our secondary focus Which is very important is to do things for God in the overflow of connecting with him Now let's go to paragraph D for Samuel 16 Now what's amazing? About the David drama in Bethlehem years is That David had this focus on God this unusual focus on God at age 14 and 15 and 16 I mean David had a a heart for God that was so unique that when he's 17 The Prophet Samuel hears from God that kid has a heart after me and he's a man in my eyes His love for me is way bigger than his years Because David didn't start loving God at 17 when the prophecy came. He was loving God. I mean fiercely when he was 12 and 13 and 14 and 15 and it counted and God took it very seriously David took it very seriously. Others did not but David did and God did Now here's the remarkable thing about David's life When his teen years was the rejection that he suffered from his family David had seven older brothers and several sisters, but he had he was the young of the eight boys in the family He was the baby Now let's read the story for Samuel 16 verse 10 It says Jesse that's David's dad Made his seven sons pass before Samuel what happens is Samuel the Prophet comes to Bethlehem I mean we're talking about this little out-of-the-way town Samuel the Prophet comes and all the elders of the town are so afraid They said we are in big trouble because the number one prophet in the earth has never been here and he's coming here And there's fire in his eyes Literally all the elders drew back in and trembled they said please tell us the bad news Just get it over with what's happening. And he says I'm coming to Jesse's house They said Jesse, how do you know Jesse? He goes I don't The Holy Spirit told me to go to his house Jesse my name's Samuel. He goes. Yes prophet said, you know, I know who you are He goes I would like to have a dinner with your family. Yes anything you want quick quick Get things ready He says I'm gonna pray for one of your sons bring all of your sons to the dinner, yes so the verse 10 Jesse made the seven sons pass before Samuel the Prophet and the Prophet said I Looked at all seven. There's the Spirit says none of them. I don't know how this is possible Because I'm positive I heard from God But the Holy Spirit said he's not chosen any of them verse 11 Samuel said are All your sons here. Is there one that isn't here just by chance? Then the father said well, yes There is the youngest and there and I underline the word there he is meaning David was within sight. They said right there in the backyard. Now. Here's the point. I want you to get the most powerful prophet in the earth Visits this town and wants dinner with the family and David is tending the sheep. He's mowing the lawn during that two-hour period Because his dad made him David's going Oh Please because no they could have easily got a neighbor to take care of the sheep. It was not a big deal and They said there he has been he's right in the backyard He's keeping the sheep. He's doing a very Mundane task Samuel said the Prophet Samuel said to David's father Jesse We are not gonna sit down till that kid is at the table. So all the big brothers are standing up and They're running out quick to get Davy Davy Davy quick Samuel the Prophet He knows you somehow the spirit is talking David's good. Oh, no, what's going on? David comes running. You can see him just panning What's going on and the brothers are looking at him? Verse 13 Samuel took the horn of oil and he anointed him. He said this is the future king of Israel this little 1670 oh he is the man God's eyes has fallen on He's the one that God sees loyalty in his heart. You have written him off, but God has included him in his purposes paragraph II David had to overcome rejection by his family, but the remarkable thing about David that I want you to get Because I could take a while and describe the rejection, but I'm not going to for very long just to point it out Because I want to get on with the story so you get the feel of the overall story But there a miracle of David's life was he was rejected, but he had no bitterness He was rejected But he didn't have a rejection spirit at all How can a guy be rejected by his family but not have a rejection spirit because he was preoccupied with God Rejection still hurts When you're preoccupied with God, but a rejection from people does not become a rejection spirit The rejection spirit is when it gets into your mindset to where you think about it through almost every relationship They like me. They don't like me. They're thinking about me. They're not thinking about me. They forgot me. It's all that They got a conspiracy I know what they really meant and almost always through a rejection spirit the information that is processed is wrong But the miracle of David He's rejected, but he has no rejection spirit because he's preoccupied with God and he's faithful in Servanthood and humility. It's a remarkable combination Look what he said in Psalm 27 10 He said my father and My mother forsake forsake me, but the Lord will take care of me He said my mom and dad will forsake me now this isn't written by a mature man a 40 year old man doesn't pine away and say my mom and dad haven't called me. It's over No, this is a young boy that's saying this. How did he know God would take care of him? Somewhere in his walk with God. He connected that though his parents Forsook him God did not that is a miracle for a young teenager to connect with that reality But that was because David was preoccupied with knowing God not Preoccupied with everybody hearing the story of how mistreated he was in his family says in Psalm 38 11 My loved ones my friends they stand aloof My relatives they stand even further back. He goes my friends and my family. They won't come near me Beloved there's a lot of emotion behind that one sentence. There's the number of you in this room You have been rejected by your friends and your families But you don't have to be a victim with a rejection spirit you there's another option you could get preoccupied with God You can go somewhere God because though they others haven't failed to look at you God's eyes are on you if you want to go there with him Psalm 69 Verse 7 David's still talking about his family. Now. This is because of his zeal for God He said for your sake God he's talking direct to God I've borne reproach reproach reproach means they're criticizing me They're putting me down because of you Shame has covered me because of you God. I Am a stranger to my brothers. In other words David's seven brothers go kid. We don't get you You're you play that guitar Late at night under the stars and sing those songs You're strange You're not like other young boys He said my I'm a stranger to my seven older brothers meaning they don't get me at all Nobody understands me and he goes on to describe why? verse 9 Because zeal for you God Has eaten me up I am so consumed with you and nobody else gets it in my immediate world, but I don't care I'm going for you. They wag their head at me verse 10. I wept and I chastened my soul with fasting he goes I would weep in prayer and in worship and I would fast and I would see God And my friends that was a reproach. They wag their head at me and they criticized me. This is David's experience You know, we read about David and we think well, I'm gonna be like David, but do you really know the David story? Well, wasn't he the guy that was king? Well eventually He was a guy that was profoundly rejected in his youth by men and he took that pain and that energy and became consumed and obsessed and preoccupied with God and God's eyes fell on this young man Now let's go down to paragraph G One of the lessons in the Bethlehem and this is the one we spent the most time on we'll be briefer on the other four cities in the Bethlehem years What God wants you to have is the intimacy intimacy focus He it's okay to succeed in other areas for sure But he doesn't want the other areas to be the primary dream of our heart Most 15 year olds They're far more concerned with how people what people think of them what they look like what they're achieving who they're over Who's talking to them and that's normal. We're all like that, but there's another Thing happening in the hearts of some 15 year olds in the earth. They are connecting with God and they go You know, I still care about that stuff, but it's not my biggest dream I'm listening to the music from heaven and that's where my heart lives There's another sound that's touched me not just the sound of my high school or the sound of my campus or my friends There's another sound that's got a hold of my heart You say well I'm stuck out All by myself. Nobody even knows I don't have a chance Beloved God's mailing list is up to date He can find you God's prophets or God's spirit is a better way to even to say God can find you no matter if you're stuck in a basement Far away forgotten by everybody the eyes of the Lord are Searching the earth for people that would have a loyal heart. Okay, let's go top of page three. Let's go to the second city Now the thing about the David story, which is the same of art with our story all of us The seasons when the city well in this story when the city changes the season changes now, that's not always true With it with us, but this part is true with us That the seasons change Suddenly, I mean they change without a minute's notice. We think David thinks he's in the Bethlehem for the rest of his life suddenly the Things change and he's in a new season in God and it's the Gibeah season say Gibeah I want you to learn this city Gibeah Now Gibeah was the capital city where the king lived. It was the king's court Gibeah in that day was like our Washington DC today It's where the king and his cabinet left It's where the head of the army left Now what happens is David's now about 17 or 18 again We don't know and a crisis comes to Israel. We know the story But do we really understand the story the Goliath crisis? Now, we know David kills Goliath. Everybody knows the story, but it was a national crisis of the greatest intensity that you could imagine because if Goliath and the Philistines won They would kill the men Enslave the women and the children and burn the villages. This is not a small thing That happened a number of times in Israel's history where the enemy came in and burned the cities Rape the women and enslave them and took all the children as slaves for life this was a national crisis and the army was terrified and Saul the king the head of the army and the head of the government. He is terrified because the Philistines have more power David Happens to go to the battle. He goes to the battle as a mail carrier as an errand boy Dad back in Bethlehem says hey Davy Take some bread and cheese to your brothers at the battle. They don't even let David be a part of the battle David stay with the sheep. So David loads up the food and He goes to the battle and he gives it to his brothers and they pat him on the head and said get on home kid but then David hears Goliath and Goliath stands up and says who will challenge me the great Goliath. I Will defy the God of Israel David said that bugs me and they send David's bigger brother The layup said David Go home. He goes. No that bothers me. He goes David. He actually told him it's a rebuked him He goes go home with your insolent or your arrogant little heart and get back home and take care of the sheep He goes I'm not going to He goes what that man said to the God of Israel. I know God this isn't right So David goes to the king because I'm a little errand boy. I get it. I'm not trained nothing. I'm taking him on they said what and Saul was so terrified. He let a non-soldier boy with no equipment take him on. That's how terrified Saul was You know the story David kills kills Goliath But the part you may not get David is a national hero He is on the front cover of every magazine He is on the front of every news newscast he is the main guy Everywhere 18 years old talking about a sudden change He went from an errand boy sheep guy lawnmowing business with a push lawnmower I Don't mean a real business a real business is different. I'm talking about a little boy with you know going house to house deal Suddenly he's a national hero His dad like David what happened yesterday dad I don't know. I'd swung that slingshot and hit the guy in I knew it was gonna happen and everybody's kind of excited I don't know. You know I'll go back and take care of the sheep and tell me what to do about all this well Paragraph C for Samuel 18 the king says hey kid. I need you to move into the White House You're a national hero. I want you to live Next to me talking about a sudden change Now what God is going to do with David in Bethlehem is God is going to test David and see if he's faithful To God with small things will David be faithful to God in Bethlehem with no audience With nobody applauding him while he's rejected Will he be a servant and will he connect with God when everything he just seems forgotten by everybody and nobody cares And people are actually against him Yes, he proved faithful, but in Gibeah It's a different lesson How will David respond in early Promotion or let's call it this early popularity. He has success that comes Suddenly in one day, and he is the most popular man He's a teenager in the whole nation Not just his high school the whole nation So it's an extreme situation What does he do with early popularity early meaning and in context to his 70-year life at age 18 or 19? What does he do with popularity so young? Now what David probably didn't know God was testing him See I've seen people Get a little bit of popularity in their teen years of their early 20s And they think this is what their life is about and they don't even know it's a test God's testing to see if they will stay connected to God with a little bit of popularity and I have found in 30 years of Ministry most believers with a little popularity. They lose their connect with God because they get so busy Managing their popularity and they don't realize 10 20 years later. It's all gone and they look back and it was a test and They got caught up into it and they thought it was all about them and the Lord was seeing if they would stay faithful to The Lord with some sudden popularity, but here's the thing about popularity. It's always temporary It's always temporary Whether in your high school whether you are in the White House and you're the president your popularity is temporary Whether you're in Hollywood Whether you're in the NBA no matter what your popularity is temporary no matter what part of life you're involved in But most people get consumed with their early popularity I've seen in just our short 10 years of IHOP a few guys and gals Get a little bit popular on the stage whether preaching or singing or whatever And some of them it doesn't faze them They are going hard after God and others it tilts them and they get so busy managing their new popularity They don't have time to connect with God no more But a few years always comes and goes and that season pass and they didn't even know it was a test David was being tested in Gibeah and I have the chapters related to the Gibby years. He's about 18 to 22 years old approximately Look what happens 1st Samuel 18 verse 5 King Saul Set David over the men of war David was accepted in the sight of all the people. I mean everybody like David, but this is a temporary thing It never lasts it might last for a year or two. You think wow Now look at this talking about heady wine verse 6 the women Came out from all of the cities the young girls singing King Saul's on his way back from the battle the head of the army the president With all of his entourage and all the girls are coming with their thrown flowers and singing and dancing and they're going Saul has slain his thousands. That's pretty good for a king to kill thousands at war. That's really good. I Mean most guys don't kill thousands in battles Saul smile about well, that's a little exaggerated I didn't really kill thousands, but thank you ladies Thank you ladies I'm sure that I'm going to one day but they saw had not heard the second verse of the song and They said young 18 year old David has killed his ten thousands He is ten times more anointed than you And it says in verse 8 Saul became very angry Because David's now living in context of his I mean David's connected to his family and part of the government and He's not used to this new popularity. So King Saul's already getting disturbed the jealousy He gets enraged with it And then most of you know, he's two sets hit the goal of his life This jealous King is to kill this young David to send the soldiers to go assassinate him But that hasn't happened yet. I'm getting a little ahead of myself in the story David still in the Gibby years They're singing about him. The girls are excited the men of war. They like him He's the youngest guy, but he's the captain. I Mean he has it made it says in Proverbs 27 verse 21 the crucible is for silver and The furnace is for gold because see the furnace has fire It's to test the gold. The crucible is the container that tests the silver but he said Silver and gold are tested by fire But a man is tested by praise God will allow a season of popularity to test you to see if you're real in The same way that fire tests gold God will give a man or a woman a brief season of popularity to see if they will stay loyal to God or they will Get too busy for their loyalty. I don't mean they just start sinning blatantly, but they're too busy to maintain their connect with God So it starts going down. Well my time with the Lord my prayer sets my my time before you I'm just I'm going to get to it Lord I've seen many guys over the years when their ministry explodes gets real big it's only a matter of time till their heart gets real little and the goal For David David did not want a big ministry in a little heart He wanted a big heart and he didn't care the size of his impact or even the size of his profile Let's look at paragraph 4 the next city the third city David was in Gibeah about four or five years and I mean those were sweet years But I tell you those years of popularity they can ruin many good people and I'm again I don't mean they get caught in grievous sins. They their life in God gets shallow. That's what I mean by it ruins them But he pressed through so I want you to determine tonight before God Lord if you bless me whether it's in sports or music or arts or Economics or computers or whatever you bless me and I set my heart I'm gonna be like David you and my heart connect with you will always be number one And when I have to turn down opportunities for more claim and a fame I'm going to turn it down because my heart connect I want to keep it there and it takes time and it takes energy to spend time with God I've I'm not saying this is a big hotshot as the guy who did it. All right, but I have turned down I'm guessing 95% of my ministry opportunities for years and years I'll get X amount of invitations to go. I remember last year. I had probably Invitations to 10 conferences of 5,000 people around the nation's and I didn't do any of them. The Lord says no I want you in the prayer room. I want you with your Bible open. Don't get caught by the attention of IHOP It's you and me that's talking right now. Don't do all of that It's okay to go one here one there But the Lord spoke to me said if you do all of those things your heart your ministry will grow your heart will shrink And there's dozens that have the same kind of story and my point. Is it that it's bad to go? That's not my point. My point is if the dream of your heart is a big heart and More than a big ministry, you will have wisdom in the hour of promotion Well the Adolam years We got to get right to this because we're out of time The Adolam years, that's the third city now this goes on from about age 23 to 30 and We have the chapters there Now in the Adolam years Adolam was his headquarters that that was a cave a cave by the city of Adolam That's where David hid in this cave because the jealous King Saul was chasing him with 3,000 soldiers, could you imagine 3,000 soldiers? Focused on killing you I don't mean one hit man. I'm talking 3,000 I'm talking about David honestly was the number one public enemy number one most wanted criminal in Israel simply because the king was jealous and 3,000 men how much salary would that take to pay 3,000 men where the government was paying this they were focused on one thing Finding David and David was hiding cave to cave. He was running here. He was running there He was going here and these soldiers were had spies and they were searching for him and the story is so dramatic You really want to read read the Adolam years? paragraph B first Samuel 22 David escaped to the cave of Adolam now here's I Mean poor David He escapes to the cave by himself He says okay. I made it and people they he has his grace on his life other guys here He's there and it says this look at verse 2 everyone who was distressed Everyone who was in debt and Everyone who was discontent They said we're joining you. I mean think about what those fellowship times are like They're distressed put depressed. They have no money and they're mad at their family. They're mad at the government. They're mad 400 men and David goes what way what's the deal here? They said well the grace of God's on you We know that you and God got some going we're mad at everybody But we will trust us. We'll be loyal to you So David has a army of 400 and a few chapters later. It grows to 600 So for about six or seven years, he's moving around with 400 that eventually 600 men and their families So there's probably two or three thousand He's moving them around while he's being chased to be assassinated and these guys these 400 discontent men and their families It's gross to 600. They're saying David, please stay with us David goes I need to lose you guys because the army you guys are making like a big noise and the story is So traumatic what happens for these six or seven years in the Adolim years. I'm just trying to Win you over to become life of David people David in the Adolim years is being tested by hardship Now the hardships does happen suddenly. He was the most famous Man in Israel, they sang the songs now. He's the most wanted criminal He is the most criticized man in the land in one day He's the most famous and in one day a few years later. He is now the most criticized man in all of the nation So David's now being tested with hardship and the Lord saying David are we still together? Am I the dream of your life? Is this about you and me still and Davis as it is? I wouldn't mind if you saved my life in the process But it really is about my heart in your heart and David continues that heart connect. It's an intense story top of page 4 paragraph C Now what was God doing with David? He's in his 20s He's grooming him or training him as a better word for national leadership Some of you are 16 15 18 19 and the Lord is setting you up for a ministry impact some kind of leadership role that you can't even imagine at different levels and he's gonna let you be Forsaken and tested in the Bethlehem years so you and him connect He's gonna give you a little bit of popularity to see what you do with it And not again that you're just gonna throw your walk with God away But you get too busy some to stay connected and then suddenly the season shifts and the most famous man is now the most wanted criminal and the most criticized man in the land But what God was doing to David? As he was raising up the warrior king of Israel Now when God wants to raise up a warrior king What does a warrior king need if you're gonna defend the land against all the armies around? What do you need if you're the great military king you need to know the land? Now David can learn the land one of two ways he can go to geography school and They could put up all the websites on the land and he can study the terrain at geography school, but the Lord says no Here's how you're gonna learn the land. I'm going to put you in the land The way that you will know where every cave is you will hide in those caves The reason you will know where all the water supply is you will drink from those hidden water supplies So it's years later When all the the negative is gone all of this. I mean the a dolom season now David's the king many years later He's sitting around in the military Strategy room the war room and David said we'll put a thousand soldiers here and they'll go over there and don't worry There's a cave and you can't see because the Sun's reflection and there's a water deep inside that cave and the guy goes How do you know David says I stayed there for three weeks. That's a good place And God's raising some of you up to be warrior kings and Queens whether male or female and what is he gonna do? He's not gonna send you to geography school. He's gonna put you in the land He's gonna show you how to get the victory by being in the conflict not read about it and then write a book on it He's gonna let you feel the conflict and connect with him get victory and then tell your story to bring deliverance to others Like Oh Lord, I would rather just read a book about victory and then tell everybody How to get it or sing a new song about it. I don't want to go in the land So people say I want to be a David male or female it's an anointing it's a calling It's a walk with God is what I'm talking about. I want to be a David. Okay You realize that if you're a David you're gonna be in the seminary of Saul David's seminary was called Saul seminary David's seminary wasn't just classroom. He lived in the conflict of a demonized leader Well, I want to be a David but I want to be trained only in prosperity if you are a true David There will be demonized leaders who will oppose you Well, I don't really want to be David. I sort of want to be David. I Want David's victory? I don't want David's trouble. Well, there's no such thing One guy told me once well, you're like a David. I mean you could say that to a million guys I go don't say that. I mean heart. I like it. You know what that means? That's trouble You know years ago Well, if you're a David you got a seminary session coming up But suddenly Saul dies David's 30 years old the jealous King dies suddenly in battle. I mean it shocks the nation David doesn't have an enemy no more the 3,000 guys that were chasing him You're not gonna believe what they told him when you read the story the head of the 3,000 guys Abner He meets up with David, you know a couple years later and Abner says, oh by the way David We were chasing you We knew the prophecies and we knew you were God's anointed David That's what how do you figure you were trying to kill me as well. It was our job But Abner said we knew you were the anointed one And David scratching his head going how could you attack me? He goes we all knew But it was our job. Sorry That could make you mad But you're not gonna believe what David did David opened his heart to this man. So let's be friends You know why David didn't have a rejection rejection spirit or a bitter spirit. He was preoccupied with another dream You get a rejection spirit and a bitter spirit when you're preoccupied with you being the center and everybody adoring you That's where the rejection spirit comes when your dream and that's the normal dream of every human being were born with that dream, by the way But when our dream is to connect with God We don't have near the vulnerability to rejection and bitterness because when people are against us It doesn't hurt our dream. Our dream is untouched. Nobody can touch the dream of my heart It's the connect God the dream of my life is not I hop the dream of my life Happens inside of my heart with God, it's not what happens the size of conferences or at meetings I mean, that's my assignment My dream can't be touched if I hop gets real big or disappears My dream is steady no matter what and the same can be true of you and the same is true of a number of you Okay, Roman numeral five Now Saul's dead Now the fourth city is Hebron say Hebron and You can read which chapters are involved in David's in Hebron for seven years and the reason I'm giving these five cities not just because of the five lessons and I have more details that I'm covering. I have them on the notes Because my real goal is to have you leave and go I got to read this life of David thing This sounds kind of interesting. I hope that's what some of you will say But in Hebron he's there seven years He's king at Hebron you say he made it. Well, not exactly not exactly Because now the jealous King Saul is dead. David has no enemies Nobody against him. Everybody knows he's going to be king. You're not gonna believe what David did Look at paragraph B 2nd Samuel 2 this is one of the most profound verses in David's life About David as far as I'm concerned The jealous King Saul died suddenly in battle the 3,000 guys are now they're not against David There is nobody standing in his way for being king over all of Israel the twelve tribes of Israel David says The most I love this prayer, but I tell you it made his guys mad This one prayer. He said this Lord David inquired Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah and the Lord said go up and He said where and the Lord said Hebron. He said now that's doesn't seem very dynamic. Oh it is it is David has the whole nation is his and his guys are saying you're king of Israel and David says no Maybe God doesn't want me to be the king What do you mean he prophesied in Bethlehem? You'd be king. Everybody knows it the enemy's dead. What do you mean? He goes? No I'm gonna ask him God Do you want me to be king and God says yes, but only over one area only Hebron which is a city which represented Judah which was a region But there's 12 regions in Israel and God said only be over one region He goes, okay, he tells the guys they go what did God say he goes I'm king they go. Yeah, finally We're gonna all be promoted. He goes over one region They go David Stop those prayers you you're over all 12. What are you doing? We're not gonna get near as much promotion if all you are is over one. He goes, you know what? I hope you get promoted. My dream isn't to be king. I want to obey God and God said only be over 112th But David nobody can even stop you right now, I don't care My goal isn't even to be king. God said take 112th 112th It is so David only was king over 112 and this is the thing He was now being tested with partial fulfillment of the promise now if you've been through a long season of testing many guys Wouldn't even ask the question. They would just assume they want all the promises right now But David said no, my number one connection is my number one dream is your heart what do you want David's God said only do a little bit of what I've promised you and And stay close to my heart and David said I love it because it's you that I want I don't want the kingship. I want you I tell you David's guys were so mad Because this hurt their economics. They were already count the money They were gonna get because David was king over all 12 tribes, but it was only one tribe So, what do you do? When you've gone through a hard season of testing in the Adullam years now You're at the Hebron years, but um, God only gives you a fraction of what he promised you What do you do with only partial fulfillment? many people get mad many people manipulate David worshiped David connected because it wasn't his dream to be king and then finally Roman numeral six The city of Jerusalem now he was there from age 37 to 70 So he was there for 33 years in the main city, and that was the city when all of his promises His earthly promises came to pass in the city But here's the here's the most remarkable thing. I have written here in paragraph 8 This is the season when we are tested With the full destiny you think how could you be tested with full destiny isn't full destiny, you know Isn't that you scored? Isn't that it? Isn't it all about full destiny? No, it's not It's all about full connection with God not full destiny in terms of his earthly prominence is what I'm talking about Because you're that this is might surprise you David's sin far greater in the years of his full promises that he ever did in his early years Because God knew something when he was preparing him in those first four seasons He knew that if he wasn't prepared right when he had all the fame and all the glory and all the money his heart Would be far more vulnerable to the enemy attacking him and beloved those first four seasons were critical to keep David steady in the fifth season and David for the most part was steady, but he did had a couple big sins a couple real big ones His biggest sins when it were when he was the most Prominent and the Maturus because he had the most attack and he was the most vulnerable and so we look at the Lord and we say we're in the Bethlehem season or the Gibeah or the Adoam and we say Lord hurry up hurry up hurry up and the Lord would say no I'm making you like David if I take my time and we get it, right In that final season you will be steady when the fullness of the temptation the fullness of the responsibility The fullness of the demonic attack and the fullness of glory all come at the same time you will be steady because you will have a root system and David was steady, but I'm just saying is his for 33 years He did well, but his biggest sins were in that period and I'm not thinking about the couple sins He did I'm thinking about how many more he would have done if he didn't have those four seasons before Jerusalem So I talked to the Lord I go Lord I don't know what my Jerusalem looks like none of us know what our Jerusalem really looks like the fullness of our earthly assignment But I know this I Say Lord whatever season I'm in I want to connect with you deep if I'm in the forgotten hidden Bethlehem years where nobody knows me I want to connect with you if I'm in the Gibeah years where I get a little bit of popularity I want to stay close to you if I'm in the Adullam years where I'm being mistreated I want to connect with you if I'm in the Hebron years where I get part of what you promised no bitterness no manipulation I want to stay close to you now if I'm in the Jerusalem years where my full earthly assignment is completely released and my full Responsibility I want to have a root system to be true to you Well, you can read this whole book First and second Samuel you get the whole storyline. Amen. Let's stand Now I know that was a long story But if I get some of you to buy into this book and I know I'm going to I'm telling you read it once a month for a few months or if you say well, I can't quite do that Read it three four times this next 12 months Again, every time I took a long trip for years. I just read the whole thing through. I just just by standard I just did it And I would take Saturday sometimes and just take the whole day when I didn't have to preach on the Sunday read the whole book Of day life of David the whole day Saturday. I mean I would go to bed like all kind of like whoa You know, it's a long day. You're a little bit fried, but your spirits happy I'm going I don't get it all I read so much, but I feel good Well, I want to talk to folks and Minister to folks that are in the Bethlehem years the Bethlehem years you were forgotten Nobody's looking at you. You're rejected by your family You're rejected by your friends or not even rejected. You're just ignored. Nobody knows you exist and You're being tempted maybe with bitterness or just rejection and the Lord saying I know you exist If you would get preoccupied with me we could go somewhere you can never go without that preoccupation And if there's anyone in the room, whether you're 15 or 15 and you're saying I'm in that season Where I'm it just seems like nothing is happening. But I know the Lord is calling me To connect with him in a deeper way and it doesn't it's not like I'm necessarily rejected Maybe I am rejected maybe not but nothing seems to be happening. I know I'm in the Bethlehem years That's not just for teenagers. We could be in the Bethlehem season several times in our life But you want to make a new resolve tonight to connect to the Lord When men are just completely ignoring you, but you want to go deep in these years I want to invite you to come up and stand on these lines up here