King David was described as a man after God's heart. But, have you ever wondered what that means and how you can equally be described as a person after God's heart?
The scripture, as usual, gives us understanding in Acts 13:22 - Later, God removed Saul and let David rule in his place. God said about him, "David the son of Jesse is the kind of person who pleases me most! He does everything I want him to do" (CEV). A person 'after God's heart' is someone who pleases Him. And to be such a person, we have to be like David in that we do everything God tells us to do.
Many may wonder how David could ever be described as someone who did everything God wanted him to do. After all, David watched Bathsheba having a bath, lusted after her and slept with her. This despite her being a very married woman. And David didn't stop there, after trying to pin the pregnancy that he caused on Bathsheba's husband, he eventually set the man up to be killed on the warfront. All so he could have Bathsheba to himself. Therefore, how could David ever be described as a man after God's own heart?
Or, what about the fact that David disobeyed God's law by conducting a census of all the men in his nation, without having those men pay an atonement to the Lord. Exodus 30:12 - “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them. As a result, the entire nation of Israel experienced a three day-plague that killed 70,000 people (2 Samuel 24).
Thank God that He "does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities" (Psalm 103:10) but instead shows us mercy, because it is this same mercy that David benefitted from each time he sinned against God. This was because in every instance of iniquity, David soon placed himself at the feet of the Father for forgiveness and mercy. And having received both, he never returned to the error of his ways. That is true repentance - to confess, seek mercy and never do what is warned of in Proverbs 26:11 - As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.
We must be thankful for Jesus because through Him we also receive grace despite our iniquity. He intercedes on our behalf at the right hand of God when we repeat our sins. Even when we renege on our apologies and pledges to "never again." This is why we are told in Acts 13:38 - “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
Given our sinful nature, we don't deserve grace, yet, He provides it. And that grace, combined with our repentance and God's never-ending mercy, enable us flawed human beings to be men and women after God's own heart. Just like David. Understanding this and taking things day by day, in faith that God's grace will get us through, is how we become people who do everything God wants.
May the Lord help us to never listen to satan's lie that there is no redemption for us. May we keep our eyes on the cross and the salvation Jesus bought for us there. May we submit to God's molding grace as He builds us up for His greater purposes, IJMN Amen. That the Lord shall testify about us that He has found a person after His own heart. Someone who will do everything He says. IJN Amen.
See you at noon ET when we'll gather to enter God's gates with thanksgiving, praise, and worship. We'll then pray for people, putting our own issues to the side. And, during the last 10 minutes of fellowship, we'll pray to be more like David - men and women who please God and are described as being after God's own heart. God bless you and see you then!
To read more on the issue of obedience, consider:
Don't Delay To Obey - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) December 15, 2020
Hear, Accept, Obey - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) June 22, 2021
Listen, Obey, Trust - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) August 12, 2022
God's Best is for His Children - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) January 3, 2023
Obedience - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) June 2, 2023
FINAL MESSAGE
This weekend gives each of us the perfect opportunity to think of how we can be more obedient and thus more pleasing to God. The Lord has called us to worship Him, to not tell lies, to meditate on His word, to love others, among other things.
Why don't we do something fun together? Identify one thing you can do differently in your life to please God, then do it for seven days! It could be praying for someone else once a day for a week. How about not using foul language when you speak or communicate on the web and via text (Ephesians 5:4)? Many of us have forgotten that certain slang words we frequently use are actually curse words or include curse words. And if you opt for this approach, how about not listening to songs that include such foul language as well? Fine, maybe see how you do with the first task then tack the foul music ban a week later.
The challenge, brothers and sisters, is to pick one thing that you will be obedient to God about and do it for a week. This is not to say that you should go about opting to sin in other ways. What I'm encouraging us to do is to stop doing something that He doesn't want us doing. It's okay to choose something you won't fail at, such as intentionally saying, "thank You, God" three times a day, for instance. Then do that for seven days. Or, wake up an hour earlier to praise God, read your Bible and pray, for seven days. Maybe give out a dollar to a person in need, for seven days?
There are just so many things we can do that we know will make God happy. I'm encouraging you to do just one thing for a week.
What do you guys think? Will you accept the challenge or am I going to be on my own with the one? Can we have a Please the Lord week starting from Monday? Maybe we should let each other know we'll try to do this. And if any of us mess up, we just need to repent, receive God's mercy in faith, and continue.
CLOSING PRAYER
God, I am grateful for another P&P. I am grateful for all those who read/will read today's message. I praise You, Jehovah, for all who participated/will participate in honoring You by giving You the glory and interceding for others. Thank You for the lives they will touch and thereby exalt You in the process. Be Thou highly lifted up, oh Lord.
Father, I place these ones before You, confident that Your will shall be done in their lives. I thank You for blessing them and for covering them in Your love. I praise You, awesome God for all that they shall testify concerning Your might and power in their lives and those of their loved ones.
Thank You, God. IJN I pray, Amen.
Dear God, I submit to you the kids at KA.
I ask that the godly seeds sown in their lives would sprout as You will. However, what You have not planted, let it be uprooted. God, I ask that You protect them from the evil one, and be their defender against every evil influence. I ask all of this in Jesus name. I extend the rod of authority through His name. As a daughter of God, Your word promises: Whatever I ask according to Your will is heard by You, and thus granted (1 John 5:14-15). Also the word shows me in Luke 11:11-13, If I ask my Father for bread, He will not give me a stone. Amen!
LAST 10 MINUTES
Brothers and sisters, I don't know about you, but I want to be more like David. No, not the naughty aspects of David, of course! Just like him, I want God to call me someone who pleases Him. A person after His own heart. Many may think this is impossible, but as mentioned in today's message, that's what Jesus is for. He paid the ultimate price so that we can access God's forgiveness without jumping through the ridiculous hoops and all for free! All we need to do is repent and make an effort to change. Whenever we mess up, we simply need to go right back to God's throne of grace, just as we are told in Hebrews 4:16 - Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Would you like to pray for this blessing? The great blessing of being one after God's heart - a person whom He deems pleasing? If so, let us pray -
Lord, God. I want to be a person whom You describe as being after Your own heart. I want to be a person who pleases You. Thank You that through Jesus Christ, that is possible for me.
Today, I come before You and ask for Your grace and mercy. I ask that Your hand will be upon me to guide me toward becoming more like the person I'm praying to be. I submit myself to You, to be built into the version of me You have purposed me to be. Thank You, for I know it won't be easy because I'll make mistakes but I trust in You to see me through to the expected end, just as You promised in Jeremiah 29:11. IJN, Amen.
Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end (KJV).
Abba, I lift up a prayer for Peppers who belong to this fellowship.
We learned today that even though David made many bad choices, You graciously accepted his repentance and kept the good things in mind. David, despite his past mistakes, was still called a "man after [Your] heart".
God I pray for Peppers, that grace will also be upon them, that will be blessed like those "to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity" (Psalm 32:2). Let them also be people after Your own heart! This I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
God I thank You for all You have done for me this morning:
- protecting us as we drove through heavy rain
- showing me that I don't need to worry about my loved ones because You're already watching over them; they're already in Your hands
- giving me a fun morning even if it didn't follow the schedule I'd set for myself
Good God, You are the Almighty. Nobody compares to You. Father, thank You for hearing my prayer for people that they come to a knowledge of You as You promised in Jeremiah 24:7. Thank You for giving people a desire for You. Thank You for whetting their appetites for more of You. Thank You for letting hearts clamor for You. Thank You for kindly pouring out Your Spirit on all mankind in accordance with Your word in Joel 2:28. Be glorified, Lord our Redeemer.
Now and forever more, IJMN, Amen.
Lord, please help us to rely on Jesus and to rest all our hopes in His Holy Name. For in so doing, we rely on You, the King of kings and the ultimate authority. Help us to not feel self-dependent but to humble ourselves before You God, IJMN, Amen.
Father, You are the God who we call on to bless the works of our hands. Psalm 90:17 - May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.
Although satan claims it has authority, we know from reading Matthew 28:18 that all authority is in the hands of our Savior Jesus Christ. We also know that You have complete power over all that is in the Earth (Psalm 24:1).
As such, dear Lord, I call on You to show favor to Your children in their endeavors and to bless the works of their hands as they seek employment. Guide them toward the place You want them to be in and may they submit to and receive Your directions, to Your glory and by Your grace, IJMN, Amen.
PRAYER TIME
And now, we get to pray for others. We often forget that we've been beneficiaries of someone else's prayers. Our moms, grandparents, dads and other loved ones have prayed for us. Even strangers have lifted prayers up to the Lord on our behalf.
Now is the time to give to others, but the way we do so is to pray for them.
Know someone dealing with a problem? Write a few words of prayer that mentions them and their issue. Or call on God to bless them in one way or another.
Put your own issues to the side and focus on somebody else, okay?
From MFC - Father God, thank You for being my refuge. Lord, You are safer than any hiding place on Earth. We praise You for being our true sanctuary, a safe, protected presence in whom we live and move and have our being. Glory to God in whom we can place our trust at all time. I'm so grateful I can boldly bring all my prayers, pouring out our heart's concerns to You.
God is our refuge. That’s who He was in the beginning, who He is now, and who He always will be...Hallelujah!
Praise to the Lord Almighty!
Thank You, Daddy God!!!
Psalm 40:5 - Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us--none can compare to You--if I proclaim and declare them, they are more than I can count.
From Aw - Good morning Peppers, and happy Friday!
Thank you Father God for waking me up this morning, and for getting me through my first course of the semester. I bless your Holy Name and praise you for the opportunity to return to school.
Please bless and keep my P&P sisters. Lord, you know what they stand in need of. If any of them is struggling today, whether it be their physical health, mental health, or even finances, make them whole in the name of Jesus.
IJMN, Amen!
Merciful
Kind
Loving
Faithful
Wonderful
Beautiful
Everlasting
Thank You, God!
From MFC - David was a man after God’s own heart because he demonstrated his faith and was committed to following the Lord. Yes, his faith was tested on a grand scale, and he failed at times. But after his sin he sought and received the Lord’s forgiveness
God still mercifully meets us in the desert of our disobedience to Him. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, He kindly offers us forgiveness and hope. No matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done, if we turn to Him, He’ll lead us into life.
And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. Ezekiel 34:23
From MFC - Good afternoon Peppers... sneaking in from work...TGIF!
From M22 - P and P fam, please I would really appreciate your prayers for me and my siblings especially my brother he's been struggling mentally and also struggling with financial debt. God bless y'all. Amen.
From AC - I have an appointment at noon, so won't be live but will check in later. Good bless you all
From CD - Happy Friyaaayyy Family,
From AC - Thank You Abba, for this day You have made and for Your never-ending mercy, and grace that renew each morning. Please renew within us a heart full of humility and obedience, that seeks You and strives to please You, just like David. In Jesus’ Name, I pray Amen.