The Problem … Just Found the Answer // Marked (Part 4) – Pastor Michael Todd – Transformation Church

When You Are Marked, You Are Anointed Before You Are Positioned

• EX.) After David was anointed by Samuel, he went back to the pasture because it’s during this time that he’s being prepared – from being a man that can lead sheep to lead men
• The “pasture” season you’re in is not a punishment but it’s a preparation
• Promotion/Position comes from God, we just need to have the “pace of grace” – to be patient and wait and/or move at God’s time.

How Do We Wait On God?

• Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
  • Waiting on God means more than just time, it means being a good “waiter” for God, serving Him in this current season before getting the position. When you follow God, the wait is never wasted.

If You Are Marked, You Are The Answer To A Problem

• Problems don’t always come from the devil. When God calls you to be a problem-solver, problems are the way to your promotion.
• When you’re marked, sometimes you’re the answer – which means you have to go through the problem, not let someone/something else solve it for you.

When David Was The Answer …

1. He was the answer to the goat problem
   • 1 Samuel 16:11: Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” “Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”
     • David was doing the job no one else wanted to do in his family but needed to be done, with no praise or recognition.
   • The first test God is goingto give us is a test of humility. Will you stay with the goats when there’s a party going on?
     • The Goat Problem – The Answer: Humility
     • How you handle the pasture (the goats) determine how you’ll handle the palace. We have to be humble, no matter the location.
       • Philippians 2:3-5: Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
       • Matthew 20:28: For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.
2. He was the answer to the guitar problem
   • 1 Samuel 16: 14-23: Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. Some of Saul’s servants said to him, “A tormenting spirit from God is troubling you. Let us find a good musician to play the harp whenever the tormenting spirit troubles you. He will play soothing music, and you will soon be well again.” “All right,” Saul said. “Find me someone who plays well, and bring him here.” One of the servants said to Saul, “One of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem is a talented harp player. Not only that—he is a brave warrior, a man of war, and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the Lord is with him.” So Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, “Send me your son David, the shepherd.” Jesse responded by sending David to Saul, along with a young goat, a donkey loaded with bread, and a wineskin full of wine. So David went to Saul and began serving him. Saul loved David very much, and David became his armor bearer. Then Saul sent word to Jesse asking, “Please let David remain in my service, for I am very pleased with him.” And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away.
     • David was recognized, not only at the goat level (by being a good shepherd), but also by honing his skills as a fighter and a musician. Then, when he got the palace (the position he was anointed for), he came to serve not lead.
     • The Guitar Problem – The Answer: Skill and Excellence
     • Most Christians think developing a skill is a problem when instead, God is relying on them to work with what they have, so when anointed, the world can see how amazing God is.
       • Stop comparing you seed to someone else’s tree. Develop your skills to excellence, and torment what torments your leaders.
         • Proverbs 22:29: Do you see any truly competent workers? They will serve kings rather than working for ordinary people.
3. He was the answer to the Goliath problem
   • The same God that was with David during the goat problem and the guitar problem stands confidently with David (and us) during our Goliath (aka giant) problem.
   • 1 Samuel 17:32-37: “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”
     • Saul was projecting his own insecurities (“But I’m only …”) on David, but David took the offensive against the accusations because he stood with God from the very beginning in the goat problem, so why should he fear the giant.
     • The Goliath Problem – The Answer: Confidence in God
       • God uses our waiting period by introducing us to these problems
4. The Humanity Problem – The Answer: Jesus

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