Transcription
Hey, what's up, YouTube family? It's Pastor KJ from Radiant Church, and I'm so excited for you to join us for today's sermon. We have such a powerful sermon and story. I believe it's going to strengthen you, challenge you, and encourage you. So get ready for this message.
Also, share this message with friends, family members, co-workers, everyone you know. I believe it would change their life. Get ready to jump into the word of God with us today. The title of my sermon today is "Hidden and Plain Sight." Hidden and Plain Sight. Have anyone ever had something hidden in plain sight before?
I remember when I had something hidden in plain sight. It was this day. I had to go somewhere, and I had to meet at Chipotle, and I was running late. And I'm like, "Oh my gosh, I need to find my phone. I need to find my phone. I'm running late, but I need my phone. I can't go nowhere without my phone." Anyone else like that? Like, if you go somewhere, you need your phone.
So I'm running late, and I cannot find my phone. And I'm the kind of person where when I put stuff in certain places, everything has a home, everything has a name. My wife ain't so much the same way. You know, it's just where it goes is where it goes. For me, it goes right there. And I remember this particular day, I could not find my phone. And then it dawned on me. "God, it's that wife you gave me. She did this. She put my phone somewhere."
So then I heard her in the kitchen. Y'all, put my shoulders back, you know what I'm saying? I gotta bounce in my walk. I walked up to her, I looked her straight in her eyes, and I said, "Where's my phone at?" And I asked her where was my phone. I said, "Have you seen my phone?" And she said, "Not until right now." I'm like, "What do you mean?" She said, "Not right now." I said, "What are you talking about?" She said, "Look in your right hand." I looked down. Ah, that was my phone. My phone was right there in my hand. I searched the bathroom, I searched upstairs, I searched downstairs, I searched all over, and I could not see my phone. And it was in my hand the whole time.
And the reason it was in my hand the whole time is it was hidden in plain sight. I didn't think to look right down in my hand. And so many times, God has blessings for you in plain sight, but you miss them because you're not looking right in front of you. God says, "I have a blessing right in front of you. I have people right in front of you." Some of you guys are single, like, "I need a husband." God said, "I got a spouse right in front of you." And you can't see them because he needs a haircut. We gonna cut his hair. You get a haircut. What happened to you? We gonna get him a haircut. But hidden and plain sight.
And the funny thing is, if you read the Bible, every general that God ever called up was hidden in plain sight. Joseph was hidden in plain sight. David was hidden in plain sight. Everyone that God would use, even Jesus, was hidden in plain sight. And I just got a question for God, and hopefully we can find answers today. Is God, why do you hide your generals in plain sight? Why do you hide your people in plain sight? Why do you hide the anointing in plain sight? What is the significance of hiding the anointing in your people in plain sight?
So today, we're going to figure that out. And today, we're going to be talking about a leader in the Bible. His name is David, and he was hidden in plain sight. And today, I don't want you to so much learn about David. I want you to learn about David's God. And the reason why I want you to learn about David's God is because David's God is your God. David's God is your God. And I want you to see how He handles destiny, how He handles purpose, how He handles your assignment, how He handles the anointing. And perhaps why, why you're in a waiting season.
If you have your Bibles, go to First Samuel chapter 16. You guys ready for the word today? First Samuel chapter 16. When you guys are there, say, "Ready." Y'all ain't there yet. Looking at the screen. Ain't even up there yet. Are they ready now? First Samuel chapter 16. I give you guys one more second. Okay. I was just really getting the drink. I didn't care about y'all. I'm playing, guys. First Samuel chapter 16. We're gonna start at verse one.
It says, "Now the Lord said to Samuel, 'How long will you mourn for Saul?'" Now, Saul was the present king at that point, and he had just got fired by God. You can be fired by God, and He can remove His anointing. So Samuel, because he thought he was a hot shot and he didn't have to obey God, he was the king that God fired. And Samuel mourned for Saul because he loved Saul. Saul was the children of Israel's first king. And they said, "Um, how long will you mourn Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel?"
Then God said, "Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided Myself a king among his sons." Now, why did God say this? It's because the people chose the last king, and God gave the people what they wanted because sometimes when you choose things, God will let you have it just so you can see you don't need it. You actually need His will. But God said, "We traded your way, and it fell. This time, I'm gonna appoint Myself a king."
And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." In other words, if Saul hears that he's getting fired and I'm orchestrating this, he will kill me. But the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you." My mama used to call girls this. I don't know why, Mom, if you're watching, why you become a girl's hair first. Um, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.'" God is so cool because God didn't say lie. He just said, you know what I'm saying? Just, just find another way creatively. God is awesome.
"Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. You shall anoint for Me the one I name to you." So Samuel did what the Lord said and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, "Do you come peaceably?" In other words, they're like, "Samuel the prophet coming. Do you come in peace?" Because you know prophets, when they come, they, they come with that, that judgment. It's like, "Lord, please, like, are we good here?"
Verse 5: "And he said, 'Peacefully. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.' Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice."
Verse 6: "So it was when they came that he looked at Eliab." So this is Samuel looking at Eliab, and he said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before him." So when he saw Eliab, he was like, "That's the Lord's anointed." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him." Oh, I don't ever want God to say that about me. "For the Lord does not see as man sees, for the Lord does not see his man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
So Jesse brought Abinadab, which simply means he's been a dab. You know what I'm saying? God damn in the presence of God. And made him pass before Samuel, and he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by, and he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." So he's he's parading his sons before the prophet, and the Lord's like, "Nah, we good."
Verse 10: "Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, 'The Lord has not chosen these.'" And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes here." So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, which means he was red, probably from being outside in the sun, with bright eyes and good-looking. Somebody said, "Send me a husband like that."
And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is the one." Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day. Uh, came powerfully upon David that day. So the Spirit of the Lord showed up in his life in a powerful way from that day. That's a lot of scripture. Let's put on some chapstick and dive into it. Okay, I'm done with the jokes. I'm ready to preach the gospel now.
Um, so we have this body of scripture, and we have this King Saul. We didn't get to read about him, but he's where the story starts. We have this King Saul. He kept disobeying God. He wouldn't listen to God. He wouldn't do what God asked him to do. So God said, "I'm firing you, and I'm removing the anointing off of your life. I'm taking your oil back, and I'm going to place the oil on another." Because the people chose you, and though I already knew you would fail, I allowed my people to choose because I'm a good God, and I give them free will. But now I'm choosing a king.
This broke the prophet Samuel's heart, and he was mourning Saul. You were like, "Why, why, why?" He was mourning Saul. But the problem is, he was mourning what God had rejected. He was mourning what God has rejected. I got a question for you: Are you mourning what God has rejected? Are you mourning a relationship that God has rejected? Are you mourning friends that God has rejected? Are you mourning a job that God has rejected? Are you mourning an opportunity that God has rejected?
And so many times in our life, we mourn things that God has dismissed and God has rejected. And God tells us, like He tells Samuel, He says, "Samuel, go fill your horn with oil." In other words, "I fire him, but I got new people to hire. Go fill your horn. Get back in destiny. Get back on the saddle. Get back in the game. We got a new plan and a new king to make."
So at that point, Samuel went to Bethlehem, and he went to Jesse because God said one of Jesse's sons will be king. So he told Jesse, "Hey, can you bring your sons to the sacrifice? I need to anoint one of your sons." Now, there's no say it in the Bible, but this is just my imagination. I believe Jesse went back to his house to his sons. He said, "Yeah, yeah, one of y'all gonna be king." I feel like he was in this, this, this voice like, "You're gonna be a mighty king." So enemies be wow, like, "I don't know." But I feel like he was like, "We about to get paid. One of my sons is about to be king. I can't wait to be king." Like, "One of my sons is about to be king." And I feel like he was excited. He was fired up because one of his sons will be king. So he took his seven sons to the sacrifice.
And then the Bible said, "When Samuel came to Bethlehem, the people trembled." You want to, you want to know why the people trembled? It's because whenever Samuel prophesied, not one word fell to the ground. When Samuel prophesied, not one word ever returned void. So at the thought of him coming, they trembled because if he said judgment was coming, judgment was coming. So they trembled because Samuel was a real prophet. He wasn't like one of those fake TV prophets, you know, those fake prophets that be on TV late at night? "I got a blessing for you right now. I got a blessing for you right now. I'm gonna tell you what God gonna do in your life. Let me tell you what God's gonna do in your life. Wait, God said, give me $77. God said, give me $77. And if you give me $77, you release that." Rodney got really some miracle. Like, does it have to be $77? Seven is the number of completion. That's double completion. And if you don't get $77, you will live. I can play. Oh, your life. You're like, "Oh my God, here's $77." He wasn't one of those creepy ones. He was a real prophet of God, and he spoke the word of God, and he did the will of God, and they trembled at his coming. He was the true man of God.
But guess what? Even true men of God could get lost in the sauce. Because when he saw Eliab, that was Jesse's firstborn. That was Jesse's big dog. That was Jesse's double proportion boy because he was the firstborn. And when the prophet saw him, he was like, "Surely that's the God's, that's the Lord's anointed. Surely he's the one I'm to anoint." Why? Because he looked like Saul. He was tall, he was big, he was handsome, and he looked like what was familiar to Samuel.
And then God says, "I know you're a powerful prophet, but I got a lesson for you. God don't look at the outside. God looks at the inside. God looks at the heart. God don't see how man sees. God sees different. Because man looks at the external, God looks at the internal. God don't just look to him, man. God looks through him, man, and see if his heart is in him. And if God don't see his heart in a man, that ain't God's selection."
So God had to teach the prophet the lesson. Prophet, don't get lost in the sauce. You can't see things physically. You have to see them spiritually. And there's a lot of people that rejected you because you didn't look like the right thing on the outside. You didn't come from the right family. You didn't come from the right college. You didn't come from the right pedigree. You didn't have the right outfit and the right clothes. But I'm telling you something right now, heaven's not looking at your outside. Heaven's looking at your inside. Says, "I don't judge, but I look at the internal things." In other words, God looks to see if His heart is in the man.
So at this point, you have Samuel here, and Eliab passes by, and God was like, "No." And he was like, "Okay, well, we're gonna bring Abinadab." And Abinadab. And they brought Abinadab, and God was like, "Nah." Then they brought Shammah. God was like, "Nah." Then they brought the next one. God was like, "Nah." And then they brought the next one. God said, "Keep on going." And they ran through all the sons. And I could just imagine the anointing oil in Samuel's horn, like, "Back up. Burning him. That ain't him. That ain't him." Because the oil knows who to sit on. The oil knows who to sit on. And the oil will not sit on the imposter.
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[Applause]
And then at this point, Samuel went to Jesse and he said, "Jesse, God said no to all seven of your sons. But God said one of your sons will be anointed. Is there any more boys?" And then Jesse said something so crazy. He said, "Yes, there's the youngest." In other words, "There's David." And the same as like, "Well, I'll count seven. You're saying there's eight?" And then Jesse said, "He's over there." Which means he was in eyesight. "He's over there tending to the sheep and the pasture."
And this is so crazy because God said, "I will anoint one of your sons." And he brought all of them except for one. And for David, this is where rejection started in his life because he wasn't even considered. He wasn't even brought to the ordination. He wasn't even brought to the anointing service. He wasn't even brought to the sacrifice. He was left in the field working because his dad said, "Surely God won't choose him." In other words, "I brought all the sons I would choose."
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"I brought all the sons I see worthy of being king." But then when Samuel heard about another son, he said, "Hey, go send and bring him here." And then he said, "We won't sit down until he gets here." In other words, "I want you to know, maybe you've been looked over. Maybe you've been in the field. Maybe you weren't invited to the table. Maybe you didn't have the opportunity. But the Spirit of God said, 'They can't sit down until you come. The meeting can't proceed until you come. The next king can't proceed until you come.'" God says, "I'm pausing everything until you show up." Why? Because it was a prophetic gesture. He was saying, "We can't sit down until the king is here."
And there are some people that's looking over you and passing over you, and God will not let them sit until you're present. There's things that need to be done in this church, and God won't release me to do it. He said, "Because I got some Davids I'm sending, and you can't sit until they're present."
[Music]
And so many of you guys are fighting and trying to force yourself to a table that God's holding for you. And the problem with most people is, you've got to understand something. Jesse saw David. He said, "He's right there." Which means if Jesse saw David, David saw Jesse. He saw it happening, and he didn't like it. I would have been like, "Hold on, just what's going on? I'm gonna put these sheep up. Let me get. I'm going too." But David was like, "No, I'm gonna. I'm gonna work my post. I'm gonna hold my position. I'm gonna serve my sheep. If I wasn't invited, I didn't need to be there."
And the core thing is, when his dad didn't hold a seat for him, God did. There's people that's probably not holding a seat for you, but I got news for you, church. God is holding your seat. God is holding your position. And God says, "Not only do I have a seat for you, but I have honor for you. They can't sit down until you show up."
Now, now, now, if David would have got offended and left his post, he wouldn't have been in place when the prophet sent for him. See, some of you guys aren't getting the blessing of God because you got offended and you got out of position, and you wasn't positioned when God sent for you.
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In the place, and you left because you got hard. And God said, "When I sent the oil for you, you was missing."
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Because you don't have to make it happen. God said, "I, the Lord, will make it happen." David never had to leave the pasture to get his oil. He never left the pasture. And Samuel said, "Send for him." Now, you gotta understand something. At this point, David was keeping the sheep, and this is where rejection was founded in the heart of David. This is where rejection was founded because he did not get invited by his dad. He did not get a seat at the table. He wasn't accepted. He wasn't considered. And rejection, right here, began for David.
And then David came, and then the prophet anointed David right in the midst of his brothers, right in the midst of his father, right in the midst of his haters. He was anointed, but yet he was rejected by his family. He was rejected. I got a question for you, ready in church? Have you ever been rejected? Have you ever been overlooked? Undervalued? Forgot about? That your family chose your sibling over you? That your co-workers chose that other worker over you? Did your church choose that other, other person over you? Have you ever been overlooked and over rejected?
Well, I got news for you. You're in good company. Because everyone God has ever used was overlooked, marginalized, and rejected. They were rejected. But I got news for you: man's rejection is God's protection. Man's rejection is God's protection. And God says, "You may have felt rejected, but you was really protected because I was protecting you from motives. I was protecting you from agendas. I was protecting you from abuse. I was protecting you from being misused." Why? Because I know I had a plan for you, and they couldn't take you where I was taking you. So when they rejected you, it was actually me behind the scenes protecting you. I did not let them lay hands on you because hands contain fingerprints, and fingerprints contain identity. I didn't want them to put their identity on you because I didn't want their image on you, but like them acting like them. I wanted you sanctified and set apart for such a time as this.
And the reason why I didn't let them pick the idea on you is because I'm gonna send you back to redeem them. And you can't redeem who you reflect. You can't redeem who you reflect. And God says, "I'm not gonna let you reflect them because you're gonna redeem them." Man's rejection was God's protection.
[Applause]
In other words, if you're saying, "I was rejected at that job." No, God was protecting you. If you're saying, "I was rejected in that relationship." No, God was protecting you. If your child was rejected by my family. No, God was protecting you. If you say, "I was rejected by my old church." No, God was protecting you. Because man's rejection is God's protection. Translation: Let me break it down this way. God was saying, "I allowed them to reject you because they was going to neglect you. So I had to protect you, reposition, and redirect you. Because when I connect you, they were embrace and accept you." Oh my God, let me say it again for those in the back. God said, "I allowed them to reject you because they was going to neglect you. So I had to protect you." And the reason why I had to protect you is because I had to reposition you and put you in the place where you would be accepted and loved and embraced by the people that you're assigned to. Man's rejection is God's protection.
God said, "I was protecting you when they said, 'You're not qualified.' I was protecting you when they said, 'You shouldn't have applied.' I was protecting you when they said, 'Access denied.' I was protecting you when they betrayed you in life because for you that use that no man can stop, no devil can stop, no demon can stop. Man's rejection is God's protection."
When you've been rejected by people, when they didn't accept you, when they didn't give you the positions, you got mad at them. And you need to apologize to some people. They can't see you because God blinded you to them. God put a veil on their face so they couldn't see you because they would have messed up the anointing. They would have disqualified you for your oil. So God said, "They didn't reject you. I blinded them to you because I was protecting you." So we can say it another way: Man's rejection is usually God's selection. God said, "They rejected you because I was actually selecting you." And when I selected, and when I select you, they don't have to agree with it, nor do they have to like it, because I'm the God that can take a nobody and turn them into somebody right in the middle of everybody. And I ain't got to ask nobody because I'm not limited to a body. Rewind. God said, "That I can take a nobody and turn them into somebody right in the middle of everybody. And I ain't got to ask nobody because I ain't limited my body." Oh, come on somebody! If you say that God has selected you and called you to great exploits, come on, give them a crazy, ten-second praise break!
God said, "They rejected you because I was selecting you. I was selecting you." And God said that He allowed them to reject you, and He blinded them to you. And let me tell you why He blinded them to you. I'm going to tell you why. You were seeing the Bible that the people that were called to do something great, they would actually be positioned around those they would run with. And the problem, David, is if they knew you would be king, they would have celebrated you. And I didn't want them to celebrate you because you would have got so lost in a celebration, you would have embraced them. So I wanted to send you in there and hide you in plain sight. So when you got at the table, they didn't see you, but you saw them. So when I poured out my oil, you would know who to align with.
[Applause]
See, God allowed David to go to the palace with Saul to pray for him so he could see Saul's true character when Saul didn't know who he was. Why? Because God says, "I need to expose what's around you so when I promote you, you don't lock arms with the wrong people." That's it. Because nothing exposes a lack of character like the way you treat people you think you don't need. I've been to pastor conferences, and they didn't even speak to me. And they didn't speak to me because God hid me. And then all of a sudden, God blessed me. All of a sudden, we knew God was gonna do it. No, you didn't. Because you didn't speak to me. You didn't talk to me. You didn't even like me. So God says, "I allow you to be in obscurity so you can see your environment. So when I promote you, you can see what not to be and who not to connect to." Or I'm preaching this morning. Man's rejection is God's. Man's rejection is God's.
If you have your Bible, go to Isaiah chapter 49. You guys enjoying this so far?
[Applause]
Isaiah chapter 49. I love it. Isaiah 49. Thank you. Isaiah 49. I'm about to lose 20 pounds if I'm gonna be preaching like this. My God. Isaiah 49. And verse 2 says, "He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. In the shadows of His hand He hid me. He made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in His quiver. He said to me, 'You are My servant Israel, in whom I will display My splendor.'" Okay, we're gonna break this thing down, y'all.
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So this is a really, really body of scripture, and this is why the scripture is so weird. It said, "He sharpened my mouth like a sword." What does it mean to have your mouth sharpened like a sword? The Bible talks about the word of God being a sharpened, two-edged sword. To have your mouth sharpened like a sword means to have the word of God on your tongue. Isaiah had the word of God on his tongue. He prophesied about the Messiah and the Christ that would come. He had a sharp tongue. Containing the word of God, the promises of God, and the prophecies of God. He had a sharp tongue. When he spoke, truth came to pass. When he spoke, revelation was unearthed. "He sharpened my tongue like a sharp sword." But then he hid me. Why would you sharpen me only to hide me?
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Why would you sharpen me only to hide me? Isn't it frustrating? Some of you guys are sharp. We got some worship leaders up here. You are sharp, but God is hiding you. We got some preachers. You are sharp, but God is hiding you. We got some business people. You are sharp, but God is hiding you. We got some prophetic people. You are sharp, but God is hiding you. Why would God sharpen you and then hide you?
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Well, it's the same thing He did to David. He anointed David and then sent him back to the sheepfold. I thought when I got anointed, I would get a palace. I God thought when I got anointed, I get a pay raise. I thought when I got anointed, I get a better horse. I thought when I got anointed, I would get a better life. And now you have anointed me only to send me back to be abused. I thought when you sharpened my mouth like a sharp sword, you would give me opportunity. You would give me placement. You would give me influence. You would make space for me and make room for me. But yet, you sharpened my tongue and hid me. In other words, just because you're sharpened doesn't mean you're ready to be revealed.
And the reason why God hides you is so He can train you and develop you and refine you. See, God said, "I had to hide you because I had to make sure you became the real Him." And sometimes, in order for you to become the real you, I gotta hide you. Because if I would have sent you to the palace, you would have been politicking. I didn't want you politicking in the palace. I wanted you serving. Because Jesus said, "The greatest shall be like a servant." In other words, if you're called to be a king, then you're called to clean sheep. If you're called to be a king, then you're called to serve sheep. If you're called to be a king, then you're called to lead sheep.
And what Jesse didn't know is what he meant for evil, God meant for good. Because when David got sent back to the sheepfold, he was actually learning how to shepherd.
[Applause]
See, "I'm the child that you said can be king, so you punished me to the pastor. But you didn't know when you sent me to the pastor, you was turning me into a pastor. You didn't know when you sent me to the sheepfold, you were teaching me how to lead. You didn't know when you sent me to the sheepfold, you was giving me the heart of a king. You didn't know you were teaching me how to fight. You didn't know you were teaching me how to pray. You didn't know you were teaching me how to worship." I killed a lion. I killed a bear. Who is this giant? Where you sent me for punishment was actually a place of promotion.
[Applause]
So though you're sharpened and anointed, you still have to be hidden because you don't only need the skills of the king, you need the heart of the king. God says, "Yeah, you're anointed, but do you got the heart? Yeah, you're anointed, but then you got the heart. Do you actually love people? Do you care about your neighbors? Do you care about your co-workers?" Because you can speak in more times than you are, but if you have love, you have nothing. You don't have love, you don't have anything.
So God said, "Though I sharpened you, I needed to hide you." Because David, and David said this in the Bible, he said, "I shepherded the people of God with the integrity of my heart and the skillfulness of my hand." See, you can have a sharp hand and a bad heart, and God's gonna hide you. Because if He promotes you and your character stinks, you're going to corrode. And you see it all through the body of Christ. You guys got, you see people with anointings that their last can't carry. You've seen people with mantles that's breaking their back. You'll see people with crowns that's breaking their neck because they was promoted and exposed before they was transformed and discipled. I'm preaching good.
So He sharpened them. He sharpened them. Didn't hide them. Then the Bible says, "He polished me." Then concealed me. See, it's easy to be hit because when God hides you, it means you're underdeveloped. But it's hard to be concealed because when you're concealed, you're actually ready, but God's not releasing you yet. So in other words, He polished the arrow. It's polished. It will sharpen nice. Polish. And instead of hiding it now, He concealed it in His quiver. He put it in His quiver. And it's manner because the arrow is polished, it's sharp, it's ready for war, but it's placed in the quiver.
And some of you guys have been sharpened, but not only have you been sharpened, you've been polished by God. You've been doing this a long time. You've been serving a long time. You've been working business for a long time. You've been reaching people for a long time. God has polished you, but now He's concealing you. And being concealed is frustrating because while you're in the concealment, you are frustrated because you want to be released. Because the arrow wasn't made to be sitting. An arrow was made to be soaring. But the arrow came to soar until the warrior pulls it and releases it.
And so many of you guys are sitting stagnant when you're ready to soar. So many of you guys is ready to go to the next level, but God has set you down. So many of you guys is ready to be released into the things of God, and God is seating you. And you're frustrated. But God says, "When I conceal you, don't get angry because I will reveal you at the right time, at the right place, to the right people, for the right things." God said, "Because if I deploy you before I develop you, it'll destroy you. If I deploy you before I develop you, it will destroy you." And some of you guys haven't been released because if you was released, you would be destroyed. You'll be destroyed.
So what does God do? God hides you in this quiver. He hides you in His quiver. There's nothing more frustrating for an arrow. It's hidden in a quiver. "Why would you hide me in a quiver? Why would you hate me? Why would you conceal me in a quiver? I am sharp. I am polished. I am ready." But you're hiding me. You're concealing me in this quiver. It's frustrating. I know what it's like. Man, since 2015, I've been excited and ready to do things for God, and I've been concealed in a quiver. You can sit in the quiver and, oh my God, why am I concealed in this quiver? Why am I struggling so much? Why is it so hard? Why am I being crushed? Why am I under fire? Why do I feel like I'm underwater?
And God is saying, "Son, it's because your oil truly ain't cheap. You're going to go through crushing. You're going to go through breaking. You're going to go through fire. You're going to go through pain. You will be betrayed. People you will love will leave you." Why? Because you're hidden in the quiver. And many of you guys are hidden in a quiver where what you're doing feels obsolete, and you feel like you're not making a difference, and you feel like you're not taking no ground. And you've been working this business for years, and you still can't pay the bills, and everything is hard. And you've been serving, and no one sees you, and there's no promotion, and nothing's changing. And you're frustrated because you feel like you're anointed and placed in a quiver.
Imagine David. The hardest thing about being placed in a quiver is you have to go around people, and no one knows who you are, but you do. Imagine David going about to the warriors, knowing he would be future king. He's like, "Hey guys, never mind. Hey, I got like this for. Never mind." Because I know who I am, but no one else does. And I'm in this quiver season, and it's dark, and it's lonely, and it's frustrating. But I got news for you, church. God does His best work in the night. God does His best work in the dark. God does His best work in obscurity. Because God says, "I use obscurity to release you into maturity." You cannot get maturity without obscurity. Everyone has ever been great had to go through seasons of obscurity.
And obscurity is a dark, dark day. When a woman is pregnant, there's a baby in her womb. There's a baby hidden in her womb. Obscurity. When a seed is planted, it's buried under the ground in a dark place. Obscurity. When the, when, when an athlete is great in public, it's because he was obscure in private. When no one else could see, he was practicing. When no one else could see, he was running around. When no one else could see, he was hitting baseballs. Why? Because God develops you in obscurity. You're not, you're not in private gymnasiums or the old school pictures before everything got super techy. You had to take those pictures into a dark room, and if light hit them too early, it would expose it too soon and ruin the picture.
And there's a lot of people in the kingdom of God that is ruined because they was exposed too soon. And anything that's released too soon has a minuscule chance of survival. If a woman has a baby prematurely, the odds of that baby surviving is slim. If a tree is poured out the ground too early, the chances of that tree surviving is slim. Why? Because God says, "I use obscurity for maturity." And if you remove out of the place of obscurity too soon, you will leave immature.
So God said, "I hid you in my quiver." In other words, He hid you in plain sight. In plain sight, you were hidden. There's people you're around, they can't see you. They don't know what you carry. They don't know the anointing that God's put in your life. You have been hidden in plain sight. How many of you guys saw this on the stage? No one saw it. Now, you didn't see it because you didn't place it.
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You didn't see it because you didn't place it. But at the right time, in the right moment, for the right people, on the right day, I knew where to grab what I placed. And God says, "I know you feel like you're obscure. I know you feel like you're in the dark. I know you feel like no one sees you, and you're hidden in plain sight. But no, I see you. And no one else was supposed to see you because I was supposed to see you and release you in due time."
And all of a sudden, I come and I unconceal what God has concealed. And as I come and I unconceal it, I'll pull this arrow out. And this arrow is polished, it's sharpened, and it's been hidden. The whole message, eager to just get out of the quiver so it can get exposed easier, eager to get out the quiver so it can be displayed, eager to get out the quiver so it can be seen, eager to get out the quiver so I can fulfill its assignment. It was sharpened, it was polished, it was ready, and it was concealed until the time of its revealing.
And God says, "I will allow you to be in those circles and be in those places, but I'm going to place you in my quiver. They will not see you. I will hide you in plain sight." And then when I take you out, you will behold. You will be healthy. You will have integrity. And when the light's on you, it will expose good, not bad. Exposure can be a nightmare if you ain't right, but it can be a blessing if you are. And now this arrow that's been polished is now fulfilling its assignment. It's being used in the sermon. It was here the whole time, but it had to be hidden. And the reason why it had to be hidden is because there was an appointed time for it to be revealed. There was an appointed time for it to be released.
God has a time for you to be released. God has an appointed time. Appointed excitement. God has a way of releasing you at the right time, for the right people, in the right place. Come on, somebody, give them a shout of praise! Oh, so God hid you in His quiver. And don't feel lonely, and don't feel bad, because anyone that's ever done anything great was hidden in the quiver. Joseph was hidden in the prison. Moses was hidden in the desert. David was headed and hidden in a sheep pen. Jesus was hidden, hidden in Nazareth. Everyone that would ever be used was hidden in plain sight. They said, "What good can come of Nazareth?" God came of Nazareth. What good can come of Texarkana? Texarkana is our quiver. God is hiding us here in plain sight until it's time to reveal us to the world. Radiant Church, the world will know us.
You got to know something: you have not been sentenced to pain, you've been trusted with it. You haven't been sentenced to obscurity, you've been trusted with it. You haven't been sentenced to the darkness, you've been trusted with it. You wasn't sentenced to the sheep. David, you was trusted with them. Can God trust you? Can He trust you? Because if He can't trust you, why should He display you?
[Music]
If you have your Bibles, go to Habakkuk chapter 2. I won't be preaching too much longer. Can y'all give me 10 more minutes and come with y'all? We're gonna land this plane. Somebody said, "30 more minutes." I'm gonna do that, but thank you. Habakkuk chapter 2. I'll give you guys a second to get there. Habakkuk chapter 2. And verse 3 says, "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it will speak and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not tarry or it will not delay."
So it said, "The vision is for an appointed time." It's for an appointed time. What does that mean? Sorry, y'all. What does that mean? It says, "The vision is for an appointed time." In other words, there's an appointed time for the vision God has given you. But you don't get to decide the time. God decides the time. There's an appointed time for you to be released. There's a point in time for you to walk into destiny. There's an appointed time for you to reach your family. There's an appointed time for you to reach the city. There's an appointed time for you to start the business. It's an appointed time for you to start the ministry. There is an appointed time.
And God says that "in due time it will speak and it will not lie." In other words, truth will come to pass. Your vision will come to pass. Your purpose will come to pass. Why? If you got a post, you got a purpose. It will come to pass at the right time. And it says, "Though it tarries, though it takes a while, though you're hidden in the quiver, wait on it, because at the end it won't delay." I got news for you. Or God won't delay. He will be on time, right on time, in time. And if you lost time here, restore time. He won't delay the vision. Terry. Wait on it.
God says, "You have been appointed." There's an appointed time. Appointed comes from the word appointment. What does an appointment require? An appointment has three ingredients: an appointment has a date, an appointment has a place, and an appointment has a time. And if you get any one of them wrong, you missed the appointment. If you're in the wrong place, you missed the appointment. If you're at the wrong time, you missed the appointment. If you're at the wrong date, you missed the appointment. Why? Because an appointment is the right date, in the right place, at the right time, to the right people. God says, "I have a place for you. I have a people for you. I have a time for you. And I have a date for you. And it's appointed."
And the stage is set for you because what you're called to is bigger than you. And you're connected to other pieces. There's other facets and factors. In other words, Mr. Arrow, every arrow needs an archer. And though you're a polished arrow, God's your archer. And the arrow can do nothing of itself. It is only as effective as the archer. And God is your archer. And you cannot be an arrow without an archer. You're not trying to be released because if you're released without the archer, arrow, you're powerless. Oh, but if you ever just get in the hands of the archer, and He pulls you back and releases you, you can soar with power and might and be effective. Because your arrow in the hands of the archer, don't be a minister that's not in the hands of the Master. Because when you're in the hands of the Master, things change. When you call on the name of Jesus, things change. When you call Him healer, things change. When you call Him deliverer. When you're in the presence of God, things change. And you are the, and you are the clay, and He's the Potter. And you have to be in His hands. You're in the Master's hands. An arrow without an archer is pointless, but an arrow with an archer is powerful.
And what you gotta understand about your destiny, it doesn't just require you, it requires God. And the reason why people are frustrated when they get anointing, when I get anointed, is because there is a gap between the anointing and the appointing. And the gap between the anointing and the appointing is called assimilation. An assimilation is you being assimilated into being a worship leader, assimilated into being a pastor, assimilated into being a business person, assimilated into serving people, assimilated into intercessory prayer, assimilated into administrative work. You're being assimilated into children's development. You're being assimilated into youth ministry. You have to.
Be assimilated because you are anointed. You are not appointed yet. And when you're anointed and not appointed, it is frustrating. Because if you have the anointing without the appointing, that means that you have a promise with no palace. That means that you have a calling with no crown. That means you have an assignment with no authority.
And how do you handle that season? Because God is saying, "I have to seek. Can you handle assimilation before you get to appointing?" Because you feel like your gift, that you should be used. But can you even take correction? Can you take a rebuke? Can you submit to somebody? Can you listen to somebody? Are you arrogant? Do you take advice? Are you full of pride? Because if you are, you will not be appointed. You will not be appointed because God doesn't appoint nobody that the appointing is going to crush. Before you're appointed by God, you first must be assimilated. And you have to go through the process. And if you feel like you are missing your appointment, it's because you're missing your obedience. And when you don't obey God, you delay the appointment.
And that's why David was able to be king. Because he was always where God placed him. He was always where God placed him. He was always where God put him. My keyboard player can come up. Obscurity can feel like a curse. It can feel like a curse. But obscurity is a blessing. It's a blessing. And the reason why obscurity is a blessing, the dark plate is the dark place is a blessing, is because if God released you too early, your moral failure would disqualify you. And what God knows, God knows something that people aren't as forgiven, forgiven as he is. Yeah, see, you're saying God will forgive you, the people won't. You mismanage money, God will forgive you, people won't. You don't have integrity, God will forgive you, people won't. And God says, "I'm allowing you to fall on your face in a small room so you're not humiliated in the big one." That's why he didn't give you what you asked for. It would have destroyed you. Because a blessing before the time is a disaster.
My daughter wants my car right now. And one day I may give it to her. But if that day was today, she would run that thing into the church because she's not equipped and mature enough to handle what she's crying for. Could you be crying for something you can't handle? Could you be trying for a sword you can't yield? Could you be crying for power that will cause you to corrode and be exposed? Do you know how many people, there's preachers, they stand strong for God, and then they get a platform and influence and some money, and all of a sudden they can't preach the truth. And all of a sudden they can't pre-send. And all of a sudden they cave in. And all of a sudden they can't keep the faith and keep the gospel because they're punked by people. See, I'm out of place now where I work for God. Yeah, I don't care. Yeah, yeah, I want everyone happy. After God's happy. But if I got to choose between you and God, I'm choosing God. Because when I'm in the fire, you're not there. But God is there. When I'm drowning, you're not there. But God is there. When I'm broken, you're not there. But God is there. When I need a healing, you're not there. But God is there. If I got to choose between you and God, I'm going to choose God.
And the reason why Saul was fired is because when he came to choosing God, he always chose the people first. He always chose the people. And as a leader, you got to choose God. I'm gonna stand on this Bible. I'm gonna stand on this word. I'm gonna trust God. I'm gonna listen to God. I'm gonna follow the Holy Spirit. And if you trust God, God says, "Now your oil ain't cheap." Because your oil is the endorsement of the Holy Spirit on your life. It's the Holy Spirit that's leading you. The Holy Spirit that's guiding you. The Holy Spirit that's pioneering the path for you. And what's so crazy is you get the oil of God and you forget about the God of the oil. And you prostitute your oil to the highest bidder. God gives you a purpose and you prostitute it to the highest bidder. And God says, "This is why I have to conceal you before I display you because you're not big enough to carry your assignment." And we have big mantles and little men. So God says, "Yeah, I'm gonna keep you hidden under my hand. And I'm gonna keep you concealed until you are the king that I'm calling forth. And so you're the leader I'm calling for. Until you're the mom I'm calling for. Until you're the father I'm calling for. Until you're the woman of God I'm calling for. Then only then will I release you."
Church, I just want to encourage you as I get ready to close. That God has called you to do great things. He's put a call in your life. There's an assignment on your life. There's an anointing on your life. He pours oil on you. And I know sometimes it feels lonely. And I know sometimes you feel broken. And I know sometimes you feel forgotten. Like I said, he's hiding you in his quiver. And at an appointed time, he will reveal you and display. He will display you for his splendor and his glory. See, what you don't understand about this purpose is it's not about you being anointed. It's not about you being called. It's not about you being awesome. It's not about you being used. It's about the spirit of God being glorified through your gift. And God don't want to see you star strong. He wants to see you finish strong. And you got to understand something. There's a lot of people in positions that God didn't put there because the Bible says the callings and get things of God are irrevocable. You can actually put yourself on a pedestal. But the problem is, God doesn't find his leaders on pedestals. He finds them in pastors. So yeah, go and put yourself up there. Go ahead and exalt yourself. But what you will get is a cheaper version of what God would have done. Yeah, you got some influence. But God would have done so much more. Yeah, you help some people. But God would have done so much more. Yeah, you made a difference. But God would have done so much more. You got a chief imitation of what the spirit of God actually wanted to do because you couldn't stay in the quiver. You're an itching arrow that just had the sword before the time. And you have to go through obscurity because it's for maturity. And yeah, you see people, you're like, "Well, they're not mature looking." Guys going through them. But you're not filmed because there's the people's king and then there's God's king. And David was 15 when he got anointed. He was 30 when he got appointed. There was 15 years between the anointing and the appointing because there was 15 years where God said, "That's the development it's going to take for you to be mocking." I saw it in you at 15, but I didn't take you out the quiver till 30. Because it took 15 years for you to become my team.
Do you want to be God's person or people's person? Do you want to be God's woman or people's woman? Do you want to be God's man or people's man? Do you want to be God's preacher or people's preacher? You want to wait on God. And the reason why I want to share this message, right in church, you may not know who you are. You may not know who we are. But we are David church. We are David church because we've been a church that's been serving God in the field. We've been serving God in the valley. We've been serving God and obscurity. And you look around this room, you see all these people. But this didn't start with all these people. They started with a few people on their face crying before God, saying, "God, if you don't move, don't send me. God, if you don't move, I don't want to go. God, if you don't do a miracle, God, don't send me because I want to see your glory. I want to see your presence." This started with people giving God all they had.
I get messages from pastors, "Your church is awesome. It's diverse. It's multicultural. It's amazing. I want my church to be like that." Do you also want to, every time you save up for a house, that you also want to give the down payment to the church so I can stay alive? I want our church to grow faster. Do you want to stay up all night working on a church building on the church? There's people that gave all they have so this church can be here. When we got ready to start this church, we couldn't afford to start this church. And every person a part of that team, people had to donate computers. People had to give cell phones and laptops. We had to punch stuff so you can have this miracle for with God. So before you ask for my oil, you need to know my story. And my story ain't a story of glory. It's a story of obscurity. It's a story of brokenness. It's a story of loneliness. It's a story of pain. Because before God used you greatly, he first has to wound you deeply.
Though Nashville oil, if you don't know the context of that oil, it's when built on flash. This is built on fire. This ain't built on shiny likes. This is built on the Holy Spirit empowered. People plotted against us, talked against us, hated on us. And right in their face, God blessed us. Thank you, Radiant Church. Your oil, a seed. Your oil, hey, see, your oil ain't cheap. And the oil that sits on this house ain't cheap. And I believe as we bring people in this room, they will be impacted and transformed because the spirit of God says here, not because of me, not because I'm awesome, not because the worship team is awesome, not because the greeters, people are having better experiences than we are providing. Because it's the spirit of God that saves us. Soul. It's the spirit of God that changes lives. So before you ask for oil, you need to ask for context. And if you knew the context, you probably wouldn't want the oil.
Wow. I pray you was blessed by that message. I pray I spoke to you and encouraged you, challenged you, and stressed you. Share with your friends, family members, co-workers, share with everyone you know. And I pray their life will be impacted as well. If you would like to be a part of Radiant Ministry, a part of Radiant Global, or get more information about our church, text 903-201-0606. Take some more information. We will tell you all about our ministry. And also, if you would like to partner with Radiant financially, you can do that at radiantchurchstk.com and hit the give tab. It is your generosity that fuels our mission and it empowers us to be able to do ministry all around the world. Thank you so much for your generosity and have a blessed day.