Decisions: I Will be a Person of Action

John 13:17 (AMP) If you know these things, you are blessed [happy and favored by God] if you put them into practice [and faithfully do them]. 

Decision #1 — “I will take responsibility.”

Decision #2 — “I will seek wisdom.”

1 Samuel 16:1 (NLT) Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul.  I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem.  Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.”  

1 Samuel 16:10-13 (NKJV) Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel.  And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 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 till he comes here.” 12 So he sent and brought him in.  Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking.  And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” 13 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 forward.  

1 Samuel 17:1-11 (NLT) The Philistines now mustered their army for battle… 2 Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops… 3 So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them. 4 Then Goliath, a Philistine champion…came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel.  He was over nine feet tall! 8 Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites.  “Why are you all coming out to fight?”  “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul.  Choose one man to come down here and fight me! 9 If he kills me, then we will be your slaves.  But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! 10 I defy the armies of Israel today!  Send me a man who will fight me!” 11 When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken. 

1 Samuel 17:20-24 (NLT) He arrived at the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. 21 Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath…came out… Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. 24 As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. 

1 Samuel 17:26 (NLT) David asked the soldiers standing nearby… ”Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”

1 Samuel 17:31-37 (NLT) Then David’s question was reported to King Saul…the king sent for him. 32“Don’t worry about this Philistine, I’ll go fight him!” 33 “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.” 34 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, 35 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. 36 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! 37 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!”

1 Samuel 17:41-51 (NLT) Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?”  And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!”  Goliath yelled. 45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head.  And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear.  This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” 48 As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 49 Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead.  The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. 51 Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath.  David used it to kill him and cut off his head. 

• David had already proven through the bear and the lion that when he was faced with the choice of doing nothing or doing something — he would always choose to ACT!

• God is a god of action, therefore, the people who follow Him should be people of action too.

Matthew 7:21 (NLT) “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord!  Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”

Matthew 7:24 (ESV) “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man…”

Matthew 28:19 (ESV) Go therefore and make disciples…

Luke 11:9 (NLT) “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.  Keep on seeking, and you will find.  Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

Romans 12:6-8 (NIV) We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us [let us use them].  If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. 

Galatians 6:9 (NLT) So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

1 John 3:18 (NLT) Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

James 2:14-17 (NLT) What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?  Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well” — but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing.  What good does that do? 17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough.  Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.  

• We believe in a gospel of action.  

1 Peter 1:13 (AMP) So prepare your minds for action…

Decision #3 — “I will be a person of action.”

1.  In Jesus, we are more than we realize. 

2.  The Spirit of the Lord is on us.

3.  We can’t allow fear to paralyze us.

Paralyzed — “to bring into a condition of helpless inactivity, or to make ineffective or powerless.”

A.  Failing is a part of this life, but it doesn’t mean if you fail…you’re a failure. 

Proverbs 24:16 (NKJV) For a righteous man may fall [fail] seven times and rise again.  

B.  The best antidote for fear is to remember God is always with us. 

4.  We can’t wait for someone else to do it.

5.  We don’t always have to wait for God to speak. 

• Being a person of action is about walking through the door called — opportunity.