Sister Tarpley: Going Beyond Your Pattern

“So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah.  But the Spirit of God came even upon him and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth.  He stripped off his robes and also prophesied in Samuel’s presence.  He lay that way all that day and night.  This is why people say, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?'” (1 Samuel 19:23-24).

By: Sister Tarpley, NDG Religion Editor 

Whenever God calls you into a new thing, you can expect to do things you’ve never done before.  Saul had just been anointed to be the first king of Israel.  He was being launched into a whole new calling.  He was hanging out with the spiritual leaders of the nation.

When he began to prophesy the prophets wondered if he, too, was a prophet.  He was not a prophet but God was doing a new thing through Saul – activating something in him that had been dormant until then.

When God calls you into a new endeavor you will find that God will anoint you in areas you considered your weakest traits.   God turns shepherds like Moses into leaders of nations.  He turns farmers like Gideon into reformers.

He turns impetuous and unstable personalities like Peter into leaders that can transform a culture and lead a movement.  Whenever God does a new thing in a life, those who knew them before notice the change.

Quiet people become bold.  Poor speakers learn to become great communicators.  Those who were never leaders before become the new leaders.  This is the way of God.

When God looks at an individual, He looks at their future, not their past.  He is always looking at the person He has created you to become, not the person you are now. 

When Samuel anointed the young shepherd boy, David, to be the next king of Israel, it would be years before this would happen.  However, God already knew who he was to become.           

How does God view your life?  What is the destiny He has chosen you to fulfill?

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds…” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

God, we know that there are evil influences in this world, causing spiritual battles for Christians.  Please strengthen our desire to spend time in Your Word, that we might hide it in our hearts and know it in our mind; fill us with wisdom and boldness through Your Holy Spirit that we might be spiritually wise and on guard, ready to resist temptations and break down the strongholds that would keep us from the life You have for us, in the name of Jesus.