Touré Roberts - Divine Decision Making

This message is called Divine Decision Making, and it’s going to bless your life. Stay tuned; I’ll be right back after the message. If you weren’t here Wednesday night, I want to encourage you to watch the message on YouTube. It was titled «The Spiritual Sweet Spot.» We explored Solomon and the account in 1 Kings chapter 3, where God approaches Solomon at Gibeon and says to him, «Ask of me, and I will give it to you.» Solomon could have asked for anything—I mean anything! If we were presented with that proposition, some of us would have asked for a whole bunch of things too. But for some reason, Solomon felt moved to pause, take his time, and reflect, firstly, on the one making this request of him, secondly, on his own life, and thirdly, on the history of God. As he assessed all of this, he was not quick to answer. He went through this process— you must listen to that message! Ultimately, he did not ask for riches, honor, or the heads of his enemies. Instead, he said, «God, give me a wise and understanding heart so that I might live out my purpose and destiny.» Oh, it was incredible! As I began to contemplate that message on a deeper level than I did originally, I reflected on where Solomon was when God encountered him because, as we know, geography is everything. God is so brilliant, intelligent, and all-knowing that everything about what He does in your life—who is around, when He does it, and where He does it—all those things are significant. So, I thought about how Solomon was in his place at Gibeon. I wondered if there was something about Gibeon specifically—something about God engaging Solomon there—that somehow brought him into a spiritual alignment that allowed him to respond to God in a way that pleased Him, and ultimately, God blessed Solomon abundantly. He said, «God, give me wisdom and understanding,» and God first makes him the wisest ever, and then, because he didn’t ask for the other things, He grants him riches and honor. This was not just something to read over; it was a powerful moment where Solomon was perfectly aligned. I believe his geography helped him respond to God as he did and secure the destiny God had for him. So, I wanted to do some research on Gibeon. I found that it was actually a place we’ll look at in just a moment in Joshua chapter 9, where, in times past, the children of Israel made a big mistake. I want us to examine that as we embark on this brief but necessary message called Divine Decision-Making. I can tell you right now that God wants you to possess an excellent spirit. There’s a guy named Daniel in Scripture you need to study when you have the chance. One of the things said about Daniel was that he had an excellent spirit—he made right moves. I believe that as we embrace a lifestyle and a paradigm of truly seeking God and making the right moves, we will see our lives accelerate. We’ll witness the goodness of God manifesting in our lives in unprecedented ways. However, we must learn, and particularly if we can grasp this lesson early, how to make divine decisions—and not just decisions. There are good things, and then there are God things. So, let’s look at this account, examine the mistake, and glean from it. I’ll show you four necessities we must have for divine decision-making. We are going to pray, and we will be better when we leave here. Is that good? All right, here is the historical backdrop: The children of Israel are under the leadership of Joshua, a young leader full of God. The favor of God is on his life; the hand of God is on his life. He is leading the children of Israel to victory after victory, realizing everything that God had promised to their forefathers. At this time in the text, they have conquered a few cities, and I mean they’re kicking butt and taking names! They are aligned with God, fulfilling their purpose, and the promises are being realized. They are on their way; it is happening, it is rolling. Then this takes place: It says it came to pass when all the kings—these were the kings left over because they were conquering kings and kingdoms in the name of the Lord to obtain their inheritance. Now, these kings referenced here are the ones who remain and are afraid. Here it goes: «And it came to pass, when all the kings who were on this side of the Jordan, in the hills, in the lowland, and in all the coasts of the great sea toward Lebanon—the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite…»