David’s Muses

just came back from a men’s conference in Edinburgh, Scotland! Visited a few places, had the privilege of listening to some great messages from Ray McCauley, who pastors Rhema Bible Church, the largest in South Africa (approx 45000).

Anyway, lessons learnt/got reminded (in no particular order):

1) Whatever God is asking me to do, only i can choose to stop it, the devil has none of that power

2) There are times when i go up to the mountain alone, and no one else is going with me; out of goodwill, people try to talk me out of some BHAG* that God has given to me – stand firm if it is from God! There is a reason why he made me and no one else see it

(BHAG*: big hairy audacious goal)

3) You’ll know a person by his fruit – not by what he says, not by what he looks like, not by anything else – just fruit.

4) And fruit takes time to bear before it can be seen

5) the moth’s struggle to get out of the cocoon – the struggling strengthens its wings – allowing it to fly. Challenges and trials are there to strengthen me, a lot of people want to take flight, but do not want the struggle to break out of the cocoon

6) There is a test (condition) to fulfilling certain God promises – i need to do something to get them

7) Delay doesn’t mean denial

It’s my job to discern God’s timing; not set/change it

9) It’s easy to trust God when it doesn’t concern me

10) If gifting takes you to a place where character cannot keep you, the gifting will destroy you

11) People saw a shepherd boy, God saw a king (David)

12) Paul’s training before ministry took 3 years.

13) Obscurity sets up an opportunity for God’s glory to be shown

14) Goliath made David famous. Many times we want God to lift us up but we do not want the Goliaths

15) David’s training to be a king took 20years of caring for sheep and killing lions and bears.

16) Getting a word isn’t such a big thing; it’s hanging onto that word that counts

17) I can be in the presence of God and still be hardened

18) Sometimes, when i’m in the right place in the will of God, he will stay silent. Silence isn’t always bad! I shouldn’t seek lightning and bushfires all the time

19) No weapon formed against me shall prosper; oh yeah, the weapon WILL be formed; but it shall NOT prosper.

Some pictures of the conference:

Ray McCauley:

Jan Eriksen, former pimp and drug lord turned preacher – powerful testimony

Of cos, no trip to Scotland would be complete without a bottle of single malt scotch whisky.

Cheers!