the season of hiddenness is where you feel overlooked where you feel like you have much to offer but not many opportunities to offer it it's a season of monotony it's progress without breakthrough seemingly it's a lull there's a pastor friend of mine who told me something that just stuck in my you ever have a friend of yours or Pastor that will say something to you and it just sticks in your head and there's this saying he gave to me he said gradually then suddenly this is how the Lord moves gradually then suddenly where things are
moving slow nothing really seems to be happening it looks like everything's just going to stay the same you're stuck in the rhythm of monotony and it's gradually gradually gradually maybe that's you right now there's a god-given dream he's placed in you there's a Divine Purpose you know he has on your life there are spiritual gifts he's put in you there's Ministry he's put in you there's Godly expression he's put in you and it seems like you're just overlooked there's no opportunity there's nothing that's really challenging you you're just going to this season of the same
old same old every single day but you're being faithful to where you are right now gradually then suddenly everyone wants the suddenly no one wants gradually everyone wants the trees no one wants to plant the seeds everyone wants the plants to grow no one wants to Stand in the Rain 1st Samuel 16 1-13 the Lord said to Samuel how long will you mourn for Saul since I've rejected him as king over Israel fill your horn horn with oil and be on your way I'm sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem I have chosen one of his
sons to be Kings so we understand the Lord rejects Saul and now the Lord is instructing Samuel to go and find Saul's replacement but Samuel said how can I go if Saul hears about it he will kill me the Lord said take a heer with you and say I've come to sacrifice to the Lord invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will show you what to do you are to anoint for me the one I indicate so not the one man man indicates not the one you think you should I'll show you who I want
to be king verse four Samuel did what the Lord said when he arrived at Bethlehem the Elders of the Town trembled when they met him they asked do you come in peace Samuel replied yes in peace I have come to sacrifice to the Lord consecrate yourselves and come to S come to the sacrifice with me then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice now watch this verse six when they arrived Samuel saw IL ab and thought surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord but the Lord said to Samuel
do not consider his appearance or his height for I have rejected him the Lord does not look at the things people look at people look at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart maybe some have overlooked you because of your appearance because of the way you talk because of the way you dress because of where you come from they've discounted you they've overlooked you they've snubbed you they've denied you access why because they're judging from the exterior but remember this man's rejection can never stop God's appointment it is not man who anoints
it is not man who chooses who gets what ministry that's the Lord now the Lord will there's an I want to balance this because I want to make sure that I'm not inciting Rebellion within churches remember that there's an order to God's church and there is a structure and there are leadership roles and there are processes by which we become approved in order to serve in leadership roles in Ministry but I'm talking just generally God having a call on your life God placing gifts within you God will bring those to come about even if people
should try to stop it against God's will now this doesn't mean that every time somebody is STO that someone's acting against God so let's balance that there's a process to go through there's of course leadership and church structure God ordained that that's not a man idea that's a god idea but on the other hand sometimes people try to fight God by preventing you from stepping into your calling or maybe even do it unintentionally they just Overlook you they don't think much about you and sometimes that can be hurtful because it can feel like nothing's ever
going to come to fruition in terms of your calling it can feel like you're constantly being overlooked you're constantly being denied opportunities but so long as you keep your heart right so long as you tend to what God has given to you to do in this season so long as you keep your focus on Jesus God is ultimately the one who appoints and anoints even mantel like think about the idea of mantel it's not man who gives a mantle and decides I'm going to put my mantle on you or you it's the Lord who speaks
that causes that mantle to flow in fact it's possible for a man to say I want this one to have my mantle and God says you can say that you can pray that you can lay hands do whatever you want But ultimately I'm giving the mantle to this one over here God is the one who decides that so the mantle does not come from man it comes through man this is why by the way think about the mantle the appointment that came on David through Saul Now I want to talk about some deep things of
the spirit little bit of a tangent but it's important for you to know think about how sometimes we get so paranoid in the church would you know who their spiritual father was look at the mantle that came from them they have to now deny everything that God has done in their life because one man sin no no no my friend first of all the Holy Spirit protects second of all God uses Hypocrites now he'll judge them they will pay the price for their sins there are consequences but God can use anyone I mean look at
Matthew chapter 7 did we not prophesy on your name did we not cast out devils in your name did we do many mighty Works he says yeah but I never knew you so he used him even if he didn't know him and so we may say things like well you know their spiritual fathers there's this person so surely they they need to you know they need to get delivered and all the no my friend the mantle does not come from man it comes through man and so you may feel like you're overlooked But ultimately God
is going to be the one who appoints you verse 8 then Jesse called abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel but Samuel said the Lord has not chosen this one either Jesse then had sha passed by but Samuel said nor has the Lord chosen this one Jesse had of his sons passed before Samuel but Samuel said to him the Lord has not chosen these so Jesse watch this now is positioning the sons that he favors he's saying this is the son I prefer to be anointed and I'm certain that he presented them in
the order of his favor why because he had a preference how about this one not that one okay well the next one I think it should be is this one how about this one no not that one so he presents them one after another man is presenting but God is rejecting man is positioning but God is denying Jesse had seven of his sons passed before Samuel but Samuel said to him the Lord has not chosen these so he asked Jesse now watch this he begins to seek out he asked Jesse are these all the sons
you have there is still the youngest Jesse answered and he probably was cringing because he likely did not think that David was the guy yeah that there's you can hear the tone here yeah there's still the youngest but he's he's tending the Sheep he's out there he's with the animals Samuel said send for him we will not sit down until he arrives so he sent for him and had him brought in he was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features then the Lord said rise and anoint him this is the one
so Samuel took the Horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers and from that day on the spirit of the Lord Came powerfully Upon David now watch this Jesse is placing his sons in front of the Prophet God is saying no then the Prophet by instruction of the Lord seeks out whom God would anoint so even though man wouldn't present him even though man had rejected him even though man did not prefer him God sought him out and this is what the Lord is doing with those of you who are so
to speak in the spirit tending the Sheep what does it mean to tend the sheep in the spirit it means you're doing what you're supposed to be doing you know when I first began in Ministry I didn't start as an evangelist I started as a media guy I was the the song flipper as we call them some of you don't know what that is but to summarize I was the one who made sure that the lyrics on the screen were the correct lyrics to Be Sung during the worship songs and this was before we used
computers to do that then of course eventually I used like the PowerPoint presenter and I would help with the sound I would help with the microphones I would help to set up and tear down and this is what I did for a while because that's where I started I tell people all the time I didn't begin in Ministry in the Pulpit it began with the projector it began in The Sound Room it began with serving where I could and I served with my whole heart Lord this is what I want to do for your glory
Lord this is what I want to do unto you it was my worship unto him and then God called me in that season where I was serving well think about it when God called David he was tending to the Sheep when God called some of the disciples they were fishing when God called Elisha he was tending to the field think about that Elijah goes to seek out Elisha and he's tending to the field he's plowing the field and this is something that we forget as Believers when God looks to anoint someone for Ministry for purpose
for use he looks for someone who is busy he looks for someone who is serving he looks for someone who is faithful to tending the Sheep just because you're tending the Sheep now doesn't mean God doesn't have an appointment for you later just because you're doing the menial and the mediocre now doesn't mean that one day you won't step into a great calling and this doesn't necessarily mean that everyone's going to be a preacher or that everyone's going to be a social media sensation or that everyone's going to be ultra wealthy or that everyone's going
to you speak to uh you know world leaders that's not what I'm saying at all I'm saying that you will fulfill the Divine Purpose that God has placed over your life even if you feel overlooked even if you feel underappreciated even if you feel like you're not accomplishing anything God sees where you are in the season of hiddenness
