Jimmy Evans - I Am David: 10 Lessons in Greatness from Israels Most Famous King

I DEDICATE THIS book to all the mighty men and women God has put in my life. I simply could not have made the journey or fought my lifes battles without these wise and brave people around me. They have held up my arms, encouraged me, counseled me, and given immeasurable support and blessings in both good times and bad.

The list would be too long to include everyonebut these are those fellow warriors closest to me whom the Lord has used to strengthen and bless me:

My precious wife, Karen, and our children and their spouses: Julie and Cory Albracht and Brenton and Stephanie Evans.

I am forever grateful for Robert Morris and the elders of Gateway Church; John Andersen, Jenny Morgan, and Craig Dunnagan and the rest of the Gateway Publishing team. You guys do such excellent work!

DO YOU WANT to be great? Most of us would answer Yes, yes, of course, I do. I also want you to be great, so I wrote this book. I believe a great God formed you in your mothers womb, and He never creates anyone to live in mediocrity or failure. Despite any problems in your past or obstacles in your present, I believe you can achieve Gods plan for greatness.

In these pages, I have laid down some stepping stones or lessons on the pathway to greatness. They arent my stones; I simply found them and want to show them to you. In this book, you are going to be reading about a truly great manKing David of Israel. As you will soon discover, his life was far from perfect, but that didnt keep him from greatness. Despite his challenges and failures, David made key decisions at strategic moments in his life that then paved the way for his success.

David started his journey as a young shepherd boy. In the darkness, he sat alone tending his fathers sheep. In the quiet of the night, he could hear the call of greatness in his heart. David was the youngest of eight boys. He stayed at home doing the thankless task of sheepherding while his older brothers were off achieving glory in battle, so his life may have seemed like anything but great. Still, he heard the genuine calling of God.

You may also feel as though you have been left alone at home, but in your heart, you know that you too have heard Gods calling to greatness. He carved it into your DNA. You may have even heard it at a young age. Somehow you know God has called you to do something significantto leave a mark on this world and make your life count for something. But if you are like most people, something happened along the way, and you feel hopelessly stuck.

Of course, all of us get distracted at times by obstacles such as money, fame, power, accomplishment, position, or beauty. The world measures greatness by those passing things. They dont actually define real greatness, though. When God set you into your mothers womb, He did it for something far greater than merely having the outward trappings that impress the world.

God created you to change peoples lives. He called you for an eternal purpose as you worship and serve Him. Even though the world may be blind to their presence, truly great people surround you every day. These are the ones who have surrendered to the purpose God created them to carry out.

These people, such as King David, have not sold out to the cheap substitute of greatness that the world offers. They refuse the fleeting praise of the crowds so they can hear the only voice that matters say, Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master (Matthew 25:23 ESV).

When I talk about truly great people who are largely overlooked by society, I am thinking of those who

• sacrifice to raise godly children in a corrupt culture

• defend the sanctity of life

• fight for traditional, biblical marriage as they also fight for the health their own

• reach out to the forgotten and vulnerable of society

• build the local church and humbly live the gospel before their friends, family, and neighbors

• take positions of leadership and influence in society and use those roles to advance the purposes of God regardless of the persecution they might endure

• use their wealth to advance Gods Kingdom purposes

• refuse to lower their moral or personal standards below those of Scripture regardless of what temptations they may face or what society says about them

From the second you were born, your enemy has been working full-time to steer you away from greatness. However, let me tell you, he will fail. The apostle John says, The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4 NIV). The One who created you for greatness is stronger than the one who schemes to destroy you. The One who loves you and holds your future in His hands is mightier than the one who hates you and tries to bind you to the failures of your past. If I didnt believe this, I dont think I could believe anything else.

I love the story of King David because he is very much like the rest of us. You think you have made a mess of your life? Then meet David. I am David, and so are you. He has both strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes he slew giants; other times he committed great sins. Even so, there was never a time when God forsook or rejected David. Even through his failures, David never walked away from God, which is what made him a man after Gods own heart and enabled him to fulfill Gods call of greatness on his life.