A MAN AFTER GOD'S HEART
Acts 13:22
And when he had removed him, he raised up
unto them David to be King, to whom also he gave testimony and
said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart,
which shall fulfil all my will.
God calling David a man after his heart is a public declaration that must
have been a result of entrustment. This does not happen to everybody, and we can say David did something to earn this. I am sure God did not just wake up one day to do this; David earned it through his affections towards God.
David did what made him win God’s heart. God’s greatest desire is to raise men whose hearts are after His own heart. Men who are aligned with his will and ready to fulfil it all.
Their actions, decisions, lifestyle, affections, and priorities reveal that God truly has their heart.
In the scripture where we read, David was called a man after God’s heart, not because of his position as a King, or because of his status. God identified and saw something in Him beyond just status. “He will fulfil all my will.” This is the phrase I would like us to dwell on in today’s message.
My question is, as a man whose will are you fulfilling? As a woman,
youth, boy or girl?
Everybody is being driven by a will. To fulfil God’s will, you must firstly know his will, what He wants from you and for your life.
WHAT IS GOD'S WILL FOR MY LIFE
1. God wants you to love him genuinely. David was known by the
level of his love for God. Ps 18:1 – I will love you, oh Lord, with my
strength. Matthew 22:37 - "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind."
A man after God's heart is first and foremost a man whose heart
belongs completely and genuinely to God. This was the attribute that set David apart in His journey with God. He doesn’t compromise his love for God and always displays it.
He wasn’t perfect, yet he loved God. Whenever he makes a mistake,
He realized it, apologised, and never returned to that mistake again.
Nothing should be too big, great in importance to you, that should steal
your heart away from God. Not your family, your career/Job, not your education should be given attention at the expense of God
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LOVE GOD
A. You will love His presence: Ps 24:7 – One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after,
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. (Everyone usually loves to be around their lover. How can you be avoiding the presence of your lover? When you love God, you will not struggle so much to be in His presence.
B. By loving God, you will obey His commandments: John 14:15 – “If
" You love me, keep my commandments.” Obedience to God and divine instruction is proof of your love for God. Every man who obeys God blindly in the bible becomes so great and meaningful.
Abraham loves God, and he obeyed him by attempting to sacrifice
Isaac and God blessed him
Noah, despite all the mockery, obeyed God and went ahead to
construct the ark
Moses, through obedience, led the children of God out of the land of
Egypt.
C. By loving God, you will serve Him. John 21: 15-17. Jesus questioned
to know whether Simon Peter loved him, and gave him a condition
that would truly show that he loved him. He said the only way I will
know that you love me his by feeding and taking care of my sheep.
And that is service.
You cannot claim you love God and actively engage in what will
promote His kingdom (Service)
D. By loving God, you will give to Him: John 3:16, we received the
gift of salvation through God’s love towards us.
Giving to God is not measured by how much you have, but by how
Deliberate you are about it.
E. By loving God, you will love His people: Ps 133:1 – How good it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity. Without love, there cannot be unity.
2. As a man after God’s heart, another way to fulfil God’s will is by
loving your household and leading them in the way of God: Gen 18:19 God has given you a responsibility of taking care of your family and your household.
Loving them means you provide for them, protect them, defend them, clothe them, and meet their needs accordingly.
Don’t be a man who eats comfortably when your family has not eaten. As you provide their physical needs, also make provision for their spiritual needs.
As men, we should be intentional when it comes to showing our households the way of the Lord.
3. Another way to fulfil God’s will and purpose is by loving yourself. Self-love is not a pursuit of pride or selfishness; it is a foundation for healthy living.
God commanded that we should love our neighbour as ourselves. He knows there is a need for self-love.
This is one thing many fathers today ignore. We go out to care for the family, for the children, for the society, forgetting and neglecting caring for ourselves.
If all your focus is on doing body work on your vehicle and making it so appealing while you neglect the engine that carries the body, it will still disappoint the entire body by the time it fails.
HOW DO YOU LOVE YOURSELF AS A FATHER/MAN LIVING TO FULFILL GOD'S WILL
1. Plan your life and your retirement age: Eph 5:15-16 Making the very most of your life (on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and intelligence), because the days are (filled with ) evil.
2. Take good care of your health: 3 John 1:2
Eat well and exercise well, rest when you need to rest. Go for a routine check-up, especially when you get to a certain age. Manage and monitor what enters your mouth.
3. Take care of your body, dress well, smell well: Appear very neat at all times. You’ll be addressed the way you’re dressed.
4. Keep a healthy relationship: Surround yourself with positive-thinking people. People that makes
You laugh, it makes you happy and valued.
