The Generation We Need | Pastor Joe Valenzuela

Devotional

Day 1: God makes a way forward, even in our wrong decisions.

It is a common human experience to feel the weight of past mistakes and wrong turns. We can become paralyzed, mourning choices that did not lead where we hoped. Yet, there is a profound comfort in the truth that our failures are not final. God’s plan is not derailed by our imperfect decisions. He is always at work, building something new and beautiful even on the foundation of our disappointments. His grace makes a way where we see no way. [49:51]

But the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” (1 Samuel 16:1 NIV)

Reflection: What is one past decision or season you have been mourning, and how might God be inviting you to see it as a platform for His new work in your life?

Day 2: The Lord looks at the heart, not the outward appearance.

Human perspective is often limited to what is visible: achievements, appearances, and accolades. We judge ourselves and others by these external markers, wondering if we have chosen the right path or presented the right image. God’s valuation is entirely different. He is not primarily concerned with our performance or how we look to others. His gaze penetrates to the very core of our being, where our true character and motivations reside. His focus is always on who we are becoming. [56:39]

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.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV)

Reflection: In what area of your life are you most tempted to focus on outward performance, and what would it look like to shift your focus to cultivating your heart before God this week?

Day 3: There is a gap between your anointing and your appointing.

A calling from God is a sure and certain promise, but it is rarely an instantaneous transition. Between the moment we are set apart and the moment we step into the full reality of that calling, there is often a significant period of waiting. This gap is not wasted time or a sign that God has forgotten His promise. It is a sacred season of formation. This is the time where God builds the character necessary to sustain the calling. [01:03:42]

David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. (2 Samuel 5:4 NIV)

Reflection: Where are you currently experiencing the tension of the "gap," and what is one practical way you can engage with God in the process of becoming rather than just waiting for the destination?

Day 4: God forms us in the challenges of the gap.

The waiting period is not a passive vacuum; it is an active training ground filled with very real challenges. These difficulties are not meaningless obstacles designed to frustrate us. They are the very tools God uses to shape us. Through facing giants, navigating difficult relationships, and enduring seasons of obscurity, our faith is tested and refined. The resilience, wisdom, and trust forged in these trials are what prepare us for what is next. [01:07:45]

When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him in great fear. David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:24, 26 NIV)

Reflection: What current challenge feels most overwhelming, and how might God be using it to build a specific character trait in you, such as courage, patience, or trust?

Day 5: Invest in your spiritual health and heart during the becoming.

The season of preparation is a gift, offering the time and space to build a healthy foundation. This involves honestly examining our inner world—our reactions, wounds, and patterns—and inviting God to heal and reshape them. It also means aligning our desires with God’s, seeking what He wants above all else. A healthy heart and a God-focused desire are the greatest assets we can cultivate, ensuring we are ready not just for a role, but for a life of purpose and peace. [01:11:16]

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)

Reflection: As you prayerfully search your heart, what is one reaction or pattern that reveals a wound God might want to heal, and what is one step you can take toward that healing this week?

Sermon Summary

The text moves from a moment of communion into a focused appeal for the next generation, using everyday images and biblical narrative to reframe decision anxiety. An extended “Aldi” illustration exposes the pressure young adults feel when every choice seems final; the grocery‑store chaos becomes a stand‑in for the scramble of work, relationships, and identity that follows adolescence. The story of David in 1 Samuel 16 anchors the theological claim: God anoints by calling the heart, not the outward appearance, and often delays the public appointment so that character can form. Samuel’s mistake of judging by looks highlights a recurring human error—choosing what appears kingly rather than what is godly—and the Lord’s response reframes success around inward formation. David’s anointing precedes a two‑decade gap before kingship, and that interval functions as the crucible for trust, leadership under pressure, moral restraint, and resilience. The gap can embitter or deepen; what it produces depends on how one uses waiting, silence, and hardship. Practical counsel targets two formative arenas: inner health (emotional patterns, reactions, and wounds) and the heart’s desires (clarifying what is truly wanted and aligning it with God’s loves). The call to older generations focuses on offering relationship, covering, and confidence rather than more information—passing Jesus, not merely religious opinion—to cultivate a generation that wants Jesus and grows into steady service. The closing invitation names concrete rhythms: honest prayer, community with other believers, time invested in health and self‑examination, and steady accompaniment for young adults during the becoming process.

Key Takeaways

1. There is always a gap Waiting often separates calling and visible success; that interval forms capacities that cannot be taught in a moment of promotion. The gap refines refusal, patience, and moral imagination by testing motives and exposing weaknesses that must be healed. Expecting immediate appointment bypasses necessary formation and leaves leadership fragile when it finally arrives. [62:20]
2. Becoming matters more than doing God prioritizes inner transformation over outward competence; the Lord rejects the spectacle and anoints the heart. Actions without rooted character tend to collapse under pressure, but character sustains vocation across volatile seasons. Focus on the person being shaped rather than the trophy being collected. [56:39]
3. Invest in your health and heart Emotional habits and hidden reactions determine future choices more than credentials do. Deliberate work on wounds, rhythms, and motivations reshapes default responses and enlarges moral freedom. Healthier interior life produces wiser relationships, steadier leadership, and better long‑term decisions. [71:16]
4. Next generation needs relationship not information Providing data about faith misses the core need: a covering of courage, steady presence, and relational commitment. Young adults seek belonging that models Jesus‑shaped risks and loyalties more than another sermon or program. Accompanying presence invites maturation by making the gospel tangible in everyday failures and choices. [80:38]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[20:19] - Communion and invitation
[36:05] - People we need: series recap
[37:02] - Focus on the next generation
[39:27] - The “Aldi” metaphor: decision anxiety
[46:48] - David as the benchmark king
[49:12] - God rejects appearances, calls the heart
[56:39] - Heart over appearance: key principle
[61:40] - David anointed; the long wait begins
[62:20] - The gap as a season of becoming
[71:16] - Two priorities: health and heart
[79:14] - Young adult community and Barna stat
[83:30] - Closing prayer and charge

Bible Study Guide

Based on the sermon summary and transcript, the primary biblical text is 1 Samuel 16, which details the anointing of David. An additional passage, Psalm 139:23-24, was explicitly quoted and is central to the application of examining one's heart.

Bible Reading
* 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-13 (ESV)
> The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”... When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
* Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV)
> Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my anxious thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Observation questions

In 1 Samuel 16:7, what specific reason does God give Samuel for rejecting Eliab, and what does God say He values instead?
According to the story, where was David and what was he doing when Samuel asked for him to be brought in from the field? [01:00:16]
What happened immediately after Samuel anointed David, and what did not happen for a very long time? [01:01:53]
What is the honest, two-part request that David makes of God in Psalm 139:23-24?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think God allowed for a twenty-year gap between David’s anointing and his appointment as king? What purpose might that long season of waiting have served? [01:03:42]
The sermon described the gap as a season that can either make a person "bitter, fearful, reactive" or "wiser, deeper, and steadier." [01:09:42] What factors during a waiting period determine which direction a person goes?
How does the concept that "becoming matters more than doing" change the way we might view periods of our life that feel unproductive or like we’re stuck? [56:39]
The sermon made a distinction between giving the next generation "information" versus "relationship." [01:21:13] Why would a relational presence be more impactful than just providing more data or advice about faith?

Application questions

Where in your current life are you experiencing a "gap"—a season between a sense of calling from God and its visible fulfillment? How are you actively engaging with that time to allow God to shape your character, rather than just passively waiting for it to end? [01:04:11]
Your reactions often show what's really happening inside of you. [01:12:32] What is a recent overreaction or a default negative response that revealed a wound, a fear, or a unhealthy pattern that God might want to help you get healthy from?
The prayer in Psalm 139 is an invitation for God to reveal our anxious thoughts and grievous ways. What is one area of your inner health—an emotional pattern, a hidden reaction, a past wound—that you need to courageously ask God to search and help you change? [01:14:31]
Beyond just knowing what you *should* want, what does your heart truly want right now? How can you begin to align those deep desires with what God wants, so that your motivations are shaped by His loves and not just external pressures? [01:16:56]
Who is one younger person in your life that needs "courage, confidence, and covering" more than they need another opinion? [01:21:30] What is one practical way you can offer them steady, relational presence this week to help them in their "becoming"?

Sermon Clips

We need a generation that wants Jesus, and maybe this is our responsibility as this generation in order to pass off the torch to the next generation that we begin to give Jesus and nothing else. Not our opinions, not the consequences, but just the cross of Jesus that said all shame and all guilt has been nailed there. And there's nothing you can do to earn my love and my forgiveness because it is there. You know what this next generation needs? It needs less information and more relationship. This generation has enough information. [01:20:48] (33 seconds) #JesusFirstGen

David didn't know there was gonna be Goliath in the gap. He didn't know there were gonna be spears and tears and anger and hurt. He didn't know there was gonna be abandonment. He didn't know there was gonna be caves. He didn't know there's gonna be death and destruction. But let me tell you something, when David became king, I'm sure he was glad for the gap. How do you perceive the gap that you are in from where you are to where God wants you to be? From where you are from where you want to be. God forms you in the gap. [01:07:33] (31 seconds) #FormedInTheGap

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The Generation We Need | Pastor Joe Valenzuela | Active Church Yucaipa