Origin": Week Eight- Pastor Michael Landrum

Faithful steps toward God change how life looks and how life is lived. God shows up near those who move in faith, and those moments reveal a struggle between two kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the flesh. Worship and praise frame that reality; Psalm 65 uses nature—rivers, hills, rains, pastures—to make God’s active goodness visible and to invite a posture of joyful obedience. Seeing God at work in creation trains vision to notice the “fabric of God” in daily life rather than defaulting to fear, blame, or cynicism.

First Samuel 16–24 contrasts two responses to God’s work. One life receives God’s Spirit, perceives differently, centers hope, and cultivates healthy emotions. The other loses the Spirit, drifts into distraction, seeks control, and indulges self-deception. Kingdom living reframes bleak circumstances as stages for God to act; what looks like the end becomes the place where God receives glory. That reframing does not deny threats or hard feelings, but it reshapes perception, attention, and feeling so choices align with God’s purpose.

Decision points reveal the divide sharply. When presented with a chance to exact revenge, Kingdom-living chooses restraint, mercy, and wise engagement instead of quick-acting fleshly control. David’s cut of Saul’s robe and his confrontation from a place of honor show how hope can meet threat without surrendering truth. Kingdom faith believes better about people and situations: it names the threat clearly and then trusts God’s power and timing to resolve it. The posture that asks, “What do you want me to do?” and then obeys God produces actions that match God’s heart and opens space for God to slay giants.

Kingdom living blends honest emotion and decisive obedience. Emotions remain but become healthy guides rather than masters. Perception, hope, and emotional health make possible choices that reflect God’s kingdom in messy, real life. Practical obedience—trusting God for timing and doing what God directs—reorients suffering, scarcity, and conflict into opportunities for God’s reputation and deliverance to grow.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God nears during faith steps Stepping out in faith summons God’s closeness in ordinary moments and risky conversations alike. Proximity to God changes decision-making: boldness replaces fear, and ordinary encounters become arenas for grace. Recognize that faith activates God’s presence more than perfect circumstances ever will. [20:16]
• 2. Perception reveals kingdom allegiance What someone sees determines which kingdom governs their life: the flesh reads threats; the Spirit reads God’s activity. Retraining sight to spot God in nature, neighbors, and trouble rewrites responses from reactive to redemptive. Cultivate vision that expects God’s hand in every scene. [24:32]
• 3. Hope believes better than fear Kingdom hope names the threat and then refuses despair by trusting God’s capacity and timing. Hope does not erase realism; it holds bleakness and God’s promise simultaneously, believing God often works most visibly in the worst spots. Practice speaking belief into your hardest circumstances. [43:54]
• 4. Obedience overcomes fleshly revenge Mercy can disarm control-seeking impulses and open the door to restoration. Choosing restraint when provoked demonstrates trust that God will act rightly and preserves moral authority for future witness. Ask and then do what God directs rather than taking matters by force. [40:20]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [20:16] - Two Kingdoms at War
• [21:00] - Psalm 65: Worship and Goodness
• [23:52] - Nature Shows God at Work
• [24:32] - Perception Shapes Reality
• [26:51] - Samuel, Jesse, and David: Unexpected Calling
• [30:31] - Spirit Departs Saul: Two Paths
• [31:38] - Characteristics of Kingdom Living
• [37:13] - Cave Decision: Choosing Hope
• [40:20] - Mercy Over Revenge
• [43:54] - Believe Better in Bleakness
• [47:29] - Do What God Says
• [48:32] - Closing Prayer and Charge
• [49:31] - Church Updates and Invitation

Bible reading: 1 Samuel 24:1-12 (ESV)
When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks. And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed.” So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way. Then David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage. And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’? Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.’

Observation questions

1. What specific action did David's men encourage him to take when they found Saul vulnerable in the cave, and what was their justification for it?
2. What was David's immediate physical action, and what was his emotional response immediately afterward?
3. What reason does David give to his men for not harming Saul?
4. How does David choose to address Saul after he leaves the cave, and what does his posture communicate? [40:20]

Interpretation questions

1. David's men saw Saul's vulnerability as a God-given opportunity for revenge and control. How does David's perception of the same situation differ, and what does this reveal about the core difference between kingdom-of-God and kingdom-of-the-flesh thinking? [37:13]
2. David felt conviction ("his heart struck him") for merely cutting Saul's robe. What does this suggest about the nature of obedience and how even small compromises can be significant when living by the Spirit?
3. David refers to Saul as "the Lord's anointed" even though Saul is trying to kill him. How does this title reframe David's view of Saul and the situation, and what might be a modern equivalent of honoring someone God has placed in authority, even when they are difficult?
4. The kingdom of God is not ignorant to threats but always believes better. [42:59] How does David's confrontation of Saul from a place of honor demonstrate this principle of naming the threat clearly while still trusting God's power and timing?

Application questions

1. What does a "threat" look like in your world right now—a relationship, a financial pressure, a health concern? What does it look like to name that threat honestly, and then actively speak belief over it by saying, "I know what this is, but I believe God's got this"? [44:41]
2. Kingdom living blends honest emotion and decisive obedience. [41:36] Describe a recent situation where your emotions were strong. Did those emotions lead you toward a reactive, fleshly decision or toward a thoughtful, Jesus-dependent response? What would it have looked like to feel the emotion but still choose obedience?
3. The voice of the flesh is often loud, while the Spirit's voice is a quiet whisper. [42:45] What are the loud voices in your life (media, friends, your own anxieties) that often distract you from God's kingdom perspective? What is one practical step you can take this week to create space to hear the Spirit's whisper?
4. David asked, "What do you want me to do?" and then obeyed. [47:29] What is one specific area of your life (finances, a relationship, your job) where you need to stop trying to control the outcome and instead ask God that simple question? What would it look like to then do the first thing He brings to mind?
5. Anytime a situation looks bleak, it can be God's stomping grounds. [46:17] Where does your current reality feel most bleak? How can choosing to see it as a stage for God to act, rather than as a dead end, change your attitude and actions this week?