Take Ground Part 7

Sep 25, 2023

Devotional

Day 1: When the War Lasts Longer Than Expected

The battle for spiritual growth often feels like a prolonged campaign rather than a single victory. David’s years-long conflict with Saul’s house mirrors our own struggles with persistent weaknesses. Progress comes through incremental strength, not instant perfection. God honors those who keep showing up to the fight, even when old temptations resurface during stressful seasons. Freedom often unfolds in layers, with each small victory preparing us for greater breakthroughs. [14:04]

“The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.”
(2 Samuel 3:1, ESV)

Reflection: What persistent struggle have you been tempted to view as failure rather than an opportunity to grow stronger? Where can you celebrate incremental progress in your spiritual journey this week?

Day 2: Inclining Your Heart Toward the Fight

Spiritual momentum begins with intentional posture. Like a farmer turning soil for planting, we must actively position our hearts to receive God’s work. This daily inclination determines whether challenges become catalysts for growth or excuses for stagnation. The same sermon that stirs one soul to repentance can leave another unmoved, depending on how they’ve prepared their inner ground. Lasting freedom requires cooperation, not just divine intervention. [07:38]

“I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.”
(Psalm 119:112, ESV)

Reflection: What practical step could you take this week to “incline your heart” toward God in a specific area of struggle? How does your current posture affect your capacity to receive from God?

Day 3: Running Like a Gazelle From Compromise

Desperate times demand desperate devotion. A gazelle fleeing a predator abandons all concern for appearances or comfort, focused solely on survival. Spiritual breakthroughs require similar single-minded intensity. Half-hearted efforts sustain cycles of defeat, but wholehearted pursuit breaks chains. The cost of freedom seems high until we remember the higher cost of remaining trapped. [16:40]

“Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.”
(Proverbs 6:5, ESV)

Reflection: What compromise have you been tolerating that requires gazelle-like urgency to escape? How might “running for your life” spiritually look different from your current approach?

Day 4: Steering Ships Through Wise Choices

Momentum builds through consistent, faithful decisions. A stationary ship can’t be steered, just as passive believers can’t course-correct. Solomon’s request for wisdom over riches reveals the power of discernment in legacy-building. Every small obedience – like daily Bible reading or intentional forgiveness – creates spiritual velocity. What begins as awkward discipline becomes holy confidence through repetition. [24:21]

“Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil.”
(1 Kings 3:9, ESV)

Reflection: What “next right choice” have you been postponing that could create momentum? How might faithful stewardship of small things today position you for greater impact tomorrow?

Day 5: Practicing Shots When No One’s Watching

True spiritual readiness is forged in hidden disciplines. The pastor’s game-winning basketball shots resulted from countless solitary practices, just as overcoming addiction required private battles. Faithfulness in obscurity prepares us for public victories. God multiplies what we entrust to Him daily, turning routine obedience into extraordinary legacy. [30:28]

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.’”
(Matthew 25:21, ESV)

Reflection: What unseen spiritual practice have you neglected that could strengthen your public faithfulness? How does your private discipleship compare to your visible church participation?

Sermon Summary

The call to take ground turns from church vision toward personal life, because God wants to take ground in every heart, not just in a building or a schedule. The posture of the heart matters, because Psalm 119 says, “I incline my heart,” not merely that God sets it without any response. Freedom, healing, and growth carry a real part for a person to play, and the same room, same worship, and same word can land completely different depending on the heart sitting under it.

The process of freedom also brings honesty. God can do some things instantly, and that is awesome, but some battles last a long time. The war between the house of Saul and the house of David becomes the picture: David grew stronger and stronger, and Saul grew weaker and weaker. The point is not that every struggle disappears overnight. The point is that the direction starts changing, the layers start coming off, and the old thing starts losing strength.

The question of desire presses hard: how badly does a person want to take ground? Proverbs says to “free yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,” and that picture does not leave room for casual interest. The gazelle is not worried about looking good or what anybody thinks. The gazelle is running for its life. That same urgency exposes the difference between really wanting freedom and merely wishing somebody else would want it badly enough on another person’s behalf.

The safety net and the hammock sharpen that same point. Love may catch people when they are hurting, and people need that kind of family. But love does not need to become a hammock where someone else lies down while another person carries all the weight. Taking ground requires ownership.

Momentum becomes the next question. Saul lacked it, David created it, Solomon built it, and Rehoboam stopped it. David’s charge to Solomon shows one generation handing off strength so the next can build. Solomon’s request for wisdom shows how momentum grows through wise choices. Mistakes do not have to define a person, they can refine a person, but a ship that is not moving cannot be steered.

Faithfulness is the way forward. Small decisions, made again and again, build spiritual momentum that may not look fruitful right away. The unseen practice, like shots taken in an empty gym, prepares a person for the moment God opens. Faithful today, faithful tomorrow, faithful in pressure, faithful in hidden places, and a life can end up far more fruitful than it looked at the start.

Key Takeaways

1. The heart must be inclined The posture of the heart is not a small side issue, because it determines whether worship becomes encounter or background noise. Psalm 119 puts real agency in the phrase, “I incline my heart,” which means a person cannot stay passive and call it surrender. God moves with power, but a resistant heart can sit under holy things and remain untouched. [07:38]
2. Freedom can be a long war Second Samuel gives a sober picture of growth: the war lasted a long time, yet David grew stronger while Saul grew weaker. That image gives courage to anyone still fighting an old anger, addiction, pattern, or stronghold. The question is not whether the battle still exists, but whether the old house is losing strength and the new life is gaining ground. [14:04]
3. Urgency separates desire from wishing The gazelle does not escape the hunter with casual effort, polished appearance, or concern for opinions. Proverbs uses a life-or-death image because freedom cannot be treated like a hobby. Desire becomes visible when a person runs hard enough to stop negotiating with the snare. [16:40]
4. Safety nets are not hammocks Compassion becomes distorted when help allows another person to stay comfortable in bondage. A safety net catches the hurting, but a hammock lets someone rest while another person carries the cost of their unwillingness. Love can be tender without becoming enabling, and wisdom can protect both the helper and the one who must learn to stand. [18:23]
5. Faithfulness builds hidden momentum Momentum rarely begins with swagger, because many first steps feel more like “I hope it goes in.” Wise choices made again and again create confidence, direction, and spiritual strength. Hidden faithfulness may feel like practice in an empty gym, but God uses that unseen obedience to prepare a fruitful life.

## [31:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:19] - Next Sunday and Free Books
[03:54] - Thanking Easter Volunteers
[04:45] - Two Services and Taking Ground
[06:26] - Taking Ground Personally
[07:38] - Inclining the Heart
[09:20] - Honesty About Personal Struggles
[14:04] - Long Battles and Growing Stronger
[16:13] - How Badly Is Freedom Wanted?
[18:23] - Safety Nets, Not Hammocks
[19:20] - Moving Forward With Momentum
[20:13] - David, Solomon, and Momentum
[22:30] - Equipping the Church on Wednesdays
[24:21] - Wisdom and Wise Choices
[29:52] - Faithful With What Is Given

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 119:112
“I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.” [07:38]

2 Samuel 3:1
“There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.” [14:04]

Proverbs 6:5
“Save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler.” [16:40]

1 Kings 2:1-4
“When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 'I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, that the LORD may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, "If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel."'" [20:13]

Matthew 25:21
“His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'” [29:52]

Observation questions

In Psalm 119:112, what action does the verse place on the person, and what is the stated goal of that action? [07:38]
In 2 Samuel 3:1, what two directions are happening at the same time in the long war between Saul’s house and David’s house? [14:04]
What details from the picture of a gazelle make Proverbs 6:5 feel urgent instead of casual? [16:40]
What contrast is being made between a safety net and a hammock, and what does that reveal about personal ownership in change? [18:23]

Interpretation questions

Psalm 119 says, “I incline my heart.” What does that suggest about the relationship between God’s work and a person’s response? Why might that matter when two people can sit in the same room and leave very differently? [08:12]
If freedom is sometimes a “long war,” how should a person measure progress? Is the better question whether the battle still exists, or whether the old pattern is losing strength? [14:45]
Proverbs 6:5 uses the image of escaping like a gazelle from a hunter. What does that image reveal about the kind of desire needed for freedom from sin, bondage, or destructive habits? [17:18]
David charged Solomon to walk faithfully, and Matthew 25 honors faithfulness in little things. How do small wise choices create momentum over time, even before there is visible fruit? [31:07]

Application questions

The heart must be inclined toward God. What helps a person do that in real life before worship, prayer, or Scripture—slowing down, repentance, honesty, removing distraction, asking for help, or something else? Which one would be most important right now? [07:38]
Some struggles do not disappear overnight, but they can grow weaker over time. What is one area where there may still be a battle, but there is also evidence of growth? What signs would show that David’s house is getting stronger in that area? [14:04]
Freedom requires urgency, not just vague desire. On a scale of 1 to 10, how badly is freedom wanted in one specific area right now? What would move that number one step higher this week? [16:13]
Love should be a safety net, not a hammock. In relationships, where is the line between helping someone and carrying what they need to own themselves? Has there been any place where healthier boundaries may be needed? [18:23]
A ship that is not moving cannot be steered. What is one wise choice that would count as real forward movement this week—however small it may seem? [25:10]
Faithfulness in little things prepares a person for more. What “small thing” has already been placed in front of you right now that needs steady faithfulness instead of waiting for a bigger moment? [29:52]
Hidden practice matters. Where does faithfulness currently feel unseen or repetitive—private prayer, saying no to temptation, showing up consistently, repairing a relationship, serving quietly? How might God be using that hidden place to prepare future fruit? [32:51]

Sermon Clips

48s

#StrongerAndStronger

“There's gonna be some things in your life God does instantaneously, and it's awesome. There's gonna be some things in your life. The war is gonna be a long time. It's gonna be a long battle. It is going to be many years in process of you. But I love that it says this. David grew stronger and stronger. Saul grew weaker and weaker. I don't want you to be discouraged where you're at. I want you actually to realize there's gonna be some things in freedom and healing that's gonna be a long process. But the question is, are you getting stronger? Yeah. I still struggle with anger sometimes, but I'm way better than I used to be a year ago, two years, three, five, ten. There is process. We have I I've grown.”

51s

#BeASafetyNet

“Be a safety net for people, don't be a hammock. Be a safety net. We all need to be safety nets at times. We all need people to be safety nets. And if someone's hurting spiritually, relationally, financially, most, like, we should have people in our lives. The family that's gonna be here next Sunday was a safety net for me. There's no way I would be here today if they did not pour into me and take me in. So, man, we need to be safety nets, but a hammock is comfortable. And for some people, we let people lay in the hammock and take naps while we do everything. And so, what I'm trying to tell you is you have a part to play in taking ground. So, what is the level on a scale of one to 10? How hungry are you to see God move in your life over the next two months?”

36s

#HeartPostureMatters

“That is why two people can sit in the exact same service and have two completely different experiences. Two people can sit in the exact same service and this exact same worship set. And one can worship the Lord and experience God's presence, and one can sit there and can't wait for the songs to get over. You know? Two people can listen to the same message, and one, the Holy Spirit begins to do a work to take steps, and one has tuned them out the whole time. Why the posture of our heart matters.”

53s

#FaithfulMomentum

“Just start being faithful. Be faithful today, be faithful tomorrow, be faithful the next week, start making wise choices. And if you are faithful, faithful, faithful, faithful, faithful, faithful, faithful, faithful, faithful. This you're faithful. Next week, you're faithful. The next month, you're faithful. And you're just being faithful, and you start gaining momentum, and you keep being faithful. And then times get difficult, you're still faithful, and then challenges come your way. Faith, and you got so much on your plate, but you're still faithful, and you're faithful today, faithful next week, faithful next month. You will look at the end of your life and be like, wow. At how fruitful my life is. Because of small decisions, and you start building momentum.”

32s

#KeepMovingForward

“Don't, like, oh, I made a mistake, pastor. Well, you might have made a mistake this morning. Okay, great. Get over it and start moving forward now. Like I'm just saying, you gotta start moving forward. And here's why this is so important. You cannot steer a ship that's not moving. That's not moving. And sometimes in life, we're trying to steer a ship, and you got to get some momentum and start getting your life to move forward. You start making wise choices. It's the only way to move forward. You just start moving.”

38s

#ProcessOverInstant

“think a lot of times we want God to do things instantaneously. I I love it when he does that. But often I have found in taking ground, God often doesn't do things instantaneously. It's a process. It's a process of him working and doing something in my heart. And so the reason I think that's so important for us to understand is because I I think sometimes we we get frustrated or we feel guilty or we feel down on ourselves because we're still struggling with something that we've been struggling with for a long time.”

53s

#ChooseWisdom

“Are you moving forward? Solomon in first Kings chapter three verse one through 15 says, hey, what, like, you can have whatever you want and here's what Solomon asked for. He asked for wisdom. Give me wisdom to make wise choices. How do you build momentum? You start making wise choices. And I bet for some of us you think this, well, I sure made some poor choices in life. I I know I have. Anyone in this room, you don't have to raise your hand because I, like, we should all be raising our hand. We've all made some poor choices. And if you don't raise your hand, then you just made a poor one because you lied. You know, like But I want you to understand something. We all made mistakes. Mistakes, don't let them define you. Let them refine you. Okay?”

41s

#FaithfulWithSmallThings

“You just got to start moving forward. You just got to start being faithful with what God has for you right now. See, I remember our prelaunch season and there was literally 45 people here including kids rounding up. And you want to know something? My preparation for 45 people was the same as 375 last Sunday. And my preparation for three seventy five will be the same when there's over a thousand. You gotta start being faithful. What what God has given to you now, so you can be a ruler of much.”

54s

#TakeTheShot

“Give me the ball. Like, I'm telling you, there's so much If I shoot the ball, it's going in. That's my mindset. But if you notice what I said at the beginning, I caught the ball by the free throw line. I'm like, I hope it goes in. You know? That's where some of us are at. We don't we don't have no momentum. We don't have no confidence right now. How do you build confidence? You start making wise choices. How do you build confidence? You just start moving forward. It might not be moving forward a lot, but I promise you, if you start moving forward, you're going to start spiritually getting some swagger. And you're going to spiritually start getting confidence. And you're going to know God a little bit more intimately. And you're going to be breaking from, you know, free of things in your life where now the confidence and the momentum is going to be changing. But the only way to do that is to start moving forward.”

45s

#ThisIsAJourney

“I would love it if someone came to church one time and they got saved. They were delivered from all the things of their past. They found out who they were in Christ and walked in the gifting that God had and lived out their calling and and, you know, like, their marriage was restored and their kids were on fire and they were faithful to the Lord with his tithe and the list goes on and on. I would love all of that, but that's very unlikely with one Sunday. My hope is actually you come back next week and the next week because I know freedom and healing, it's a process and we want to go on the journey with you. Not so concerned with where someone's at. The question is, are you growing? Are you getting stronger? So I'm going to ask you two questions today. Here's the first question.”

42s

#TrainInPrivate

“I just said I practice a lot because that was my jam. I love basketball. My other kids were out like partying or they were playing video game. I was practicing. might not like see any fruit from your faithfulness right now because you're in the gym spiritually practicing with nobody around, but you're prepared when God puts you in that moment. So be faithful. Start making wise choices and be faithful. And take one step at a time and you will gain momentum.”

46s

#TakePersonalGround

“Each point will kind of be a different topic and hoping that God speaks to all of us through that. But right now, today, in this message, it's gonna be more general. This is more of a charge, kind of an encouragement. Let's let's go forward. Let's take ground. I don't know what that might be for you. I don't know what God might pinpoint. Your knowledge of God's word, your prayer life, relationship with people. Is there an area that's been holding you down or back? But I do believe this, that God wants to take ground in our own personal lives in every single person. And just because God wants to, and just because I want you to as your pastor, it doesn't mean that every single person over the next few months is going to take ground. Why? Well, the posture of our heart matters.”

23s

#MoveForwardToSteer

“I promise you, you might be at the free throw line just hoping the shot goes in. But man, after you've made a few, after you come to church for a little while, after you get involved into some quick classes, as you start breaking free of some stuff, you're gonna start thinking, man, look at this ball, it's moving forward. I can steer this ship, but you gotta move forward.”

26s

#AccountabilityMatters

“Because we need friends and that that can tell us the truth, that we can go to and ask, is there anything you see in my life? And, you know, like, I don't want everyone telling me what they think I should work on, but I got some friends that, like, I want to ask them. And I I was like, is there anything in my life I'm unaware of? So over the next couple of months, we're going to look at some very specific topics and things.”

33s

#FreedomIsLayered

“Anger has now been an issue that I've been struggling with. I still struggle with anger to this day, but not near the level I used to struggle with. And maybe you've heard me say this, there are layers. Our freedom, there are layers in us being free. And so, it's like an onion. And I don't struggle with anger like to the level of I'm pulling off on the side of the road ready to fight someone because they cut me off. It takes a lot more for me to lose my temper. But, man, I still struggle with that.”

71s

#RealAboutStruggle

“And I want you to know sometimes there are things that we struggle with and it's a process to break free. So I wanted to be very real with you this morning and open up my life, so you can understand that, like, I'm not perfect. I got things I'm working through. And and so I'm gonna walk you through some of my own personal struggles. If you know my story, you know that I I I kind of did some drugs and alcohol back in the day. Cocaine was my favorite drug. I don't know why I said that. Did not say that in first service. So I have no reason like no no reason why to share that was my favorite drug. But anyways, but you want to know like as I broke free of drugs and stuff, one of the hardest things to kick was smoking cigarettes. It was one of the hardest things for me to break free of. And when I broke free of the addiction to nicotine, I still found myself going back to cigarettes, even though I was no longer addicted. Why? Because of the way it made me feel when I was stressed. I found myself being addicted to having something to go to when I felt overwhelmed.”

44s

#BreakingSexualStrongholds

“Pornography was a really stronghold in my life. See, came from a very sexual past before I met Jesus. Then I met Jesus and I wanted to stay pure and I wanted to stay right. I didn't want to go down those avenues plus the people that I was now involved, like, girls were not as easy to connect with because they were serving Jesus. I I did not say that in first service either. So, this is just gonna be the freer service, I guess. I don't even know. so, I found myself though really struggling to break free and being secretive and you know, and it was a stronghold in my life for a long time.”

40s

#EquipThePeople

“I actually wanted to take just a moment and highlight some of the things that is coming up here at Connection Point because we really want to help people. And I'll tell you this vision I had. So I just had this vision of all these people coming through the doors, and we were not prepared to handle them. And that's where this idea of, like, we wanna equip people in this season. Ephesians chapter four verse 11 through 12, Matthew twenty eight nineteen through 20. We wanna equip people, and so we're gonna be taking our Wednesday nights, and we're gonna be equipping people. The first and third Wednesday nights, we will have something for all ages. It will be equipping kids.”

31s

#InclineYourHeart

“incline my heart. I incline my heart. I think sometimes what we want is we want God to set our heart, and I love it says, I incline my heart. I set my heart to go after the Lord. Well, why does this matter? Well, the posture of our heart matters. And when we talk about freedom, we talk about healing, when we talk about personally taking ground, we have a major part to play in that process.”

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