From Shepherd to King

In the Old Testament, King David was an amazing man whose life was an adventure. God took this shepherd boy and made him the king of a nation.

As the youngest of his brothers, he was given the unwanted, boring, and occasionally dangerous task of tending sheep. David used his time to talk with God, make music, and write. His main job was to protect the flocks. He fought and killed a bear and a lion that were attacking the sheep. How did a young man defeat these mighty beasts? He had God’s strength and wisdom. During the easy times, he was walking and talking with God, and when trouble struck, he was strong and ready.

This is a great life lesson about adventure. The most important decisions you will ever make are your pre-decisions. Before you make big decisions under pressure (like deciding whether to run away or attack and kill a lion), you make them calmly and firmly in advance. You prepare so you are ready for anything, instinctively ready to spring into action. Your spiritual adventures with God, like all great adventures, are preceded by planning. Then when tough decisions come, you will make the right choices.

What kind of pre-decisions do you need to make? Here are some you might think about:

  I will honor God first, above and before anything or anyone else, period!

  I will treat people right in every circumstance.

  I will be a positive influence on my peers, and I won’t be swept under by negative peer pressure.

  I will take care of my physical well-being and personal hygiene.

  I will do my best in school.

King David made good pre-decisions, and he had some amazing adventures with God. He started as a shepherd and later became a brave, young warrior, who killed an almost ten-foot tall, previously undefeated giant named Goliath. He then had the honor of serving in King Saul’s court and became a high-ranking military officer.

He assembled and led a band of warriors who later became known as David’s Mighty Men. He developed relationships of integrity with men, such as his best friend, Jonathan. He was a passionate husband, had kids, and became a poet and songwriter. He became king and achieved many exploits with God’s help. David was not perfect, but his whole life was full of spiritual adventures with God.

His was not a life of boredom. In the Bible, God describes King David as “a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do” (Acts 13:22). Nice compliment, right? You bet! Especially considering it came straight from God, who celebrates men who adventure with Him. David’s secret to success was that he pre-decided to always do exactly what God wanted him to do—nothing less, nothing more, and nothing else.

When you make a pre-decision to do everything God says without reservation, your adventure will prove successful.

Going on spiritual adventure with God is not optional. It’s not like a birthday party invitation. “I might go. I might not. It depends how I feel.” God doesn’t need the adventure. He’s whole and complete, lacking nothing. The adventure is for your good, not His. That’s why God invites you to follow Him wholeheartedly.

In My Experience:

As a young man growing up in Bolivia, pornography was relatively easy for a guy to get his hands on, regardless of age. I made a firm pre-decision not to partake. But that choice was challenged many times.

Once I sat down in the barber’s chair and was promptly offered a girly magazine (a common practice by barbers at the time, but seldom, if ever, was it offered to teenagers like me). I refused it. I sat in silence wondering what the barber was thinking. Does he think less of me as a man? I didn’t have to wait long to find out. He told me, “I know who you are. You’re the guy teaching those boys at the Upper Room Church. I wanted to see if you were the real deal.” I was so glad I had not caved.

Another time I was feeling very tempted to give in. With my hormones in overdrive and with an intense curiosity fueling my imagination, I found myself at a sidewalk newsstand early one Sunday morning while heading to church. Standing there I was tempted to buy one of the magazines staring me in the face. This lady selling these magazines and newspapers won’t remember me. I’m alone, too. Few people are out this early. In that moment I called out to God for help. Then something took place that never happens. The bus I was waiting for arrived early. God created a way of escape for me.

Pre-decisions helped me avoid places and people I knew would lead me to a wrong turn. Pre-decisions helped me fight when tempted. They also kept me accountable, because I shared my pre-decisions with friends and mentors. What pre-decisions do you need to make? Who will you share them with? How will you hold yourself accountable?