Sunday Talks with Matt Bird

The Prophet Samuel was the first key person God sent into David's life. There must have been some back room chatter when prophet Samuel invited himself for dinner - even more so when he wanted to see each of the sons. Samuel believed in David more than David believed in himself!Who are the people in your life who believe in you more than you believe in yourself? God sends people into our lives who change how we view ourselves and our direction and trajectory in life!

The un-named servant referred David to King Saul. There is no way that David would have found his way from the fields to the Royal Court without the recommendation of the un-named SERVANT. Who are the people who have referred opportunities to you despite risks to their own reputation? Who are the people you could refer opportunities to?

The Israelites were being intimidated by the Philistines and in particular by a giant of a man called Goliath. There was no-one who believed they could take on Goliath. Then the boy David showed up. He didn’t fit into the armour expectations of the Israelites but he went on to defeat Goliath!Intimidating ‘giants’ will turn up in our lives but God will always send the means to overcome them. How we respond to the difficult relationships that God allows determines our Trajectory, Velocity and Altitude!

David and Saul loved each other like brothers. They looked out for each other and covered each others backs. Jonathan saved David’s life on numerous occasions. God sends people into our lives who can become soulmates to help us THRIVE rather than SURVIVE.Who are your soulmates? Is there one or possibly a handful of people who you can talk to about anything and everything? If you don’t have someone like that perhaps you should start?

God gave David great victory in battle and whatever mission King Saul sent him on, David was successful. His popularity grew and this made Saul jealous and angry. Often what appears as extreme JEALOUSY is actually extreme INSECURITY. As God elevates us, there are people who will compare themselves with us and they will become jealous because of their insecurity. They may even grow to HATE us!Even the HATERS and the difficult relationships in our lives can ELEVATE us, changing our DIRECTION, MOMENTUM and LEGACY.

God gave David a wife who was in love with him. Saul used the mutual love as an opportunity to see David killed. But Michal saved David’s life from his father and Saul eventually gave Michal to David in marriage. As God elevates us he sends someone who stands with us and becomes our helper and friend.Who is your life partner and how is your relationship with them?

God provided for David’s needs for food, protection, guidance, and strategic purpose through the priest Ahimilek. God sends people into our lives who make strategic provision for us when we need it most.Who are the people who have made strategic provision for you? Or, who are the people you can make strategic provision for?

David formed a collaboration with Abiathar because he recognised they would be stronger together. God sends people into our lives who we can collaborate with and who become critical to our future.Who are the people you are collaborating with?

At a key moment in his life David formed an alliance with his enemy, the Philistine Achish. David found common purpose with those who were opposed to him and in fact he so won the trust of King Achish that he became his bodyguard for life! Perhaps winning the trust of our enemies part of God’s plan for unlocking our future, destiny and elevation?

One of the often unrecognised things about David was that he not only had a heart after God but he also had a heart for people. David met lots of strangers at a particularly stressful time when his life was under threat. At one point he helped an Egyptian Stranger in a field, even though David himself was going through a stressful time.God gives us a heart for himself and for people - how we treat those people who we think can do nothing for us is the greatest test of our love

Commander Abner turned advocate for David to the elders of Israel. He championed and advocated for David to be made King over all the tribes of Israel!Who are the people that have championed and advocated for you?Who can you champion and advocate for?

David faced many twists and turns in his life. After he was first anointed by the prophet he believed he would be king but didn’t know how it was going to happen. The journey to his destiny was not a straight line.The people who God sends into our lives and the relationships that we form with them determines our trajectory, velocity and altitude.Our life and calling is not a straight line - most times it looks more like a zigzag line. Who are the people who have shaped your destiny?

We commence this series by hearing about the story of Joe and the two dreams he had when he was just 17 years old, and what unfolded in his life afterwards. Genesis 37:1-11“The most important thing we learn is that when God gives us a vision or a dream we need to remain humble, and not allow it to make us big headed. We need to ensure that the vision or dream makes us big hearted. Because when we’re big hearted and remain humble that is when God will use us, and that is when the dream will come to pass.”‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’ - Genesis 50:20

In this episode we hear the story of Mo, and the apparition he saw in the desert when God spoke to him from within a burning bush. God asked Mo to go to Pharoah and say ‘let me people go’, and Mo found plenty of excuses about why he couldn’t do what God was asking. Exodus 3:1-11‘Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”’ - Exodus 4:1 -2Lesson: Step into your visions and dreams with God’s limitless strength, and not with self limiting beliefs

How to be saturated in faith not dominated by fear.We hear about Deon, AKA Gideon, an Israelite, and the sequence of three dreams sent to him by God. These dreams guided Deon over time towards helping the diminished Israelite army defeat their enemy, the Midianites. These dreams also helped Deon overcome his fear of failure and grow stronger in his faith.Lesson: How can you live your life saturated with faith and not dominated by fear?

How do you know when God is speaking? How do we discern between the divine voice of God and the human voices around us?“The reason I believe God led me to this Visions & Dreams series is that I believe that He wants to speak to you in profound ways. He wants to speak to you through visions and dreams about your NOW, your TOMORROW and your FUTURE. Visions & Dreams are the language of the Holy Spirit and we need to learn how to discern the Divine Voice.” - Matt Bird‘Speak Lord, your servant is listening…’ 1 Sam 3:10

If God was to offer you anything you wanted what would we ask for? Would you ask for something that fulfilled your ambition or desire or would you ask for something for the benefit of humanity?In 1 Kings 3: 5 we read ; ‘At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”’In response David asked for “a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.”’The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honour—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. - 1 Kings 3: 10-13Meaning: God gave Solomon wisdom - and because he asked for that and not wealth, he gave him wealth as well.Lesson: We need to learn how to live For the good of humanity and not just for the good of ourselves.

Zek’s Visions: Zek, AKA Ezekiel was known as a prophet of doom, often warning God’s people to stop idolatry or else God would punish them. One day, what he had warned the nation actually happened, and they were invaded and overcome by their enemies. Once this happened Zek became a prophet of hope.Ezekiel 1:1 "In my thirtieth year . . . while I was among the exiles . . . the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God."“Today I want to speak hope into any hopelessness you may be feeling. Just as in Zek’s vision God breathed life into the dry bones. Sometimes the situations we find ourselves in are life-sapping, life-draining, life-taking. Yet I believe God always brings life, always brings hope.”“Choose life-giving relationships rather than life-draining relationships.” - Matt Bird

This is about Neb’s Dream and Dan’s Vision. It will help you to have a transforming impact in your neighbourhood.Neb was the King of Babylon, used by God to conquer Jerusalem. He decapitated the capital by exiling leaders to Babylon. Dan was born into nobility and privilege in Israel, and was chosen as a young man to be trained with the ability to interpret visions and dreams.At a certain critical point Dan was not only able to tell king Neb what he had dreamed but also the meaning of the dream. King Neb was so in awe that he placed Dan in a high position and lavished many gifts on him, and made him and Dan’s friends his chief advisers.Be encouraged to be the sort of follower of God that Dan was - that doesn’t stick your head in the sand and feel like you’re continually on the back foot in your community and society. Be encouraged to become front footed as a follower of Jesus; to be confident in your faith, to be confident in your God and lift your head up high and engage with the highest authorities, even the leaders of cities and nations - just as Dan did.Stop thinking, ‘what am I able to achieve?’ Lift your head up and ask ‘what is God able to achieve?’