Going Back Out – A Tale of Three Kings

Have you ever come across a book that hits

the core of you so hard that you find yourself gasping while you read it?

 

A book so poignant and authentic that you feel like you have 

stumbled upon a mountain of truth that will take a very

long time to explore?

 

That happened for me earlier this year.

 

The book : A Tale of Three Kings (A Study in Brokenness) by Gene Edwards

 

 

 

 

A quick premise: The book talks about three kings – David, Saul and Absalom. And then in a unique angle that I had never looked at before parallels the lives of these 3 men. Showing how brokenness made David the man he became and the pitfalls of the lives of Saul and Absalom.

 

David and Saul.

 

Both anointed. Both chosen to rule. Both full of the Spirit.

 

David went through intense brokenness. 

Saul did not.

 

About Saul:

 

“He was everything people today are seeking to be……..empowered with the Holy Spirit….able to do the impossible for God. A leader chosen by God with power from God.

He was also eaten with jealousy, filled with self-importance and willing to live in spiritual darkness.”

 

 

“Many pray for the power of God. More every year. Those prayers sound powerful, sincere, godly and without ulterior motives. Hidden under such prayers and fervor however are ambition, a craving for fame, the desire to be considered a spiritual Giant. The person who prays such a prayer may not even know it but dark motives and desires are in his heart.

 

There is a vast difference between the outward clothing of the Spirits power and the inward filling of the Spirit’s life. In the first, despite the power, the hidden man of the heart may remain unchanged. In the latter, THE MONSTER IS DEALT WITH.”

 

 

It was almost as if I was being shown a path I could take. And down it is a lot of things I have started to want this past year. 

 

A huge prophetic gift. Healing prayers. Powerful preaching. Recognition. A leadership role. Respect. Control. Influence.

 

All the while missing out on what my heart really longs for: More of Jesus. That’s a scary thought.

 

Plus, it’s the realization that the fiercest enemy isn’t on the outside but within me. Lurking inside my heart and soul.

 

About David:

 

He did go through brokenness. 9 years of it to be exact.

 

9 years of running for his life. Sleeping in caves. Hungry, Tired.

 

What must he have been thinking during this time?

 

I know when I read this part of scripture, I skip ahead and immediately picture him on the throne. One of the greatest kings of all time. A man after God’s own heart. The lineage of Jesus.

 

But all he knows is that after being anointed to be King. He had been running for his life ever since.

 

That is the time of life that made him the David we know.

Not his gifting.  Not the calling on his life. Not his immersion in the Spirit.

 

Truth hit me like a ton of bricks.

 

The church doesn’t need another gifted, well spoken, driven leader. It has had plenty of those and in the end they always get revealed for who they really are.

 

It needs broken, humble men and women that love Jesus more then anything.

 

Basically, it doesn’t matter how powerful I am in the Spirit. Or how great a preacher I am. Or how many people respect me.
What does matter is that my inner man (the monster inside me) gets dealt with and changed.
Like God said to me while I was reading the book, “Do you honestly think I give a rip about your gifts? I care about you and your inner transformation.”

 

Many people operate in the power of the Spirit.

 

Few go through the brokenness they need to handle it right. 

 

 

That is a core reason I am going back out on the World Race again.

 

To intentionally go through more brokenness.