How to Have a Partnership with God

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Pastor Maurizio

David’s Partnership with God

GoodnessOfTheLord

Psalm 27:4-14 shows how David overcame fear and developed his confidence in the future by ensuring his partnership with God in his battles.

David was a man of war. He knew that to fight a war you need the proper strategy. You must prepare the battleground and succeed in the battles until you defeat the enemy and the victory is yours.

The key feature of David’s strategy was his partnership with God. God was his ally and his commander in chief. In the accounts of David’s wars, we can see how much his success depended on the Lord.

Overcoming fear involves spiritual warfare against the forces of darkness. In the previous post, we saw how to fight and win the battles against fear. Today I will discuss how David prepared the ground of his heart for the battles to ensure his partnership with God.

The Four Principles of David’s Partnership with God  (Psa 27:4)

  1. Priority (One thing I have desired)

What David desired most was his relationship with the Lord. He had developed it while looking after his father’s sheep as a young shepherd. He had learned that he did not need to worry when his relationship with the Lord was good.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Mat 6:33-34)

2. Commitment (All the days of my life)

David’s commitment to maintain that relationship was not casual but stable. He did not follow the example of those who don’t need the Lord and forget Him when things go well.

3. Appreciation (To behold the beauty of the Lord)

Many times David had received the Lord’s blessings. He had tasted His goodness and had a grateful heart. For this, David was a worshiper and he worshiped the Lord with all his heart as the many psalms he wrote reveal.

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good. Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8)

  1. Listening (To Inquire in His temple)

David depended on the Lord for advice in battle and in dealing with his enemies, and he was obedient to the instructions received and the principles he followed even when it may have appeared inconvenient. He knew that obedience to the Lord always pays off.

“I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”  (Psalm 40:8)

 What Benefits Did David Expect? (Psalm 27:5)

When you live by the four principles followed by David, you can expect results similar to those that he experienced.

  1. Protection: Hide in His pavilion

God’s presence and guidance will make a shielding field around you that will surround you all the time. (Psalm 91:3-4)

  1. Success: Set me high upon a rock

True, permanent success comes from the Lord. When others around you are blown away, you will not be shaken. (Matthew 7:24-25, Psalm 1:3)

  1. Victory: Above my enemies

You will have enemies, but He will prepare a table before them. (Psalm 23:5)

David’s attitude

  1. Rejoicing in God: I will offer sacrifices of joy and sing praises. (Psalm 27:6)
  2. Dependence on God: David appeals to God’s mercy and realizes his need of God’s direction. (Psalm 27:7-11)
  3. Trust in God: Confidence in the future even in the middle of troubles came from his partnership with God. (Psalm 27:12-14)

Questions to Consider

  1. Do you need more confidence to overcome some fears?
  2. Which strategies are you using now?
  3. Which strategies do you want to use more?
  4. Many verses in this psalm are helpful to overcome fear. Which verse has helped you the most?

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About Pastor Maurizio

Maurizio Mingardi, in 1972, had an encounter with God that totally changed his life. From a scientist doing research in Quantum Mechanics and an atheist, Maurizio became a believer and a disciple of Jesus Christ. Then a spiritual journey began. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and later started Mount Zion Church of the Firstborn in Ottawa, Ontario. Maurizio has been in the ministry for more than 30 years and is presently the Senior Pastor of Mount Zion Church. He has also filled a number of executive positions in public and religious organizations. He has been elected President of the Evangelical Church Alliance Ministerial Fellowship of Canada. His goal is to help people to know God, discover and use their gifts and fulfill their destiny.
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4 Responses to How to Have a Partnership with God

  1. MariaM says:
    September 13, 2014 at 12:30 pm

    The feeling I battle at times, is not so much a particular fear but the memory of a negative experience. Essentially because something bad happened in the past, when faced with a similar situation, I start thinking that I will have to go through that again. I have an unsettled and anxious feeling. The thing is, even in that past negative experience, I can see how God helped me through it. So, my mind says God helped me in the past and he will now but my heart and emotions remember the bad stuff. Fighting those bad feelings brought on by those bad memories and creating good ones which will change my heart, is my “good fight”.
    The good news in all this is that now more then ever, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I am recognizing in myself when I’m falling into that trap. The strategy I use, when I get that unsettled anxious feeling, is to take time to connect with God and find out what the cause is For ex. “that…….is going to happen again”. I start to declare out loud what God has done and is doing for me. Rita reminded me that I can control my emotions. Even if I feel a anxious, switch it off…just don’t go with it. This is the fight. The more I do that, the more I can trust God and the more positive experiences I create which will change my heart to believe! The verses that I love in Ps 27 is “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of The Lord in the land of the living (which is right now!) Wait for The Lord (hope which is eager expectation); be strong and take heart (don’t give up!) and wait for The Lord (He will and has seen me through!) Praise God!

    • Pastor Maurizio says:
      September 13, 2014 at 12:46 pm

      Hi Maria, you are actually implementing the ideas in this post and the previous one. The war may take a number of battles but you can win all the battles.

      The more you experience victory, the easier you get it again. Your mind is renewed and healed. When the healing of past memories is complete, we can revisit them with no effect.

      Applying the four Principles of Partnership you stay connected and “fighting” the battles as in the previous post you get the victory every time.

      The problem is that often we ignore the battles and do not spend enough time with the Lord to get the victory, or just get a superficial victory because we are too busy or distracted. Then the war goes on for a longer time.

      Applying the four Principles of Partnership speeds up the coming of the end of the war.

      Good Maria. God bless!

  2. Charlette says:
    September 18, 2014 at 9:00 am

    Verse 14 in this Psalm 27 spoke to me this morning: “Wait on the Lord…wait, I say on the Lord”. I need to exercise my confidence in Patience: help me Jesus. Blessings.

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