Introduction

Good day to everyone. This chapter 18 of 1 Samuel is particularly good. For many years, I have been studying a topic: how to be a shrewd person in both conduct and work ethic. I have studied this for a long time, and it was not until I became a pastor that I discovered that one must know that the Spirit of God makes one shrewd. That is to say, the Spirit of God making one shrewd becomes a crucial key point in a person's conduct throughout their life.

The Spirit of God is a Treasure

When Adam was created, God had him name the animals. There were so many species of these creatures that if you were to name them, you might not finish even by the time you die. Some people have a hard time naming their own child, and they end up seeking a fortune teller. Who knew that the fortune teller would mess things up? Names sometimes cannot be taken lightly. For example, if Adam worked very quickly, he relied on the Spirit of God to finish in no time. If a person does not have the Spirit of God, they cannot even handle something like naming a child.

All biology students know about classification, and the art of naming is vast. When naming a child, there is a basic principle to grasp, which is to avoid homophones. For example, if a family is named Yang and you give the child the name Wei, meaning great, when combined with the surname, it becomes Yangwei (impotence), which sounds too unpleasant. A classmate of mine had a boss who founded a company, and my classmate was the general manager there. This company pursued excellence, so it was named Yijing (benefiting essence), but when it becomes a homophone, the meaning is very different, sounding like Yijing (nocturnal emission). My classmate became the general manager of Yijing company, and he later could not even show his business cards because they became a joke. Every time we drank, everyone would laugh and ask: How is it going at Yijing company?

Naming is a serious matter. Some people even specifically seek fortune tellers to name their children, but they end up being laughed at by classmates in school because of homophones. What I want to say is, if the Spirit of God is with you, how could you choose such a name? Millions of different species were all brought to Adam to be named, and he not only did it quickly but also did it well. There was also Noah, who had the Spirit of God. This person was very powerful, built an ark, and had to direct all kinds of animals to line up and enter the ark. Therefore, we must know that it is tragic for a person to not have the Spirit of God. Thank God for the Spirit dwelling in me, God makes me shrewd. A person's shrewdness is not because of themselves at all. If a person thinks they are shrewd, they will only do foolish things.

Do you all know that the Spirit of God is a treasure? When we read the New Testament in the Bible, we see:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

I want everyone to know this because when the Spirit of God came upon David, God did something in him. God restored the spiritual ability that was released in Adam. We must thirst for the Spirit of God, and when you receive the Spirit, never lose it. This chapter tells of how foolish a person becomes when they lose the Spirit of God, and how shrewd another person becomes after receiving the Spirit of God. Later, my research showed that Chinese Mingding Destiny is truly a theology that can make people shrewd, because we value the Spirit of God very much.

Don't worry, because my shrewdness is not used to harm people. My shrewdness comes from God, and once the Spirit of God leaves, you will find that I am as stupid as Saul, completely foolish. Many years ago, one of our colleagues summarized that people should use the Spirit to work and use the Spirit to learn. Everyone thought it sounded mysterious at the time, but that is the truth. Everyone can try it, a lot of praying in tongues will really make you smarter! I encourage everyone to start thirsting for the Spirit of God, and you will find that the Spirit of God will make you shrewd in your work.

The Spirit of God Makes People Shrewd in Their Work

When the Spirit of God descends upon a person, you will find that this person is not good at destruction, but becomes particularly shrewd in doing things that edify people. The theme of this chapter is The Spirit of God Makes People Shrewd in Their Work. When we read the scriptures, we will find that in this short chapter of thirty sentences, the phrase David acted shrewdly is repeated four times.

In all the missions on which Saul sent him, David was so successful that Saul made him a commander in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well. (1 Samuel 18:5)

In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. (1 Samuel 18:14-15)

Whenever the Philistine commanders came out to fight, David was more successful than any of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known. (1 Samuel 18:30)

Not only that, I dream of making our brothers and sisters shrewd. This way our church will be more worry-free. If you are so shrewd, I will have nothing to pastor, and you can pastor others. I really hope everyone can become shrewd, and I just found this spiritual model. The key to this spiritual model is the Spirit of God.

For example, when you are doing carpentry, you will definitely find that if the Spirit of God is with you, you will immediately understand how to do it clearly. In fact, it is very impressive if you can make a rectangle correctly when doing carpentry. When you go into your own kitchen, look at your cabinets, they are all rectangular. Your doors and walls are also rectangular. So, if you want to do decoration and design at home, you must first learn how to make rectangles. It is definitely crooked if a person just does it casually, but it is a bit difficult to saw the wood into a perfect rectangle, at least you can't do it without tools.

What I mean is that the Spirit of God makes people shrewd in their work. For example, when going to war, you have the wisdom and understanding that God gives you, allowing you to know how to master The Art of War. Actually, it is not entirely that, it is The Art of the Son of Man, Jesus Christ is the Son of Man. You are still far from mastering The Art of War; but if you master The Art of the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, then it is amazing. Our battles in the spiritual realm all rely on Jesus Christ, and the name of Jesus Christ is closely related to the Spirit of God.

Since I started serving and building the church, I have become more and more intelligent. I used to understand many things like IT very clearly, and now I understand even more. I used to understand management quite well, but some things were still human, and now I understand it more and more. The most amazing thing about working with me is joy. Can a person be joyful without a little intelligence? It is enjoyable to work with me, but don't be like Saul. If you become Saul, you will definitely be miserable working with me.

To be shrewd in your work, you need the Spirit of God in everything you do. If you want to be an engineer, our God is the ancestor of engineers; if you want to write code, you need to know that human genes are a set of human code, the genes in the mother's womb determine the child's future appearance. If the human code determines a person's appearance, then if the Spirit of God lives in a person's body, they will definitely become shrewd. No matter what the code in your body is, once the Spirit of God lives here, it solves the age-old educational problem, which is to make people smart. With the Spirit of God, people become shrewd immediately. The Spirit of God is a treasure, and the Spirit of God can make people shrewd in their work.

During the pandemic, many companies were laying off employees, but if you look closely, those who have the Spirit of God not only were not laid off, but their businesses continued to expand! Don't you know that the Spirit of God is a treasure? Don't always think about selling durians or growing mushrooms. Durians and mushrooms are not treasures. What you need most is not mushrooms, but the Spirit of God! Some people are clamoring to sell oil. I want to say, do you want to sell arms? Take a look at who sells oil and arms? I get scared when I hear that and don't want to get involved in those scary things.

Since the Spirit of God can make people shrewd in their work, why hasn't the Spirit of God been in you in the past years? You suffered a great loss in the past years. How can you be good if you love money more than God? Loving money all day long and not knowing God drives away the Spirit of God. The most powerful thing is not casting out demons but driving away God. Some people are very powerful, not good at casting out demons, but one is worth two when it comes to driving away the Spirit of God. Thinking that they have no time to be with the Spirit of God, they have to make money. Don't bother me! The Spirit of God sees that this person is a fool. Isn't it easy to make money? Send a few Saul-like demons to mess with you! Since you don't have time to worship God, then let you serve the enemies God sends to attack you. Still reading The Art of War? Even The Devil's Art of War doesn't work.

It is a tragedy if we don't know that the Spirit of God makes people shrewd. I have a deep understanding of this. I prosper in everything I do and handle things clearly. A netizen who likes to listen to my sermons but doesn't like to be my disciple often says that he especially likes to hear me explain things clearly. One of the characteristics of Chinese Mingding Destiny is to make things clear, but without the Spirit of God, you cannot make things clear. Brothers and sisters, try it out. Start remembering my words, you must have the Spirit of God in everything you do. With the Spirit of God, you will be very powerful.

Many people say how shrewd the people in The Brain are. I watched a clip of one of them. A young man with dull eyes came on stage. It is said that his sister brought him to participate in the show because he didn't know the way, which made me start to wonder what The Brain was like. Later, the host wrote a large radical sign on the whiteboard, like a capital long-tailed z. Then he put more than a dozen digits inside, and asked to take the thirteenth root. Later, the host said that thirteen was not enough and they had to take the fourteenth root, and the young man with dull eyes directly wrote the answer on the whiteboard. The people below pressed the calculator, and the answer was correct. It looks like it's pretty amazing, but is that really shrewdness? There is also a very powerful master in the financial world, even with excellent writing skills. But he has a problem, he is often troubled by bipolar disorder. In fact, one such person has come among us, also very capable, and with the same problem. So being shrewd in doing one thing is not necessarily shrewdness.

The Spirit of God Attracts People's Love

I don't know why, but when a person has the Spirit of God, many people love them. It's not that you have to please them or do something for them, it is evident that it is a treasure to have the Spirit of God dwelling in a person.

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. (1 Samuel 18:1)

And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt. (1 Samuel 18:3-4)

The battle robe, sword, and bow were all treasures in that era, and Jonathan gave all these treasures to David. Although David didn't want them, Jonathan felt that this person was a particularly good iron brother. The two became sworn brothers. From now on, although they could not be born on the same day of the same month of the same year, they wished to die on the same day of the same month of the same year, but David didn't do anything for Jonathan. Later, all these Israelites and Judahites loved David because David led them out and in with outstanding leadership. If David were to open a class to teach leadership, David might say this: I don't know why he likes me so much, and I don't know why these people follow me, I also feel very strange.

I tell you, the things in the spiritual realm are very divine. Not only must you know that the Spirit of God is powerful, but evil spirits are also very powerful. Don't think that there is only the Spirit of God in the spiritual realm. Many celebrities, big businesses, and wealthy people are doing some spiritual things. You can slowly look into what you don't know and you will find that what they want is to obtain it through spiritual things. A very famous person can see a two-meter-tall Buddha statue through the windows on his balcony because it works. Listen to my advice, don't listen to me and think it works and you should also get a little ghost. It's much better to get a god, let's not get these things.

The owner of a huge airline started his business by worshiping idols. That year I went to that city to do something and drove past a street. They said that this entire street belonged to this company, and that company was very rich. But later that was the end of it. That thing works now, but what if it doesn't work one day? Don't joke around, that ghost is pretty big. I am telling these things to let everyone know that the spiritual realm is very real. We must know that the Spirit of God makes people shrewd in their work. But if you look closely, if you really want to find a god, I encourage you to find the greatest God. Don't forget to give him food, or he will be very hungry. Are you still counting on him to feed you? Find the greatest God, who does not need us to feed him, but who feeds us instead.

The God we worship holds all things together with his almighty hands. It is not that you provide for him, but he gives the breath of life to people. That is why I trusted God back then. I felt that he was bigger. I had a friend who got some ghosts back, and after he got them back, many things happened. After the accident, no one took care of him. No one cared about him. The pastor of the church came over, cleaned up, threw it in the trash can, and took the whole trash bag away. I saw that the pastor was fine later.

I used to have a relative who worshiped a very large Buddha statue. The Buddha statue was very scary with its teeth bared. After he worshiped it, strange and evil things happened in his house, such as suddenly being hacked; a brick suddenly flew over and hit his head, things like that. Later he asked me why. I said that these are spiritual matters and these things cannot be done, you have to throw it away! Later, I smashed it. When I smashed this thing, my brothers and sisters in my family advised me not to touch these things, it is very dangerous to touch these things. I said that if something happens to me after I touched it, I will apologize to it, rebuild a golden statue for it, and serve it for the rest of my life, because it is very powerful! As it turned out, nothing happened, am I not still a pastor? Through this experience, I confirmed one thing, Jesus is too powerful!

The Spirit of God attracts people's love. If your interpersonal relationships are not good, I tell you it is because you have a demon on you; if you are not shrewd in your work, it is also because you have a demon on you. So Jesus is the most powerful demon-expelling master. No one has ever been like Jesus. Jesus is so powerful, not only does he kill the living, he brings the dead back to life; he makes the blind see; he makes the lame walk. It can be observed that Jesus is good. Later, after I believed in the Lord, I personally experienced God, and God made me shrewd in my work. God enabled me to attract the love of my boss, and my boss treated me very well. I am really not trying to fool you. Otherwise, how could my salary have grown so fast? That's how some people hear that it's true and immediately get excited, because they see the money. Of course, our God is very rich. It is not me who feeds him, but he who feeds me.

Many people feel regret. They see others in their fifties living good lives, while they themselves are not. They have driven away God and failed to cast out demons. It is a tragedy. If you are in your twenties, you have plenty of opportunities. I was in my twenties when I came to faith. If you have been a believer for years, start now and do not drive God away. Some people always say, Get away, can't you see I am doing business, working on a project? I am so busy! They push God aside and lose their treasure. Brothers and sisters, you must know that the Spirit of God can attract people's favor. Everyone who met David inexplicably liked him. Some evil spirits can do this too, but they are inconsistent. Our God has a characteristic: those who trust in Him lack no good thing.

The best job in the world is working for God. Working for Him is better than working for anyone else. You can continue your sales or multi-level marketing, but your real job is to serve God, to be a faithful priest and a king anointed by God in His eyes. Working for God is good, but some people do not realize it. I later found that many people do not want a salary when working for God because they think He is poor. That is a mistake. They underestimate God. Many poor pastors become poorer because they think God is poor. Later, I confirmed that God is so rich that Alibaba and Ant Group are nothing compared to Him. Adding a golden 福 (fortune) after them is still insufficient; our God is the best. Never think our God is poor, He is incredibly wealthy.

In the Old Testament, I also did some calculations. David not only attracted people's favor and was astute in his actions, but he also accumulated a lot of gold. It is said he had a hundred tons of gold; I am not sure if the measurements are accurate. The more you interact with me, the more you will find that I am very astute and clear about things. The question is whether you believe God is the One who makes people astute, whether you believe God is wealthy, whether you believe God attracts people’s favor, and whether you believe the Spirit of God is a treasure. These are crucial! If you do not believe that God is a Spirit, even though the Bible says He is, or if you do not believe that the Spirit of God is a treasure, you will read the Bible as a mere textbook. Do not read it as prose. Some people like to read the Song of Solomon and apply all the love stories to their romantic lives.

We must know that the Spirit of God is wonderful. When you are filled with the Spirit, you appear as a lovely person. Have you seen those Christians with stern faces who are frightening and joyless? I have found that many Christians have faces full of the weariness of life and lack the joy of the Spirit. They are not only unappealing but also repulsive. Meeting them feels like owing them money. I have seen such Christians and I think, May God have mercy!

The Spirit of God Brings Respect

Let me tell you, if a person does not know their place, lacks self-awareness, and yet seeks respect, they will not attain it. If you try to prove yourself before others, you will only expose your inadequacy. But if a person realizes they are nothing and then finds that God grants them respect, that is powerful! It is not something you can achieve on your own by struggling and becoming repulsive, with a stern face and the weariness of life, looking as if everyone owes you money. Can you be appealing and gain respect that way?

David gained respect. People think highly of him, but you must know how he gained it. He was a humble man. I want to tell you a few things you must pay attention to. You think you are something, but you find out you are not. You think you are a dog, but God makes you a respected person.

Whenever the Philistine commanders came out to fight, David was more successful than all the other commanders of Saul, and his name was highly esteemed. (1 Samuel 18:30)

Some people try to promote their names, but they end up with a bad reputation. Others do not promote their names, but God makes their names great. David was astute in everything he did. Whether in battle or managing internal or external affairs, he relied on the Spirit of God to give him wisdom and understanding, which earned him respect.

If you see a person who is not astute, unappealing, and does not inspire respect, it is because they lack the Spirit of God. They have also attracted many demons. I have found that these people quickly drive away God but fail to drive away demons. Fortunately, our God does not need much to leave; if you ask Him to leave, He will. The reason God leaves is because people are not humble and think too highly of themselves, and God allows them to become neither human nor demon. People must know who they are! David, who was given so much by God, should have become arrogant, but he did not. People with the Spirit of God are not easily arrogant. David was truly remarkable. Everyone listened to him and responded to his call.

Saul said to David, Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the Lord. For Saul thought, My hand will not be against him, but the hand of the Philistines will. But David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law? (1 Samuel 18:17-18)

King Saul offered his daughter to you in marriage, making you the king's son-in-law. But David truly believed he was not worthy to be the king's son-in-law. Later, when he became king of Israel, he said he was not fit to be the king of Israel, but it was all given to him by God. Even with a hundred tons of gold, he wanted to dedicate it to God.

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. (1 Chronicles 29:13-14)

David was grateful he was qualified to offer to God what came from God. Even a hundred pounds of gold is enough to make you arrogant. Wearing a big, thick chain around your neck, like someone just out of prison. You would be so arrogant that you would go to a barbeque restaurant and look down on everyone. Thinking your watch or gold chain could take someone's life, which shows a lack of intelligence. Everyone must know the importance of humility, knowing that they do not know when they will be born or when they will die. People must know that their lives are short, that they cannot control their destinies, and that they must fear God and be humble. David knew who he was. If you do not know who you are, you are in trouble, like Saul.

The Spirit of God Requires Humility

If you desire to be astute, appealing, and respected, you must be humble! I often make jokes about myself. Telling a standard joke can make people laugh. I have accumulated many jokes about myself, but these jokes cannot bring me down. I consider myself a piece of rubbish, and I am not lying. Although people think I am astute, I think I am nothing. If someone calls me a dog, that is a compliment; I am just a pile of dung!

Some people try to be more humble than me, thinking they are worse than rubbish. We do not need to compete in this way. My point is not to take yourself too seriously. If you take yourself too seriously, you will get upset when someone glares at you, and you will cause trouble. People must know who they are, which is very important. Do not take yourself for granted. If you do not want to be dung, you can be stinky tofu. It is difficult to bring me down because I do not take myself seriously. Humility is therefore important. Once a person is humble, the Spirit of God will come to find you and grant you what you need!

Many years ago, I came to the conclusion: I cannot control my own destiny. I know I am human, and I need God. So, when I encountered God, I finally found Him! I am introducing you to a treasure, and you must know that it is a treasure. These are words from my heart. If the Spirit of God is to dwell in you, I tell you, it is not that you become brave when the Spirit of God dwells in you, but you must first be brave, and then the Spirit of God will dwell in you. If you are a brave person, who does not think they are a dish on a plate, who sees through the trivial matters of life, and who has courage, the Spirit of God will dwell in such a person! If a person does not take living this life too seriously, they will become brave and despise life and death. Then they will seek something called destiny. If a person thinks about gaining destiny all day, God will come to find them because God is sitting on His throne looking for such people.

If you are a job seeker, you should know that employers suffer more than job seekers because they cannot find talent. When I was in management, money was not the problem, talent was. Hiring someone who cannot work is useless and makes the recruiter miserable. There is a saying in Northeast China that describes such people vividly: deformed and cracked. These people are not only unusable but also untouchable. If you touch them, they will freak out. God looks down from His throne, searching for a suitable person, but finds few because there are too many deformed and cracked people.

Take my advice, be someone with the Spirit of God, start being humble and brave. Even if your skills are lacking, if the recruiter thinks you are a treasure, they will hire you and train you on the job. The problem is the lack of David's nature. David's nature was remarkable, which is humility and courage. Being brave will lead you to see the Spirit of God descend upon you, and you will receive power to manifest God's glory. Do you know that God is a treasure now? The Spirit of God requires two characteristics to descend upon a person: humility and courage. Because David was brave, the Spirit of God sought such a person. It is not that there is no fear in a person, the feeling of fear will still be there, but a person can overcome fear.

The Departure of the Spirit of God is a Tragedy

If a person lacks these two characteristics, does not know their place, does not know that everything comes from God, is not brave, and has other flaws, the Spirit of God will leave. The departure of the Spirit of God is a tragedy. Saul's mind became impaired. It was as if Saul heard the women dancing and singing, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands, and he became unhappy and fixated on it. The next day, an evil spirit from God tormented him.

As they were coming home, when David returned after striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. As they danced, the women sang: Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands. Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. They have credited David with tens of thousands, he thought, but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom? And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David. (1 Samuel 18:6-9)

After the Spirit of God leaves, people will engage in competition, jealousy, and comparison, and they will start talking nonsense. Such people are foolish. Why did the Spirit of God leave Saul and descend on David? Because Saul lacked these characteristics. He was not brave even with the Spirit of God, he feared the people, and he valued his throne too much. He valued himself and his position too much, which led to his tragic end, living a life of tragedy. Even though Saul continued to be king, it meant nothing. God gave him a throne that became his snare, and God regretted making Saul king. Yet Saul went back on his word, promising his eldest daughter to David as a wife but then giving her to someone else.

So when Saul’s daughter Merab should have been given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah. (1 Samuel 18:19)

Later, Saul heard that his younger daughter Michal loved David, and he was pleased.

Now Saul’s daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. “I will give her to him,” Saul thought, “so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law.” (1 Samuel 18:20-21)

Hearing these words, it feels like this person is acting erratically, to the point of being incomprehensible. This is what everyone should be careful about, being careful that the Spirit of God does not leave you. If you were David, would you argue with Saul, Why didn't you give me what you promised? I am right, and you are wrong. I will take you to court, this is a great humiliation to me! If so, David's mind would also be broken. David could still live without this wife. He did not even think about petitioning or seeking justice. He let the past be the past. David's heart was much broader than Saul's. Although David was not tall, his heart was broad. Saul, although large, had a heart the size of a peanut and a brain the size of a walnut, not very useful.

People must know that they need to learn to be humble and know their place. People need to know that they need God and that their position and identity all come from God. People should not hold on to their little possessions, it is useless. Contemporary history and news provide enough lessons for us to learn. Those corrupt officials with names like tigers and flies end up in prison one by one. People must know that if you have the Spirit of God, you are very stable. You are someone who is astute in your actions and astute in your life. Money cannot protect anything, it is worthless. Like Saul, once a demon dwells in him, he fears those with the Spirit of God. It is strange that Saul feared David even after becoming king, but it was because David had the Spirit of God that Saul feared him.

Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. (1 Samuel 18:12)

When the Spirit of God dwells in a person, they live in peace and contentment, everything they eat tastes good, and everything they drink tastes good. For someone like me, whether you give me Maotai, Red Star, or Erguotou, I would not be able to tell the difference. But with the Spirit of God, these things are not important. What is important is to be happy after drinking. People should live out God's wonderful plan for us in this world. With the Spirit of God dwelling in you, God will lift you up among the nations, causing people to fear and honor you. In any case, emulate David, know that God sits on His throne in heaven, looking for people on earth who are after His own heart. God will give them honor and glory as a crown, until eternity. Everyone must know that the Spirit of God is too precious!

May God bless you all!