Introduction

Good day to you all! Let us delve into Chapter 22 of 1 Samuel. I believe that upon reading this chapter, one cannot help but be struck by Saul's descent into paranoia. David, the one being persecuted and hunted, did not perceive himself as a victim, whereas Saul, the king, felt constantly threatened despite having no real enemies. Considering this intriguing phenomenon, I have titled this chapter Leaders After God's Own Heart vs. Leaders Not After God's Own Heart. It is a slightly lengthy title, but it encapsulates the essence of the entire chapter.

Saul was appointed king by God, but his actions after ascending to the throne caused God to regret His choice. Subsequently, God sought to find a leader after His own heart. However, this leader after God's own heart endured a perilous escape, relentlessly pursued by Saul for thirteen years. Coincidentally, Joseph in Genesis also spent thirteen years as a slave and in prison. As for the calculation of these thirteen years, we shall set that aside for now. Let us now discuss leaders after God's own heart versus those who are not, and in the section concerning leaders after God's own heart, I urge you all to emulate their qualities.

The previous chapter presented challenges to one's moral compass, particularly for those with a strong religious inclination or pastors. This chapter, in contrast, is relatively straightforward, and should not pose any challenges.

Leaders After God's Own Heart Attract Followers

David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto David; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. (1 Samuel 22:1-2)

We must ponder the reasons why so many people gathered around David. David was a fugitive, yet people flocked to his side. This phenomenon is rather curious. Even David's father and brothers, despite being on Saul's list of people to be hunted down, chose to follow David. Israelites who were distressed, indebted, and discontented gathered around David, and he became their leader. How did David manage to attract such a following? Why did people feel compelled to follow him? If they believed that staying put was better than joining David, they would not have gathered around him. The reason is that David possessed qualities that were after God's own heart, qualities that God wants us to learn. David was undoubtedly a formidable warrior, a first-rate general who charged into battle without fear of death. Moreover, he imparted his skills and provided training to those under him, which naturally made them willing to follow him.

These distressed, indebted, and discontented individuals did not arrive all at once; rather, they came in batches. David was adept at motivating people, a testament to his wisdom and intelligence. He was both resourceful and adaptable. David not only trained these individuals but also instilled hope in them. Consider this: if David had promised to make anyone who followed him a commander of thousands or hundreds, it would have been a hollow promise, given the small number of followers he had at the time. Or if David had promised vineyards to those who joined him, but failed to deliver. David would not do such a thing, because what David offered them was hope.

If you aspire to be a leader after God's own heart, you must learn to impart faith and hope. You must possess a vision, a mission, a foresight into the future, which is what we call vision. Learn from David to have a sense of what lies ahead, to invite people to follow him and see what happens. In the future, when God enables David to rule over Israel, people will help him and work with him to fulfill the vision and mission that God has given him. God will surely fulfill what He has spoken concerning David, for His good intention for David is for him to be the king of Israel. Upon hearing this, the people were undoubtedly filled with hope, even though the current situation appeared bleak. But David's perspective was not limited to the present; he saw the future through the eyes of faith. Therefore, a leader after God's own heart is one who imparts faith, who gives hope to people through faith and the future, and who can convey vision, dreams, and hope!

The distressed, indebted, and discontented individuals had very fragile faith and no hope for the future. But after listening to David, even though the surroundings looked bleak and desolate, they felt a warmth in their hearts. I believe that you will find that after listening to me, you will feel a fire burning within you and suddenly have hope. I often say that those who come among us will surely be blessed financially! I say this with faith, for God will accomplish according to what people believe!

Brothers and sisters, what you see now has emerged from a past of extreme desolation. Do not think that the church grew to four hundred people overnight; it did not. We were just a few people holding on by faith. I am particularly good at imparting faith. I must have faith within myself in order to impart it. I must have hope within me in order to give you hope; I must also have destiny within me in order to impart destiny to you! I deeply understand God's heart, and God has placed the ability to attract followers within me. Most of the time, I am filled with confidence. However, there are times when my faith is like a flickering flame, barely alive. I can only pray fervently, which is indeed difficult and exhausting. Just when I have built up my faith, I must then lead a Bible study in the evening, once again encouraging brothers and sisters to have faith, and then many people are inspired.

I tell you, to inspire people, you must use vision and dreams. If you are leading an army, it is no use to call upon everyone to charge and take over a city with the promise of beautiful women as rewards. Such motivation is essentially useless and only attracts a group of unsavory individuals. If the city is captured, the women in the city will suffer, and history will record that the soldiers in this army were like bandits, leaving behind a legacy of infamy. If you are to charge in to save the people in the city, you must remember the army's three main rules and eight points for attention and manage the army well. All actions must follow orders, and not only should you not take a single needle or thread from the people, you should also give the needle and thread to the people. An army with such strict discipline will surely be remembered for generations to come.

So, what does God's army use to inspire people? A good leader after God's own heart uses vision and dreams to inspire the people, to inspire those who follow. Brothers and sisters, let us reignite the vision and dreams within us, and let us become a blessing to this generation. All the people of the earth will see God's glory through us and receive grace and blessings through Chinese Mingding Destiny. How glorious it is! Some people come to me to help them solve problems, and they are stunned to hear that it is free of charge. Does such a good thing still exist in this generation? It is wonderful to be a member of our church, as you receive free training. Of course, some will say that they also give offerings, but offerings are voluntary. If you do not want to give offerings, you do not have to. We are a group of people who seek to enter into God's heart and to be people after God's own heart.

Back to David, the four hundred people he led were not left to fend for themselves, because God provided for them. The first ten people who came spread the word that it was great to follow David. Then a few dozen more people came, all saying that it was great to follow David. In this way, the message spread like wildfire. Everyone said, Come quickly! There are many kinds of training here, you can really grow here, and there really is a future, so brothers and sisters all came.

Those who are still living a comfortable life at home will definitely not come. Everything is fine at home, and they can even engage in usury and direct sales, so there is no need to come here. Those who are distressed, indebted, discontented, scammed, depressed, or suffering all come, and their hearts are filled with joy, and they are truly healed! In this way, blessings can be passed on.

We are not trying to convert people; there is no point in doing so. There is no need to count heads here, nor do we need many people to come among us. Although my own situation is bleak, I know God's heart. I know that when you come among us and I impart vision, dreams, hope, and faith to you, you will suddenly taste the goodness of God's grace, and you will be inspired. When we start running forward, we will sometimes be like Saul and sometimes like David. Being like Saul means having paranoia, feeling that I want to harm you. If suddenly faith comes, then we will be like David.

The brothers and sisters among us must be raised up by God! I am very good at inspiring people, and that is a fact. I often say that everyone has a good brain, and there are no hardware issues at all. Sometimes you believe, and sometimes you do not. When you believe, you feel comfortable in your heart, and when you do not believe, you feel uncomfortable in your heart. So, when we start walking this path, we must give each brother and sister proper training in a down-to-earth manner, and then let you come out of distress, debt, and suffering. Those who had no hope before are now becoming people full of hope, and those who had no ability to do things are now becoming people who have the ability and know how to do things. Among the four hundred people that David led, many became mighty warriors and generals, and at least they could be promoted to company or platoon leaders, or to regimental or battalion commanders, or even to army or division commanders, and some even became generals and marshals, which is remarkable.

No matter what kind of person, as long as they come to a leader after God's own heart, they will become a piece of gold, a treasure. I am confident that no matter what you were like before you came, as long as you come to our church, I can definitely train you to become a treasure, and you will live with God's glory all over you, which makes people feel good after listening. I am always very grateful that two years ago, there was a sister who had been in a certain place for more than ten years and had no savings at all. We started training her, and she probably did not even know that I was training her at the time.

Now she is very capable, and she found a job with a monthly salary of more than 10,000 RMB, and then she changed to a job with a monthly salary of more than 20,000 RMB. There was also someone who used to work in Shenzhen with a monthly salary of 7,000 RMB, and now she earns at least 20,000 RMB; someone who could not finish junior high school before now earns 200,000 to 300,000 RMB a year; someone who used to stay at home to take care of children later became an excellent programmer, and it is really wonderful to see inspired people grow up. This is not a religious organization, not a place where people shout Hallelujah louder than anyone else. This is a place where people compete to become people with the image of God, to become leaders like David.

Leaders After God's Own Heart Dare to Take Responsibility

And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house. (1 Samuel 22:22)

To be a good leader is to dare to take responsibility before God. If you do not do well, it is because of me, because I have not trained you well. Does hearing this make you want to thank the Lord? There is a saying that a general's incompetence dooms the entire army. You must know that taking responsibility is a characteristic of a leader after God's own heart. A leader after God's own heart is definitely not a leader who shirks responsibility, who questions people when they do not do things well and shifts all the responsibility to them. So, in the future, do not be a responsibility-shirker, but be a person who takes responsibility. If you do not grow among us, the first thing I ask is what I have not done right.

I often train the people below me. The leaders below me may complain that this person has no destiny, is very bad, and cannot learn anything. For example, having taught them three times, or even ten times, they still cannot learn. When I hear this, I ask the leader what he/she has done, and not to shift the blame just because the person being shepherded cannot learn. What they are like is not important; what matters is what you do. If you want to be a commander of thousands, you must know that you are a commander of thousands, and your responsibility is to train the people below you.

And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. (Matthew 10:42)

Everyone should yearn to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, so as to shepherd the little ones below and mold them into disciples of Jesus Christ. Now that you are in Jesus Christ, in the kingdom of God, you must become a commander of thousands, a commander of hundreds, or a commander of fifties, and know that you are serving the little ones below. Some churches have turned it upside down, not serving the little ones below, but serving the old men below, and the little ones have become the old men. In other words, the members have become the old men, and the pastors have become the grandsons, which is impossible to shepherd. It is like begging grandfathers and grandmothers, almost bowing down to the members, because the little ones have become lords because they give money.

I believe that our church must be transformed, completely reversing this situation. I want to be a leader after God’s own heart, and so should you, becoming someone who can bless others and train up the young ones. But never train the young ones to become old men, or to hold old men up as overlords. There are no overlords in the church. Some who do not serve even hope to be elected as elders in our church. I tell them they are not old enough. Wait until they are old to be elders. It is not about who is old or not, nor about who is a master or overlord. This place is about who is more after God’s own heart, to be a leader after God’s own heart. 1 Samuel speaks of God searching for a priest after his own heart.

Brothers and sisters, do not yearn to be one of the little ones, to receive that cup of water. That is all backwards. Instead, begin to yearn to be a disciple, for whoever gives a cup of cold water to one of these little ones will be rewarded, just because you are a disciple of Jesus Christ. Because of the name of a disciple, whoever gives a cup of water to one of these little ones will be rewarded. Won’t you, as a disciple, be even more greatly rewarded? You must learn to take responsibility. What I mean is, what have we as leaders done? Whether those being pastored are doing well is one thing, but what you do is most important.

I often think to myself, if asked what I have done, I could talk at length. For example, how I solved this problem, or that some people I ministered to for three or even five years before only half the problem was resolved. Many demons have been cast out by me, not because of anything else, but because those possessed by demons were in great pain, and they deeply knew that my ministry to them was truly with the heart of God, not according to my own will.

Because God is searching in heaven and on earth for leaders after his own heart, and when he finds them, he makes them like David. Even when hunted, they do not suffer from paranoia, even if they have every reason to be paranoid, they don't have that feeling. Though persecuted, they become leaders after God’s own heart, attracting many to follow them. Although those attracted are initially a motley crew, they are later trained to be mighty warriors. What a beautiful story. This is not the Water Margin’s 108 heroes, but over four hundred mighty warriors following a leader after God’s own heart.

A Leader After God's Own Heart is Loyal

Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks your life seeks my life. With me you will be safe.” (1 Samuel 22:23)

We must know that if our thoughts and intentions are not greater than those of the Water Margin or the Oath of the Peach Garden, we cannot build a church. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, not cooking the sheep to eat them. He who seeks your life seeks my life. No matter how difficult or hard things get, I will be at the front. It sounds like the Oath of the Peach Garden, the Water Margin, or江湖人士, are we less loyal in Church than the triads? Some say I'm getting carried away again, but that's the truth. Some pastors will scoot if they encounter problems.

Previously, there was a cancer patient whose pastor and elders heard that our church was good at healing and deliverance, so they asked me to minister to the cancer patient. It sounded like they were outsourcing healing and deliverance to me, which felt awkward. If it was outsourcing the offering of a tithe to me, he'd accuse me of stealing sheep. I then told the pastor that serving was not a problem, but I had one request: for every hour I ministered to his church member with cancer, the pastor also had to spend an hour with me. The pastor immediately felt that would not work because he was too busy. He was so busy that he drove people to cancer, and he's still busy! Following such leaders in such a church is definitely a tragedy. When there is a real need, he is busy; when there is no need, he is not busy. Can such a person be after God’s own heart?

I wish everyone would yearn to be a leader after God’s own heart. Some have bad intentions when looking for me: Teacher, don’t you usually say you’re loyal? Then come and serve me. What I say is that you also need to do the same, not come and tell me what to do. You need to ask yourself whom have you pastored? What price have you paid for whom? Some people have bad intentions, and when they hear me talk about the Oath of the Peach Garden, they want to make an oath with me.

Pastoring God’s flock, the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, this is a leader after God’s own heart. If our righteousness cannot surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees, the Water Margin, and the Oath of the Peach Garden, then we are not worthy to be disciples of Jesus Christ. This is not only a requirement for myself, but also for the brothers and sisters. I am not asking you to use this to demand things of me; you do not have the right. I am asking you to use this to demand things of yourself, to ask yourself whom you have pastored. Let us twist together into a rope, for the sake of God’s kingdom, God’s glory, so that this generation may be blessed through us, and together enter into God’s intentions.

Leaders Not After God's Heart Lack Security

The previous three points are about being after God’s own heart; the fourth point is about lacking security when not after God’s own heart. You definitely do not want to follow a leader who lacks security. Because following such a leader, you would feel they think you want to harm them all day long, just like Saul.

But Saul pressed the point: “Listen, you men of Benjamin! Is the son of Jesse going to give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? (1 Samuel 22:8)

No one wanted to harm Saul; he himself was convinced that someone wanted to harm him. Conversely, someone wanted to harm David, but David did not feel that they wanted to harm him. Those after God’s own heart could discern good and evil but failed to do so, while Saul should not have discerned good and evil but did so. One was completely in heaven, the other in hell. Saul said that his son was instigating his officials to murder him; this is paranoia. Later, he also said that the son of Jesse was conspiring to harm him; it was all this kind of thing.

When Saul’s state is taken as a model, and a mirror is held up, many people fall into this. Some say I have stolen their sheep and ruined their church. When did these things happen? I am so emotional! Instead of serving well and being a leader after God’s own heart, they have to be a leader not after God’s own heart. Being not after God’s own heart is bad enough, but being a leader who provokes God’s wrath is even worse. Instead of pastoring well, they blame others for stealing their sheep. This kind of thing happens a lot, and the root cause is a lack of security.

Without security, they always have paranoia. Cain and Lamech both had this illness, and now Saul has contracted this occupational hazard. A person who loves the world will definitely lack security; a person who trusts in God will definitely feel very safe. Those who trust in God know that all provision comes from God. If a person does not trust in God and only trusts in himself, he will lack security because he cannot be relied upon at all, and those who follow him will also be very bad.

Leaders Not After God’s Heart Are Very Stubborn

Those who lack security do not believe anyone who says that no one wants to harm them; they just feel that someone will harm them. Saul was so stubborn.

Saul demanded of him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has risen against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?” Ahimelek answered the king, “And who of all your servants is so faithful as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and honored in your house? Is today the first time I have inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all his father’s house, for your servant knew nothing of all this, much or little.” And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelek, you and all your father’s house.” (1 Samuel 22:13-16)

Ahimelek said that he really did not know, but Saul insisted that he definitely knew. A leader is very stubborn. Paranoia means that no one wants to harm him, but he is very stubbornly convinced that someone wants to harm him. His brain is completely broken. Some people, though alive, are 80 to 90 percent possessed by demons, living a very hard life. If you are a Christian, you must be a Christian after God’s own heart. If you are a pastor, you must be a pastor after God’s own heart. If you are a Christian or a pastor not after God’s own heart, it will be very miserable, and in the end, you will attract demons and become like Saul.

Ahimelek said that it was not the first time he had inquired of God for David. David was a commander of thousands before Saul and was made the king’s advisor by Saul. Saul sent him to lead troops to fight. Saul himself decided to marry his daughter to David. But Saul could not hear anything. Brothers and sisters, especially those among us who are pastors, should reflect on this. If you feel that someone wants to harm you, especially if you feel that I want to harm you, then you really have Saul’s disease. People are so stubborn to this extent that they have fooled themselves and do not even know it, because they are not after God’s own heart. Like Saul, they only want to hold onto the throne tightly, but how long can they hold on by themselves? When a person kicks his legs, closes his eyes, and becomes swollen with tubes inserted, he cannot hold on even if he wants to.

Leaders Not After God's Heart Encourage People with Material Things

Saul said to his officers who stood around him, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? (1 Samuel 22:7)

Encouraging people with material things is very unsustainable. No matter how much salary you give, it cannot solve their Saul’s disease. It does not work. I do not want my colleagues to be poor; this is absolutely true. It is not after God’s own heart to encourage people with material things; you have to encourage people with vision and dreams. If you use material things to encourage people, you will find that people become immune to material things. If you give money to people who already have money, they do not find it very attractive. Some of our brothers and sisters are very interesting. They bought a car but did not feel happy. Before buying the car, they thought about driving to Tibet, but after buying the car, they parked it downstairs. It was not very interesting. Driving was not only dizzying but also tiring. They bought a big house but were not happy, and their sense of happiness did not increase much. They did not have money before, but now they have money, but they still seem unhappy. They still quarrel and still feel uncomfortable.

Do not think that commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, fields, and vineyards can encourage people. Do not count on those filthy things, like promising a beauty if you charge forward. A person who thinks this thing is important will use the things he thinks are important to encourage people. I think destiny, vision, and hope in Jesus Christ are most important, so I will use these to encourage people. Leaders not after God’s own heart think that money and women are important, so they will use money and women to encourage people, but it does not work. If you have learned a lesson, you can tell your brothers and sisters that your financial situation will definitely turn around; you will definitely become a person blessed by God; you will definitely experience God’s blessing in finances. This is not a problem. But never use money to attract people, because those attracted by money are all garbage. I want to attract a group of people with destiny, not a group of people who love money and have the smell of money on them.

Leaders Not After God’s Heart Attract Evil People

Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. (1 Samuel 22:18)

Just like King Zhou attracted Shen Gongbao, you cannot stop it. Saul attracted Doeg the Edomite, who was just like Shen Gongbao. In the end, Doeg the Edomite also died a terrible death. All these people are rooted in the things of this life and live in a physical logic system.

And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword both men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys and sheep. (1 Samuel 22:19)

God told them to destroy the Canaanites, but they destroyed the priests instead. Doeg did not even know that this thing was deeply cursed. He confidently went to do this, which suddenly attracted more demons from the spiritual realm to descend on Saul and Doeg.

After listening to this, you must know that you have to make a choice: to be an evil person or a righteous person? To be a leader after God’s own heart or a leader not after God’s own heart? To be someone who pleases God or someone who provokes God’s wrath? This choice is fatal! If you are still in Chinese Mingding Destiny, I will keep nagging you every day. You must have a vision! Do not love the world or the things in the world; start to love God. Loving God is incomparably wonderful! Those who love God attract those who love God, and those who love the world attract those who love the world. God has placed before us such a glorious path; let us run forward together!

May God bless you all!