I. Introduction

Good morning! Today, I will begin a new series with everyone, the series on God's presence. If a person does not know God's presence, it is a tragedy for their entire life. The most wonderful gift a person can receive in life is God's presence. Isn't it a tragedy if a person doesn't have God's presence? I will be sharing a series of messages on God's presence. You must understand that one needs to manage their life well. Some people say, Teacher, didn't you say that people should see through things? You can only manage well if you see through things, you silly child. One needs to manage their life well: opening a shop requires good management; working a job requires good management; getting married requires good management. Don't get married haphazardly without managing well, and then end up with an enemy. Managing a project requires good management. What is it that doesn't require good management? Everything requires good management. Some people, through their management, bring about God's presence; others, through their management, bring about the presence of demons. Now everyone must understand that some people are shrewd, while others are just silly!

During my prayer time today, I realized that some people are just foolish throughout their lives. When I point it out, they get angry with me and then mess things up, ending up with a body full of ailments. If you end up with a body full of ailments, don't you know that you've messed up? You must realize that you've messed up. So how do you manage things? I have to teach you this, but how? It exhausts me. While teaching, someone got cheated out of $100,000. I really wanted to smack them to wake them up. Slap! A big slap in the face. Are you awake now? Still not awake, still unable to discern good from evil. So some people, through their management, bring about God; others, through their management, bring about demons. Some people ask, How do I know if I've brought about demons? You still don't know? How many illnesses do you need to realize it? There are all kinds of people in the world, and there is nothing new under the sun. No one does what they think is wrong, and the results will prove whether you have brought about God's presence or the presence of demons.

Last time, I spoke about Samuel. God was with him, and God did not let any of Samuel's words fall to the ground. How wonderful it is to become like Samuel in one's lifetime. Samuel was a smart child. He grew into an old man, a smart old man. Even with a face full of wrinkles, he was smart, with bright, piercing eyes. He always had God's presence. Today, you must know who I will be speaking about: David. David acted wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. This is the title of today's sermon. Is it good to be smart? Of course, it is. If you raise a silly son, wouldn't you be worried to death? Reaching the age of thirty or forty and still relying on their parents, a sixty-year-old son asking his ninety-year-old mother, Why aren't you still supporting me? I really want to smack him. Don't you think such a person deserves a beating? They really do.

So David's actions were simply amazing. Samuel's life, David's life, those lives were simply amazing, remarkable! People don't understand the things David did, but you don't really need to understand them. Just learn from them, and you will understand after you have learned. People didn't understand and thought David was wrong. You should know that when I used to lead Bible studies, people would often circle and criticize David, saying that David was bad in this way and that way. You should know that many sisters don't understand why? Because David had too many wives. Brothers liked it, but I don't like it. Why? Because I can't even manage one, what would I do with so many?

David was too powerful in this matter. People thought Abraham was wrong, Isaac was wrong, Jacob was wrong. Many of the sermons you have heard in the past talked about them, criticizing them. You should know that if you criticize those whom God delights in, won't you be cursed? Those who curse Abraham will be cursed, those who curse Isaac will be cursed, those who curse Jacob will be cursed. It's a matter of life and death! So people are foolish. How can you think David was wrong? He married so many wives, and God didn't care. Why do you care? Anyway, I don't care. I can't travel back three thousand years to ask David, Why did you take so many wives? Even God didn't mind.

One characteristic of my Bible studies is that if I don't understand something, I say, Ah, I'm not good enough, I don't understand yet. Even if others do things correctly, I still don't understand, just like a master chess player. After the game, people leave, having lost. How did they lose? They still don't know how they lost. They just don't understand. Others have done things correctly, but I haven't done them correctly yet. Remember, this is what I call being shrewd. Don't think that you are very capable by criticizing others, only to end up with a body full of ailments.

One day, while I was leading a Bible study, a kidney cancer patient came in. You should know that the kidneys govern the bones, and he was covered in plasters because his bones hurt. I said, Why is there such a strong smell of plasters? He said, I put them on. I had to send him home halfway through the Bible study. Why? Because he said, Teacher, what you are saying here is wrong. He brought up traditional arguments, saying that Abraham was no good, Isaac was no good, Jacob was no good, and only he was good. I said, If you are so good, go and build a church. I sent him away. What else could I do? It's foolish!

I tell you, once I feel that I haven't done things correctly, I will seek until I understand. You should know that sometimes when I lead Bible studies, like recently when studying the Book of 1 John, it is really difficult to read. To understand the Book of 1 John, you really need the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, as I seek, I will suddenly say, Aha! You think I'm drinking a forget-me-not potion? No, it's because I understand. The more I understand, the more shrewd I become. Learn from Samuel, David, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and you won't be far off! If you study these people, who are all exceptionally smart, how can you be far behind? How well have you learned? You haven't learned well enough, you're still far off, right? You also need to read until one day you say, Aha! I understand.

There is also a word I often say when ministering: Sigh! Do you know the meaning behind the word sigh? Do you understand what sigh means? The meaning is very deep. Sigh, you silly fool! The sentence that follows cannot be said, but it's very helpless. Three eights are twenty-three, overly confident, a mind full of nonsense, good for nothing. Wearing jeans, with a great figure, and then putting on high heels, the bell-bottoms of the jeans covering the high heels, walking with a clattering sound, a mind full of nonsense, what's the use? This is what I say. If there really is such a person, don't take it personally. I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about people on the street.

When I minister to people, I rarely minister to someone like David. Seriously, it's quite worrying. Why haven't I ministered to a shrewd person like David? Why haven't I ministered to someone like Joseph? I ask you, did David and Joseph need deliverance? They did not need deliverance. One day, a David came and said, Pastor, pray for me. But this David and that David are not the same David. This David has a body full of ailments. If a person is really like David, they wouldn't need ministering to. If that were the case, it wouldn't be me ministering to him, but him ministering to me. It wouldn't be me saying to him, Sigh! It would be him saying to me, Sigh! When I hear him say, Sigh! I know that I am a silly fool, and I need to be more confident.

I need to know that I am far behind. I don't need to rely on feeling good about myself to support my courage to live. Many people rely on their inner sense of well-being to support their courage to live. I rely on continuous learning to be shrewd, to manage well, and God is with me, supporting my courage to die. Some people say, During the New Year, what kind of talk is that? Don't think that I am wrong. I want to live for my God and die for my God. This is called Mingding Destiny! What is Mingding Destiny? It means to be born for God, to live for God, and to die for God!

Every time I minister to earthlings and feel helpless in my heart, I want to leave the world. I am really speaking from the heart. Leaving the world and being with the Lord is far better, because it means leaving behind the toil of this world. Being a heavenly person is far better, being on earth as it is in heaven. Of course, earthlings are much better than frogs in a well, but the well of earthlings is just a bit bigger. But this is still insulting. What does earthling mean? It means a frog in a slightly larger well.

A few days ago, I ministered to a sister. You should know that this sister, by thinking too much, brought demons upon herself, and then she started to feel dizzy, her stomach started to bloat, and she started to feel uncomfortable. Eventually, she couldn't speak. When I drove the demons out, she woke up from a nap and didn't even know what had happened. The things she had said earlier were all said by the demons. She didn't know what had happened. Today, I ask you, can you guess what she was thinking at the time? She was just thinking about earthly things. Some people ask, Teacher, what was she thinking about? Don't ask, you can tell that she was pretty much like someone in an earthly well. You are not far from her, so slowly ponder what she was thinking.

If a Christian has hope in this world, they are more pitiable than anyone else. Worrying about this, worrying about that, worrying about what? Worrying about inviting demons. People need to learn to manage well, to live well, to bring God, to become as shrewd as David. That would be simply amazing! Today, I will continue to speak about David. There are many Davids among us. Later, I discovered that many people, like me, love David. Ponder slowly and learn.

Over the past few years, I have spent a lot of effort but haven't taught people a secret. Isn't that a tragedy? I am really disappointed. I was thinking, is what I am teaching so difficult? Am I teaching things that are vague and incomprehensible? Am I teaching things that you can't understand? It doesn't seem so. What I am teaching are all simple things. You should know that the one sentence I have spent so much effort teaching people is, at most, three sentences. Does everyone want to know which sentence? Some people say, Teacher, you have said so many sentences, how am I supposed to know which one? Today, I must tell you that people need to learn one sentence: Ah, I haven't done it correctly. What does doing it correctly look like? That's just one sentence. Initially, it's Ah, I haven't done it correctly. What does doing it correctly look like? One day, you will Aha! Understand. If you learn this sentence, you will be amazing. You will become shrewd. You will bring the presence of God. Simple, right? Easy to learn? Not easy to learn. I have been teaching for so many years, and it seems that only a few people have learned it. It's also a comfort.

Do you know why it's not easy to learn? Because you think you are doing pretty well. You think you are already number one in the world, the highest standard, the world standard. That's not a national standard, that's a world standard. If you have become a world standard, what else do you need to do? I would have to learn from you. Some people say, That thing you're talking about, it's not that I haven't done it correctly, are you doing everything correctly? You think you are doing well, you think I should praise you, but I am not even qualified to praise you. I have to learn from you. You think you are a shrewd person, and you rely on this to support your courage to live. Then I have to pour cold water on you, and you will want to die. Because when people think like this, they feel uncomfortable. Have you ever experienced I'm not wrong! It's all your fault. The sun, moon, and stars are all wrong. Everyone is wrong, I am right. You have all let me down! It's always like this.

But when it comes to really wanting to die, there is no courage to die. Is there courage to die? No, so they go to Canada. Have you watched dramas? That's how the shows are filmed. When things are hopelessly tangled, they buy a plane ticket and fly to Canada. Taiwanese, Hong Kongers, and Singaporeans like to go to Canada, and Chinese people are starting to go to Canada too. They go to Canada and hide in the deep mountains and forests. There, the land is vast and full of forests. They build a small wooden house. That's how the dramas are filmed, silly fools. Canada is also quite wronged, taking in a bunch of these people, and they become opposition parties in Canada.

Greedy for reputation, not shrewd in doing things, and demons are with them. Tragedy! It seems like everyone's reaction is good. Everyone understands. I have spoken so much, for twenty minutes, but it's actually just one sentence: Oh, I haven't done it correctly. What does doing it correctly look like? Don't keep trying to prove that you haven't done anything wrong. When some people talk, they always want to prove that what they have done is reasonable. No matter what you do, you need to be shrewd, you need the presence of God. Don't drive God away and invite demons. Wouldn't that be a tragedy? If you invite demons, I will drive them out for you. After I drive them out, the demon will say, Look how bad he is. He invited me, and then you come and punish me. I say the demon is quite wronged, but you don't think you are wronged.

Today, in addition to that one sentence, I will teach everyone two more sentences. When you face someone who is more capable than you and they tell you that you haven't done it correctly, your response should be what I just taught you: Ah, I haven't done it correctly. What does doing it correctly look like? Don't explain why you did it wrong. Don't explain why you did something foolish. It's meaningless. Does explaining make your foolishness reasonable? Putting shit in your brain, is that reasonable? It's not reasonable. When you face someone who is about the same level as you and they tell you that you haven't done it correctly, what should you do? At this time, think more: Ah, maybe I haven't done it correctly. What does doing it correctly look like? If you have done it correctly, the result will be correct, and you will be able to explain it clearly. I am a person who is relatively realistic and practical. If I can't explain something clearly, I really can't say it. If I am going to say it, I have to say it clearly. When you face someone who is worse than you and they tell you that you haven't done it correctly, what should you do? Very interesting, there are many such people in the world.

A few days ago, someone wanted to jump off a building. After I delivered him and ministered to him, he came a few days later to teach me how to be a pastor. What can I say to him? Let's not get angry, let's discuss with him and ask him, Do you know if this is correct? He says, I don't know either. Then what are you saying to me? Is what you are saying correct? How do you know if it's correct? She looked at me, and I looked at her. What are you gesturing to me for? She said, It's written in the book. Is everything written in the book correct? Don't explain. If you really think what you are doing is correct, can you explain it clearly? If you really think what you are doing is correct, you will definitely be able to explain it clearly. If you can't explain it clearly, figure it out. Everyone needs to slowly understand. Thank the Lord! Over the years, everyone has grown in understanding, and everyone is becoming more shrewd. I have also gained a lot of comfort.

In this recent period, all these demons are closely related to understanding. For example, if you are afraid, how do you release that fear? You must understand why you are afraid. Fear is just a feeling; knowing that I don't need to be afraid, and then the spirit of fear is driven away, it's powerless. If you bought a car with over a hundred horsepower, the spirit of fear is at best a small electric scooter, easily pushed away, nothing much. So recently, these demons require people to deal with them through understanding.

Although your problem is still there, not completely solved, you already know you haven't done it right. When you feel you haven't done it right, I can open champagne to celebrate; when you feel you've done it right, I get depressed. So today, let's all open a few bottles of champagne, knowing: I haven't done it right. What does doing it right look like? My requirements are really not high. When you feel dizzy, bloated, chest tightness, can't defecate, can't urinate, can't see, can't hear clearly, can't walk, can't eat, have difficulty breathing, and some people can't control anal leakage, there are so many things, demons are here, you haven't done it right. Then it's easy to handle. What does doing it right look like? Doing it right is in the word of God.

Becoming shrewd, things that benefit you, do I need to persuade you? No. Then you become shrewd, and God is with you. Let's work together, running towards this goal. Learn, start copying homework. Do you all know what copying homework means? It means doing what others do. We haven't learned David's way, Abraham's way yet, what are we messing around with ourselves? Replicating one David, Samuel, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph after another. Open champagne, the angels will celebrate with us, another David on earth, another person with God on earth. Having said so much, today we'll talk about how to manage, how to be a shrewd person, how to be a person with God.

II. Scripture

David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. (1 Samuel 18:14)

III. Prayer

God, today I want to emulate David. God, I also want to be someone who behaves wisely in all his ways, and has You with him. God, today open my mind, teach me, train me, mold me, constantly do the work of molding in me, remove my carnal habits. God, today give me a humble heart, let me constantly strive in the path of knowing You, let me learn to emulate those You delight in, constantly improve myself on this path, may Your Holy Spirit descend upon me, lead me to constantly seek, so that I may see Your glorious face. God, today restore in me the glorious hope in eternity, become a person who is after Your own heart on earth, pleasing to You; become a person who lives for You, dies for You, and offers himself to You. God, may You accept my prayer. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

IV. Scriptural Background

The background of this passage is good, I especially like this sentence. Then you say: Teacher, don't you especially like Samuel's sentence? I like this sentence too. How did David come out when he debuted? David was about fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen years old, about that age, still a greenhorn, when God brought Samuel to find someone, to find the king God wanted to establish, because God regretted establishing Saul as king. Saul was the first king of Israel, the pioneer, but not after God's own heart, and was rejected by God, so Samuel found David. David was very spirited. After he was anointed, he was to become the king of Israel. Did David know what this anointing meant? Yes, it was an appointment, that he would become the king of Israel in the future.

But the next day, no, he didn't become the king of Israel; the third day, no. What was David doing? He was shepherding sheep. If someone had no faith, they would say: Forget it, still be the king of Israel? I'll just herd sheep today. Sometimes the sheep are disobedient, and when their temper flares up, they kick the sheep, thinking: Why haven't I become king yet? I still have to deal with you little sheep. Hey, why do you want to be king? I'm saying David didn't do this, but we might do this, impatient, anxious. So I always advise everyone not to be anxious, getting anxious ruins everything. Don't become someone that God anointed to be the king of Israel and regretted it, and went to find someone else, that would be terrible. The Spirit of God comes upon you, and then the Spirit of God leaves you, who comes? Demons come. An evil spirit from God will come upon a person, and the person will become mentally ill.

But David was amazing, obediently shepherding sheep, slowly waiting, sooner or later God will make me the king of Israel. But he knew: When I take the throne of Israel, I must be after God's own heart, manage well, govern well, govern Israel, govern the people of Israel, and bring them all before God. This is David. So what happened? David was very patient.

Finally, the opportunity came, Saul was facing Goliath, no one could defeat Goliath. It just so happened that David went to the battlefield to deliver food to his brothers, the bread his father baked, rou jia mo, pizza, baozi, Western food, Eastern food, and sent it to the battlefield. When his brother saw him, he said: What are you doing here, kid? He even insulted him. But he heard Saul say: If anyone can defeat Goliath, Saul will marry his daughter to that person, becoming the king's son-in-law. Now he doesn't have to herd sheep, the opportunity has come, and David defeated Goliath in one fell swoop.

David was 1.7 meters tall, Goliath was 3 meters tall, if you calculate by weight, it would be 500 kilograms. 500 kilograms versus 60 kilograms, David was fighting featherweight versus super heavyweight, who wins? David wins. With this win, it's amazing, David served in Saul's army. What's amazing about David is that David developed a whole body of skills. When did he develop it? When he was shepherding sheep, sometimes a bear came, and he would tussle with the bear. You tussle with a bear, and the bear slaps with 500 kilograms, tigers and lions are all 500 kilograms in one slap, who can withstand that? David was definitely an amazing person. David was smart, he had tools in his hand, made a slingshot, carried a bag of pebbles, bows and arrows, etc., he was very powerful, so David was very shrewd, able to defeat tigers, lions, bears, wolves.

David was really amazing, a person afraid of death cannot do this. David was also strong, Goliath had a knife in his hand, just think, Goliath's knife must be like Li Yuanba's hammer, very heavy, that knife is comparable to the Sword of Goujian, a good knife. David was also strong, small, agile, all muscle. Have you ever seen Western sculptures? Plaster statues. Have you drawn David in sketching? David's statue, with a slingshot on his back, drawn very well, becoming today's template.

What's amazing about David? What's amazing is that he has a whole body of skills, he's great at doing things, great at fighting, and later in his old age, he was still fighting on the battlefield, his martial arts were extremely high, so David came out of the mountains and became a general. A little kid of seventeen or eighteen becoming a general is a bit unbelievable, right? David is capable. I'm afraid that after I finish saying this, everyone will be a little discouraged. Some people say: I'm twice David's age, I'm two seventeens, and I'm still a failure. Why? Because there's something wrong with you, you have to deal with it slowly.

After David came out of the mountains and became a general, he served a boss who was not very capable, and this boss was often petty. As a result, people said: David killed ten thousands, Saul killed thousands. This made Saul very angry, so Saul wanted to kill David. You must remember David's reaction. Saul wanted to kill David, could he kill him? Are Saul's few skills comparable to Goliath? Not comparable. Are Saul's few skills, his movements as fast as a lion or a tiger? Not comparable. You with your petty skills, want to kill David, far from it.

So David was very shrewd, it's hard to kill this kind of person. As a result, Saul framed David again, and you have to learn David's reaction. Later, when David was on the run, he met Saul again, he had the opportunity to kill Saul, and his reaction was also very powerful, meaning that David's life, there are too many things we can learn. So the author of the Bible, the person who wrote 1 Samuel, said: David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him! Unlike us, some of our brothers and sisters lose their jobs while doing things, doing foolish things. If you're going to do foolish things, discuss it with me beforehand, I can give you an idea in three minutes, two minutes, no, you just mess around yourself, you slowly learn.

People who are not shrewd, it's really fatal. David was great at doing things. Later, David was chosen to be Saul's son-in-law, Saul's daughter married David, this is both a relative, a subordinate, and a son-in-law. As a result, Saul played David twice. The first time was to marry his eldest daughter to David, but he had already given her to someone else; the second time he married Michal to David, which was quite deadly. So the Bible says, David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him! Today we will study this, I suddenly realized that there is also a word in this passage, the Lord God was also with him, he was shrewd in doing things, let's talk about this slowly.

Later you will find that many places talk about David's shrewdness, he is respected, David's life was too amazing. So later we learned that David behaved wisely in all his ways. If you are not shrewd, you slowly learn. Why are you not shrewd? Because you know too little. Why are you not shrewd? Because you don't do what David did, because there are some things David did that you don't agree with. If you encounter a very bad boss, who wants to kill you, how do you react? Your reaction will definitely not be as shrewd as David's, you don't seem to have much sense of God's presence, then it's troublesome. You have to learn, if you learn, you will be great. This is the background of this passage.

V. Acting Shrewdly

I have studied management quite thoroughly, I have studied doing things and dealing with people quite thoroughly. How did I study it thoroughly? I learned it from the Bible. Learning this is very interesting, you have to do things, before you manage things, you have to learn to do things, if you can't do things, it's bad. So doing things is a very important part, if you can't do things, how can you deal with people? You have to learn to do things, then learn to deal with people, then learn to manage things, then learn to manage people, that's the key. Acting shrewdly, the business you manage must be refined, it's not that you become shrewd because God is with you, it's that you are shrewd and God is also with you. A person who is not shrewd is full of wild ideas, that is a tragedy.

People have to act shrewdly, look at David's attitude in doing things. David definitely herded sheep well, if a sheep was taken away by a wild animal, he would snatch it back, that's a truly responsible attitude. How did he herd sheep so well? Who did he learn from? This person is called Israel, he is Abraham's grandson, Isaac's son Jacob. Jacob herded sheep well, David heard that Jacob herded sheep well, and he pondered it every day, his way of herding sheep is very similar to Jacob's way of herding sheep, why? He pondered it all day long. You have to know these two words, you have to write these two words down for me.

Some people lack this kind of pondering attitude, how can they act shrewdly? They don't ponder. I often say to ponder, to think, so some time ago, I led my colleagues to do a training for them, summarizing what I have said in the past few years. One day I must put these things together and send them to everyone, and I hope everyone can learn these things. Regarding pondering, such as making plans, you have to ponder, don't just write with your head covered, and then say to me: Teacher, this is my plan, can you help me take a look? What do you want me to look at? It's obvious that you haven't pondered it. If you haven't pondered it, am I going to ponder it for you? I see that what you wrote is all garbage, useless.

Whether it's a plan, learning, or thinking, you have to practice these things, you have to practice a whole body of skills, if you don't know, you have to learn. For example: Ask yourself, am I doing this right? Never say: If it's not done this way, then how should it be done? It has become the world standard, but when you look at it, they actually do it faster and better than you. Like some people doing things, I said: You are not doing this right. He said: What's wrong with me? He's not completely wrong, but it's a less efficient way of doing it, there's a better way, so there's no best, only better, have you heard that? Then you have to ponder whether there's a better way, not prove that your thing is also okay. Then I also have something that's okay, if your thing is also okay, then my thing is better than your thing, then you have to use my thing, right? You have to practice skills.

Actually, I tell you, who is the most difficult to pastor? People who have accomplished nothing in their lives, who can't do anything, that's fatal! I have to tell you, it's a bit of a tragedy if a person can't manage by the age of thirty-five. You say you can't manage people, people manage you, how can a twenty-seven or eight year old manage a thirty-five year old? They don't like you at first glance, why? You've been doing it for thirty-some years, and you've accomplished nothing, how can people like you? You must be a stupid person. Why do you become stupid? Because you always think you're doing it right. Everyone should now understand what I said; Oh, I didn't do it right, what does doing it right look like? You didn't learn that stuff clearly, and you still think you're very clear.

We have a colleague, I have a name for this kind of person called a college dropout. What is a college dropout? It's like taking a college entrance exam, you seem to understand, you seem not to understand, but when you take the exam, your score is not enough, so you reread for another year, you seem to understand, you seem not to understand. He himself feels very clear, but when he takes the exam, he doesn't pass, so he takes the exam again for another year, doesn't he drop out? Some people leak urine, some people leak stool, some people leak college, isn't that fatal! The most difficult to serve are those who can't do anything, but I have the patience to teach you, but don't bring an attitude and say: What about this, what about that? It's annoying!

We call it being established at thirty. I give you until thirty-five, an extra five years, can you get established? Times have changed. In doing things, conducting oneself, managing affairs, managing people, learn to do things before thirty. David was already king at thirty, and knew how to do things at seventeen. Don't pat your head or your backside when doing things. Patted heads and backsides are about the same, one is a burp, the other a fart, useless. So why can't this person do things? It's an attitude problem. Today, we must all know that you have an attitude problem. Why are you not skilled in your work? It's an attitude problem. You have to solve the attitude problem. So how do you do things? You must learn to learn, learn to plan, learn to think.

For example, after you've done something, you get so angry that your legs hurt, your back hurts, your neck hurts, your chest feels tight, your vision blurs. Have you ever calculated the cost? Why are you so angry? Helpless, no solution, no ability. You don't practice your skills, you just get angry. What's the point of getting angry? Some people get so angry that they don't do anything for a week. So, at most, you only spend fifteen years doing real work, and fifteen years being angry. You’re not fighting for the sake of a steamed bun but simply for pride, boiling a pot of water and only getting steam, nothing inside. Even a cornbread bun could be steamed into something, but you open the pot and there's nothing but steam. How can you have ability?

That's why I say it's an attitude problem. The problem isn't that the method you're learning is wrong, but that the method you're learning is not good. The way I learn takes a tenth of your learning time. Do you think you can compare to me? Because I ponder. Ponder slowly, and don't be self-righteous. Self-righteousness is quite evil, harming yourself and others. Have you learned to be shrewd in your work? Being shrewd in your work starts with attitude. You need to put in effort. Can you gain ability by just scrolling through TikTok? Whatever you thoroughly ponder will yield twice the results with half the effort; whatever you don't thoroughly ponder will yield half the results with twice the effort.

You'll find that I don't like acting like old women. Two old women together just gossip, you all know that, right? You grew up in an environment with plenty of neighbors, gossiping about the East family and the West family. Can that make you shrewd? Having the face of an old woman, saying the words of an old woman, talking the gossip of an old woman, wasting the time of an old woman, and in the end, you just become an old woman. Manage your time well, use it to do real work. To be shrewd in your work, you need to put in effort, ponder things thoroughly, and figure things out. How to raise sheep? How to do things? In the end, a lifetime of loneliness, no ability. People without ability are bound to be helpless; people without ability are bound to get angry. People without ability are like this because they have no solutions.

Six, Interacting with Colleagues

You have to learn to do things. That's the foundation. If you can't do things, who will respect you? No one will respect you. You can't do anything, and you still want people to respect you. Respect for what? David interacted very well with his colleagues. We don't know how he did it, but he did it very well. David and Jonathan were good brothers. Why did they become good brothers? Because David was not only good at doing things, but he was also good at dealing with people. So how did he deal with people? When he interacted with people, he wasn't arrogant, not thinking that everyone owed him something. Slowly study David's thoughts and intentions, and you'll find that he didn't demand that others respect him. Later, when he was old and king, he was still the same even when his son drove him away. Do you think he wouldn't be like that when he was young?

David was a general under Saul and had to interact with other generals and colleagues. Jonathan was also a general, leading troops into battle. If David said to his colleagues: I killed Goliath, what about you? You can't do it. Wouldn't that be asking for trouble? One day, a colleague might poison him to death. Don't be arrogant, so learn to interact with colleagues. Don't learn to speak aggressively, be humble, low-key, and focus on doing things. The way he and his colleague Jonathan were good to each other was truly remarkable. He didn't compete, didn't envy, he had no jealousy inside. Jonathan didn't envy him, and David didn't flaunt or envy others. Then saying: Look, you're the king's son, I'm the king's son-in-law, I'm your brother-in-law. One is the son-in-law, and one is the son, Saul is good to his son, do you need to be jealous? But you're still not the son, right, so there's no need.

Learning to interact with colleagues is very important. In the past years, I can definitely be a role model for everyone in this regard. I learned how to deal with people and how to do things from David. Don't think it's all natural. Natural things are useless. I told you before that I couldn't sing, but later I learned to sing. So today, we must know that to interact with colleagues, you have to be willing to give. A selfish person can't get along anywhere. So you have to think about your interpersonal relationships and your relationships with your colleagues: Ah, I didn't do it right. When doing things, you have to think: Ah, this way is not right, what is the right way? When interacting with people, don't always say: Ah, how can you treat me like this? You should say: Oh, I didn't do it right. Everyone looks down on me, why? People hate my bad temper, they see me coming and take a detour. Wouldn't that be a tragedy?

Seven. Interacting with Subordinates

Colleagues are at the same level like Jonathon, and David handled his inferiors well. Today’s chapter doesn’t talk about how David got along with his subordinates, but later, when David was on the run, he took six hundred men, all riff-raffs who were like hooligans - in today’s terms, with tattoos of blue dragons on the left and white tigers on the right, and having characters carved on their heads to scare people. But David could still manage this kind of person, and you better learn from David’s philosophy of management. How to get along with subordinates? Those subordinates wanted to kill David, so see how David managed them. In the end, those riff-raffs that David managed became famous generals who were very powerful. This is what it means to manage.

The people managed by David were really powerful – David said he wanted to drink water, and as a result a few of his soldiers and generals went to the enemy camp to fetch it and nearly died in the process. That’s how good his relationship with them was. Just think: the entire management philosophy is something we still can’t copy today, so let’s learn slowly. Half of the people who followed David were tired and did not want to go to battle any more, but David went ahead with 200 men, and after winning they divided the spoils equally. The things he did were beyond our imagination today and you would definitely think it was unfair, so we can’t understand how he handled these problems, but David had a sure hand in dealing with subordinates and was guaranteed to be able to solve any issues at hand.

Eight. Interacting with Superiors

The front is about doing things, and the back is about being a person. Doing things is the foundation – one can only be a person after doing things, and one can only manage things or manage people after doing things and being a person. Later, God gave David revelations, drawing him the plans in His finger to let him know how to build the Temple of the Lord God. You have to know how to decorate, how to do construction, and if you can’t see the plans, how can you get the job done? As for getting along with your superiors, I can give you a suggestion today: If your superior is not good, you have a lot of room to grow. If your superior is good, you can learn many things from your superior. Whether your superior is good or not, you can still handle your interpersonal relationships well – this is very important.

So don’t be like some people who are against everything they see – some people are born rebels and are dissatisfied with everything, wanting to revolt everywhere they go. Don’t think that people don’t know. All the brilliant people in this world know that this person is a born rebel and troublemaker. If you are a troublemaker here, you won’t stop being one if you come to me. So you need to learn how to be a person and not oppose everything. What are you doing if you are always fighting with your boss no matter who hires you? Let me tell you today that I will never hire pastors rejected by large churches and that I don’t even want them as attendees.

For example, with accounting firms, you must never hire people who have been rejected by large firms, even if they had a high position, because there must be a reason. Getting along with your superiors is very important, so I've been reading the Bible and learning from David since I became a believer. That’s why I got along well with my superiors, and after two or three years of cooperation, our relationships became very good.

Nine. Interacting with God

How did David manage his interpersonal relationships and approach situations? His most important foundation, his most important phrase was: God was with him. Later, in the Book of Kings and in other places in the Bible, people would say: So-and-so king followed his master David in doing what was pleasing to God. So everyone must know that we must interact with God. God is in heaven, and we are on earth. We must know that we are earthlings. So how do we interact with God? We must read God's Word, understand God's logic system, and know what kind of person God likes and what kind of person God doesn't like. Why was David able to do well? Because he had God with him.

You must understand God's will, and you must know what God's Word says. How did David know how to shepherd sheep? Because he learned it from the Bible. How did he know how to interact with God? He learned it from the Bible. He emulated Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, so he had that kind of character later. What is natural is useless; it must be learned later. To interact with God, never be someone who is ignorant of God's Word. When you have some understanding of God's Word and construct the entire system, you will know what kind of person God likes and what kind of person God doesn't like, and it will be fully reflected in you.

Make up your mind - brothers and sisters must begin to know what kind of person God does not like and not cause God to leave. Saul caused God to leave in the Book of Samuel, Chapter 8, because God's Spirit left Saul, and an evil spirit entered Saul, and Saul became mentally ill. Never compete or be jealous. Some people are jealous of their peers, some are jealous of their subordinates, and some are jealous of their superiors. They're just looking for trouble and causing God to leave. So to interact with God, you must understand Him well. We have summarized these things simply as distinguishing between good and evil, being sympathetic to the flesh, and loving the world.

Have you learned it? I want to be a shrewd person, and I want to have God's presence! You must walk this way; this is the path for wise people. If you can't do things, then let's be down-to-earth and do things right. Even if you are already over thirty, it doesn't matter - I must start from scratch and do things right. Even if you are over forty, it doesn't matter; you must do things right. Some people cause God to leave when they are doing things; some people cause God to come but can't do things. How can God be with you if you can't do things? Sometimes I make up some sayings; don't misunderstand me. I say: You don't even qualify to love the world; how can you qualify to love God? So it is important when people are qualified to love the world but choose not to love the world and instead choose to love God. I hope that this year, all of our brothers and sisters can put in effort in the word shrewdness, not just patting our heads or patting our backsides, but putting in effort, becoming a wise person, a shrewd person, and a person with God's presence. May God remember us!

Let's sing a hymn and prepare to receive today's offering. If you understand the meaning of offering, please do not offer. If you are in a difficult situation today, it is because you were not shrewd in the past, so start learning to be shrewd from today. For example, with offering, many people don't know that offering comes from God and is given to God - giving to God what comes from God is called shrewdness. So I don't like receiving people's offerings if you are not willing to offer, if you don't give cheerfully, because you must know that you are giving to God what comes from God. It is a tragedy for a pastor to love money. There was a pastor who gave a sermon called, Not many should become teachers. Later, I translated it for him into, Not many should receive offerings, since he even put the offerings into his own pocket. So the person who is shrewd, if the person can’t use the ability well would be leading others astray.

I encourage everyone to know the meaning of offering. For example, one of our sisters sold a house and happened to benefit from a new policy that reduced the deed tax and other things, saving her hundreds of thousands of dollars. Is that yours? God gave that to you, don't get it wrong. It's not because of anything else, it's because God had already added these things to the price, giving you the portion that you should have offered, otherwise what would you have done? The market was so bad, how could you have sold it? So putting in effort to be a shrewd person must start with offering. I don't want your offering, I want you to become shrewd.

Raise your hands and say with me: Lord Jesus, today I will be a person who offers. God, may You open the windows of heaven and pour out Your blessings upon me. God, may Your Holy Spirit descend upon me and remove the bad habits inside me that displease You. Give me the strength to fix the things that I didn't do right in the past. God, today I want to offer to You; I want to offer myself as a living sacrifice. Everything I have comes from You, and I offer to You what comes from You. God, have mercy on me and let me enjoy Your grace and love on this earth. God, guide me, emulate David, be a shrewd person, and have Your presence! In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!

Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen!