God had promised Israel a king that would bring Israel identity, happiness, and security, but their hearts had been broken with their first king, Saul. Surely David would be the king they had been promised! In this message, Pastor J.D. talks about why David was not the king Israel was looking for and how, just like God brought David and Jesus to the throne through chaos, he is sovereign in the mess of our lives, too.

In this message from 1 Samuel, Pastor J.D. walks through the tragic last chapter of Israel’s first king. King Saul held such promise in the beginning. But the longer he reigned, the more it became clear that he wanted God’s blessing much more than he wanted God. And Saul isn’t alone: In the church today, many people seem destined to miss heaven by 18 inches—the distance between your head and your heart.

When life takes an unexpected turn, we have a choice: We can take matters into our own hands, or we can do things God’s way and wait on him to fulfill his promises. In this message, Pastor J.D. uses Abigail’s story of wisdom and discretion to show us why we cannot accomplish the promise of the Spirit in the power of the flesh and how to instead leave vengeance to God and respond with grace.

One day, the story of your life will be told to the next generation. How do you want today’s chapter to be told? In this message from 1 Samuel 25, Pastor J.D. shows us King David at a critical juncture, fresh off his faithful response to the murderous King Saul. But when a smaller obstacle meets David, he stumbles and nearly falls. The only thing that prevents David from veering into a pattern of sin and foolishness is an obscure figure—one of the wisest (and least known) people in the entire Bible.

David did not spend time in the wilderness, running from Saul, so we could believe that if we trust God more, he will accept and provide for us. That’s the wrong order—and the order is critical. Pastor J.D. explains in this message how David’s confidence and steadfast faith in God’s purpose developed because he believed God had already accepted him and how you can have the same faith.

What do you do when the path you’re on takes an expected turn for the worst? In this message from 1 Samuel 24, Pastor J.D. follows King David into an unexpected place—the wilderness. At this point in his life, David had been chosen to be king. And yet circumstances sent him running for his life. David’s temptation in this season echoes our own: When our plans seem to be going south, we can take matters into our own hands. Or we can follow David, doing the hardest thing in the Bible—trust God and actively wait on his timing.

We all need the kind of friendships in our lives that will shield us, strengthen us, and shape us into the person God created us to be. In this message, Pastor J.D. shows how Jonathan’s friendship with David modeled this kind of friendship and how friendship with Jesus enables us to be to others this kind of friend—healthy, complete, trusting, and forgiving.

In this message from 1 Samuel, Pastor J.D. looks at one of the greatest friendship stories of all time—between the presumptive heir, Prince Jonathan, and the anointed king, David. This unlikely friendship challenges us to choose our own response to the one true King, Jesus. Will we, like Saul, resist him? Or will we, like Jonathan, yield the throne of our life to him?

For anyone who struggles to find courage in adversity, the story of David and Goliath does not give us hope because God promises to help us defeat all of our “giants” if we trust him enough. Pastor J.D. teaches in this message how the story of David shows us that, because of Jesus’ victory over death, we can have audacious courage in the face of obstacles.

In this message from 1 Samuel, Pastor J.D. walks through the most famous story in the Old Testament—David and Goliath. Everyone knows this story, but few truly understand what it’s about. Goliath’s downfall isn’t an encouragement to underdogs or a guarantee that you’ll overcome every “giant” in your life. Goliath’s story shows us what true courage is, where courage comes from, and what God is up to when the Accuser’s voice is all we hear.

Do you ever feel like you’re just biding your time doing mundane tasks that aren’t really leading anywhere? In this message, Pastor J.D. continues to look at David’s ordinary years in the pasture before he became king and explains how the blank spaces—the sections in the Bible where all the activity seems to stop—are where our hearts are shaped by God to be faithful in the big and small things.