It's Yours

1 John 3:1 The Message (MSG)

3 What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to.

Identity. We all have a unique identity. There are a bunch of things that identify you: SSN, DNA, fingerprints. There are no2 that are exactly the same--just like there are no 2 people who are exactly the same. 

But we live in a society where there are carbon copies of people. Everybody looks and sounds the same. Why? Because we all want to be accepted. 

The thing is being called by God will make you be rejected. Why do you think Moses had such a hard time? David's father and brothers counted him out. Joseph was rejected by his own flesh and blood. For some of you, you're not like your  other relatives or your friends, and it's okay. Don't get upset. 

We keep trying and trying to make ourselves fit into a mold that was never meant for us. It made me think of my cousin. My cousin has very sensitive skin. When she was around 19 or 20, she got her belly button pierced and it was like her body was not with it. It spit it out🤣🤣It just wasn't meant for it to be. The same way the world spits you out because you weren't meant to be in the world. We are in this world but not of this world. 

We're a little bit different. It's something that I have experienced my whole life. Even now, one of my friends who I would like to call eclectic. I love my boo, but she's like a mother Earth, Erykah Badu type. She's real natural like. But one day we were talking about she started saying how different I was from everybody. In my mind, I'm like 


"I'm the weird one? Oh alright." 

But the truth is I am different. My calling makes me different. Your calling makes you different, but you have to accept the calling. 

So now that brings me to Samuel. Samuel was different before he was born. The story of Hannah is one of my favorites for a couple of reasons. For one, it was the story my pastor preached from the day I joined COP. Secondly, Hannah shows how you have to worship through (but we'll get to that part next week). Hannah worshipped God in such a way that she made a promise to dedicate Samuel back to God. That was completely out of Samuel's control. 

Another thing that was out his control is his name. Interesting fact, I have a slight obsession with name meanings. Yes, I am that girl that has all my children's names picked out .They all have a significant meaning. I'm a nerd. I like to know where things come from. So when I asked my mama where my name came from, she told me she named me Briana Nicole because she loved Eddie Murphy. I remember being so mad when she told me that. I felt like there was nothing special about my name. I was so upset that I completely missed that my name meant strong and victorious. Regardless of where it came from, that is my name and it has set precedence over my life. 

Just like Samuel's name set precedence for him. The name Samuel means "God has heard." God heard Samuel's mother's cry. He heard her when she cried out for a son, and He also heard her when she said she would dedicate her son back to Him and that Samuel will be his (1 Samuel 1:11)

By the time, we get to 1 Samuel 3, Samuel is already going through it. If you read Samuel 2, you'll see that Eli has had a hard life. His kids are running crazy and wrecking everything. Eli prayed for priest work. That's where Samuel comes. Samuel began working under Eli (1 Samuel 3:1).I believe that Samuel didn't know what he was getting himself into. He didn't know that Eli sons were out here wild'n. He just thought he was serving Eli. 

1 Samuel 3:1-10 The Message (MSG)

“Speak, God. I’m Ready to Listen”

3 1-3 The boy Samuel was serving God under Eli’s direction. This was at a time when the revelation of God was rarely heard or seen. One night Eli was sound asleep (his eyesight was very bad—he could hardly see). It was well before dawn; the sanctuary lamp was still burning. Samuel was still in bed in the Temple of God, where the Chest of God rested.

4-5 Then God called out, “Samuel, Samuel!”

Samuel answered, “Yes? I’m here.” Then he ran to Eli saying, “I heard you call. Here I am.”

Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.” And so he did.

6-7 God called again, “Samuel, Samuel!”

Samuel got up and went to Eli, “I heard you call. Here I am.”

Again Eli said, “Son, I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.” (This all happened before Samuel knew God for himself. It was before the revelation of God had been given to him personally.)

8-9 God called again, “Samuel!”—the third time! Yet again Samuel got up and went to Eli, “Yes? I heard you call me. Here I am.”

That’s when it dawned on Eli that God was calling the boy. So Eli directed Samuel, “Go back and lie down. If the voice calls again, say, ‘Speak, God. I’m your servant, ready to listen.’” Samuel returned to his bed.

10 Then God came and stood before him exactly as before, calling out, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Samuel answered, “Speak. I’m your servant, ready to listen.”

Sometimes, God puts you in a place so that He can talk to you. So here we have it, in 1 Samuel 3, Samuel hears God. What's funny is some people got caught up on the fact that God had to call Samuel 3 times. But how many times did God have to call you for you to really, really listen?

That's where there are people that get saved multiple times. I remember being a child, I heard God speaking to me. There were times I had prophetic dreams as early as 4 or 5 years old. When I was about 4 years old, I would tell my grandfather that he needed to stop smoking because he was going to die from cancer. I was 4. I didn't even know how to spell cancer! I can remember time after time I would hear God speaking to me. I didn't know it was God, just like Samuel didn't realize it was God and not Eli calling him. 

Here's the thing....Thank God for your leaders! Sometimes we're not able to hear God without guidance. It's like the spirit of prophecy, you have to be led into it. Eli had created such an environment that Samuel was able to hear from God. That's like when God really really started dealing with me. As a matter of fact, every time, except for a handful of times,  I really really felt God it was while I was with my aunt who is my apostle.

Samuel thought that he was just there with Eli to serve. Yes, he's there to serve, but it was through that serving that God really identified him. Samuel was a prophet. Because he agreed to be God's servant in verse 10, he was able to show himself as a true servant and to be who God really called him to be. 

Even through the continuation of the chapter, you'll see that God kept showing himself to be true and showed himself to be exactly who He is to Samuel. But Samuel had to first accept the call. God is calling you, what are you going to do?