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• When God answers your prayers
• Hannah and Elkanah get the promise and Hannah gets a son- Samuel. The one she prayed for. The one she longed for. In this story, Elkanah is going up to the Temple to offer sacrifices, and Hannah stays back to nurse Samuel, and her husband lets her. When she is ready, she goes up to the temple, offers up bulls, flour, and wine. She goes before God and gives Samuel to him as she promised.
• This is a miraculous prayer that God has answered! How will Hannah’s life be after God gives her what she asked for?
• The question for us is, what we will do when God gives us what we ask for?

• One of the most frustrating parts of being in ministry is watching God answer prayers and then people walk away from the one who answered their prayers.
• I’m not talking about “take away this cold” I’m talking about Keep me out of Jail, Keep me from dying, save my spouse, get me a job, give me a spouse, change my life kind of prayers that I see God answer and then people go back to living how they were before.
• I’m not God. God is gracious. God is loving and kind. I’m not as much. If I were God I’d have you get fired the first week after you prayed, I gave it to you and stopped serving him.
• People say- How you know they aren’t serving him? Cause they are dumb enough to put it on SM-
• This week- people calling in sick to MCD and then posting online they at the beach. DUMMIES
• SO what do we do?

1. Take care of what he has given you

• 21 Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever.”
• See God had given Hannah the desires of her heart and how she lives will show her heart
• Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
• We saw that last week- Hannah found all she needed in the Lord and he blessed her with the desires of her heart- a Son- the desires of her heart.
• So what does she do? She takes care of what the Lord gave her! “not until the child is weaned”
• She wanted to make him healthy. Strong. Prepare him for his life. She could have given him right away- but I think she says “I’m going to do MY part to prepare him for GOD, Im going to make him ready and strong for service to the LORD”
• What does it mean to you?
• Are you taking care of what God has given you? You asked for a job, are you working as unto the Lord? You asked for a car, are you keeping it clean? You asked for a place to live are you taking care of it? Are you taking care of the relationships he has given you?

• Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
• People want God to bless them, but wont take care of what they are given.
• We took care of the warehouse that wasn’t ours and God saw it.
• If you wont love and care for the people of the church why would God trust you with a spouse?
• Proverbs 6:6 The Folly of Indolence 6 Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Indolence- avoidance of activity or exertion; laziness.
• Colossians 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

1. Give him more than you have to

• 24 Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with [i]three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli.
• She didn’t have to do any more than Give up Samuel, but no- she wanted to give MORE
• So pleased with what God had given her- she wanted to bless him even MORE
• Proverbs 11:24 There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.
• People who give more than expected typically have more appreciative hearts.
• gracious people always give MORE than expected because they WANT TO

• What does it mean to you?
• Are you giving God the bare minimum? Are you only doing what you HAVE TO?
• Happens in church all the time- happens at work- if no one asks, I’m more than fine watching everyone else do all the work- I’m good with the bare minium
• 2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
• Those who live with a bare minimum mentality always live a bare minimum life.
• Sorry relationships, jobs, lives, existence. They keep score and only do barely enough
• Acts 20:35b And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
• The plant in the office- thing is barely alive- why? Only water when its dying-
• Some people treat God and their life like that- only water when its dying

1. Keep your word

• 26 And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him
• Hannah asked for a son and said she would give him to God. God gave her a son so she gave him back. Simple. God I made you a promise, but I’m not going to keep it
• 1 John 2:5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
• I have met more liars in church than I have in the world. People who have declared something to God and his people and never followed through
• From “I’ll be back next week” to “I’ll pay this money back” and everything in between
• Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed— 5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

• Why would you make a vow to God you had no intention of keeping?
• What does it mean to you?
• Are you not following through with the promises you’ve made to God?
• What has he blessed you with that you’ve gone back on? What has he done for you that you have forgot?
• Are you keeping your word to God and others?
• Matthew 5:37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
• Christians shouldn’t ever make a vow that they don’t keep. To God, to others, to the church
• Numbers 30:2 If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
• Our house- 190, second, 250, down to 160. Strategic forclosure “We promised to pay”
• Deuteronomy 23:23 That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.
• Be a person who keeps their word. Be the one who people can depend on.
• If you’re not a person that keeps yoru word you’re ruining your relationships
• People are avoiding you. People are not interacting with you because you are a destructive person
• Psalm 89:34 My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.
• God doesn’t break his word, you shouldn’t either

1. Give God your best

• 28 Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.
• Hannah gave her BEST. All she wanted was a son- and it was enough for her to see her son, wean her son and give her son back to GOD.
• Its like praying for a million dollars and then giving it to the church. What you’ve wanted, you give to God to bless HIM
• But many people even in Bible times wouldn’t give their best
• Give your BEST Mal 1: 8 And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts.
• God doesn’t want your leftovers. He wants your BEST. Your FIRST FRUITS.

• What does it mean to you?
• Are you giving God your best? Best energy. Best time. Best resources.
• God doesn’t need your old waffle iron. Heard a story of a lady who dried out old tea bags to send on mission field.
• God doesn’t want your leftovers. Hannah gave her best- YOU should give your best.
• Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
• I’ve Said many times- All God wants from you is everything
• Giving God whats left at the end of the month isn’t giving him your best.
• Give COSTLY gifts to God
• 2 Samuel 24:24 Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.