From Runner To Reigner

1 Samuel 30:1-6

And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. 

[i]

INTRO:

The life of David is a roller-coaster of ups and downs.

At times we find him on the mountaintop, victorious, and then at other times he is involved in the most horrible of sins.

The story of the life of David goes something like this:

* He starts as a:

·        Virtual unknown

·        Simple shepherd boy tending his father’s flocks in the lush, rolling hills of Bethlehem

·        8^th child, taking a backseat to 7 older, stronger, more qualified brothers

·        Overlooked by the very prophet who came to anoint a king from the house of Jesse

·        Brushed off by his own father as being just a child

Yet this lad of simple beginnings ends up one of the greatest men in Biblical history.

* His life is the story of a lad who would overcome a lion, a bear, and a 10 ft. giant, yet would fall prey to a woman probably half his size.

* It is the story or a lad who ran to Goliath, yet spent years running from Saul.

·        It is the story of a 17 year old boy who was anointed king over Israel in the presence of his brethren.

·        Of whom God said in I Samuel 16:12 “Arise, anoint him for this is he………”

·        Of whom Jonathan said in 1 Samuel 23:17

17 …… Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth. [ii]

Everybody, including Saul, has told this man that he will one day be king, but in 1 Samuel 27:1

“And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; ……..”

What an emotional roller coaster!

We can all relate to this pattern: We are anointed by God, receive precious promises, have them confirmed over and over, and yet, still sometimes we say, “This is it, I am surely going to die! God has forgotten me!”

If you study the first book of Samuel you will find that David had no real peace in his life.

·        He is anointed

·        Kills Goliath

·        Then is pursued by Saul, and is continually running.

For years David ran.

Up and down, on the mountaintop one day, in the valley the next.

But, there came a point in David’s life when he crossed over into a new realm of his walk with God.

A point where he ceased to be a runner, and instead became a reigner!

·        Something happened to David that transformed him from a man led by his emotions to the King that God had always intended him to be!

·        Something caused him to stop being affected by his situation and start affecting his situation!

·        Something happened that caused him to stop living under the circumstances and start walking on top of them.

I’m just going to tell you what I feel in the Holy Ghost this morning:

THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY OF US WHO ARE BEING AFFECTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND GOD NEVER INTENDED FOR THAT TO HAPPEN!

·        God doesn’t intend us to be changed by our world, He intends us to change our world!

·        God doesn’t intend for us to live under the circumstances, He intends us to walk on top of them!

·        The disciples thought their boat would be capsized, because the wind and waves were so strong, but they looked up, and to their amazement, the very waves they thought would destroy them, JESUS WAS WALKING ON TOP OF!

·        I’m here to tell you today, God’s got a destiny for this church, and for us individually, and the devil’s going to send storms, problems, waves, winds, whatever he can send, but instead of being cowered by the elements, we need to walk on top of them!

·        We’re not runners, we’re reigners!

I.)                LET’S LOOK AT DAVID’S LIFE THIS MORNING.

To fully understand David’s dilemma in our scripture passage this morning, we must backtrack about 16 months in his life.

·        Mired in self-pity, David does something very uncharacteristic – he flees to the Philistine camp for protection!

·        The same man who slew their champion so many years earlier now wants to fight for them.

·        The same man who ran to Goliath to kill him in the valley of Elah, now runs to the same men to ask their protection!

·        The same man who fought for the people of God, because of discouragement in his life now bargains to fight against them!

For 16 months David fought with the Philistines against their enemies, barely escaping having to fight against his own people!

And, now the final straw is thrown on the camel’s back: When they come  back from fighting one enemy, they discover that the Amelekites have kidnapped their families, stolen their possessions, and burned their camp!

His own men turned on him and were ready to kill him.

And, David hit a wall. He reached a point where things in his life couldn’t possibly get worse.

·        And to top it off this time, there is no Jonathon to pat him on the back and say, “Everything is going to be alright!”

·        There are no men standing with him saying, “David, whatever you want to do we will support it – we are right behind you!”

·        There is no Samuel waiting with a horn of oil to pour it over his head and anoint him again!

For the first time in his life, David is completely alone! He has lost his family, his friends, and his own men are turning against him!

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE ALL ALONE?

There are only two choices:

1.)    Give into the discouragement and quit

2.)    Or, do what David did:

He didn’t wait for the priest to encourage him.

He didn’t wait for someone to pat him on the back.

But, the Bible says “…he encouraged himself in the Lord!”

David learned the most important lesson in his life, I believe, when he learned how to encourage himself!

When he didn’t wait for someone to come and:

·        Carry him

·        Pat him on the back

·        Tell him everything was going to be alright

He realized, I have come to an impasse here, and there is no one who is going to encourage me – I have to encourage myself!

My circumstances will not destroy me, I’ll destroy them!

My situation is not going to change me, I’ll change it!

There may be no one here to pat me on the back, I’ll just do it myself!

·        Come on, self, we’re going to be encouraged!

·        Come on, self, we’re going to change our world!

·        Come on, self, we’re going to have revival!

And that is what turned David into the King that God intended him to be!

Just simply deciding that I’m going to have victory no matter what the circumstances in my life!

I’m going to have revival, no matter what the enemy is doing!

I’m walking on top of the circumstances, and I’m going to encourage myself in the Lord!

II.)              I AM THANKFUL FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ENCOURAGE ME ON A DAILY BASIS.

 

The Bible teaches us that we are to encourage, exhort, support, strengthen one another!

But, the fact of the matter is this: There will come a time in my life when I am standing all alone!

A time when there is no one to encourage me, or pat me on the back, or call me, or visit me, or say words of comfort to me!

·        There are times in our walk with God when we will be completely alone!

We may be in a large crowd, but we will be completely alone!

A.)     Paul told Timothy in:

2 Timothy 4:16-17

16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. 17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. [iii]

There was no strong shoulder to lean on, there was no friend to say, Paul, its okay, things are gonna work out!

I was all by myself, but it’s when I got alone that God came down and strengthened me!

·        It is when we are alone, and encouraging ourselves, that the power of God becomes more real to us than ever before!

B.)     Abraham was told by God to sacrifice the very son God had promised him.

Genesis 22:3-5

3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. [iv]

Abraham had encouragement for the first two days, but on the third day he said, “Guys, this one I have to do by myself…..this is between God and me.”

But, it was when Abraham got by himself with God that God showed Himself more powerful than Abraham could have imagined!

·        It is when we are alone, no one to encourage us that we see the awesome provision of God!

C.)      Jacob had always had the support of his mother, and others soothing him and helping him work things out, but there came a time when the Bible says:

Genesis 32:24-28

24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.  25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.  [v]

When everyone else left, Jacob was forced to become honest with God, instead of snowing those around him, Jacob finally became honest and said, “God, I am a deceiver, a liar,” and that is when God changed Jacob!

In the alone time, Jacob was changed from a deceiver to a prince with God!

·        When we are alone, encouraging ourselves, we will be changed by the power of God! We stop running, and become princes.

D.)     The Bible tells us of the Prodigal son, who for a long time was surrounded by family, and then left and was surrounded by friends. However, there came a time in his life that the Bible says:

Luke 15:16-19

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. [vi]

The day came that there was no one to pat this young man on the back and he was all alone.

But, it was when he found himself alone that the Bible says he “came to himself” and got up and went back to the Father’s house.

Look at the amazing change in his attitude when he gets back.

He left saying, “Father, GIVE me of my inheritance……”

He came back saying, “Father, MAKE me a servant…..”

·        It is in the alone times that God shapes our character and we become servants. He takes the selfishness from us, and instills kingdom hearts in us in the alone times.

So many things change in us when we find ourselves alone, and have to encourage ourselves in the Lord!

God changes our attitudes, reveals His power, makes us stronger, increases our faith – all in the alone times!

No one likes to be alone, but yet it is in the time of solitude that God does His greatest work in us!

CONCLUSION

We will never be victorious until we determine that we are going to worship even when we’re all alone.

We will never have the joy of the Holy Ghost until we determine that we are going to be happy in spite of our circumstances!

We will never live in a realm of spiritual anointing until we learn to encourage ourselves in the Lord!