Our Three Fold Victory Series

If Satan can get you and me to doubt God then we will always doubt life! If he can get us to think negative about God then we will always think negative about life. Why is this fact so true – because if he can get you to go negative and doubting then Satan can do almost anything with you and me!

Webster’s Dictionary describes “victory” this way: “Supremacy and success over struggle.”

Listen to me very carefully – to overcome is one of the greatest characteristics in a Christian’s life. Jesus spent much of his ministry instructing his disciples how to overcome sin, self and Satan. Those are the big 3 that must be constantly dealt with in life!

If we can get these 3 principles applied to our daily lives – we will see God differently and experience grace more dynamically!

READ VERSE 5, 6

Let’s Look at Our Three Fold Victory:

1. A Prepared Table of Victory.

a. The Table of Refreshment.

“You prepare a table”

Notice how we’ve come from protected pastures to a prepared plate! There’s something about sitting at a table that has every kind of food. It is so comforting and satisfying no matter what’s going on in life!

Don’t we all have our memories of a special thanksgiving or Christmas dinner that stands out in our lives? O how our lives need seasons of refreshments!

b. The Table For Royalty.

“Before me”

Notice how personal it is for David! Who is David anyway? He’s not just a king over Israel, but he’s also property of the King with a kingly inheritance!

Not just any one has prepared this table! Do you know what David is really saying – God has put on an apron for you!

Ephesians 1:20 “God has raised Him from the dead and seated Him at the right hand in heavenly places.”

Ephesians 2:6, 7 “And raised us up together and made us to sit together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. That He might show His exceeding riches of His grace in kindness towards us…”

Talk about the ultimate seating! Seated with the King! The way God sees you now is how He sees you for eternity! No other religion can boast of that fact!

c. The Table of Rebuke.

“In the presence of my enemies”

This is a picture of high drama and suspense when sheep are eating at the tableland that has been provided by the shepherd! Sheep are at their highest risk eating…it is the most stressful time for the shepherd! Sheep are easy prey grazing in a pasture. But a gee-gee sheep doesn’t’ know that…they continue to eat even with wolves; lions and bears are ready for their dinner!

Phillip Keller writes of his experience of shepherding… “This reminds me of my encounter with cougars. On several occasions these cunning creatures came in among sheep, creating great havoc in the flock. Some were killed, their blood drained and livers eaten. Others were torn open and badly clawed. In these cases the great cats seemed to chase and play with them in their panic like a house cat would chase a mouse. Some had huge patches of wool torn from it. In their frightened stampede, some had fallen and broken bones or rushed over rough ground injuring legs and bodies. The amazing thing is that in every such attack, I never saw the cougar.”

We’re in the same situation if we don’t remain at the table of victory! Never say, “May I be excused” from God’s prepared table of victory!

God has given us a table in the presence of our adversary to remind us that we are to rebuke every foul work of the enemy! And seated at that table with us is our Advocate. The demonic adversary is no match for our dynamic Advocate!

2. A Perpetual Touch of Victory.

“You anoint my head with oil”

2 major hazards to sheep at certain times of the year:

• “Fly-time”.

David knew that in certain times of the year just before the hottest season, swarms of insects would emerge to cause serious trouble for sheep. To name a few insects that cause serious damage to the health of sheep are: warble flies, bot flies, heel flies, nose flies, deer flies, and black flies.

These flies lay eggs around the moist part of the nose of sheep and in the deepest cavity of the nose. This causes intense itching over time and it gets so bad that sheep will bang their head against rocks to try to stop the itch. The saddest part of this is, if the larvae hatch in the cavity of the nose, this will cause permanent blindness and sheep will literally go insane.

At the beginning of fly season, or “fly-time”, a shepherd will prepare a homemade remedy composed of olive oil, sulfur, spices and tar, make it into a heavy paste and then gently rubs that paste on each one of his sheep. When this happens there is an incredible transformation that takes place with infected sheep!