After This

2 Samuel 8:1.

After this: The Bible says that David smote

the philistines and subdued them

and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hands of

the Philistines and subdued them.

After This:

somebody needs an after this, this morning.

You’re going to help me minister this morning.

I want you to reach over and take your neighbor by the hand and tell them.

After this.

Say: neighbor; hold on.

don’t lose hope.

don’t throw in the towel.

don't give up.

don't turn the switch of faith off.

Tell them, there's something beyond this.

This is not the end.

This is just a temporary inconvenience.

This is just a hallway.

This is the in between place.

This is just the valley between two mountains.

Sometimes, (this place is called, the meanwhile).

Do you know what meanwhile means?

It means that while you’re in it, it’s mean, it’s hard, it’s painful, it’s trying, it’s dark, it’s uncertain.

Remember after Elijah calls down fire from heaven, and after his servant see’s the little cloud, the Bible says: And it came to pass in the meanwhile that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.

The great rain came after the mean while. The great blessing came after the meanwhile.

In the meanwhile, there was dark clouds and winds.

For somebody today, you know exactly what I’m talking about, because you are there right now.

The harsh winds of adversity are blowing in your life right now, and the dark clouds are obscuring the sunlight.

You are in the meanwhile. You’re in the place of testing, of waiting, of uncertainty, of not knowing; that valley of testing and trusting.

The wind is blowing hard in your face.

But God sent me here today with this word for you: After This.

After This.

I just kept hearing this going over and over in my spirit.

After This.

After This: David smote the Philistines and subdued them.

That word “smote” means, Attack, smite, hit, conquer, punish, destroy.

And then he subdued them.

That word “subdued” means,

To bring low.

To bring into subjection.

To humiliate.

I need to say something right here that we need to remember:

God never told us that if we would serve him that we would never have a problem, never fight a devil, never get sick, never be attacked, never have problems in our families.

He promised us that he would be with us, through it all.

In fact the Bible says,

(Psalms 34:19) Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

And another important scripture is:

(Isaiah 43:2) When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when the walkest through the fire, thou shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

This is what the Lord told me to say today:

If you will not give up.

If you will not give in to fear and doubt.

If you will keep on walking through the fire.

If you will keep on praising God in the midnight hour.

If you will hold onto his word in the face of every contrary and negative report.

You will come to after this.

I don’t know what “This” is for you today.

This may be a Dr’s bad report.

This may be a long season of sickness.

This may be the loss of a loved one.

This may be a painful divorce.

This may be deep pit of debt.

I don’ know what This is to you today, and I don’t have to know. All I need to know is that there is an (After This).

God never promised me arose garden, he never promised me a trouble free life. He never promised me a mountain with no valleys.

But He did promise me an After This.

Yes David fought with the philistines. Yes they caused him much grief.

Yes they won a few rounds and David took some hits, and David felt the pain.

And my friends, I love you too much to stand up here and lie to you, and tell you that being a Christian is a trouble free life, and that you’ll never walk through the valley of the shadow of death. That you’ll never hear a Dr’s bad report.

That you’ll never cry over wayward children. That you’ll never be lied on, or that you’ll never lose someone you love. Or there won’t be times when you feel like quitting.

I can’t do it (I won’t do it) because it’s not true.

But I can tell you on the authority of Gods Word; If you will Hold on, you will come to After This.

What happened after this? The Bible said: David smote the Philistines and David Subdued them.