WHEN OUR STRENGTH IS GONE
YOGI BERRA QUOTES: (Yogi was a catcher for the New York Yankees)
• I really didn’t say everything I said.
• You should always go to other people’s funerals. Otherwise they won’t come to yours.
• Never answer an anonymous letter.
• If you come to a fork in the road, take it.
• It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.
THE BIG IDEA:
What do you do when your strength is gone, and you lose your hope, joy, peace and victory? God’s Word gives us four keys to restoring our strength and victory.
BIBLE STORY:
“Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters…” (1 Samuel 30:1-6a).
• How many of you know that David was having a really bad day here?
• He lost everything – his home, his family, and his friends were talking about killing him.
• The details of David’s story may be slightly different from yours, but the principles he used to restore his strength and victory will work for you today.
• What area are you struggling in? Finances? Relationships? Health? Parenting?
• Storms are going to come in your life. Don’t give up! There is HOPE for you today…
FOUR KEYS TO RESTORING YOUR STRENGTH AND VICTORY:
1. Encourage yourself in the Lord.
“But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” (v.6).
How do you do that?
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.” (Psalm 42:5).
• Meditate on who you are in Christ (see appendix at end of notes).
• Look at what happened when the children of Israel spied out the Promised Land:
- Caleb said: “Let us go up at once… for we are well able to overcome it.”(Num. 13:30).
- The 10 spies said: “There we saw the giants… and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (Num. 13:30).
- we can change the way we think about ourselves by meditating on who we are in Christ.
2. Reach out to the people of God.
“Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, "Please bring the ephod here to me." And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.” (v.7).
• The church is here to provide hope, healing and restoration to hurting people.
• STORY: When Liza and I were first married, we had a flood in our basement suite, and we didn’t have insurance at the time. Our church helped us out financially.
• As a pastor, I am here for you. If you need prayer, counseling, encouragement, call me anytime – my door is always open!
3. Look to the Lord.
“So David inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them? And He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” (v.8).
“Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.” (Micah 7:7).
• This is one of my favourite encouraging Scriptures. Look to the Lord in prayer!
• When you’re in trouble, where do you look to for help and hope? Some people turn to drugs or alcohol. Some people might even turn to horoscopes or fortune tellers.
• But Psalm 121 says, “Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord.”
• WAIT – sometimes we need to wait from the time we pray until God answers.
• PROMISE – “My God will hear me.”
• In the church today, many say, “WILL my God hear me?” The answer is yes!
• God gave David a promise, and it motivated him to press on and pursue his enemies.
• God has given us many promises in His Word: Call on His name, He is mighty to save!
4. Arise!
David encouraged himself in the Lord, reached out to the people of God, looked to the Lord, and meditated on the promises of God. But he didn’t stop there!
“9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor. 11 Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. 12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 Then David said to him, "To whom do you belong, and where are you from?" And he said, "I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick. 14 We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire." 15 And David said to him, "Can you take me down to this troop?" So he said, "Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop."
• Note the providence of God in David’s finding this Egyptian slave:
• If David hadn’t prayed and sought God’s help, this wouldn’t have happened!
16 And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. 18 So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. 19 And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.” (1 Samuel 30:9-19).
• I like those last three words: “David recovered all.” Was there a battle to fight? Yes!
• But because David arose and pursued, he was victorious!
“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The Lord will be a light to me.” (Micah 7:8).
• Notice the prophet said, “WHEN I fall.” Falling is inevitable!
• But what will you do when you fall? ARISE!
• Don’t let the devil rejoice over you or steal your joy. Say, “Shut up, devil!”
• We need to recognize that we have an enemy who comes to steal, kill and destroy.
• Remember what Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over!”
CLOSING CHALLENGE:
• Some of you might feel like you’re sitting in darkness and hopelessness today.
• Maybe you feel like your strength is gone, and the victory is lost.
• God wants to strengthen you, and restore your joy, peace and hope!
CLOSING SONG: “His Strength is Perfect” by Steven Curtis Chapman.
Lyrics © 2009 Steven Curtis Chapman
I can do all things, through Christ who gives me strength
But sometime I wonder what He can do through me
No great success to show, No glory on my own
Yet in my weakness He is there to let me know
His strength is perfect when our strength is gone
He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on
Raised in His power, the weak become strong
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect
We can only know, the power that He holds
When we truly see how deep our weakness goes
His strength in us begins, where ours comes to an end
He hears our humble cry and proves again
PRAYER TIME:
• Corporate prayer for everyone going through a difficult storm.
• Personal prayer for anyone who wants to come up and be prayed for.
APPENDIX:
What the Bible says about who we are in Christ:
Meditate on what God’s Word says about who you are in Christ every day!
I am justified by faith and have peace with God. Romans 5:1
I am free from condemnation. Romans 8:1
I am a child of God. Romans 8:16
I am an heir of God and a joint-heir with Jesus. Romans 8:17
I am assured that all things work together for my good. Romans 8:28
I am free from any condemning charges against me. Romans 8:31-34
I am more than a conqueror through Jesus. Romans 8:37
I cannot be separated from the love of God. Romans 8:34-39
I am washed and sanctified. 1 Cor. 6:11
I am united with the Lord and I am one spirit with Him. 1 Cor. 6:17
I have been bought with a price; I belong to God. 1 Cor. 6:19-20
I am a member of Christ’s body. 1 Cor. 12:27
I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God. 2 Cor. 1:21-22
I am a new creation in Christ. 2 Cor. 5:17
I am the righteousness of God in Christ. 2 Cor. 5:21
I am redeemed from the curse of the law. Galatians 3:13
I am an heir to the blessings of Abraham. Galatians 3:14
I am a saint, a holy one. Ephesians 1:1
I am blessed with every spiritual blessing. Ephesians 1:3
I am accepted in the beloved. Ephesians 1:6
I have been adopted as God’s child. Ephesians 1:5
I have redemption through His blood. Ephesians 1:7
I am saved by grace through faith. Ephesians 2:8
I am the workmanship of God, created for good works. Ephesians 2:10
I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2:18
I am strong in the Lord and His mighty power. Ephesians 6:10
I worry about nothing, I pray about everything. Philippians 4:6
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
I am getting all my needs met by Jesus. Philippians 4:19
I am delivered from the powers of darkness. Colossians 1:13
I am complete in Christ. Colossians 2:10
I have not been given a spirit of fear, but a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
I submit to God, resist the devil, and he flees. James 4:7
I am kept by the power of God through faith. 1 Peter 1:5
I cast all my cares on Jesus, who cares for me. 1 Peter 5:7
I overcome the devil because the Greater One lives in me. 1 John 4:4
I know and believe the love that God has for me. 1 John 4:16
I am born of God and overcome the world. 1 John 5:4
I have eternal life. 1 John 5:11-12
I am an overcomer by the blood of the lamb. Revelation 12:11
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
