Breakdown or Breakthrough
I Samuel 27:1
And David said in his heart: I shall now one day perish by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel, so shall I escape out of his hand.
Now I can tell you right here that David is having a faith breakdown. Discouragement has gotten hold of him, and now David is believing for the worst. Fear is faith in reverse.
I want to talk to you today about discouragement, where it can lead us, and how to overcome it.
Sometimes discouragement comes suddenly: A word or a deed.
These words in our opening text are spoken by the man that faced a lion, a bear, and a giant. A man anointed by God to be King of Israel.
If discouragement can get a hold on him, it can attack us, so we must know how to fight it.
Breakdown or breakthrough. It’s up to you.
David said: I shall one day perish by Saul’s hand. That’s breakdown!
In Philippians 1:19-20 Paul said, For I know that this shall turn to my salvation, through your prayer and the supply of Jesus Christ. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed but that with all boldness as always so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body whether it be by life or by death. That’s breakthrough!
In the 19th chapter of I Kings we find Elijah having a breakdown. He went a day’s journey into the wilderness, sat down under a tree and said; It is enough, take my life.
Caleb, in Joshua 14: 10-12, when he was 85 years old said; I’ve waited 45 years, give me that mountain. If so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall
be able to drive them out. That’s breakthrough!
By now you should be able to see that discouragement will stop your breakthrough.
Let’s look at where discouragement lead David back in our opening text.
David went to live with the Philistines. He moved in with the enemy.
People today become discouraged sometimes in church, or become hurt, pierced, and they want to run back out into the world.
Listen, God is not causing your trouble and you won’t escape the enemy by running into his kingdom.
David fled unto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
David and his men had killed their best warriors, but that Philistine king received him and made him welcome.
Oh yeah, don’t worry, the world will take you back! But beware. That devil is a liar. The world will tell you the church doesn’t love you, but they do.
Verse 12 lets us know what the king really had in mind for David. He said he shall be my servant forever.
When the devil is tempting you to return to the world, tells you the christians don’t understand you, and the church doesn’t love you, just remember Samson. All the devil really wants is for you to go to sleep for a little while and he get your chains ready. He wants you to be his servant forever.
So how do we fight discouragement? There are spiritual weapons against discouragement.
Psalms 43:5 - Why art thou cast down O my soul? Why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God: For I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God.
Discouragement is never found until hope is lost or misplaced. Misplaced means hope placed somewhere other than in God: own ability, doctors, lawyers, bankers, retirements. These things are all right, but we should not put our hope in them.
Now we are talking about Bible hope, not to be confused with wishing. Bible hope means to be intensely expectant. A pregnant woman isn’t wishing for a baby, she’s expecting.
Remember what Paul said, According to my earnest expectation and my hope.
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.
Bible hope is a spiritual force that hooks up to faith like a thermostat on a furnace or the steering wheel on a car.
The Bible places hope between faith and charity (love). Powerful company.
How do I find hope?
Roman 15:4 - For whatever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Recall the promises of God.
We could go on with hope, but David mentioned another weapon in Psalms 43:5. He said, For I shall yet praise him.
Psalms 71:14 says, But I will hope continually and will yet praise thee more and more.
Praise will bring a manifestation of God’s presence.
Isaiah 61:3 says, we have been given a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness.
David never stayed discouraged and neither did Elijah, and you don’t need to either!
Paul and Silas praised their way out of prison and so can you.
Listen, if you have been discouraged. Satan has said, Turn back. Maybe you have run into the enemy’s camp. Today you can have breakthrough instead of breakdown.
If you already had a breakdown, God can turn it into breakthrough today.
It’s up to you.
