“David encouraged himself in the LORD…”

 

There’s a mountain of important truth and revelation in the six little words of First Samuel 30:6. It’s truth you and I would do well to be acquainted with as we go through the months ahead.

 

The context of that statement is the incident in which David and his men returned to camp to find that the enemy had carried off their families and all their possessions.

 

David’s men began to blame him for this horror. They wanted to stone him and kill him. This was a pretty serious problem for David. At that moment, he had every reason or right to give up and quit. He could have said, “God, I’m a failure. I failed my men, and I have failed you.” But that’s not what happened.

 

The Bible says, David became his own cheerleader. There wasn’t anybody else to do it for him. Everyone else was either gone or they wanted him dead. David had to encourage himself.

 

There may be times in your life when you will have to do the same thing. You’re going to have to become your own best cheerleader.

 

How did David encourage himself? He reminded himself of his covenant with the Almighty. And after spending time with God, David changed his attitude about his circumstance, and the strength of God entered into him.

 

Instead of accepting defeat, the Bible says that he asked God, “Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them?” God answered David, “Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all” (1 Sam. 30:8).

 

That is what God wants you to do right now regarding your situation. He wants you to get fed up; encourage yourself by remembering you have a covenant with the mighty King of the Universe; and then pursue, overtake and “recover all.” So let me ask you . . .

 

How much longer are you going to put up with the devil stealing everything you’ve got? How much longer are you going to let him steal your finances, your peace and your freedom? How much longer are you going to tolerate him destroying your life? When are you going to take a stand for what rightfully belongs to you?

 

Just Say No to the Devil

 

I believe that it is time for you to become aggressive. It’s time for you to take a stand for what rightfully belongs to you. You have a covenant right to all of the blessings of Abraham. The curse doesn’t belong to you. Jesus took care of the curse at Calvary. Now it’s time for you to enforce in your own life what Jesus has already provided for you.

 

We also have to be mindful of this key strategic advice from the Word:

 

“Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are”(1 Pet. 5:8-9, NLT).

 

These verses tell us we don’t have to accept whatever the devil is telling us. We don’t have to buy into his lies. Peter told us to “take a firm stand against him, and be strong in [our] faith.”

 

You may be thinking, “But how do I do that, Brother Jerry?”

 

It’s simple. (Not easy. But simple.) Be aggressive. Start saying no to the devil. Stop entertaining the thoughts he throws your way. Start speaking the Word right in his face.

 

Let the devil know that you are fed up with bondage. Let him know that you are intolerant of lack. Let him know that you are through letting him steal from you. Let him know up front: “If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’re gonna get. But when the dust settles, God and I will be the ones still standing!”

 

You can’t be passive. You can’t just sit back and hope that someday your situation will turn around. You can’t believe that if it’s the will of God for you to live in divine prosperity, then it will just happen without your believing for it.

 

It’s time to take a bold and energetic stand. But you’re not alone. This ministry was founded 44 years ago to help, encourage, equip and teach believers to do this very thing. And after four decades of doing and living it, we know God has raised us up for just such a time as this.

 

So, stay connected! And continue to sow for breakthroughs and recovery.

 

You see, your gifts of support do much more than just enable us to keep encouragement coming to you and others. They are powerful, militant, moves of faith against that thief who comes only to kill, steal and destroy.

 

Remember: “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world”(1 Jn. 4:4).