Purposefully Progressing Despite Unusual Problems in Life
A message preached by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi. It can be found on YouTube under the same title.
TEXT:
I Samuel 30:1-4
We learn from the accounts of Old Testament believers how to handle problems and challenges. We learn from how they handled adversity. As we learn from the positive ways the saints of old handled adversity, we must understand that we stand on the other side of the cross and there is a New Testament application and a better way to handle problems.
David and his men came to the see the destruction that the Amalekites had dealt to their camp. Their first response was to give in to their grief and sorrow at the loss.
There are three (3) questions that must be posed to David and his men at this point:
Is there not a cause? (I Samuel 17:29; Proverbs 26:2; Galatians 6:7) – Any time that sudden adversity comes up, you must pause first and ask if there is a cause for the problem, or the sudden calamity. Find out if there is something that you did to cause the calamity.
Is this not a consequence? (I Samuel 27:5-12) – Have you sown something that you are reaping? Leaving his camp to go and plunder other lands was a practice that David and his men were accustomed to. He was a warrior and after he had been helped by Achish the king of the Philistines, he immediately set about sowing destruction in his surroundings.
He sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind. While David was plundering and taking the possessions of the innocent inhabitants of the land, he left his family and possessions. It was just a matter of time that his actions would haunt him. To cover his tracks, he lied and deceived his benefactor.
Is there any counsel? (Daniel 4:27; Proverbs 16:6-8) – We cannot live in the Old Covenant character and successfully claim the New Covenant promises. David had destroyed lives unnecessarily. He wiped out those that had not harmed him. At this point he was behaving like a heathen. Now the diversity had come to him and he had to seek divine counsel to solve the problem.
P1_Earnest Consecration to Recover His Provision
I Samuel 30:6
What God has given us is His provision. If we are missing anything, there must be a journey into consecration to recover it.
Faith does not make sense at any other point except in the face of overwhelming odds and oppositions.
Encourage yourself in the Lord and persevere (II Corinthians 1:9, 10) – Some people stop at the point of being distressed and sorrowful. Whatever the cause of the problem, the first thing that you must do is to encourage yourself in God.
Esteem the Lord in His priests (II Chronicles 20:20) – David allowed the priest to work in his office. He exalted the Lord in seeking the counsel of the priest. You cannot see God directly but you can see His representative. There are no priests now but there are Pastors and ministers of God.
Enquire from the Lord in prayer (I Samuel 30:8; Proverbs 3:5) – Crying, sulking, complaining, or bemoaning your situations is not enough. David had to enquire of God. Don’t bring good works before God, don’t trust in yourself, come to God honestly and He will direct you.
Experience more of the Lord before pursuing (I Samuel 30:8b; Judges 8:4) – You are going to pursue and claim the promise of God, but before you move out you must make sure to experience more of God’s presence. Don’t just rise and go. Wait, pray more and allow the peace and joy of God to reign in your heart. Let purity be more established in your heart. Let your experiences be more grounded. If you are waiting on the Lord and pursuing what God has promised, even though you might be faint in the physical, you will be able to move on in the strength of the Spirit.
Expect what the Lord has promised (I Samuel 30:8; Acts 27:25) – At the time David lost everything and inquired of God, he got the promise from God that he would overtake the enemies and recover all. At this point, David didn’t know the enemies or where he would find them. It is at this point that faith is needed. Faith doesn’t make sense at any other point. You believe God in the face of adversity and expect the fulfillment of His promises.
Engage the loyal as pursuing partners (I Samuel30:9) – The loss was great and all the people with David had lost everything too. It is easier to seek God in prayer when believers are gathered together. You need other people as partners to pursue with you.
Excel in labour and pay the price (I Samuel 30:10; Acts 20:24) – When the time came, David stood up and led his men to pursue the enemies that had plundered them. Don’t say that the loss has weakened you too much and make others leave to fight your battles and sort themselves out. Don’t sleep or try to hide to lick your wounds.
P2_Evangelistic Commitment to Rescue the Perishing
I Samuel 30:11, 13; Deuteronomy 22:5, 4; Acts 13:38
This is where most believers around the world make a mistake. They allow the adversity and challenges that they are facing to prevent them from reaching out to the lost and perishing.
How are you going to recover the lost possession?
— Rescue the perishing (I Samuel 30:11; II Peter 3:9) – As David and his men went to recover their lost possession, they came across a stranger. They could have left him in their haste to recover what they had lost. However, it was in the process of rescuing the perishing servant of an Amalekite that David was able to recover all that he lost.
— Care for the dying (I Samuel 30:11) – The dying man had to be helped to drink. He couldn’t even care for himself and David’s men, though they had suffered recent loss, were patient enough to care for the dying stranger.
— Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave (I Samuel 30:12; Jude vs. 22) – David and his men tended to the man and their care rejuvenated his spirit. Duty demands us to save the dying.
— Weep over the erring ones
— Lift up the fallen
— Duty the demands it
— Bring them back to the narrow
— Patiently win them back to life – David was patient to revive the dying stranger and it was after they brought the man back to health that the Egyptian gave them the answers they needed to recover what they lost.
— God will forgive if only they believe – We help the lost to believe in the saving grace of God by extending forgiveness to those that have hurt us in the past. David and his men forgave the man though he was among the band that destroyed their possessions.
The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.
Deuteronomy 22:5
Most know this verse but they don’t know the previous one or lay as much emphasis on it: “Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hid thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.” Deuteronomy 22:4
As zealously as we enforce Deuteronomy 22 verse 5 we must be even more conscious that we care for our neighbours and what concerns them.
It is only in the process of doing all this that we recover whatever we’ve lost.
P3_Exceptional Contentiousness to Retain Recovered Plenitude
I Samuel 30:16-19
After recovering what we’ve lost there must be a diligent and contentious attitude to retain the recovered possessions.
After that we recover all, we need to safeguard what we’ve recovered: We must watch!
— Constantly watch over the people (I Samuel 30:19)
— Consciously watch over his presents – Abraham watched over the offering he brought to God.
Whatever you bring to the Lord watch over it. Watch over the consecration you’ve made.
— Courageously watch over His partnership – Watch over your partnership with God because it is only as we partner with Him that we have victory and the promises of God are realized in us. Don’t take it for granted. Joshua did so and it cost him defeat at the hand of the city of Ai.
— Compassionately watch over the priesthood – Watch over the workers of God under you. You will give account over them, though there are some people who feel that they can be independent.
Correct every deficiency you notice in those under your leadership.
Be transparent
— Cooperatively watch over the purchased – We work together to watch over the flock under our care.
— Carefully watch over the pilgrims – As we journey together we must watch each other against the evil in the world.
— Contentiously watch over the precious (Isaiah 43:4, 7, 10, 21) – We are all precious so we must protect this preciousness.
We must watch over all those that God has given to us and make sure that they grow and are established. Like Naomi watched over Ruth until she was settled and she prospered.
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