July 4, 2021
Sunday AM
Joshua 1:6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
In order to inherit you have to be strong and courageous. Although Jesus has bought and paid for it, there’s an enemy camped between you and it. We are not trying to get the victory; Jesus already got the victory for us. The moment you were born again, the victory became a reality in your life. Everything Jesus provided is already ours. But it requires action on our part. The bible calls it faith. It’s simply believing what God says is true. It takes strength and courage to rise up and take your inheritance.
Joshua 1:7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
To have courage, you’ve got to be encouraged. There won’t always be someone around to encourage you, and for this reason you have to learn how to encourage yourself. When you walk in strength and courage, it does not just bring good things into your life! It brings good things into the lives around you! Move from being a person who needs constant encouragement, to someone who is an encourager! To do that, you have to know how to respond to tragedy.
1 Samuel 30:1-6 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, 2 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. 3 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. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. 6 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. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
What a terrible day for David and his men. This city was given to David by the King of Gath. These men had been away fighting, and when they returned, their city and homes were burned to the ground. Their wives and children had been taken along with all their belonging. The passage says that David was greatly distressed, as his own men were threatening to stone him. But David knew how to respond to tragedy. He strengthened himself in the Lord his God. Regardless of what happens to you in life, it is how you respond that is important.
1 Samuel 30:7-8 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 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.”
So, David went to God, and he prayed. You can get to the place that no matter what comes against you in life, you can be strong enough to win. But you have to do the things that make you strong. Sooner or later, trouble comes to all of our lives. And there’s no trouble like trouble, when it’s your trouble. We need to be able to face it with strength, courage, faith, and resilience! We must learn how to strengthen ourselves, and the best way to do that is through your prayer life! God has been talking to us about it for 3 years! Develop your prayer life! Learn to go into prayer on a daily basis! Get your daily bread! It is best first thing in the morning! If you’ll do it first thing in the morning, your mind is not cluttered with matters of the world. It’s much easier with a clear mind. When you pray, everything that God is, flows into you. If you need peace for that day, you’ll receive it. He prepares a table for you in the presence of your enemies. DAILY! Jesus is God. He sees everything in your life out ahead that you cannot see. He prepares a table for that day because He sees what’s going to be in your day. You’ll have exactly what you need to be successful for that day. Whatever you need, He gives it to you. He is your shepherd.
1 Samuel 30:16-19 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.
Jesus recovered ALL! Take ahold of it through prayer. Walk in victory by strengthening yourself daily. You’ll look around and see that you have everything that God paid for, provided for, in your life. It is a fail proof plan. It hinges on you!