Introduction:
At one time or the other, some of us if not all of us have lost one thing or the other to the enemy. As children of God and because of His mighty hand of deliverance on us, we can
recover whatever the enemy has stolen from us. This morning, we will use the example of David to see how we can recover whatever the enemy has stolen from us.
The message is divided into:
1. Scope of losses
2. Reasons for losses
3. How to recover losses
1. Scope of losses
David and his men
• Lost their homes, their wives and children, verse 2 & 3
• Lost their peace and joy verse 6
• Were mentally and psychologically disturbed, verse 6
Note that God created man in his own image, form and likeness and gave him power to possess and rule over all other creatures,
GE 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." GE 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. GE 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
including all that is in the earth, gold and silver,
PS 24:1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
PS 115:16 The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man.
He wished above all things that man be in good health just as his soul prospers,
3JN 1:2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
We lost all these privileges to the enemy at the Garden of Eden and like David and his men the scope of our losses to the enemy and for which we need deliverance include:
Physical –properties, jobs, entitlement, etc
Spiritual – emotional, mental, psychological, position in Christ
Matrimonial – separation, fruit of the womb, etc
2. Reasons for losses
The enemy took advantage of the absence of David and his men from home to take away their properties. Like David and his men, we can loose our God- given properties when:
We are separated from God,
ISA 59:1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
ISA 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. Your lips have spoken lies,
John 8: 47 He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
We are not sensitive to the Holy Spirit,
John 16: 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
1CO 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:
We are not watchful or asleep,
Math 13: 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
John 10: 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy
1PE 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour
The devil does not come to attack directly, but attack using agents, in this case the Amalakites who came when David and his men were away. If they had been at home, the enemy would probably have kept away or they would have faced a stiff opposition.
Same thing happens to us today, the enemy comes to take away our properties when we are careless with our lives, or when we abandon where are supposed to be.
We are ignorant of who we are in Christ,
Many of us do not know that we can pursue the enemy and recover whatever he has stolen from us. Jesus has given us the power to do so. We need not be afraid.
LK 10:18 He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
1JN 5: 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
3. How to recover losses
Let’s see the steps David took to recover all that the enemy stole from him;
• Never allow losses to crush you: verse 6
PR 15:13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.
PR 18:14 A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?
David wept, brooded over his calamities like any of us would do but never allowed these problems to take total control of his physical, mental, emotional and psychological senses.
• Encourage yourself in the Lord: verse 6
Rather than allow himself to be overwhelmed he encouraged himself in the Lord, what does this mean: He remembered the Lord, what He did in the past and what He can still do and His promises. He remembered who he is in Christ.
1Sam 17: 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.".
• Seek the face of God:
With a heavy heart he carried the problem to God, verse 8
JAS 5:13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.
PS 50:15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
David did not start to ask God questions, why me? What did I do to deserve this? Who is responsible? He was not blaming others like his men did to him.
• Make your desire known to God: verse 8
Phil 4: 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
He did not resign to fate as some of us would. He made his desire known to God. How many of us have lost properties that God never intended us to loose.
• Wait for God’s approval:
He waited to get permission from God, verse 8b
Phil 4: 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Rom 12: 12 ----------, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
JOS 7:6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies?
JOS 7:10 The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep.
He did not rush out against the enemy as some of us would do, when we know who our enemy is. Some of us will first and foremost try to revenge before we think of God. In the process such people run into additional problems.
• Act on God’s approval:
He followed the directive of God, by pursuing the enemy, verse 9.
Jer 7: 23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you.
He did not allow the distance to discourage him nor the behavior of his men. He never give up on the way even when some of his were exhausted.
• Fight the enemy to standstill:
He fought the enemy to stand still, verse17
JAS 4:7 ------------- Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Conclusion:
What happened to David and his men is not an uncommon experience, but how do you react when such happen to you? Do you start querying God, why me? Do you continue to brood over the problem, instead of encouraging yourself in the Lord as David did. This is a key lesson on how we react to the attack of the enemy. The Lord helps you as you respond positively to the attack of the enemy in Jesus’ name.
Nothing happens to us without His knowledge. Let us always remember Him and not separate from Him at anytime.
Have you suffered losses in the past and have not been able to recover. It could be because you do not know who you are in Christ Jesus. Why not find out who you are in Christ and start behaving like a true son or daughter of God?
