And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. (1 Samuel 30:3-6 ESV)
One of the issues I've had to deal with over my lifetime is discouragement. Things can be going really well it takes just one negative thing to push me toward that dark place. I've learned over the years to manage that but it still likes to pop its head up in my life every once in a while. In fact, I've come to look at discouragement as a friend because it is during those seasons that I draw very close to God.
I look at life and what people are going through these days and I understand the difficulty and the discouragments that many face. There are pressures of finance, family, friends, health, relationships, marriages and the list could go on and on.
It is a fact that iscouragement is a feeling that comes upon many people at different times in their lives. Discouragement is not a sin. It is not even a sign that you are in a place of sin.
How we handle discouragement, however, can affect our spiritual life and growth. John Wesley in his famous sermon called "Satan’s Devices" states that Satan has three main methods of discouraging the believer. He tries to...
- Damp our joy
- Attack our peace
- Targets us especially in times of sickness and pain.
Satan tries to bring discouragement upon us in order to bring us down and rob us of life and power. To this, we must learn to overcome.
In 1 Samuel 30:3-6 - we see that David was discouraged. Things weren't going his way. His family had been taken captive and his home and that of his men was burned to the ground. His men were angry with him and were talking about deserting him. All of these factors led to a man that was dealing with discouragement and depression.
HOW DID DAVID OVERCOME HIS DISCOURAGEMENT?
1. David Got Into The Presence Of God.
To overcome this discouragement - David did what each of us should do - get into the presence of God! V.6 says that "he encouraged himself in The Lord."
2. David Reaached Out To The People Of God
And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. (1 Samuel 30:7 ESV)
David reached out to God’s people. He went to see Abiathar the priest. There is great strength in sharing joys and sorrows with other believers. Don't be afraid to ask help from God's people.
3. David Was Urgent In Prayer
And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” (1 Samuel 30:8 ESV)
The devil uses discouragement as a device to turn us away from God. We can see it as something to turn us towards God and his resources.
4. David Relied On The Promises Of God
David sought the Lord urgently in 1 Sam 30:8 and was promised success.He believed the promise and saw success come.
Believing God’s promises is an antidote for discouragement so we need to get to know them.David went through and came out of a time of great personal difficulty and discouragement. With God’s help so can you...
1. Get Into The Presence Of God
2. Reach Out To God's People
3. Be Urgent In Prayer
4. Rely On The Promises Of God
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