Finding Strength in God

I want you to get used to the fact that God blesses you, your friends are going to get them down upon some people can't rejoice with you when you rejoice when not everyone is thrilled when the Lord's hand is upon a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also hello and welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont California with these words.

Jesus reminded us that when we choose to follow him. We determine in our hearts to submit to his will at any cost. It won't be long before enemy show. We see this clearly in the life of David in the years leading up to his ascension to the throne. He was in fear for his life and in a grand display of irony.

He fled to the last place you'd expect him to go.

This story continues next. So stay right here or visit Pastor Paul.net to listen on demand. That's Pastor Paul.net you can also subscribe to the podcast. It's modified at Apple podcast or whatever you get your programs.

This Pastor Paul. Today's Destin for victory message finding strength in God. First Samuel chapter 30 beginning with verse three when David and his men came to sit glad they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep David's two lives had been captured. I had no M of jazz rail and Abigail the widow of Nabel of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him, each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters, but David found strength in the Lord his God. Then David said to ABF are the priest, the son of Ahimelech, bring me the E fraud ABF are brought it to him. And David inquired of the Lord shall I pursue this raiding party will I overtake them, pursue them, the Lord answered, you will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue and I want to talk to you about finding strength in God. I have a word for some of you who are in what I want to call your living in the tension between God's promises to you and the fulfillment of those promises.

Now, as we have seen throughout this study. God made a promise to then a young lad named David and God had the prophet Samuel annoyed him saying he would be the next king of Israel.

Saul was on the throne of the time and even at the time of this text. Saul is still on the throne. But God has rejected him as king, and God says I'm going to raise David up to succeed him as king.

So David is armed with this promise. He has been on since he was a lad taking care of his dads.

She but we have seen this since then that he has gone through years where he is living in the tension between the promise and the fulfillment of the promise in high have a word for some of you when your life you are living in that same tension between some things that God has promised you some things that you know God wants to bring the pass in your life and the fulfillment of goals promises.

There are some challenges that go along with living with the promises of God for one you have the challenge of the reality that when God gives you a promise. He doesn't necessarily put a date tag on the promise.

Have you noticed that God can give you a word but not tell you when the words don't come to pass and that can be a challenge that can be a trial that have to deal with. Lord I know you said that you're going to do it, but when are you going to make it happen. Sometimes you're like Joseph, who at age 17, knew that he was going to be prominent that one day his very family would bow down to him, but he had no idea when it would happen, and the truth of the matter is he got the dream at age 17 and the day that his brothers came from Canaan to Egypt and were bowing down before him. He was 39 years old. He waited 22 years on the promise of God to be fulfilled can be a particular challenge when you're living not knowing when the promise is going to happen, but now let me tell you something, there's another challenge that goes along with living in this tension because not only do you not know when God is going to bring it to pass. But you don't know what you're going to have to go through until he brings it to pass and give you. I like David, you are living in the tension of not only waiting for the promise what you are seeing your self gold through trials of many kinds Bible speaks of trials of many, or various kind.

For instance, James says in his epistle chapter 1 verse two, he says, count it all joy when you face trials of many kinds. Now that's the standard.

He says I want you to learn to count it all joy, but how many know it's not necessarily a quick thing to get to the place where you can count it all joy for going through trials of many different time.

Sometimes you have to work your way up to the place where you can count it all joy is that trials can come in a variety pack many different kinds of child and their son got a trials that all of us can go through and you feel real good trials and you pass those tests well, but how many know because they come in a variety pack. God will make sure that you have to go to some other trial where you don't go just skating and shining through trials of many kinds. I remember as a child here in the saints that I grew up around it all in prayer meeting they would give people an opportunity to testify, so we are going to charge whatever testimony service, but I grew up where the saints would testify that get up and they would thank God for bringing them through a trial and they would talk about how God brought them through and they made trials sound exciting and I remember thinking as a child you know I can't wait till I grow up so I can go through some trials all but when I grew up and became acquainted with trial. I found out that it was a wonderful thing at all and that you are going to have to really get something from God in order that counted joy when you're going through trials of many kinds living in the tension between the promise God has made you and the fulfillment of that promise can take you through some trials will look at what's happening in David's life. First of all, we seen that after the promise that he was going to be the next king of Israel. David went back and served his dad's GP just continued to serve as a shepherd boy but eventually he came into prominence in Israel first as a warrior. The Bible says that David became a warrior and became known as a great warrior. God blessed him so that as he would go out to battle God gave him great success and I was a wonderful day.

He also became a servant of King Saul. The Bible says that he became his attendant. Later he became his armor bearer. He was his personal musician. When the evil spirit would come upon Saul, David would get his harp and play and that would give relief to the king, and so David developed a track record of doing good for the king and serving the king well and as a warrior, he developed a track record of being an outstanding warrior and that was fine that God blessed him, but the problem was the women as they would be coming back from these military campaigns with the victory. The Bible tells us that the women would come out of the towns and they would meet the Army headed back with the victory, and they would make up cheers you know cheerleaders on something new and been happening since Bible babies only difference is the type of chair you know these days you hear David David. He's a man of he can do it nobody can.

But you know back in Bible days.

They said Saul has slain his sins but David has tens of thousands now when the king heard that he said wait a minute, we got a problem on the king and then only assigning me thousand and assigning tens of thousands to this working in the Bible says it created jealousy in Saul and he began to look at David from that moment on, with the jealous. So first of all first go to trial. David had to go through with living in this tension is the trial of jealous people you had to deal with full who don't like God's hand on you who don't like what God is doing in your life folk who don't like it that you're on your way somewhere you know some people who not only aren't they going somewhere but they resent that you're going somewhere and you will find as God blesses you not everybody's going to be happy. I want to encourage some of you to get used to the fact that, as God blesses you, your friends are going to get fanned out to find some people who can't rejoice with you when you rejoice based on rolling their eyes all back in the back of the head and they get mad at God's blessing in God's favor in your life. Don't be when not everyone is thrilled when the Lord's hand is upon The second half of today's testing for Victor message with pastor Paul Sheppard. We want to thank all of you whose prayers and financial support help Esther Paul share the gospel all over the world and right now during this busy summer months when donations often decline your support is especially needed so as God leads prayerfully consider making a generous gift to Destin for victory today. As a young boy, David had killed the great Philistine warrior Goliath. A few years later fleeing the wrath of King Saul. David went to the Philistines for help Esther Paul with the rest of today's Destin for victory message finding strength in God. Jealousy. But then, as he led four years on the run from Saul. Saul jealousy got so bad that he began to try to kill David remember that it has done nothing wrong by him and it's a special try. When you've done nothing but good for someone and they do nothing but evil toward you live for years as a fugitive on the run from the very man who want to trust him most.

That's one kind of trial. Second, got a trolley while he is living on the run.

He eventually has to have a place for he and his men to live and it got so bad that there was nowhere in the territory of Israel, where they could live so they had to go over to the territory of the Philistine and the Bible says that David attached himself to the king of death a man name a kiss and he said to him, would you please allow myself and my men are wives and our children to have a place we can call home temporarily while I'm on the run from Saul and the Lord gave him favor with acres and acres allowed them to live in a place called sick lead and bear.

David lived for over a year with his men because he was on the run times are bad when you got a get away from some folk who ought to be helping you and you gotta get away from them and you find it easier to be among people who don't even know God, then the be among some folk who say they know God, but I acted like the devil.

Anybody ever been there. That's what David was actually spending time living in the land of his enemies, because for this season. His enemies can be trusted better than King Saul. He's going to the trial of jealousy is going to the trial of having to leave the place he knows and loves all of the people he knows and loves.

He can't live as he normally would and now we find when you get the first Samuel 29 you find him face a new trial where he is trying to be supportive of a kiss goes acres has been a blessing to him those things aside to go to make war against some of their enemies and to everyone who lives in the territory who is a man of war ought to go with them. So David and his men actually say the acres we will go and fight with you against your enemies, because of not fighting Israel at that time and so David says I'm not fighting the Army of God, so no problem I will fight with the Philistines because they're taken care of me. So David and his men decide they're going to join the forces of a kiss. But the commanders of the Philistine army hear about it when you refer Samuel 29 they say in essence the acres when they hear that David is on his team, man, are you crazy that's not exactly in your Bible, but in so many words have you lost your mind. Do you know who that is. David is one of the fiercest warriors of one of our fiercest enemies acres and not all. Don't worry about it being David a boy and he's fine with me because I take good care of him. I'm let them live in my territory is all good. He's gonna be a blessing. The commander said no you don't understand.

David is trying to get in good with Saul in order to do that he may very well pretend like he's fighting with us get in the middle of the battle turn all of us and then he can save the King Saul look what I did. I killed some legal fiercest enemies and he can get back in with Saul. They said were not taken a chance on him. He's gotta go now. David is not only on the run. Not only having to leave everything that he knows and loves.

But now he tries to fight with the Philistines and they reject him so acres comes back. There was a man, sorry. I'll go look you up, but then not having it. They told me to send you home to give you an honorable discharge.

You and your boys got ago. I don't know where you're going, but you gotta get up at a year as the Paul Sheppard version of her sandal 29 and David and his men now are on their way back to sick leg having been rejected when all they tried to do again was to do goodbye.

Somebody have you ever gone through a season where all your trying to do is to write and it looks like you are going from one trial to another one to another one to another one. You can't figure out just say your life. How can I be trying to do so much good and have so much hell break it out in my life talk to the real forgot that he had a talk the plastic Christians in the service. I can't talk to you have a relationship with God when you're leaping from one mountaintop to another one where you're just experiencing nothing but victory you wake up every day say at all.

What a beautiful morning all, what a beautiful day.

I have a wonderful feeling everything is going my way. God bless you I love you I'm telling you I'm not a hater.

Glad that you are having such wonderful time in your life but like my grandmother said just keep on living.

You will get to a place in your life where you are doing nothing but good and you are getting seemingly all the wrong result folk who are saying that God what up with this who are saying the God now you know. Lord I usually prayed nice. King James prayers father in the name of Jesus would be the name. I usually sound spiritual and sound good but God I just need to have a straight talk with you right now. I want Dr. folk who were just down at that role plays where you like God, you and I need to have a little talk I don't get it. Now I know you are holy and you do everything right and your decisions already good. So God I am not blaming you was going on in my life, but perhaps your administrative assistant is mixed up my bio with somebody else.

I'm not blaming you, God, I know you good to see me if you would just check on your staff. Somebody has mixed my file because God I'm not only going through my trials of many kinds look like to me I'm going to to three other folks trials at the same time seem to me that there's somebody somewhere in places they live where you stop rank you prayers and you say God we got the dog. Now I don't get was going on here. That's what David is nothing but good, Saul, Saul, trying to kill it on the run for years can't be in your home and your comfort zone. Among the people you love.

Then you go live among the enemies because right now they treat you better than the folk who want to be able to depend on.

Now they reject you, they will let you fight the battle with them.

They send in your back temporary house in sick lag and nail on the sick lag and when they get there. The text we just read says when they arrived they discover that their new homes.

Temporary dwelling place has been destroyed by fire and their wives and children have been taken captive. I want to talk to folk were saying. I don't get this at all. I don't understand why a God who loves me and who has given me promises for my life would allow me to go through all of this will come to tell you that your faith the reason why God is making you in the season in your life, strong in faith is because he knew that you were going to suffer trials of many kinds that it would take to strengthen your faith for you to get through what you had to go through before you got the promise that he has for you, concerned about a generation of Christians who thinks if your space is strong enough it will prevent trials to tell you. The only reason you need strong faith is because you're going to go to trial. Think about it I'm not going to go through trials. I don't need faith I can just skate on through, but the fact that there is a tension between the promise and the Millman means God has got a drink then my to help me learn lesson so that I can be, on till I get to the place where my promises are fulfilled, you know, the Bible tells us that our heavenly father is an emotional being God's removed anger and sorrow.

The Holy Spirit has been grieved. Jesus wept as children created in his image.

We too are emotional beings blessed with the ability to feel joy or sadness, anger or compassion to ignore those feelings is to become something less than human to become computers with hard drives even harder hearts, and in doing so, we become something less than the image of God well before he ascended to heaven. The last thing Jesus told his disciples was to go into all the world and make more disciples and that's our mission at Destin for victory.

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That's finding strength in tough times are gift to you by request for your generous donation to Destin for victory somewhere. Wishing God would come find him. David got up and found God.

He reminded himself about God. He served God was and he himself in the things he had learned about God. This next time it Pastor Paul Shepard's message finding strength in God. Until then, enjoy your weekend and remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory