Overcomer

In Pursuit

Pastor John Talcott
Christ's Community Church

(11/12) I am so glad that you are here today because we are beginning a new message series and I feel like I am talking to some people who are overcomers. The Scriptures teach us that through the power of the Spirit of Christ, we are actually more than conquerors, we are overcomers; but many of us are struggling to see this manifested in our lives. In other words, there is so much that has been stolen from us leaving us entangled in feelings of loss and pain, but I believe that God has given me a word to expose the work of the devil so that together we can get free.

Can I get a show of hands? How many of you know that we have a very real enemy whose name is the devil? How many of you believe that?

I know we don’t talk about the devil a lot because we want to celebrate our freedom, dancing and praising Jesus, but the truth is that there is a very real enemy that hates you. The Bible doesn’t lie and so we know this is for real, the devil is real, and the demons are for real. They despise you because every day you wake up you have another opportunity to serve God, to do the things of God, to do the work of God, to do the will of God, but the truth is that you have a very real enemy who is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). And your spiritual enemy will lie, cheat, and steal, doing anything that he can to keep you from doing what you were called to do.

Now, there may be some of you who have had your house broken into or your car broken into and it’s threatening and violating to realize that there are people sneaking around out in the dark when you are asleep or away. But the Bible tells us that there is a robber, a thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). And so, when there is an unauthorized intrusion into your home, it is a very personal violation of your privacy and your security.

Nobody wants somebody digging through their belongings, going through their stuff, and helping themselves to whatever they feel is of worth, but the truth is there is a major theft taking place in people’s lives on a daily basis. In other words, just like a thief comes in and steals in the physical realm, there is another kind of theft happening in the spiritual realm, because the enemy of our souls is doing everything he can to steal what God intended for us to have. The Bible tells us this in Ephesians chapter one,

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).

And so, the Holy Spirit declares that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ, entrusting us with the gifts, talents, and treasures to be used for the benefit of his kingdom.

We talked about this last month when we studied the parable of the talents. We saw how God had freely given us those things, entrusted them to us, and therefore we are required to be good stewards of them. In other words, God has given us his stuff and he expects us to be good stewards of his resources, managers of what is his for his glory and his kingdom. And so, we don’t own our gifts, we don’t own our talents, and you are not your own because the Bible says,

"You were bought at a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Therefore, who we are and everything we have belongs to God and we are just called to be stewards of those gifts and talents.

The problem is that Satan has come to steal that which God has entrusted to us, he comes like a thief and he enters into our own personal world, and he seeks to snatch away every spiritual blessing that is ours in Christ. And so, we find ourselves living our lives in turmoil because he’s come in and stolen our love, our joy, our peace, our patience, and our sorrow seems to last for more than just the night.

Doors that were open and are being slammed in your face with no explanation because he has stolen the opportunity from you. One day, seemingly out of nowhere a physical battle begins when you discover that you were diagnosed with some disease because the enemy has stolen your health. And on a larger scale there is something even greater going on in the spiritual realm leaving innocent children confused as to whether they are male or female, because they are victims of identity theft, but at the beginning of creation God made them male and female (Mark 10:6).

And so, what I want to do today is to motivate you to take back what the enemy has stolen as we look at the story of David in first Samuel, chapter thirty. The context is that David and his men had been fighting and when they returned home to Ziklag the Bible says in verse one,

"The Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both young and old" (1 Samuel 30:1-2).

"They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

And so, when David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive" (1 Samuel 30:2-3).

In that moment, David and his men discovered that their very lives, their identity, everything that they valued the most was gone, because an enemy had come in and taken that which didn’t belong to them. I wonder if any of you have ever had a moment like that, a time when you experienced a devastating loss, a pain that was unbearable, because the enemy has stolen something from you, and your family was taken captive? The Bible says that because of this,

"David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep" (1 Samuel 30:4).

You see, the goal of our spiritual enemy is not just to steal, not just to profit from us, but he wants to kill our dreams, destroying us emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally. And so, my goal today is to motivate you to be the man or woman of God that you were created to be because the Bible says, in all these things we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).

And so, even though the enemy has broken in and taken possession of that which doesn’t belong to him, we won’t be overcome by evil, and we’re going to step boldly into our role as kingdom stewards. In other words, we are going to take back what the enemy has stolen, we’re going to stand up for God, standing for the truth, fighting the good fight of faith, following the eternal principles of God’s kingdom.

I want to encourage you, both men and women, young and old alike, to give the enemy notice that you’re taking it back. He’s not getting your stuff, he’s not taking what is yours, or what you have been called to be steward over. And so, you’re not even going to crack the door, because you’re not even going to give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:27).

That’s why it’s so important that we have a fervent prayer life and are filled with the Holy Spirit, because the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary they have divine power to demolish strongholds but we can’t leave a foothold for the devil to creep in. In other words, we’ve got to walk in the spirit, crucifying our flesh on a daily basis, and offering ourselves as living sacrifices because our enemy is looking for every opportunity to steal, kill, and destroy.

David and his men wept until they couldn’t weep anymore, but it wasn’t over for David, it got even worse because,

"David's two wives had been captured — Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal 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" (1 Samuel 30:5-6).

In other words, they had allowed bitterness to settle in their hearts because of what had been taken and they gave the enemy a foothold. They blamed David for their difficulties and their loss when it was actually the enemy of their souls that had done this thing.

Even now there is a very real battle taking place in our country, this gender ideology battle, leaving parents, educators, and school boards debating about what can or can’t be taught. And Satan is doing everything he can to steal our children’s identity away from them and to corrupt what God has intended them to be.

And so, "each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters." But the Bible says, "David found strength in the Lord his God" (1 Samuel 30:6).

That is such an important statement, because even though David was greatly distressed, battling with discouragement and depression, he was able to encourage himself in the Lord his God. And so, even though everything around him seemed to be falling apart, everything that mattered most to him had been stolen, and his friends had turned their backs on him. He was able to say, "Why are you downcast, O my soul?"

"Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God" (Psalms 42:11).

Today, I want to encourage you to follow David’s lead when everything goes sideways in your life. When the enemy comes in like a flood, ransacking your home, plundering your possessions, find strength in the Lord your God. Put your hope in God, trust him, because he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Put your hope in God because that’s how you overcome when everything is collapsing around you. David lost everything, he had people threatening to take his life, but he encouraged himself, finding strength in the Lord his God. And then David turned to the priest in verse seven and said,

"Bring me the ephod" (1 Samuel 30:7).

The Ephod was part of the priestly garments, it was the breastplate with the Urim and Thummim used by the high priest whenever he needed an answer from God. But I want you to notice that David doesn’t ask the priest what to do, he says, I need to borrow that Ephod, because he wanted to get a direct word from the Lord for his situation.

In other words, there are times when the priest doesn’t have the answer, the doctor doesn’t have the answer, and the counselor doesn’t have the answer. And so, the Lord wants us to come to him for ourselves, praying in the name of Jesus to find out what the Lord has to say to us about our situation. In fact, if you are full of the Holy Spirit, you don’t even have to borrow the Ephod, because the Bible says,

"The anointing you received from him remains in you, you don’t need anyone to teach you, because his anointing teaches you about all things…" (1 John 2:27).

And so, you can go get it for yourself, you can get personal guidance for your situation, you can go into your prayer closet full of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of God will bring light into the darkness of your situation.

Now, I understand that sometimes we struggle for discernment, looking for wisdom, and that is why God has given us pastors, shepherds, people with spiritual understanding to whom we can sit down with and talk and pray about the circumstances of our lives. The Bible says it this way,

"In the multitude of counselors there is safety" (Proverbs 11:14, NKJV).

And so, yes, sometimes you need to go to the pastor, the priest, the lawyer, or the counselor. But you can put on your own Ephod anytime you want if you’re full of the Holy Spirit, because he is the counselor.

David gets the Ephod because he is completely clueless as to what to do, how to get out of this situation, and not only that but he is surrounded by people who have lost hope and lost faith in his leadership. And so, he goes to the one who knows everything, who has the answers to all of our questions.

"David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" (1 Samuel 30:8).

He prayed and the Lord answered, it wasn’t a lot of information, he didn’t give any specifics about who it was, where they were going, or how long it would take. But he simply said,

"Pursue them. You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue" (1 Samuel 30:8).

Some of you have been going through situations so long that you’ve lost hope and lost faith and you’re ready to give up. But I want to encourage you today to get in the presence of God, praying in the Holy Spirit, and inquire of the Lord because he has the answers to all of your questions. He may not give you an answer right away like he did to David, it may take twenty-one days like it did for Daniel, but he has your answer.

He told David, "Go get it, you’re going to succeed, you’re going to get it all back." And David moved out, he began pursuing the enemy with what little bit of information the Lord had given him. In other words, he didn’t keep inquiring, keep asking, and prying for more details, because God requires us to walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).

As I thought about this I had to repent because I’m afraid that I am often guilty of waiting on God when it is really God waiting on me. Maybe some of you have refused to go when he said, "Go." He said, "Pursue them," and you didn’t, but the Bible says David and six hundred men moved out in pursuit of the enemy. However, when they came to the Besor Ravine, two hundred men stayed behind because they were too exhausted to cross the ravine (1 Samuel 30:9-10).

Now, I know they were exhausted, I know they had just returned from fighting with the Philistines. But if you came home to find your house burned and all that you own taken from you; I want to encourage you not to be like those 200 men who said we can’t go any further. Don’t stop at the brook, don’t stay behind in the Besor Ravine, but keep going. Go get your stuff, because the Bible says,

"At the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).

David and his men keep going, because they have a promise from the Lord, and that’s all you need when you’re willing to walk by faith and not by sight.

David and four hundred men continued the pursuit, because they believed what God had said (1 Samuel 30:10). They believed that they would get it all back and verse eleven tells us,

"They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat—part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights" (1 Samuel 30:11-12).

I love this because David is a man after God’s own heart, even though he was in pursuit of his enemy, trying to get back what had been stolen from him, he stops and takes time out to minister to another man who had been left to die.

This reminds me of the parable of the good Samaritan and the importance of ministering to those we encounter along the way; because you never know who you are ministering to. In fact, the Bible tells us,

"Don’t forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2).

And so, here comes David on his journey, hanging onto a promise from God, and he goes out of his way to help this dying Egyptian, not knowing that this man had the answer of how, when, and where from God that he was searching for.

This encounter with the Egyptian in a field seems to have no place in the story, but we’re about to discover that this was the providence of God. David asked him in verse thirteen,

"To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?" He said, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and the territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag" (1 Samuel 30:13-14).

And so, now the Egyptian had David’s attention. He’s like, "Oh really, you burned Ziklag? Tell me some more. Can you lead me down to this raiding party?"

"He answered, "Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them" (1 Samuel 30:15).

Now, you never would’ve thought that this Egyptian man dying of thirst out in a field would’ve been the answer to David’s prayer. But I want to encourage you to seek the Lord, because he knows where your stuff is, he knows where everything is, he knows who’s got it, and he already has the answer in place to help you get it back.

When you obey the Lord and go in pursuit of the enemy, you’re going to get your stuff back. You’re going to get your family back, your joy back, your peace back, and your faith back.

The Egyptian man took David down and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah (1 Samuel 30:16).

David discovered the enemy having a party with his stuff and I want you to know that the devil is having a party right now with your stuff and my stuff. He is celebrating the fact that he has our joy, our peace, our health, our relationships, but I declare in the mighty name of Jesus that the enemy has partied with our stuff long enough.

It’s time to get it back, because it doesn’t belong to him. It was given to us by God, we’re only stewards of that stuff, and so we’re going to take it back because the Bible tells us,

"The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast" (1 Peter 5:10).

I wonder how many of you here have suffered for a little while but you have overcome? Anybody here who has been to hell and back but God himself restored you and made you strong, firm, and steadfast. You may have had to work two jobs, raise your children by yourself, living on food stamps, hotdogs, and Ramen noodles, but you got your joy back, your peace back, and you’ve got your praise back.

You see, real worship exists among people who have been through adversity, who have suffered a little while, and still have a song of praise on their lips. Those who have been through the fire and still declare,

"Even though he slay me, yet will I trust him" (Job 13:15, NKJV).

I wonder if there is anybody in here that will give God the kind of praise that lets him know you still trust him? Even though you lost your job, even though your car isn’t running right, even though you lost your family, even though you’ve got a strange lump in your body, you’re still going to praise him.

As we close, sometimes you’ve got to go in pursuit of the enemy because enough is enough. You’ve got to tell the devil no, because the more he afflicts you, the stronger you get. And so, you tell the enemy, "No", you can’t take my praise away, because I find my strength in the Lord. And when you’ve got the Holy Spirit deep down inside of you, knowing who you are, and whose you are, it doesn’t matter what the enemy does because you are an overcomer.

Read Part 2

Read past sermons by Pastor John Talcott