How You Get To Win
When will you believe you’ve won? When you see a result or when you get the victory in your spirit? If you are waiting for the victory before you believe, well you may never see it- Jesus said ” When you pray, believe:” not “When you pray, wait and see and then believe.”
David (before he was king) had an interesting situation.
David was trying to keep out of Saul’s way. Achish had give him the city of Ziklag and Ziklag became David’s military base for a while. From Ziklag David and his men attacked the enemy.
One day after a battle, David returned to the city and found that the Amalakites had ransacked Ziklag. They had set fire to the city and taken all the women and children away.
The word “Amalekites” mean “people that wring”
If that wasn’t enough his own men were so upset they wanted to stone him.
David put up with a whole lot from his “mighty” army. They did great when they were winning.
They often were fearful when they were losing though! How about you? Do you have friends that stand with you when you seem to be accomplishing things? But what about when it looks like you are losing?
God’s intention is that our faith is not influenced by circumstances, but by the truth. The truth will set you free from what may seem true in the natural realm. It may be “true” that maybe you don’t feel so good, maybe you are sick, but the truth is “Jesus Himself took out sicknesses and bore our infirmities.” The truth is, “By His stripes you were healed.”
David’s great opportunity
David had no one left. What a great opportunity to get discouraged and down. He said, ” Oh I need a worship CD, I need to find the prayer group.” There was no worship CD and there was no friendly prayer group in sight. You know what it says, “He encouraged HIMSELF in the Lord.” He had learned that secret hadn’t he? In the book of Psalms, he spoke to his own soul, “Why are you cast down oh my soul, HOPE THOU in God.”
My friends in Orlando, Jill and Anita, had a situation where it looked like Anita was going to lose just about everything. I mean it was unreal the things and powerful people that were stacked against her. Most people told her to give up, but she and Jill wouldn’t. They went after the thief and got back everything and more. I posted that story one time, if you would like to read it I will email it to you.
Someone told me one time, “Only Holy Ghost Christians and mad people talk to themselves.” I guess that’s true, although the Apostle Paul said, ” Speaking to yourselves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
Being in the “Shaker.”
What about Paul and Silas in prison? They were in an inner prison. That’s a prison inside a prison. Their feet were fastened in the stocks. I am sure it was cold and damp. Does it say they whined and moaned and complained? “Oh, God why have you left us here? We are ministering for you. Where are the love offerings?”
Maybe they had a worship tape. Maybe they had a praise band there secreted away in that prison? Maybe there was a great preacher in the next (inner) cell? I don’t think so.
You know that they did? They sang praises to God. They made a lot of noise. I think they shouted. Well the prison couldn’t contain them and the angel showed up and responded to the praises and the guess what? The doors burst open and the whole place began to shake, rattle and roll.
But you see, they were not shaken. Why? Because they were in the Shaker. Best place to be in a shaking is in the Shaker.
In the middle of it all they were able to tell the jailor how to get saved.
Do you let your situations take all of your attention? If you stay in the Shaker you can stand still and minister to others. Maybe everything is whirling around you, maybe it looks all upside down. It depends where you are looking. God isn’t shaking. God isn’t wondering what to do.
Well back to David! He was tired, he had been in a 3 day battle but he didn’t stand by and feel sorry for himself. Self pity is a spirit that keeps you from RECEIVING. You can’t receive anything when you sit around feeling sorry for yourself. David got mad at the Amalakites and took off after them.
200 of the 600 men couldn’t make it, they were too weary. Do you know discouragement makes you feel weary? That’s what makes a leader. True leaders are people who forget to ask themselves how they feel.
I believe they were all weary, but 400 of them decided to go regardless.
What the enemy disregards, God can use, you can too. It depends on how you see things.
I have a cartoon picture in a book by Arthur Burt. The picture is of a little boy and his sister standing in an elevator. The little boy had an ice cream cone and in front of him was large lady in a fur coat. The girl says to the little boy, ” Be careful Willy, you are getting fur all over your ice cream.” What you see depends on your perspective doesn’t it?
David and his men came upon a man in a field. The man was sick and dying. The Amalakites had left him behind because he was no use to them.
But David saw an opportunity and the man ended up telling him where the enemy were camped out. A bit of compassion goes a long way. If the Amalakites had not left him behind David wouldn’t have found them so quickly.
A friend of mine who has been in the ministry for about 85 years (seriously) always asks, “What do you do with your lemons? Do you make a face, or add some Amens (sugar) and make lemonade?”
David captured those Amalakites, who were partying, and took back the women and children. Not only that, he saw a whole lot of cattle and sheep and added them to his inventory. Their main wealth was in cattle and sheep.
When he got home his 400 didn’t want to share the bounty with the men who couldn’t make it, but David gave them an equal share. “A brother is a brother” one of my good black preacher friends once said.
David operated in grace and faith.
David had confidence that God was able to do everything he couldn’t do. Have you ever been glad that you can’t do it? Then you have to let God –
The Bible says “God looks to and fro over the whole earth seeking to show Himself strong on behalf of those that love Him.” He can’t stretch forth His mighty arm on your behalf if you you’ve got your own arm in the way. We are great sometimes at praying our heart out and then trying to fix it.
David was a “sharer.”
When David was done restoring everyone’s family and stuff, he sent presents to his friends.
He was a “sharer.” That’s God’s heart in operation. Jesus shares His inheritance with YOU. The Father shared His Son with YOU. The Holy Spirit shares (reveals) truth to YOU.
I asked everyone to pray for my daughter Lisa. Lisa had her luggage disappear on her flight from Atlanta to Barcelona and then to Liverpool and then to Paris and London.
When she got to Paris she was freezing as all her warm clothes were in her suitcase. The problem was, the airline (Air France) kept saying it was on it’s way. Well you don’t want to go and buy all new clothes when your own clothes are just about to arrive.
There was no suitcase arriving and after 8 days she gave up. By then she had to go and buy all new clothes- including suites for her business appointments and a coat etc.
But I had a vision of a suitcase that had written on it the word. “Found” And I had a vision of it being delivered to a hotel, and she was surprised.
Day after day there was no case. When she went on to London I said, “Lisa you will get a surprise.”
Well her suitcase was delivered to her London hotel the day before she left. She wasn’t too happy about it because then she had to lug it all the way home and Delta tried to get her to pay excess baggage!
But what you see in the Spirit and what you witness in your spirit is more real than anything you can see with your eyes or hear with your ears.
God is bigger than our concepts, He is greater than every voice raised in the natural, no matter whatever any “powerful” voice says. He spoke and the worlds were framed and the whole of creation sprang to life.
Kathie Walters – visit my website and grab some CD’s.
Get my CD’s, “David’s Mighty Men – or How to Get Your Stuff Back” – It will expand on this a lot!