Strengthen Yourself in the Lord (3)
Notes
Transcript
Part #1
Lets look at David’s story leading up to learning to strengthen himself in the Lord
Tell the story of David and upbringing and time line all the way up to the point of being alone and strengthening himself in the Lord.
age 10-13 David is rejected by his dad and brothers and then picked to be anointed by God
ages 10-15 David keeps sheep and kills a bear and lion with the hands of God.
ages 15-17 David is rejected by his brothers yet again, and then kills Goliath with the hands of God.
ages 13-25 David serves Saul with music and sword, and gets kicked out for it.
ages 25-30 David hides from Saul for his life. The people who help him are killed by Saul.
age 35 David is at the end of his rope. He has nothing left and he turns to God.
Saul dies and David gets what was stolen back and becomes king.
This the ultimate place of letting go for David.
What did David do after he was at his lowest moment?
1 Samuel 30:6 (NASB95)
6 Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
-David Strengthened himself in the Lord.
To fulfill the purpose God has for our lives, we need to know the pathway God laid out for us to always be strengthened in Him.
This pathway is strengthening yourself in the Lord/Christ.
David was the only king in the bible who went through a bootcamp with God to be prepared to be a good king.
David is the master of strengthening himself in the Lord. We are going to learn from David what it takes to strengthen ourselves in the Lord/Christ, so we can fulfill our purpose in life.
Common Views:
Strengthen yourself in the Lord is most often thought in way of declaring what is not seen yet.
Thanking God even when you don’t feel like it.
Declaring Scriptures and God’s word over your life.
Praying in tongs.....
A Millennial view:
No faking it, so no faking it until you make it.
Not sure about this strengthen yourself idea except for get educated and work out.
Saying what you feel out loud.
Waiting for God to show up first
If it is real, He will strengthen you.
David’s approach:
Most of the Psalms of David start with a heart cry and sometimes even anger.
Then he moves on to thanks and then declaration.
Most precious to David was, don’t take Your Spirit from me or let me live in Your house all my days.
Five steps to Strengthening yourself in the Lord:
Five steps to Strengthening yourself in the Lord:
1. Be honest with what you are feeling and seeing.
Examples:
Psalm 142:2 (NASB95)
2 I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him.
Psalm 142:4 (NASB95)
4 Look to the right and see; For there is no one who regards me; There is no escape for me; No one cares for my soul.
Psalm 54 (NASB95)
3 For strangers have risen against me And violent men have sought my life; They have not set God before them. Selah.
Psalm 56:2 (NASB95)
2 My foes have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me.
So we see that David is a master at step one.
Being honest to God with what he feels and sees with his natural sight.
Five steps to Strengthening yourself in the Lord:
1. Be honest with what you are feeling and seeing.
2. Remember and Give thanks to God for what He has done.
Examples:
Psalm 142:3 (NASB95)
3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. In the way where I walk They have hidden a trap for me.
Psalm 54:6 (NASB95)
6 Willingly I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
Psalm 56:12–13 (NASB95)
12 Your vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You. 13 For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.
David is a master at changing from being honest to God about what he sees and feels to remembering and giving thanks to God for what He has done before.
David has entire Psalms dedicated to giving thanks.(Psalm 136)
When you remember what you thankful and you are aware of where God was in that memory, it changes something in your heart and mind.
You will hardly be able to help express thankfulness after you remember.
The hard part is to stay in that memory and not be pulled to anything bad that happened before or after.
Darkness does not want you to focus on the light.
Part #2
Strengthening yourself in the Lord looks like:
1. Be honest with what you are feeling and seeing.
2. Remember and Give thanks to God for what He has done.
3. Declare to what your Spirit knows to be true about God and yourself.
Examples:
Psalm 54:4–5 (NASB95)
4 Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. 5 He will recompense the evil to my foes; Destroy them in Your faithfulness.
Psalm 56:10–11 (NASB95)
10 In God, whose word I praise, In the Lord, whose word I praise, 11 In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Psalm 142:5 (NASB95)
5 I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.
David was a master at declaring who God is. He has way more Psalms than this that declare who God is many of them being sung around the clock all year long.
After you have remembered what God has done you almost can’t help but declare who God is.
He is good, He works things out when it does not seem possible, He pursues you even when you run away, He has never left....
Strengthening yourself in the Lord looks like:
1. Be honest with what you are feeling and seeing.
2. Remember and Give thanks to God for what He has done.
3. Declare to what your Spirit knows to be true about God and yourself.
4. With clarity, ask God what He wants and or what you want.
Examples:
Psalm 54:1 (NASB95)
1 Save me, O God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your power.
Psalm 56:1 (NASB95)
1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me.
Psalm 142:6–7 (NASB95)
6 “Give heed to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are too strong for me. 7 “Bring my soul out of prison, So that I may give thanks to Your name; The righteous will surround me, For You will deal bountifully with me.”
David does not hesitate to ask God with clarity what he wants to happen.
By the David asks it is not from a place of desperation and a pity party.
He asks from a place of faith in who God really is.
He often asks from a place that would benefit God and His people not just David.
Strengthening yourself in the Lord looks like:
1. Be honest with what you are feeling and seeing.
2. Remember and Give thanks to God for what He has done.
3. Declare to what your Spirit knows to be true about God and yourself.
4. With clarity, ask God what He wants and or what you want.
5. Obey and or take action.
1 Samuel 30:8–10 (NASB95)
8 David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and you will surely rescue all.” 9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those left behind remained. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor remained behind.
Shall we see a greater outpouring of Your Manifest Presence?
Will we see heaven on earth in our lives?
If God gives you instructions, then you take action.
David is first honest with what he feels and sees.
He then moves being thankful for what God has done.
Sometime he even skips that step because already trusts God.
Then David moves to what he knows to be true about God and himself.
These steps dont have to be in this order.
David clearly did these steps all the time.
Then David makes his request of God while he is fill of faith in God.
Activations:
Tell God what you feel right now.
Go to one memory where you are thankful and God was there.
Declare who God is.
Make your specific request to God.
Take action on what God says back to you.
Philippians 4:6 (NASB95)
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Prayer and Supplication
Supplication:
- An earnest or urgent request to God.
Gives prominence to the expression of personal need.
To that of childlike confidence, by representing prayer as the heart’s conversion with God.
Be anxious for nothing by turning and strengthening yourself in the Lord.
Remember where God has been there for you in the past.
If we are to Rise Above as a family of God, we need to know how to Strengthen ourselves in the Lord.
When do you strengthen yourself in the Lord?
- When distressed or anxious
Psalm 100:4 (NASB95)
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
Gates speak of getting closer to God.
Courts speak of the throne room where God makes decisions that change the world.
Give thanks and Bless His name is thanksgiving and praise.
A Goal:
Write down 10 memories you can go to when the occasion arises.
Practice being honest and going to the memories. When times are good...
A time will come when you are triggered or tempted to let your emotions get the best of you.
At that moment be honest with what you feel and see, then go to one to three of those memories, then declare who God is, then ask Him for what you need, then take action.
Activations:
Did you get a chance to write down at least on memory you are thankful for?
Share that memory with one other person.
Did someone have a hard time and could not come up with a memory?
The memory does not have to be related to what you were just honest about.
Share a memory you are thankful for with one person.
If you are stuck here are some questions:
What is something you are grateful for?
What is your favorite memory or time? Why?
What did you feel during that time?
Where do you think Jesus was in that time with you?
Declare who God is related to that memory.
Make your specific request to God.
Take action on what God says back to you.
Other Resources:
Supplication:
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 1162 δέησις
1162 δέησις [deesis /deh·ay·sis/] n f. From 1189; TDNT 2:40; TDNTA 144; GK 1255; 19 occurrences; AV translates as “prayer” 12 times, “supplication” six times, and “request” once. 1 need, indigence, want, privation, penury. 2 a seeking, asking, entreating, entreaty to God or to man. Additional Information: For synonyms see entries 1783, enteuxis; and 4335, proseuche.See entry 5828 for comparison of synonyms.
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (5828 Synonyms)
1162 See Definition for enteuxis: 1783See Definition for proseuche: 43351163 is petitionary, 4335 is a word of sacred character, being limited to prayer to God, whereas 1163 may also be used of a request addressed to man. 1783 expresses confiding access to God, 1163 gives prominence to the expression of personal need. 4335 to the element of devotion, 1783 to that of childlike confidence, by representing prayer as the heart’s conversion with God.
For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is not David hiding himself among us?” 1 Save me, O God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your power. 2 Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers have risen against me And violent men have sought my life; They have not set God before them. Selah. 4 Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. 5 He will recompense the evil to my foes; Destroy them in Your faithfulness. 6 Willingly I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good. 7 For He has delivered me from all trouble, And my eye has looked with satisfaction upon my enemies.
For the choir director; according to Mikhtam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. 1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me. 2 My foes have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me. 3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. 4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? 5 All day long they distort my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil. 6 They attack, they lurk, They watch my steps, As they have waited to take my life. 7 Because of wickedness, cast them forth, In anger put down the peoples, O God! 8 You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book? 9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me. 10 In God, whose word I praise, In the Lord, whose word I praise, 11 In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? 12 Your vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You. 13 For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.
Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. 1 I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord; I make supplication with my voice to the Lord. 2 I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him. 3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. In the way where I walk They have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look to the right and see; For there is no one who regards me; There is no escape for me; No one cares for my soul. 5 I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. 6 “Give heed to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are too strong for me. 7 “Bring my soul out of prison, So that I may give thanks to Your name; The righteous will surround me, For You will deal bountifully with me.”
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 4 To Him who alone does great wonders, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 5 To Him who made the heavens with skill, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 7 To Him who made the great lights, For His lovingkindness is everlasting: 8 The sun to rule by day, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 10 To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 11 And brought Israel out from their midst, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 13 To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 15 But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 16 To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 17 To Him who smote great kings, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 18 And slew mighty kings, For His lovingkindness is everlasting: 19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 20 And Og, king of Bashan, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 21 And gave their land as a heritage, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 22 Even a heritage to Israel His servant, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 23 Who remembered us in our low estate, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 24 And has rescued us from our adversaries, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 25 Who gives food to all flesh, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
A Psalm of David. 1 I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods. 2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name. 3 On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul. 4 All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O Lord, When they have heard the words of Your mouth. 5 And they will sing of the ways of the Lord, For great is the glory of the Lord. 6 For though the Lord is exalted, Yet He regards the lowly, But the haughty He knows from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.