Ephesians‬ ‭3:16-21‬ ‭(AMP‬‬) - (As I’m reading this first part, I want you to receive this as a prayer over your life)May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself]. Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

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I want to encourage you all tonight that, no matter what things look like, in your life or around this country, God is able (and fully capable) to do exceeding, abundantly, above, all that you can dare to ask, think, hope, or imagine Him doing for you and your family. I don’t care what it looks like, God is still is working. Even when it looks like He’s not, He’s still working. Never, ever, forget that! And never, ever, doubt that! With that being said, tonight, I want to talk about what other great men of God did, when the word didn’t appear to be working in their life, and what happened as a result. 

 

 

Against Natural Hope, Abraham believed in Supernatural Hope...

 

Romans 4:17-21 - (As it is written, I have (past tense) made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, [even] God, who quickeneth the dead (or brings back to life things that appear to be dead ), and calleth those things which be not as though they were (this is how you release your faith). 18 Who against (natural) hope believed in (supernatural) hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: 20 *He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

 

1. Against Hope - Or who against natural hope, he believed in super natural hope. He believed in the hope that doesn't come from this world. He believed in the unlimited power of the Almighty, Omnipotent, God.  You see, sometimes God will wait until you can't conjure up your own miracle, before He begins to work in your life.  You see, although Sarah was barren, Abraham was still able to produce for a while.  That’s why he was able to have a child with Hagar.  But, God didn't begin to move until both Abraham and Sarah's body was incapable of producing, so He could get all of the glory.  Against all odds, Abraham had to believe in the supernatural power of God.

 

2. Considered not his own body - Even though, neither he nor Sarah was able to produce, he didn't let that deter him from what he was believing for.  In other words, he did not consider his dead situation. If we are going to receive from God, as Abraham did, we cannot look at our current situation and become deterred. We have to continue to believe in God no matter what the odds.

 

3. He staggered not at the promise of God - He was not double minded. He was not a man of two opinions.

 

James 1:5-8 - If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man [is] unstable in all his ways.

 

4. Fully Persuaded - In other words, he was completely convinced that the promise of God was going to come to pass. There was no room for doubt in his mind. 

 

 

Joseph held onto the only thing he had left; the Word of God....

 

PSALMS‬ ‭105:17-22‬ (‭AMP) - He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet they hurt with shackles; He was put in chains of iron, Until the time that his word [of prophecy regarding his brothers] came true, The word of the LORD tested and refined him. The king sent and released him, The ruler of the peoples [of Egypt], and set him free. He made Joseph lord of his house And ruler of all his possessions, To imprison his princes at his will, That he might teach his elders wisdom.”

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There is very little talk about Joseph’s experience, as he was sold into the Egypt, when you read the book of Genesis. He said that he was sold (by his brothers) as a slave into Egypt and that he was brought by a man named Potiphar. It almost seems like a seamless transition from one place to the next, but it was a horrifying and terrible experience for Joseph.  The Ishmaelites took him out of the pit and shackled him with chains of iron. And, yes, those chains were painful. After that, they lead him to the auction block, with (probably) many other slaves, to be sold to the highest bidder. This is where Potiphar purchased him and brought him to his house to serve him as his slave. While Jospeh was going through this horrible ordeal, all he had to hold onto was the word of God. That was it. He had to believe that God was going to do what He said He would do. Even though it looked like an impossibility. He had to believe God’s word was greater than his current circumstance. And, because he held onto the word of God, the word of God came true in his life. It takes real faith to believe the word of God, when it looks like the word is not working. The issue with most people is that when they’re back is against the wall, and their situation looks impossible, they stop believing the word of the Lord. As a result, they forfeit their deliverance. 

 

 

The time that the Word came to pass for Joseph......

 

Genesis 41:14 - Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

 

Genesis 41:38-44 - And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? 39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: 40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled:  only in the throne will I be greater than thou. 41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See,  I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. 42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

 

 

This is probably one of my favorite bible stories.  Joseph was the favorite son in his father's house.  His father loved him so much that he gives him a coat of many colors, representing the favor that was on his life.  He was also a big dreamer.  The problem was that his brothers hated him for his dreams.  Because of this, they threw Joseph into a pit and sold him (as a slave) into Egypt.  There he had to serve (as a slave) a man named Potiphar.  This is where his underdog story begins.  As he's there, God begins to give him favor and Potiphar quickly puts everything that he owns in Joseph's hand.  Everything that Joseph touched turned to gold, because God's hand of favor was on him.  After a little while, Potiphar's wife falls for Joseph.  And because he is to integral to sleep with her, she accuses him of trying to rape her.  Potiphar becomes so outraged that he throws him into prison.  While in prison, he meets the Chief Butler and the Chief Baker of Pharaoh.  These two men have a dream and Joseph interprets them both.  When the Chief Butler is released from prison, Joseph asks him to remember him and to help him get out of prison, but (for 2 full years) this man completely forgets about Joseph.  But, when the Pharoah has a dream, that no one else can interpret, he remembers Joseph.  Joseph is quickly taken from this prison and is brought to the palace.  He interprets Pharaohs dream and gives him a solution to his problem.  The Pharoah is so impressed with Joseph that he places him in charge of the entire land of Egypt.  Now I want you to think of this.  All of this positioning for the purpose of making sure that Joseph was in the right place at the right time. 

 

When Joseph was sold into Egypt as a slave, there is no way anyone could ever think that it would work out in his best interest.  But God took that horrible situation and used it to promote Joseph to Prime Minister of Egypt. If God did that, I know He can take your situation and cause it to work for your good. 

 

 

David encouraged himself in the Lord....

 

1 Samuel‬ ‭30:1-6 (AMP‬‬) - Now it happened when David and his men came [home] to Ziklag on the third day, [they found] that the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev (the South country) and on Ziklag, and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire; and they had taken captive the women [and all] who were there, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off [to be used as slaves] and went on their way. When David and his men came to the town, it was burned, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they were too exhausted to weep [any longer]. Now David’s two wives had been captured, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. Further, David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all of them were embittered, each man for his sons and daughters.....

 

 

This is an amazing story and is a real turning point in David’s life. This was the moment that the “rubber met the road” in the story of David. This is what we call a crossroad in a persons life. This moment will determine where David goes from here. He will either become the great king, that we read about today, or he will fade away into obscurity. This is the moment that will determine who David will become. As much as David has been through (over the years), this is the greatest challenge of David’s life. He comes home and his city is burned with fire and his wives are taken. Not only that, but all of the wives and children of his men are taken as well. They are all left with nothing. He and all of these grown and mighty begin to cry  so hard that they exhaust themselves to the point of having no more tears. If this is not bad enough, his “loyal and faithful” men are now talking about stoning him to death , because they blame him for their loss. At this point, David has a choice. He can quit, die, and fade away into obscurity; or, he can gather his strength and trust God to get him through this situation. This is the crossroads that I was referencing. You see, we call come to this moment in our lives. A moment where it seems that all is lost and there is no way out of the trouble that we’re in. This is David’s moment. What happens next, will be determined by what you and I do next. 

 

 

1 Samuel‬ ‭30:6-8 (AMP‬‬) - But David felt strengthened and encouraged in the LORD his God. David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought him the ephod. David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this band [of raiders]? Will I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue [the captives].”

 

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David decided to encourage himself in the Lord. He decided that he wasn’t ready to quit. He decided that God was well able to get himself out of this situation. I personally believed that he encouraged himself by remembering all of the things that God had already done for him. He though about all of the impossible situations that God delivered him from. First, when he was a little shepherd boy, God enabled him to defeat a lion  and a bear , with his bare hands 🤚🏽. He also used him to defeat the giant Goliath with just a stone and a slingshot. I’m sure that he also thought about the fact that God promised him some things that were not fulfilled as of yet. He has not become king yet. How could he die, when God had not fulfilled his promises?  

 

 

David Recovers All and Then Some......

 

1 Samuel‬ ‭30:17-20‬ ‭(AMP‬‬) - Then David [and his men] struck them down [in battle] from twilight until the evening of the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and rescued his two wives. Nothing of theirs was missing whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David recovered it all. So David captured all the flocks and herds [which the enemy had], and [the people] drove those animals before him and said, “This is David’s spoil.””

 

So, David pursues his enemies. And, when he finds them, he takes out every last one of them. He then recovers everything that he and all of his men had lost. He got back all of their wives, all of their sons, and all of the stuff that was stolen from them. The Bible says that he recovered all. After he does all of that, he takes all of the enemies stuff as well. This becomes the greatest victory of Davids life, and he would have never experienced it, if he would have given up. 

 

 

The Triumph on the other end of the Trial....

 

2 Samuel‬ ‭2:1-4‬ ‭(AMP‬) - So it happened after this that David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go?” And He said, “To Hebron.” So David went up there [to Hebron] with his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel [in Judah]. And David brought up his men who were with him, each one with his household; and they lived in the cities of Hebron. Then the men of Judah came and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah......

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The amazing thing is that this event happens only several days after what happened to David at Ziklag. Only a few days after the worst day in David’s life, he is anointed as king of Judah. Can you imagine what would have happened if he would have given up?  He would have never recovered everything that he lost and he would have never become king. 

 

With that being said, I want to submit this to my fellow believers. I believe that most of our problems stem from the fact that we give up too soon. We’re confronted with a difficult time (in our lives) and we throw in the towel. We don’t realize that that trial is just the final exam to get you to the next level. You see, every trial is just a test. Once you pass it, you earn the right to graduate to your next level of blessings. The sad thing is that most people give up and, as a result, don’t pass the test to get them to the next level.