Encourage yourself in the Lord

Encourage yourself in the Lord

(God’s People Are Hurting)

David Wilkerson

She tearfully began to pray,

“Oh God, You’re people are hurting.

Lord, all of Your children are hurting. We are bad.

Help us. Please Lord, help us.”

When she was praying that, I could feel the whole audience empathize with her as almost saying “Yes Lord, I’m hurting.”

You can feel it in the audience and on the subway on the way home on the way up I was crying and sighing.

And I was saying

“Lord, it’s not just sheep in the audience, is not just congregation that’s hurting. But the shepherds, too Lord.”

When she said that, I had to say

“Lord, yes I’m hurting too. We are bad. I am hurting, Lord”

Here’s one that really troubles a lot of people when you do right and things still go wrong.

In all of God’s word, there’s no better example of man doing right than David the man after God’s own heart.

The Scripture said,

Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord.

and turned not aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite

1Kings 15:5

You know from the very day that Samuel poured the horn of oil on him anointed him as King of Israel.

The Bible said,

the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward

(1Samuel 16:13)

The Spirit of the Lord was with him from then on.

The Scripture says,

And David behaved himself wisely all his ways;

and the Lord was with him

1Samuel 18:14

What does that get David?

Trouble on all sides.

And Saul spake to Jonathan his son and to all of his servants,

that they should kill David

1Samuel 19:1

The Scripture says,

He went down to Achish king of Gath

(1 Samuel 21:10)

And David was so afraid of Achish king of Gath. Something’s happenning to this man. This man who stood before a giant, This man who fear nothing, He fear no lion. He fear no bear. He tore it apart with his bear hands.

Now he is afraid of Saul. He is afraid of king of Gath. One of the saddest things in all the Bible is the next. The trouble that he is in now is no result of any sin in his life.

But you know what David did? They’re coming after him. They’re dragging him toward the king and David pretends he is mad.

Look at that man of God. He scratched on the walls And he is acting like he is crazy. He is acting insane.

Can you imagine a man of God coming to this place in his life? Think back of David now. Think back of all that God had done through this man.

But David is saying

“I’ve got to run. I shall not perish one day at the hand of Saul.”

“There’s nothing better for me than to escape into the land of Philistines.”

(1Samuel 27:1)

“I can’t handle this any more. I can’t handle it.”

Have you ever said that?

Why did things go wrong in David’s life?

You’ll find David hiding out in the cave of Adullam (1Samuel 22:1).

You’ll find 400 misfits come and get around David (1Samuel 22:2).

I’m sure he felt like God has forsaken him. And I feel confident that David said,

“That anointing, that time.

Samuel anointed me.

I remember that day.

I’m supposed to be a king of Israel.”

He is hiding in a cave. He is running from Saul.

He said,

“There’s nothing left for me to do now

but run over to the enemy.”

In a whole time God have never left this man.

God have never forsaken him.

But you see this.

He can’t see God’s hand.

He can’t see God’s still working in his heart.

And he saying to himself

“God made a mistake when He poured out oil on me.

God made a mistake.

If I’m anointed…

if I’m a chosen servant of God…

If His hands on me…

the Spirit of the Lord is with me…

Why am I running?

Why is this happening to me?

Why is my prayer not being answered?”

He is in a dirty filthy cave. He’s done nothing wrong.

Why is God allowing this? Because David was in the school of the Holy Ghost.

He was in school. God is saying “I will never have another man like Saul that sits on the throne. That man didn’t have an experience with me. The first time he was tested he fell on his faith. Never again will I allow that. I will put this man through test.”

God stood silently by, and let David endure it. Never once God has forsaken him. Never once was God away from David even though David couldn’t see Him and cry out “He has forsaken me.”

No! God was still there!

You sitting here tonight. You’re wondering why after your desire to seek God with all your heart why so many things still go wrong.

I want to tell you. I confess it here now.

A number of years ago when God turn my life around and told me to get out of big time evangelism. I start studying and getting on my faith before God.

I took off a year. I began to seek the Lord with all my heart. And God began to reveal His word

God was bringing people into my life because you see when you turned to the Lord with all your heart.

God introduces you the whole new world, people you didn’t know existed before. You come into a whole new friendship. You begin to see the body of Christ. You begin to build one another up. There’s a whole world that you wouldn’t even talk to before. Now you see your oneness with them. You’re one with them.

There’s something. There’s the Spirit of the Lord that bears witness. And God was moving me into a whole new realm.

I thought as soon as God gave me this revelations of loveliness of Jesus and cry for holiness and purity everybody love it the message, everybody want to hear it. Always I was wrong.

I want to tell you, friends, 2 years of seeking the face of God about that third year I have never my life been so tested.

I would go to God and say,

“Lord, my hands are clean.

My heart is pure.

Why?”

And God began to show me that

“There’s no other way I can produce my character in you.

I’m taking you through the fire.

But I’m in the fire with you.”

There wasn't a moment that God wasn’t with David. God was with him just as He is with you

You may be going through a burden. You say

“I’m so unworthy.

There’s something in my life that so got me down.”

Some of you’re battling in right now. You’re ready to give up. There’re others you don’t understand why you going through

this great trial that you’re in right now.

All the trouble that passed you because you thought once I come into this great new walk with the Lord and lay aside my idols, every thing is gonna go smooth.

Folks, you’ve just got enrolled in God’s Holy Ghost school.

David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and theirs sons, and their daughters were taken captives

1Samuel 30:3

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved,

every man for his sons and for his daughters:

but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

1Samuel 30:6

Folks, there’s comes a time when nobody can’t touch that thing in you, nobody can’t help you.

You’ve got to get this book and the Holy Ghost in the Word

and encourage yourself. That’s what David did.

Shall I pursue after this troop?

shall I overtake them?

And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely

overtake them, and without fail recover all.

1Samuel 30:8

There was nothing lacking to them,

neither small nor great,

niether sons nor daughters,

niether spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them:

David recovered all

1Samuel 30:19

He recovers his confidence in God, his assurance that God is still with him. He’s got the sense that he’s anointed now. He’s got a new hatred for sin in the enemy. And on that day I believe David got his diploma.

Because the Bible goes right on to say right after that.

After he encourages himself in the Lord

David waxed stronger and stronger and prevail

(2Samuel 3:1)

Do you want to go stronger and stronger in the Lord?

Inquire the Lord.

Get on your faith before Him.

Encourage yourself in the Lord.

I have been doing all day long today. I’ve just been encouraging myself in the Lord, call the devil what he is, a liar and just

standing on the promises of God, and encouraging myself in Him.

Come what it may, we are the Lord’s.

Live or die, we are the Lord’s.

Lord, fire may be raged, but we are not consumed.

We have not consumed by the fire.

We’re still standing.

Lord, bring your people out standing strong tonight.

Lord, let not our faith fail you in this hour.

Give us more faith we ever had.

Give us more confidence we’ve ever had in You.