Mike Bickle emphasizes David's courage and resolve during his time in Keilah, despite facing overwhelming shame, fear, and despair from past failures and current pressures. David's willingness to inquire of the Lord and engage in battle for the people of Keilah, even when his own men were afraid, showcases his leadership and commitment to God's purposes. Through his struggles, David learns that investing in others can lead to personal healing and breakthrough, as he finds strength in helping those in need. The sermon highlights the importance of stepping out of comfort zones and trusting God in challenging circumstances, as well as the power of encouragement and support from friends like Jonathan.

Looking at David's courage and resolve in the city of Keilah in 1st Samuel 23 and the psalm that was written at this time of Psalm 54 paragraph a just a quick review you've already heard it but just so you get it one two three he's had some very dramatic experiences recently and that's important to understand his courage and resolve in this city he had great failure and shame related to the city of Nob the tragedy that was caused by his lie tremendous guilt and shame associated with that he had great fear when he stood before the king of Gath Achish he acted like a madman he was terrified so he has shame and then he had to deal with fear then he goes to a dull him and he has despair and despair when he said I'm overwhelmed Psalm 142 he met the pressures because I've got three thousand men attacking me I've got responsibility for 400 I got my family coming my elderly parents I don't have provision for them I don't have I don't have so many resources it's absolutely overwhelming and I'm going cave to cave with all of these people and again as a young man new in leadership in many ways so he's got despair he's overwhelmed by the circumstances so most people at various times in their life they know the shame or they know the fear or they know what it means to be overwhelmed and so we have three very different emotions in a short amount of time I mean it's over a series of months paragraph B just remind you again Psalm 142 he said sorrow I'm overwhelmed by the pressure would even be the pressure of the circumstance nobody cares about me nobody understands me they don't recognize what I'm going through my soul is in prison but he said but you're bountiful Oh God I trust that you're bountiful in your plans for me then paragraph C just recently he had written Psalm 57 it gives us insight on where he's at as he's approaching the challenges around the city of Keilah he goes men are like lions seeking to devour me they're all around that's part of the pressure he feels overwhelmed they're trying to trap me at every step he says but my heart is steadfast I'm not moving I'm not going to draw back because of my condemnation and failure I'm not going to draw back because of my fear I'm not drawing back because it's too hard and I'm overwhelmed I'm not drawing back paragraph D you put these four Psalms together add Psalm 34 that he wrote in Gath and we get a little bit of of what he's thinking as he's facing the fear the overwhelming circumstances and pressure and the shame here he is in Keilah right before it and we'll get to the story in a minute he rises up with boldness and tenacity and I say Lord where did he get this inward resolve to rise up when he could have easily have walked away and have left the things without involving himself in the great needs Roman number two let's look at the story David rescues Keilah verse 1 they told David you know the last place we have him is in chapter 2 verse 22 15 it's in the forest of Hereth and it's just everything is five or ten miles away so dearly so it's most things are within that five ten fifteen mile distance from one another because some of these wildernesses and forces you're not sure exactly scholars today can't locate them with precision but they're all in the same general area of the wilderness of Judah of and the desert mountain hilly wilderness forest it's again it's not a lot of cities in that part at that time so verse 1 they come and told David they said look the Philistines are fighting against Keilah they're robbing the threshing floors now the threshing floors are the place where they would store all the food I mean preparing the food to thresh the grain so they they harvested the grain and and they would have the crops right there on the threshing floor a few more steps before they would store it away and the Philistines would come just at the right time at the harvest time and steal all their food robbing the threshing floors means stealing the food the people in Keilah they're Israelites they're in great need they're in crisis they're in need so now David is in great pressure himself overwhelmed discouraged fear shame all these things in the last months he's been dealing with traumatized undoubtedly by what happened in the city of Nab and he sees this crisis in Keilah and he could just like again he's young man in his mid-twenties and well the king of Israel he's supposed to deliver Keilah not me that's not my problem I don't have an army I mean I've got these discontented distressed guys that are disorganized Saul's got a whole army why don't I just let Saul do it but there's something about a man or woman after God's own heart that they see things in a different way now you don't take on every need that comes your way you'll be absolutely burnt out in and wasted but David stops here's the key he inquires Lord should I do this I mean how many times would we pause and actually ask the question Lord there's young people we need they need discipling they need care they're a mess you know some of them are on drugs others of them are doing this other doing that and they don't really want to do they don't really want to stick with the program but should we go they say they're hungry they say they want to go forward in God do we want to get engaged and get involved I mean we don't really have opportunity unless you're in the military to go to war but in the spiritual sense there's crisis all around spiritual relational crisis so much of the body of Christ is not being discipled so many believers one year old in the Lord ten years old the Lord they still don't even have a foundation in their spiritual life so David says should I inquire should I and should I attack should I engage should I engage my resources invest my time risk my well-being or should I just ignore this and let it go the other way I mean Lord I'm overwhelmed right now I don't need to be even asking this question so this is Saul's responsibility not mine the Lord gives him a surprise answer yes go attack in our language engage engage your resources invest your time risk your well-being risk take the risks of it not working being rejected it you know there's risk involved in pouring yourself out and other people he says go attack go go like really Lord I'm getting healed right now go save Keilah verse 3 David said to his man hey let's go but David's men said back to David look David we're afraid here in Judah we're afraid without fighting the Philistines I mean Saul's coming after us we don't have good resources his 400 men told him no David we love it that you're hearing from God but we don't want to pour ourselves out more no we're barely making it I mean the effort it took us to get out of our state of where we are we're in this in the Society of Israel again they're discontent distressed in debt to get down here to you we don't want to go engage and go help somebody else that's our problem how much more if we're afraid in Judah how much more if we go engage in get involved in a battle with the mighty Philistines are you kidding me so David got a resounding no from his team but he's our leader he's our captain he goes this isn't a time to draw back lick our wounds it's not a time to go introspective and just make sure you're happy he says let's rise up and let's get involved in God's purposes even though it's going to be costly so verse 4 in honor of his men who were afraid that said no he said okay I'll ask again this is Lord you know the guys I'm with but I they don't have it in their heart they're worn out so I'll ask you once again you know the Lord doesn't mind you asking again he really doesn't the Lord gave him the same answer but then he added a promise a prophecy to it he goes yeah rise up do it but I'll give you a little something to give the guys thus says the Lord you'll be victorious thus says the Lord you will get a breakthrough stay with it so he got a prophetic word on top of it verse 5 so David goes and he talks his man convinces them and they fought the Philistines Keilah again it's probably five ten mile journey from where they were and they struck him with a mighty blow a remarkable they took away all their livestock this brought a food supply see the Philistines were taking this food supply of the people of God but they have a mighty blow and they take the livestock they replenish they get all their food supply back and then they double it or they replenish it so David saved the inhabitants of Keilah now we all know there is no victory there is no breakthrough if we don't step up step up to fight and engage we want a breakthrough we've got to step up and engage with the Lord and the engaging with the Lord before the breakthrough is the hardest part to get people doing everybody says well when the breakthrough comes I'm fully in but in our world it's well in our context it's it's investing in people it's unbelievers believers the needy I mean everybody's needy sooner or later that I don't mean they're all needy economically but they're emotionally spiritually relationally there's conflicts there's troubles it's it's rising up praying for people contending for their healing involved in their trouble helping them get the victory there is no victory without stepping up not rising up to the fight well let's look at just a little bit of the notes here paragraph B Keilah was a fortified city which means it was a city it was an Israelite city in Judah and it had a military presence in the city but it was now being overran by the Philistines because if the if they can take Keilah they take all the villages if you take out the fortified city all the other villages you have total dominance over them in a military way so you take out the the fortified city and then you've got the whole area so it was critical that David did this because what was Saul's responsibility and Saul had the mighty army but Saul was Saul was not engaged in the Lord's battles Saul was engaged in his own battles Saul was fighting David and David was fighting the Philistines Saul was commanded to fight the Philistines he was after David and David was doing his job paragraph II David could have reasoned it's not my responsibility however he determined he wasn't gonna just pass by let the situation pass by because he did ask the Lord now the hard part I mean in my own life not just in my leadership of inspiring other people the hard part is getting the believer to ask the honest question Lord should I invest in this group this people this individual should I get involved and invest because it's gonna be labor it's gonna take investment engagement and it's gonna have some hassles some setbacks there's some risk involved things don't always go well should I do it paragraph F the Lord says go and attack here's what I have found over the years that when we're in the situation like David again the shame of the city of Nob just some months before the fear associated with the city of Gath the overwhelming pressure and despair with this with the cave of Adullam I mean he's hurting he feels alone nobody knows nobody cares his soul is in prison he's got pain I have found in my own life but I also found as a pastor that sometimes the most one of the most helpful solutions to a person in pain is for them to invest in somebody else that's in pain because when we get in trouble and our soul is we feel despair we want to here's what the enemy wants us to do he wants us to withdraw go introspective and get consumed with how bad we have it and get consumed with what we don't have we got a bad deal and we don't have the resources we want we don't have the break that we want we get consumed on how difficult our circumstances and how and we get consumed on what we don't have that we're waiting on but when we get engaged in helping other people it totally shifts our focus of course that's a biblical principle from Genesis Revelation that sometimes one of the most significant things you could do if you're struggling with depression despair and fear start investing in somebody else and get out of the dominant conversation of how difficult your life is and what you don't have get into another conversation in your heart and you'll see it's remarkable you'll see breakthroughs of God all along the way I've witnessed that in my own life sometimes in the circumstances when I feel the weakest the Lord does the most now that's a nice kind of preacher statement to say but it's true I've been in situations many times in 40 years of ministry where I'm just tired not in the mood I don't know and the Holy Spirit says I'm not tired I'm not sad I'm not lethargic take your hand out of your pocket laid on him and pray for him I'm not tired because you are it's not your energy that heals them it's not your energy that converts them say a few words to a mumble them if you want to say the words how many times I've over the years been involved in a person whether it's an unbeliever or somebody needing prayer or somebody need counsel or somebody encouragement and I'm just got so much going on my own life and I go Lord I just don't have I'm just not into it for some reason I'm in the conversation and ends up I say something that that ignites their heart and mine I walk we go Lord that was a little surprise word there you have it that's how it works that's how it's because it shifts the conversation even in your own soul from how bad we have it and what it is we don't have what we lack and all sudden you speak the word you start investing the Lord starts doing things in people's lives through you you think wow well paragraph G his men were afraid they they said no we don't want to leave the comfort zone we don't want to leave the comfort zone I mean we don't want to leave Moab we want to stay in Moab we don't even want to be in Judah but at least in the in the forest of Herod at least Saul's not breathing down our neck right here the Lord said verse two I mean a note to not verse that my notes aren't verses they're just mumblings or sometimes the Lord knew if they went to Keilah it would be trouble I'm the Lord saying I mean they're saying Lord we don't we're not really there Lord says I know you're not there emotionally and all that just go anyway and it became more trouble for David and the Lord says I know there's more trouble but you know what you're gonna experience some breakthroughs some interventions of God some some provision of God is going to happen and your history in me is going to increase I want you to go mathematically or just logically Lord I did we just don't have it in us he goes just do it anyway do it anyway and the Lord surprised David and met David along the way paragraph three David I imagine David saying Lord I don't need any more trouble and Lord says well the trouble is what's equipping you it's not because the trouble itself because in the trouble you interact with me and in the trouble it's a occasion for me to show you my power and I break through and your history in God is increasing you know it's the idea you've heard you can't have a victory if you don't have a challenge you can't have a breakthrough if there's not a challenge in front of you and the Lord wants David to be a mighty warrior king that has a deep history in God when he's 40 50 60 leading the nation and he says I want you interacting with me you do that more when you're faced with a challenge but you also are in a position where you see a breakthrough and you see that I actually delivered you and you get more of those accumulated in your history in God and you have more confidence as years unfold there are some believers they've been in the kingdom 30 40 years and they have very little history in God very many few times but they can look back where they gave themselves took a risk and something happened they can remember that had God's goodness in it and that's because they're stuck in a safety zone in a comfort zone kind of paradigm of Christianity we got to get out of the comfort zone and give ourselves invest ourselves and and pour ourselves out and then things happen paragraph H says there was a mighty blow I mean they felt the weakest and again I just think of many examples in my whole life where I felt the weakest and yet suddenly something happens like a Lord who would have thought because we get this idea that it's related to it being a good environment or you're feeling good or you're feeling up and it isn't it's just speak the word and put your hands out and love people and pray the prayer and you'd be surprised a lot of times we don't see anything but we do over the years that it starts adding up the amount of times that we see something Roman number three the Lord directed David now to leave Keilah verse 7 Saul was told hey David went to Keilah to fight the Philistines and Saul is he goes that's great he's going there to be a hero to fight the Philistines to show everybody how amazing he is because I know that kid it's not what David was doing he goes but what he doesn't get Saul's thinking he's got himself in that fortified city he's on the inside of it because he's helping him fight against the Philistines are attacking and again it was a mighty blow against the Philistines he totally defeated the Philistines so so he's still in the city Saul goes I'm going to rush down there and I know that city because you know Saul's the king of the nation he goes I know that fortified city it's part of my fort system there's only a couple entrances we can surround the city we got him trapped he doesn't know he's trapped Saul said he interpreted it verse 7 God has delivered David into my hand he's in that city he doesn't know I'm coming with 3,000 men he doesn't know there's only a few entrances in the city and David's kind of enjoying the spoils of war and everybody's celebrating him and I'm gonna come when he right now and I'm gonna surround the city and I got him you know I found over the years people see a certain situation and they interpret it one way and it isn't always the way God interprets it praise the Lord I've had many situations in my life but it meant I could give many examples of many people's lives where people interpret the situation and it's over it's trouble you're finished but God but God and you look back a couple years later and it completely reversed there's a completely wrong interpretation it wasn't over it looked like it was over from a military point of view David didn't know that 3,000 men were coming I mean right away he was just in the city enjoying the celebration of a great victory and I mean he's trapped in that city and he's finished if he goes that's if Saul gets down there in time David doesn't even know what's happening it says that David shut himself in by entering the town and the town has gates and bars a few entrances verse 8 Saul called all the people he says let's all go down there quick let's besiege the city let's surround it we got him we got that man leading the conspiracy against me that treasonous man I got him it's a great day for Israel verse 9 somehow we don't know David found out the plot Saul was coming right away so he goes to Abathur the high the priest the only surviving priest from the city of Nab but remember he's got the ephod he goes Abathur bring that ephod over here and again the high priest could only use this for national issues related to God's will for the covenant nation I mean they didn't use the ephod for hey should I buy this house should I get this car you know should I bet on this game it's not that kind of deal it was only God's purposes for the nation so they brought the ephod remember if ephods a garment with two pockets and or a pocket in it had two stones is the best that scholars can determine and again they would take the stones and they would either you know throw them on the table and the way they landed or so nobody knows how they did it exactly but it was a real clear yes or no answer so David said verse 10 it's all coming is it true is it a rumor that he's coming right now with thousands of men and the Lord answered through the Urim and the Thummim that's the name of the two stones that are in the ephod yes he's coming good it's not a rumor good to know verse 12 David said I got another question well the men of Keilah who I just saved all their food supply for a year their children aren't going to starve now or be taken slaves as prisoners of the Philistines are they going to stand with me that I came on my own to help I took my own initiative are they going to stand with me or are they going to be afraid of Saul and betray me verse 12 the Lord says they will betray you they'll turn you over to Saul and the reason you look at Keilah go how dare them but here's why the news of Saul slaughtering all the priests in the city of Nod and all the women and children and all the animals that story went around the nation people are terrified of Saul's rage they don't trust his leadership and they're like David don't take offense but this guy's got a big army we're grateful but no you got to get out of here or we're going to turn you over I mean Saul's army will destroy our city we got evidence it just happened a few months ago verse 13 so David and his 600 men that used to be 400 now his mighty men there's 600 there's more and more disgruntled people joining his church plant but that that would be some really good meetings I don't like that worship song I didn't like that sermon I don't like how the people are I don't like the people sitting next to me either wow this is going to be quite a ministry we got here so David escaped and so he halted the expedition that Saul had against him top of page 3 verse 14 so David now he stays in the strongholds in the wilderness now remember there's about a 20 mile area of woods forests hills ravines all kinds of you know uncultivated land there so he's in this area called the wilderness of Zipf it's just five or six miles down the road from the other place you know they're all five or ten miles away from each other Saul is unrelenting every single day Saul would not help Keilah being attacked by the Philistines every day day in day out it's like the devil day in day out the accuser comes trying to devour you and to accuse you day in and day out this man's got 3,000 trained soldiers with one goal to kill David Wow that's intense pressure that's an intense pressure you know I like to make a joke I'm just saying this kind of tongue-in-cheek but it is there's truth in it David had 3,000 men trying to kill him if we get 300 combats on the internet against us we think we're suffering like David not even 3,000 300 you know we get 3,000 likes of somebody criticizing us oh my gosh it's over I'm like David well not exactly they didn't just say you know you're a little off the wall we think your ministries bad they were trying to kill David but God would not deliver David into God's hands I mean into Saul's hands God kept intervening I mean I love to lay out and I've got quite a list going of all the ways God intervened the diverse ways to save David every time it's a different way there's so many surprising ways that God intervenes some direct some indirect and he saves David and it's a picture of the many ways that he saves us verse 15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life he says I'm getting the report everywhere I go so they're giving me reports Saul's he's coming after you every day he's looking for you so David thinking man this is this is intense everywhere I turn I have enemies coming against me well you want to be a man or woman after God's own heart you want to be like David yeah I do the Lord says what just know that it's just not all about ruling in Jerusalem there's training there's conflict there's endurance there's risk there's investing there's hard work there's delays of promises you want to be like David Saul night and day came out to seek his life people will resist you direct and indirect that's not all that will happen you'll have the glory of God and the blessing of God you'll breakthroughs but in the midst of it the enemy's always attacking and trying to shut the thing down that's happening in the will of God your life well paragraph D verse 16 one of God's provisions for David the surprise provision he runs into his best friend Jonathan out in the wilderness Jonathan found out where David was but his father in the army couldn't find him and maybe John maybe David sent a messenger to Jonathan nobody knows I've read common commentaries how did Jonathan know where David was somewhere Jonathan received information from David or best I can come up with well Jonathan responded that very risky because if dad would have caught Jonathan over in the woods again prophesying to David I mean he already tried to kill his son Jonathan and he's telling all the people that you know that my son Jonathan's leading the conspiracy stirring my David up to attack me remember it in chapter 22 he said my son is stirring up my servant speaking of David to lie in wait to kill me like Jonathan is you're getting so this is risky for Jonathan to respond or maybe Jonathan had information some other way but I can only assume that David sent somehow gave him that information so he goes out meets David out in the woods that sounds like back in chapter 19 they met out in the woods hiding behind the rock because if dad finds out they get both get killed and here's what Jonathan does he strengthens David's hand he speaks the Word of the Lord to him now speaking the Word of the Lord doesn't just always mean some new kind of intense prophecy with new information speaking the Word of Lord you can just say God's with you are you kidding God loves you you're committed to Him God's always kept his promises to you it's a simple words doesn't have to be some kind of new prophetic information about a future event it can be if the Lord gives it but here's what I love Jonathan goes out of his way and when he's with David it's not just I'm sorry that you're sorry that I'm sorry I miss you you miss me I miss you you miss me I think that was part of it I really do but it was more than that they said let's speak the Word of God to each other let's not just hang out let's actually be a voice give expression to God's voice to one to another let's speak God's Word each other and again it could be simple encouragement he strengthened David's hand to God he goes let me tell you David I know for sure you don't need to be afraid I know you're afraid right now you're overwhelmed with pressure right now because Psalm 142 said it he's all I'm overwhelmed no one knows cares about me nobody pays attention to me my soul's in prison are the words of Psalm 142 he wrote in this season he goes don't be afraid verse 17 Saul my father he won't catch you how do you know he won't catch you how do you know he won't catch me David could say Jonathan says I know from the Lord he's not going to catch you David look at the history every single time there's a surprising new development where you escape because you're like 15 for 15 you know I got a miss one so that you're dead but anyway you're 15 I'm sure Jonathan didn't say that but but he says look David look at the facts look at it every time he goes you're gonna be king I say thus says the Lord you will enter the promise of God for your life now you can't tell everybody they're gonna be king but you can speak that the promise God gave you will come to pass and he goes and I'm gonna be next to you I'm gonna be the second I'll support you but this is a reversal remember because Jonathan was the rightful heir according to natural perspective he was the heir Jonathan he goes no I'm glad I'm happy to be number two you're number one I'll be number two we'll reverse it I'm not troubled by what position I have that's amazing he goes even my father knows you're gonna be king even my father knows he won't catch you because I've been in the back room meetings with him and we've talked he says I'm never gonna catch that kid he's gonna be king cuz I've heard it with his own mouth I've heard my father say those he believes you're gonna win so they made a covenant again this covenant is significant part of the covenant is a political pact it's not just I'm gonna be your friend but I'm gonna support you as King David and you're not gonna cause a purge to remove my family and there's a lot of implications to this covenant as well as true affection paragraph C well they're in the wilderness of Zipf and so the guys in the in the wilderness the Zipfites they're out there the the wilderness guys in the forest they figure out you know there's 600 men with families and some livestock moving around and they go hey that's a lot of movement here in this part of town so the Zipfites again they're out there in the country they get a co-op to the capital Gibeah I haven't been to the capital before and they say hey is David not hiding with us he goes we know where he's at he's at this particular hill on the south side of this one piece of property we know right where he's at I mean the livestock's there I mean there's all the debris we can tell we could tell the signs that there's an encampment around there verse 20 so these guys you know living in the wilderness verse 20 they go Oh King come down here's what we'll do we'll go help you get him the idea is now King you're gonna bless us right I mean we're gonna be partners I mean that's out here in the country and you there in the capital we're gonna be you're gonna give us some reward because Saul would give rewards remember when he told everyone if whoever kills Goliath I'll give them you know they won't pay taxes for life you know they'll marry the king's daughter all these different economic blessings Saul tells these men verse 21 these men you know these kind of guys that lived in the forest in the wilderness there he says blessed are you you have compassion on me Saul has this kind of strange sentimentality you know in the last chapter he goes nobody feels sorry for me here he goes oh you have compassion on me compassion you're a murderous demonized King killing God's anointed I'm glad I'm not the one who talked to Saul okay verse 22 I might not have been so courageous right there face to face it's kind of easy a couple thousand years later okay so Saul says verse 22 goes man I've been chasing this guy for several years now here's what I want you to do verse 22 go find out for sure get the exact place because in verse 19 says no it's at this hill in the south part of this territory we know where the encampment is we know he goes no no no no I want double triple confirmation because I'm telling you verse 22 this man's crafty he's crafty he's you think you have him because I've had him you know I don't know the exact number 10 or 15 times I thought and then I can't get him some someone's helping him verse 23 so Saul's still talking I want you to get all this information all the knowledge about the lurking places the place where you think he would never hide I want to know that place come back with certainty then you know what I'll bring the Royal Army down and I will reward you is the implication and if he's in the land I'm gonna see it to the end I'm gonna search I'm not gonna give up till I find him you give me reliable information I won't drop the ball on this I will follow through and I'll bring the Royal Army and we will take care of this guy and you will get your reward verse 24 so they arose they went back to Ziph before Saul because these are Ziphites they went up to the capital they went up north to the capital to give you it's again about 10 or 12 15 miles and so they're going back to their forest area their wilderness now David and his men had slipped over maybe four or five miles down the way to the wilderness of Moab it's on the south side of that same territory that the Ziphites told him about back in verse 19 so they got him they said okay he's in that same geographic area so verse 25 they got the word to Saul Saul and his man went to seek him out and somebody David's got this this sentiment around the this the tribe of Judah the land there they tell David he's got this you know communication hey David they're coming you know if you think that I mean they can find this your 600 men moving around we can see 3,000 soldiers coming after you we know they're coming so the word we get back to David therefore David went down to this particular rock this well-known rock Saul got the information and he goes ah good I know that that geographic area I know where that rock is they got it verse 26 Saul's on one side of the mountain David and his other men are on the other side of the mountain 600 to 3,000 there a little valley between them David said we better get out of here this looks bad he can look at the geographic layout because Saul's men already started a pincer movement they started encircling them coming around from the other side getting them from every side because they had five times as many men David had 600 Saul had 3,000 so they're encircling him they're gonna trap him out around that rock just like they were gonna try to trap him in the city of Keilah Saul is getting excited the men from Ziph are excited we're gonna get our reward we we bless the king we're gonna be well known in the capital we're gonna be national heroes and we're gonna get money and awards and everything verse 27 oh no a delegation is coming with urgency a royal delegation Saul, Saul hurry hurry the Philistines are invading up north in the land I didn't say up north but that's the idea that I have the Philistines are attacking in a way that's personal to you is the idea you get because when the Philistines were attacking the Keilah Saul didn't care and that was part of Israel Saul goes it's urgent I mean they're coming they're about to steal the livestock's take the people burn the city therefore verse 28 Saul had to return because I haven't been trapped I didn't circle he goes where did this bad news come beloved there's a God in heaven he knows how he knows how to set the circumstance so many different ways you think you got it figured out there's no way I can be delivered and all of a sudden you're delivered emotionally physically relationally economically you look back later a few years later you go that was an impossible situation how did that happen who would have thought verse 28 David it saw had to retreat and they called it the rock of escape David said that's my favorite rock that's the rock of escape David named that big rock but a little plaque on it now David went from there to the strongholds of in Getty and we'll look at in Getty next week what he does is fantastic what happens in in Getty just down the way top of page 4 Psalm 54 just a real brief again you can look at it on your own he writes psalm 54 when he's in involved in this conflict with the wilderness of zip we can see what David's thinking what he's feeling paragraph C David says save me God by your name I like that by your name he says because because the name of God speaks of God's personality his character his power God I'm invoking who you are at the heart level I know you're brilliant you're passionate you're kind you're powerful I'm invoking who you are to vindicate me because I know I'm doing the will of God it's not about winning an argument it's about being vindicated when you're doing the will of God some people let's say Lord vindicate me they want to win an argument with another brother and that it's not exactly it it's about somebody resisting you in a intentional way against the will of God with I mean a wrong spirit they're coming at you to stop the will of God in your life that's when we pray vindicate me by your strength for strangers have risen up against me the Zephytes and oppressors 3,000 soldiers now notice this phrase a very interesting phrase David says they have not set God before them look at paragraph 3 what does that mean and what David means is they they don't fear the Lord he he says David understood he says these 3,000 men and the Zephytes as well because these are the strangers of verse 3 David understood their zeal to destroy David they you know somebody might say why do these guys hate you so much they was as well they technically don't hate me ultimately thereafter the reward and the promotion they get from Saul he goes ultimately it's because they're not they don't have a view of God so they're taking a reward to kill God's anointed they'll kill me to get a reward from Saul it's not really personal about me he goes they don't even care about me they want something else because they're not thinking of God's purpose so this is interesting because David saw that their betrayal and their soul against him was really an issue between them and God they were just David was just an opportunity for their promotion the reason this is so helpful this kept David from being captured by a spirit of rejection does everybody doesn't like me I must be so bad he has not has nothing to do with that they want a reward they don't care about what God says they want the reward I'm just an opportunity to get them promoted they put me down makes them look good he goes I don't even take it personal what a great insight that causes that spirit of rejection just to repel off of him the enemy wants that spirit of rejection to lodge in him because I get what's going on because if it was somebody else that could get them ahead of the game and promote them they'd attack that person verse 4 but he goes God's my helper he's my source he goes Saul's not my source of trouble or blessing I mean he's not my source of deliverance or blessing it's not about changing Saul and then I get blessed he goes the Ziphites the man from Keilah he goes they're not my source of blessing if I win them over finally I will get blessed it's no God's my helper because these guys don't even interact with God very much he goes or maybe not at all or not much he goes God's my source not these guys I'm not trying to win them over all the time so finally I can get my promotion and my provision or my protection he goes God's my helper paragraph E verse 6 I love this he goes I will freely sacrifice to you I'll praise your name for it is good to do that here's the idea when it talks about in the Bible I'll just end with this praise the Lord continually the idea isn't just meaning say God thank you I love you I love you thank you just kind of you know some folks kind of in an automatic pilot praise the Lord and I that's better than not doing it but what he means is praise the Lord invoke the Lord his promises Lord I believe you are true I believe you're watching I believe you love me I believe your promises are right that's the way they're praising the Lord meaning instead of condemnation I'm gonna thank you for the blood of Jesus to finish work of the cross thank you I'm not gonna wallow in condemnation I'm gonna stand boldly and confidence in the grace of God not a complaint oh I don't have a good deal my circumstances are hard look at how much I don't have no no I'm a man or a woman I have promise God's heart is towards me I'm in relationship thank you Oh God so whether it's complaint whether it's condemnation whether it's fear we're saying the opposite we're speaking the Word we're speaking the truth about God and not just going with the complaint the criticism the accusation the fear because beloved we vocalize things just in our impatience or frustration and we're just venting fears and complaints and they're actually getting stronger in our soul the more that we give voice to it the stronger gets in our soul and he goes I'm not doing that I'm gonna call on God I'm gonna say who God is what he's promised what I have in him what he's already done for me that's what he means I'll praise the Lord and he says this it's good it's not a waste of time it's not just some mechanical religious exercise this is good this is my deliverance this is what brings my soul back in alignment with the truth it is good declare who he is what he's done what he will do what I have in him I'm gonna declare those things amen and amen let's stand before the Lord there's situations out there I'm overwhelmed I'm tired I don't know the Lord says no I want you to rise up not good that's not every situation you know the hundred needs you can't do but you ask Lord should I Lord says you're healing your deliverance your Liberty is going to be involved in your investment in your risk helping in the kingdom other people Lord here we are before you Lord we love you we love your leadership we believe what your word says and we say that we praise you it's good to do this it delivers us it's effective it's worthy it's worth it I have the righteousness of Christ I'm not yielding to condemnation I have the promise of God I'm not yielding to just despair I have the spirit of love and a sound mind not a spirit of fear I'm not yielding to that I'm not going there I'm declaring who you are it's good it's worth it it's effective I want to invite anybody that would like prayer tonight I mean there's been so many things about David's life but I think of the shame around the city of Nod I think of the fear around the city of Gath and I think about the overwhelming pressure or the despair around the that cave of Adola I'm gonna invite you you're involved in any of those are bearing down upon you you said man I need some prayer or maybe you're one of those and you're saying my heart's in pain but you know what I don't really think about rising up and attacking and helping somebody else I just think about getting out of my pain the Lord says rise up some of your deliverance is in you rising up and taking care of somebody else taking somebody else's battle on the Lord says rise up and attack engage don't wallow introspection drawback give up give in self-pity go the other direction Lord I want to be a man after your own heart just declare that to him Lord I want to be a woman after your own heart that's who I am I'm an olive tree in the house of God that's who I am I'm an olive tree you can go back and look that up again that's a very powerful statement David said in Psalm 52 that's who I am Lord you're bountiful that's what he said in Psalm 142 when he said I'm overwhelmed and I feel nobody cares about me but you're bountiful your your bounty will be shown in my life I believe your word Lord Lord I ask you for the spirit of grace to be manifest it is good to realign our hearts with God's Word I invite a bunch of you to come down if you would maybe you're stuck in depression tonight it's a good night to come pray for people then rise up and attack the enemy's work in somebody else's life Lord release the spirit of power right now Lord as we surrender we surrender to your Lordship to your leadership Jesus I am yours Jesus my heart is steadfast I'm yours I am steadfast I am not going backwards I am yours Lord, you are my only one Lord there is nothing else for me else can I go, you have my heart alone Lord where else can I go, you are the only home I need you are my first love, you are my only hope Lord there is nothing else for me else can I go, you have my heart alone you are the only hope