RCCG – The House of Prayer » From Victim to Victor

Title: From Victim to Victor

Text: 1 Sam. 30:1-20

[1Sa 30:1] And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

[1Sa 30:2] And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

[1Sa 30:3] So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

[1Sa 30:4] Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

[1Sa 30:5] And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

[1Sa 30:6] 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.

[1Sa 30:7] And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.

[1Sa 30:8] And David enquired at the LORD, saying, 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.

[1Sa 30:9] So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.

[1Sa 30:10] But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

[1Sa 30:11] And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

[1Sa 30:12] And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.

[1Sa 30:13] And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.

[1Sa 30:14] We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

[1Sa 30:15] And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.

[1Sa 30:16] And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

[1Sa 30:17] And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.

[1Sa 30:18] And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

[1Sa 30:19] And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.

[1Sa 30:20] And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.

Introduction

David and his men became victims after Ziklag was raided.

The Amalekites carried away their women, children, livestock, and then burned the city.

When David and his men returned and found the city burned, and everything that they had was gone, they were distressed and started to weep.

They were so distressed to the point of attempting to stone David – victim mentality – attacking your allies.

David knew better. He encouraged himself in the Lord

He enquired of the Lord – shall I pursue, shall I overtake?

The answer came for him to pursue, overtake, and recover all.

Just as David recovered all, everyone that has fallen victim one way or the other, may you recover all that you have lost in Jesus name.

Main Topic

There are many people that find themselves in the state of a victim.

They did not do anything wrong, but somehow the enemy has robbed them of their blessings.

I have come to tell you that there is hope. You too can recover all.

You can move from being a victim to being a victor

However, there are strategic steps that must be taken to move from being a victim to being a victor.

How to avoid being a victim

David and his men left Ziklag open to the attack. They got comfortable and relaxed. The enemy attacked and robbed them.

We too sometimes relax at the wheel, leaving marriages, destinies, businesses, etc open to the attack of the enemy.

[Mat 13:25] But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

[1Pe 5:8] Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

In the process of roaming about, if the enemy sees what is left open, he will attack and rob place.

Don’t sleep at the wheel of your life and destiny

Don’t sleep at the wheel of your marriage

Don’t sleep at the wheel of your children

Watch and pray. Be sober. Be vigilant.

Guard what is yours in the place of prayer to avoid being a victim.

I almost became a victim not too long ago. I was warned in a dream about an attack. Somehow, I did not do anything about it. When I started to notice what was happening, I shined my eyes and did what I was supposed to have done. I will share the full story one day.

Moving to Victory

If you happen to find yourself in the position of a victim, don’t stay there because nothing good is there:

Anxiety is there and it is not good

Depression is there and it is not good

Worry is there and it is not good

Sleepless nights are there and they are not good

Hopelessness is there and it is not good

Discouragement is there and it is definitely not good

Weeping is there and it is not good

In this state of mind, one cannot fight the battle to recover what was lost.

[1Sa 30:10] But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

200 of David’s men could not leave the state of being a victim

Anyone who stays too long there will become a loser and a nuisance to the society

You must leave that state as soon as possible

What must we do:

Stop crying and feeling sorry for yourself, it will not bring back what was lost.

Don’t attack and blame your allies – they are there to help you

Martha and Mary

[Joh 11:21] Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

[Joh 11:32] Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

Don’t blame others for what happened to you. It won’t make the situation better.

Encourage yourself in the Lord

[1Sa 30:6] 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.

How?

Praise and Worship – remember Paul and Silas in Acts 16 – [Act 16:25] And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

Remember Jehosaphat in 2 Chro. 20 – [2Ch 20:21] And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

Pray in the Holy Ghost regularly – [Jud 1:20] But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

Hang around people that will encourage you and pray you up

You too must must be an encourager

Enquire of the Lord – don’t go ahead of God

If you encourage yourself in the Lord your God, you will not go ahead of God

Going ahead of God is like suicide. One would become a victim again.

Help will be provided along the way

[1Sa 30:11] And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

Don’t take your revenge out on just anybody. The person you attack maybe the one sent to be of help

Expect help to come in different shapes and sizes

For David, it was the Egyptian

For Naaman, it was a slave girl

For Hagar, it was an angel of the LORD

For Elijah, it was a broke widow

For the widow, it was Elijah

God can send help using an Angel, a Prophet, a widow, a slave, or dying man

Fight for what is yours, don’t give up

[1Sa 30:17] And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.

You must learn to warfare in the middle of the night

You must learn to fast

You shall surely recover all and put the enemy to shame

[1Sa 30:18] And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

Conclusion

May you never become a victim in Jesus name

However, it is possible that we were negligent and became victims

[Mat 13:25] But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

Don’t stay there

Rise up and do what is needful to become a victor

Sermon

From Victim to Victor