1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:03,800 You're listening to the Bridgetown Church Podcast with 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,840 Pastor Casey Kendall, where our vision is Jesus, our mission is 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:09,760 people, and our cause is love. Thanks for tuning in. 4 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:13,120 Let's dive in. First Samuel chapter 30, verse 5 00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:14,840 6. We're just going to read this 6 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:17,400 verse and we're going to jump back into chapter 29. 7 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:20,400 And then David was greatly distressed, if he could say 8 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:25,280 greatly distressed this morning, for the people spoke of stoning 9 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:30,760 him literally by stones, rocks, because the soul of all the 10 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:36,720 people was grieved in every man for his sons and his daughters. 11 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:43,360 But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 12 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,800 Maybe in some of your versions that might read this, but David 13 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:52,400 encouraged himself in the Lord his God. 14 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,760 Lord, thank you for your word. And we pray that you would speak 15 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:57,960 that today. Our eyes would be awesome, 16 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,680 struck by the beauty of Jesus, that our heart would be aligned 17 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:05,440 with the will of Jesus, that our ears would be attentive to the 18 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,880 voice of Jesus. Speak today by the power of your 19 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:13,000 spirit Lord, I pray that I would preach is never sure to preach 20 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,600 again as a dying man to dying men and women. 21 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:18,920 We ask that you'd give us an urgency. 22 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:23,080 We pray that our hope would be in the gospel of Jesus Christ 23 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:26,760 that we would stand firm upon the cross and the power of the 24 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:29,440 resurrection and Lord that you would do your work not by our 25 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:33,840 might or by our power, by our schemes, by our strategies, but 26 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:37,480 by your spirit Lord, we pray this now in Jesus name and 27 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:41,000 everyone said Amen. We just look at your neighbor 28 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:46,920 and say neighbor, my neighbor, take the detour, take the 29 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,680 detour. I joined. 30 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:56,320 Yep, I actually joined. I joined 140 million active 31 00:01:56,480 --> 00:02:04,960 users on an app called Waze. Waze is a community based 32 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:09,320 navigation app. Primarily this app is used for 33 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:13,680 drivers for turn by turn directions, live traffic 34 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:19,160 updates, real time alerts on road conditions, real time 35 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:24,240 alerts on accidents, real time alerts where the police are, 36 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:31,480 real time alerts on where the hazards in the roads are ways. 37 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:34,600 On many occasions has become my best friend. 38 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:38,360 On some occasions it has become my worst enemy. 39 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:42,640 Last year I've made a decision to take my wife away for her 40 00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:46,720 birthday and while we were away and while we were making our way 41 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:49,920 home, we hopped on from Huntington Beach. 42 00:02:49,920 --> 00:02:52,520 The four O 5 S from the four O 5. 43 00:02:53,280 --> 00:03:00,520 I knew I knew how to get home. So on the 405, the Waze had 44 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:06,400 began to notify me that there was a detour, that it was time 45 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,840 for me to get off the freeway. But the freeway was moving, so 46 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:13,560 why would I ever get off the freeway when the freeway was 47 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:16,400 moving? The Waze couldn't be right in 48 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,760 this situation. And so I cleared the navigation 49 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:23,840 notification away. And again I kept driving. 50 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:29,920 And as I drove on again, Waze notified me again that it was 51 00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:33,280 time to get off a different exit and get off the freeway. 52 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:35,680 But the the freeway was still moving. 53 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:39,080 So I thought to myself, I cannot get off yet. 54 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:43,240 So not only did I clear the notification, I actually stopped 55 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:48,760 the app turn my phone over after I cleared the app from from 56 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,880 driving in there. I had found myself driving still 57 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:56,400 a little bit further and then red lights flashed in front of 58 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:58,960 me as they flashed in front of me. 59 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,960 I knew that the four O 5 is going to turn into a parking lot 60 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:05,960 and we sat there on the four O 5. 61 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:10,760 One of the fastest freeways in California turned into the stop 62 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:14,280 sign of California for three hours. 63 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:18,440 I don't know if you've ever found yourself there, where you 64 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:23,000 had been tempted to follow your own ways. 65 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:27,000 I don't know if you've ever found yourself at a spot in your 66 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:31,600 life where you knew that God was prompting you, notifying you, 67 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:35,800 directing you. He was now telling you what to 68 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:39,160 do, but you kept on ignoring Him. 69 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:43,400 His ways seemed longer. Not that loving. 70 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,120 I want to encourage you to take the detour. 71 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:49,640 I don't know if you've ever found yourself there, where 72 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:54,440 you'd found that God's ways seemed like an interruption to 73 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,760 your life, really, not an intervention in your life. 74 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:01,480 I want to encourage you to take the detour. 75 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:04,960 I don't know if you've ever found yourself there in life 76 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:10,960 where God had actually promised you on how you can get there, 77 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,520 but His ways look different than your ways. 78 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,720 I just want to encourage you this morning to take the detour. 79 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:22,040 If there's anything I want you to go away with here, it's 80 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:26,960 actually to take the detour. Some of you haven't just gotten 81 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:28,440 it yet. So I just want to say it again. 82 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,360 If there's anything I can encourage you to do this morning 83 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,200 and that is that you would take the detour. 84 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:37,040 I want to encourage you this morning that you would take the 85 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:38,800 detours. Now, there's two different types 86 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:42,080 of detours in life. There's detours that distract 87 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:44,880 you #1 there's detours that distract you. 88 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:50,160 These are detours that that you have chosen an easy way out of a 89 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:54,600 situation you had found yourself getting off the freeway of life 90 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,360 and an exit that God never taught you. 91 00:05:57,360 --> 00:05:59,080 I've seen this with young people. 92 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:00,720 I've seen this with older people. 93 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:03,760 I've seen this with singles. I've seen I've seen this with 94 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:05,760 married people. I've seen this with with 95 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:07,960 elementary students. I've seen this with middle 96 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:10,560 school students. I've seen this with high school 97 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:14,520 students and college students. I used to lead youth ministry 98 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:17,600 and people were taking detours all the time. 99 00:06:17,840 --> 00:06:22,440 Some students would come in high as a kite, and I don't mean they 100 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:26,440 were floating, I mean they came in taking drugs before they came 101 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,360 into youth group. Kids would collapse on the 102 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,320 ground, not by the power of the spirit, but but because of the 103 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:36,800 power of the marijuana. I've seen high school students 104 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:41,200 taking the detours of their life by filling their water bottle 105 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:43,320 with something that wasn't water. 106 00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:47,960 I've seen this not just in high school students. 107 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:52,560 I've seen this in in and people who are single where they strive 108 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:58,440 to find the next person in their life and within just two weeks 109 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:01,560 they're sure that they're going to marry them, but they don't 110 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:05,000 really know them yet. I've seen this with married 111 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:08,560 couples where marriage gets a little bit rocky and because 112 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,960 it's a little bit rocky, they make a choice now that they 113 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:16,560 would find their satisfaction, their validation outside of 114 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:21,960 their marriage, and they take a detour out of their marriage. 115 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:25,080 I've seen people do this out in the world where they steal to 116 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:29,240 get what they want. They take a position that's not 117 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:33,840 theirs and possessions that are not owned by them and they're 118 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:35,840 taking a detour. I've seen people do this in 119 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:38,360 church. They have their Bibles open, but 120 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:40,280 on their phone is a football game. 121 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:45,880 I've seen people now in life and in situations where thank you 122 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:49,280 Steve for that. I've seen people in their lives 123 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:53,000 where detours have become a distraction for them. 124 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:56,720 But there's something other than a distracted detour. 125 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,640 There is something called a divine detour. 126 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:07,760 A divine detour in your life is something that God is not just 127 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:11,000 ordering your steps, but he's ordering your stops. 128 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:16,680 I've seen divine detours in people's lives when God is the 129 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:20,600 author. The detour is not a defect, it's 130 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:25,000 actually direction. I've seen divine detours in 131 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:30,960 people's lives where the plot twist that you didn't plan are 132 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,679 the very chapters that he uses to reveal his purpose that you 133 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:38,039 couldn't see. Now, these detours that are 134 00:08:38,039 --> 00:08:43,039 divine are not convenient or comfortable in your life. 135 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:47,840 The detours that are divine will feel like they're out of the 136 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:50,840 way, but they're still in God's will. 137 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:56,960 I've seen divine detours where you can find that in your life 138 00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:00,320 that you think that God is punishing you, but he's actually 139 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:04,200 positioning you. Look at all of Scripture is 140 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:08,440 filled with God giving people divine detours in their life. 141 00:09:08,680 --> 00:09:11,840 Abraham had a detour in his life. 142 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:15,600 We look at Job, he had a detour in his life. 143 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:20,840 Joseph, the man who wore the coat of many colors, had a 144 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:25,440 detour in his life. Esther had a detour. 145 00:09:25,560 --> 00:09:29,040 Ruth had a That's what the world does. 146 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:32,000 It fulfills something that you think is going to last, but it 147 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:36,120 doesn't last in your life. The satisfaction doesn't last. 148 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:39,560 The pleasure doesn't last. It's there for a season, but 149 00:09:39,560 --> 00:09:42,400 then there's another detour that you have to take and you're 150 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:44,560 taking yourself way out of the way. 151 00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:48,680 But God often will give his greatest Saints a detour. 152 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:51,880 Job had a detour and Jonah had a detour. 153 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:54,200 Philip in the book of Acts had a detour. 154 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,440 We've seen the disciples walking on the Emmaus Rd. 155 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:01,880 They had a detour in their life. All throughout Scripture, God 156 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:06,720 gives people detours, and this detour that we see in David's 157 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:10,520 life led to great discouragement in his life. 158 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:13,600 And that's sometimes what a detour can do. 159 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:19,560 In your life, you just didn't expect this to happen. 160 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:24,600 And because you didn't expect it, you find that in your life 161 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:26,760 you've become bitter rather than better. 162 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:32,400 And now in your life, we see, as Tony Evans once preached, that 163 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:35,800 God is more interested in your development than your arrival. 164 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:40,120 He writes he cares more about your character than he does your 165 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:43,600 comfort. Tony Evans says your purity is 166 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:45,840 more important to God than your productivity. 167 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:52,000 Development takes time, he says test and it takes failure and 168 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,040 overcoming. So if there's anything that I 169 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:58,840 want to tell you today, it's take the detour that God has 170 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:02,560 called you to take DDC. Someone has once said that the 171 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:07,040 detour is something where we might delight in destinations, 172 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:10,760 but God places a high and holy delight on your development. 173 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:14,040 And David is about to go through another detour. 174 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:17,800 I mean, look at David's life. He's the man who is anointed by 175 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:20,920 God. He's called by his father, but 176 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:24,760 yet he's hated by his brothers. He beats Goliath. 177 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:28,520 He's the Conqueror, he's the warrior, he's the the soldier. 178 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:32,880 He plays worship and he knows how to fight. 179 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:38,960 David was the man, but yet David's life was full of detours 180 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:42,080 in his life. And here in David's life he 181 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:47,000 finds himself coming back to Ziklag and everything is gone. 182 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:52,480 And he, because everything is gone, he is so discouraged and 183 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:58,000 the people actually hated him. They had found that in his life 184 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:01,160 and in their life that because everything was gone, it was 185 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:04,080 David's fault. And now because it's David's 186 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:08,520 fault, let's stone him. Stoning during that time was not 187 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:12,280 smoking a joint. Stoning at this time is throwing 188 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:16,840 rocks to kill somebody. And in this moment, they want to 189 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:20,680 look at David and they actually want to get rid of him. 190 00:12:20,680 --> 00:12:25,560 And the Bible says, but David encouraged himself and the Lord 191 00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:27,960 his God. The greatest thing you could do 192 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:30,920 in your detour is to encourage yourself. 193 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:34,240 Not wait for Pastor Casey to encourage you, not wait for the 194 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:38,000 worship team to encourage you, not wait for your local, your 195 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,480 highlighted preacher on Instagram or YouTube to 196 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:43,920 encourage you. The Bible says that you can 197 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:50,800 encourage yourself in the Lord. The responsibility of my own 198 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:54,200 encouragement falls not on somebody that might attend a 199 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:56,840 church. It falls on me, who is the 200 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:02,400 church, to go to God and find my encouragement in Him. 201 00:13:02,560 --> 00:13:07,320 How did David get to this spot? How did he find himself in this 202 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,280 place? Well, let's back all the way up 203 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:12,240 to chapter 29. Because the Bible says that we 204 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:14,320 can trust in the Lord with all of our heart. 205 00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:17,480 When we lean on on our own understanding in all of our 206 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:21,560 ways, we can acknowledge Him and He will direct our path. 207 00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:24,480 How did David find himself in this spot? 208 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,760 How can you encourage yourself, yourself when you find yourself 209 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:34,320 in a place and in a space that just is not what you expected? 210 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:39,800 Can you write this down please? Number one, number one, number 211 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:44,160 one, number one, he's open for review. 212 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:48,040 He's open for review. Notice verse 1 of chapter 29. 213 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:50,640 Then the Philistines. We know that the Philistines are 214 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:54,400 the enemy of Israel. They gathered together all their 215 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:57,680 armies at AFEC and the Israelites encamped by a 216 00:13:57,680 --> 00:14:01,400 fountain which is in Jezreel. And the Lords of the Philistines 217 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:04,720 passed in review. Can you just circle that word in 218 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:07,920 your Bible in review by hundreds and by thousands. 219 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:13,800 But David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. 220 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:16,560 Then the Princess of the Philistine said, What are these 221 00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:19,400 Hebrews doing here? And Achish said to the Prince of 222 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:24,520 the Philistines, Is this not David the servant of Saul, king 223 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:28,680 of Israel, who has been with me these days or these years and to 224 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:33,800 this day I have found no fault in him, since he defected to me. 225 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:37,680 But the Princess of the Philistines were angry with him. 226 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:42,480 So the Princess of the Philistines said to him, if you 227 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:44,920 would just give me your attention at this point in time, 228 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:49,760 David finds himself living in the land of the enemy. 229 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:52,920 He's living in a city called Zic Lag. 230 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:55,720 Can you just say that with me? Zic Lag? 231 00:14:55,920 --> 00:15:00,040 He finds himself there because he's tired of running from Saul. 232 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:03,880 And he knows if he just goes into the land of the Philistines 233 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,640 that Saul will no longer seek his life. 234 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:10,040 And that's exactly what happens. But here's the dilemma. 235 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:15,040 The Philistines are a about to fight against the Israelites and 236 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:20,000 the Israelites king who is called the lead shepherd and 237 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:25,000 fight for the Israelite people now would be fighting against 238 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:27,560 the same people he's called to rule. 239 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:30,720 Now David finds himself in this spot. 240 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:34,520 The Philistines are at a spot called AFAC. 241 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:40,000 Afac is meaning strong. It was a fortified city and an 242 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:44,360 enclosed city. The Israelites the Bible say 243 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:51,200 they were encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. 244 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:54,080 The word Jezreel means that God sews in. 245 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:57,080 God scatters from AFAC to Jezreel. 246 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:05,520 There is a A-40 mile difference. Now the number 40 might spark 247 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:09,720 something in your mind. The number 40 throughout 248 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:15,000 Scripture means that they find themselves in a place of 249 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:19,600 testing, trial and preparation, and ultimately transformation. 250 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:24,160 They're 40 miles away from each other. 251 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:28,280 So on one side it's the Philistines, and David is on the 252 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:33,040 side of the Philistines. On the other side is the side of 253 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:38,000 the Israelites and Saul. King Saul is now leading the 254 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:42,640 Israelites. Now at this point in time, David 255 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:48,680 finds himself in a place where the Bible says that they lined 256 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:52,240 up in position. Now understand during that time 257 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:56,360 they're being looked over by the Lords of the Philistines and the 258 00:16:56,360 --> 00:17:00,560 Bible says twice something in verse 2 is used that I want you 259 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:02,160 to highlight and pay attention to. 260 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:05,960 If you see the same word used in a verse verse pay attention to 261 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:08,880 it. The Bible says that they pass by 262 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:12,040 in review of hundreds and thousands. 263 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:15,319 Then the Bible says also at the end of verse 2 that they found 264 00:17:15,319 --> 00:17:20,200 themselves in review at the rear with a cash. 265 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:24,280 Now I want you to pay attention to that because this is so 266 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:33,200 important for every single one of of our lives is that we are 267 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:38,560 constantly in review. We're in review in the front, 268 00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:43,040 we're in review of the rear. Now the Lords of the Philistines 269 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:49,120 look over at David's life and they review where he's at. 270 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:56,160 The word review there means to assess, to examine, and it means 271 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:59,680 to institute change if necessary. 272 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:07,560 Now here is David, and he's on the other side of the line, and 273 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:12,280 him being on the other side of the line raises more questions 274 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:17,000 for him to the Philistines than it does in answers. 275 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:23,240 Question number one, What are the Hebrews doing here? 276 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:28,560 Look at that notice also. Question #2 For with what could 277 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:33,520 he reconcile himself to his master, except with the heads of 278 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:38,440 these men? Question #3 in the Scripture, is 279 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:43,800 this not David, of whom they sang to one another and dances, 280 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:48,720 saying that Saul has slain to thousands, but David his 10s of 281 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:52,640 thousands? Their questions of David's life 282 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:57,040 led to the examination of David's life. 283 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:04,880 Now notice this examination of David led to an exit in the army 284 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:10,560 that David didn't expect. So much so the Bible says that 285 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:15,000 David says to the king, Well, have I not been pure before your 286 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:18,560 eyes? But when they examined and when 287 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:26,200 they reviewed, this led to an exit that David was not really 288 00:19:26,360 --> 00:19:29,080 ready for. I want you to see this. 289 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:30,680 I want you to see what's happening. 290 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:36,440 The Lords of the Philistines, God used these people who didn't 291 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:41,040 know him to bring David to a different place. 292 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:46,400 The notification was given through the statements by all of 293 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:53,280 these questions, and God used what the Philistine saw to keep 294 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:58,480 David safe. It's important principle because 295 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:02,680 there's many times in life that I'm set in my own ways, that I 296 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:08,520 am no longer open to His word. This is often times what happens 297 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:11,200 in my life. Don't mess up my routine. 298 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:16,280 Don't invade my rhythm. You better have a good reason, 299 00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:20,400 but this review can cause you to have a better view of your 300 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:23,000 future. Am I alone up here? 301 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:25,640 You have a certain time that you wake up. 302 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:29,080 You have a certain time that a rhythm of how you prepare your 303 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:31,600 coffee. You have a certain routine in 304 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:34,160 the morning that you read your Bible at a certain time in a 305 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:36,440 certain chair in a certain place. 306 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:39,240 You have a certain routine on how you get to work. 307 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:42,480 How do you prepare for work? You, you, you have a certain 308 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:45,680 routine in your life. I was, I was telling one of the 309 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:47,800 brothers here at church, let me go grab you a coffee. 310 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:48,280 He's on. Nope. 311 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:49,560 You're going to mess up my routine. 312 00:20:49,560 --> 00:20:52,800 You're going to mess up my routine. 313 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:59,720 I, I, I, I think we all have routines and in our lives God 314 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:04,520 allows the examination of our hearts in review towards Him to 315 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:08,800 be those that would cause our view to be better for what the 316 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:12,960 future has in store. Listen to this. 317 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:14,840 David's in a place he shouldn't be. 318 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:18,240 He's surrounded by people that he fought against and not fought 319 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:22,080 for with a posture that he shouldn't have. 320 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:26,640 And this is what happens. We refuse God's course 321 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:31,800 correction because we want to be in control. 322 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:36,800 Can I just say that again? We refuse God's course 323 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:43,320 correction because we want to be in control. 324 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:48,560 I learned this early in my marriage how much I loved 325 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:51,760 control. I would say some of Lisa and our 326 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:54,280 greatest arguments happened in the car. 327 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:01,880 They happened in the car. My driving was impeccable. 328 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:10,680 My driving was filled with law abiding principles and every 329 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:15,680 time my wife took the passenger seat and I took the will, it 330 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:20,720 seemed like we ended up in a little bit of an argument. 331 00:22:22,560 --> 00:22:29,200 These were issues that I didn't see about myself. 332 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:34,960 My wife told me that as I was driving that I drove too close 333 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:40,040 to people's bumpers. I told her I wanted to read 334 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:45,600 their bumper stickers. She then told me again that your 335 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:51,640 depth perception is off. You stop way too late at the 336 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:56,840 stop sign. Then she told me these words. 337 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:04,320 You don't give yourself enough time to get off the exit. 338 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:14,040 At first I was angry in the car. Years down the road, I was not 339 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:18,400 only angry, I was actually sad that I was angry because my 340 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:21,320 wife, a lot like the Holy Spirit, is always right. 341 00:23:26,730 --> 00:23:30,970 Detours can come through the discernment of a situation in 342 00:23:30,970 --> 00:23:35,250 your life as other people that you trust have the liberty to 343 00:23:35,250 --> 00:23:41,370 speak into your life. And those detours sometimes come 344 00:23:41,650 --> 00:23:46,250 as a declaration. There are times where people's 345 00:23:46,250 --> 00:23:50,680 review of my life has led to repentance, has led to renewal, 346 00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:54,800 has led to restoration, has led to removal and redemption in my 347 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:58,040 life. And that's what happens when 348 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:03,280 people speak into your life. We can't see everything all the 349 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:09,200 time about our own lives. And thus people that you trust 350 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:13,600 and love speak into your life something because they care 351 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,040 about you and they care about me. 352 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:22,640 So what do you do when someone gives a review on your life? 353 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:25,000 We live in a very opinionated culture. 354 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:30,440 I mean, you're on Instagram and everyone thinks they can comment 355 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:35,160 about everything. You don't even know a person and 356 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:40,160 you comment. We have opinions about what 357 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:44,000 happens on Facebook. We we have all these sorts of 358 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:48,040 words that fly out in all these different areas of our lives. 359 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:50,440 We live in a very opinionated culture. 360 00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:55,720 Here's what we have to realize. You cannot give the greatest 361 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:59,920 weight to those in your life who've bought your cheapest 362 00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:06,120 seats. Can I say that again, you cannot 363 00:25:06,120 --> 00:25:09,720 give the greatest weight in your life to people who've bought the 364 00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:14,720 cheapest seats to your life. That's we often give those 365 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:18,320 people who have bought the cheapest seats to are involve 366 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:20,480 themselves in our lives the greatest weight with their 367 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:23,520 words. And So what they say begins to 368 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:27,880 direct every portion of our life and they're just watching on the 369 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:30,880 sidelines while people are trying to actively engage with 370 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,320 you on the field. But I want to encourage you to 371 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:40,000 do this if you would if someone gives you a review, let let 372 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:44,840 there be some mindful listening. Mindful listening James chapter 373 00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:47,440 one. Let every man be quick to hear 374 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:55,800 and slow to speak. Mindful listening is asking 375 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:58,920 yourself this question when people you bring yourself in 376 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:02,440 review of the army and that is this is what they're saying 377 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:05,440 true? Is what they're saying helpful? 378 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:08,680 Is what they're saying inspired by the Holy Spirit? 379 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:13,200 Is it necessary that they said this and is it kind and line up 380 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:17,120 with the word of God? You want to give some mindful 381 00:26:17,120 --> 00:26:19,240 listening. The second thing I want to 382 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:22,440 encourage you to do is use discernment and reflection. 383 00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:28,000 Use discernment and reflection. Not everything people say to you 384 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:34,440 is the right thing about you. And so I want to use discernment 385 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:38,120 and I want to use reflection. Matthew chapter 4, Jesus said 386 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:40,760 man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that 387 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:42,280 proceeds out of the mouth of God. 388 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:46,000 Hebrews 4 says that the word of God is living and it's active 389 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:47,960 and it's sharper than any 2 edged sword. 390 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:51,680 When anyone leaves your comment line and they want to say 391 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:55,480 something to you, match it with discernment on the divine 392 00:26:55,480 --> 00:26:59,840 authority of God's word. Can I encourage you to do this 393 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:04,880 #3 on these detours of review, There are unexpected encounters. 394 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:08,280 There are divine moments that God leads you to. 395 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:12,280 In John chapter 4, we see this lived out with the Samaritan 396 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:14,960 woman. This was a divine encounter. 397 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:18,480 Jesus said if you drink of that water, you will thirst again. 398 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:20,880 And, and he said, go, go call your husband. 399 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:23,400 Oh, in fact, you don't have us. You have, you've had five 400 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:26,000 husbands. There's this divine encounter. 401 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:29,000 We were just a working out last week and we got to pray with 402 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:32,240 this Indian brother who works at Azusa as a chef. 403 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:36,320 And as we're praying for him, he says, well, can I pray for you? 404 00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:41,400 And he says begins to pray like Papa and with his his Sri Lankan 405 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:44,560 accent and he begins to pray things in our lives that we 406 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:49,920 never told him. It's this divine encounter at 407 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:52,280 the gym. Do you see? 408 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:55,440 They're going to be unexpected encounters like that that God 409 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:58,200 brings. I want to encourage you be open 410 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:02,680 to community. Be open to community that that 411 00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:06,240 is, we're going to know loyally, not ourselves together. 412 00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:12,960 And then #5 be open to change and trust the Lord. 413 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:15,760 I, I, I want it. One pastor put it this way. 414 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:20,840 He said hear his voice, have his ear and belong to his body. 415 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:25,600 Hear his voice, have his ear, belong to his body. 416 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:30,400 It's interesting that God would use those who didn't know him to 417 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:35,280 speak to the one who was called by him, anointed by him, used by 418 00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:37,200 him. The writer of Psalms and the 419 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:44,520 defeater of the giants didn't understand where he was, and God 420 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:48,440 uses the words of these Philistines to bring him to a 421 00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:54,360 place that he needed to be. And that was a detour. 422 00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:58,520 Leave yourself open to review with the right people in your 423 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:01,880 life. Second thing, be willing to 424 00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:04,240 return. Be willing to return. 425 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:07,600 If you're in a detour, be willing to return. 426 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:13,040 Notice this, the Bible says in verse 4, they said to the king, 427 00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:16,920 Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which 428 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:20,040 you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us 429 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:23,240 to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. 430 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:26,960 For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not 431 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:31,480 with the heads of these men? Is this not David of whom they 432 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:34,920 sang to one another and the dances, saying, Saul has slain 433 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:37,480 his thousands and David is 10 thousands? 434 00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:41,840 Then Akesh called David and said to him, Surely as the Lord 435 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:44,680 lives, you've been upright, and you're going out, and you're 436 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:47,920 coming in with me, and the army is good and my sight. 437 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:52,400 For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of 438 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:55,040 your coming to me. Nevertheless, the Lords do not 439 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:59,840 favor you. Therefore return now and go in 440 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:02,320 peace, that you may not displease the Lords of the 441 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:05,120 Philistines. Then David said to A Cash, But 442 00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:07,760 what have I done? And to this day what have you 443 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:10,680 found in your servant, as long as I've been with you, that I 444 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:14,080 may not go and fight against the enemies of my Lord the king. 445 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:17,840 But A Cash answered and said to David, I know that you are as 446 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:20,920 good in my sight as an Angel of God. 447 00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:24,080 Nevertheless, the Princess of the Philistines have said, he 448 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:26,200 shall not go up with us to the battle. 449 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:30,520 Now, therefore, rise early in the morning with your master 450 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:34,600 servant who have come with you, as soon as you are up early in 451 00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:37,200 the morning and have light depart. 452 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:41,280 So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning to 453 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:43,480 return to the land of the Philistines. 454 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:47,080 And the Philistines went up to Jezreel. 455 00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:53,680 Be willing to return. There was a very, very popular 456 00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:57,960 word during 2020. It was called pivot. 457 00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:04,760 We were made to pivot. We didn't like it. 458 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:09,360 We hated it. Messed up my routine. 459 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:12,880 Couldn't have church. What's that all about? 460 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:17,520 But you could eat at the French Laundry restaurant. 461 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:22,800 Listen there, there's times where we're made to pivot. 462 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:25,880 There's times where we have to return. 463 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:28,680 Look at David. He they, they say make this 464 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:33,880 fellow return, go back to the place that is appointed. 465 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:39,000 Verse 7, the king says to him, return now. 466 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:43,560 Verse 10, the king said, I want you to depart. 467 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:48,640 The Philistines tell the king, the king tells David and David 468 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:53,200 tells his men and they all return back to a city called 469 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:56,400 Ziklag. The word ziklag means to be 470 00:31:56,400 --> 00:32:00,320 pressed down. Go back to the city where you're 471 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:04,440 pressed down. David's open for review, but 472 00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:08,240 he's also made to return. This is not about what David 473 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:11,680 wanted to hear in this moment. It's about what David needed to 474 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:16,120 do in this moment. God is divinely directing David 475 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:23,040 through people who are not living according to God's plan. 476 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:26,280 They thought. And not because God was mad at 477 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:30,360 him, but because God loved him. He moved him. 478 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:36,560 Listen, God's not mad at you when He calls you to action. 479 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:38,960 He's doing this because He loves you. 480 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:47,920 God is not like that pregnant wife who told her husband to 481 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:52,400 order the pizza and do it right. Do you ever read that? 482 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:55,880 She said you need to go get me one. 483 00:32:55,880 --> 00:33:00,840 Large hand toss pizza, triple pepperoni, extra cheese, banana 484 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:05,080 Peppers, light jalapenos, half chicken, half mushrooms, half 485 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:08,320 caramelized onions, half olives, light sauce. 486 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:13,720 So was the customer's request. This is what the customer wrote. 487 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:18,480 Bro yes I know this looks insane and you're probably like who is 488 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:21,240 this dude? I am the dude who has a very 489 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:24,640 pregnant wife. I'm done questioning what she 490 00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:28,120 wants. I'm scared of her and honestly, 491 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:31,600 you should be too. I promise this is the order. 492 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:35,480 Thank you and Godspeed. Often times we we, we don't 493 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:40,000 fully understand what God is doing and it actually looks that 494 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:45,360 God is angry at us, or he's mad at us, or he is punishing us 495 00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:50,280 because of what he's actually calling us to do. 496 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:54,240 But God is not mad at you. Well, let's say he's madly in 497 00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:58,840 love with you, and because God is madly in love with you, you 498 00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:04,000 don't have to understand, nor do you have to be afraid of your 499 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:07,880 next step. Can I encourage you to do some 500 00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:11,600 things when you're at this spot where you're returning? 501 00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:14,639 It's not about need. Excuse me? 502 00:34:14,639 --> 00:34:17,440 It's about need, not desire. Can you write that down? 503 00:34:17,639 --> 00:34:21,520 It's about need, not desire. God's message is often what you 504 00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:24,320 need to understand rather than what you desire to hear. 505 00:34:28,239 --> 00:34:30,840 It's like a doctor giving you a difficult diagnosis. 506 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:32,600 It's necessary for your well-being. 507 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:36,400 Can I encourage you to do this? If you're returning and God says 508 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:39,400 I want you to pivot, prioritize the truth. 509 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:45,840 The message prioritizes truth over comfort, providing a path 510 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:49,719 to change and healing rather than simply being distressing. 511 00:34:50,679 --> 00:34:52,239 And then this is what I want you to do. 512 00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:54,360 I want you to align this with wisdom. 513 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:59,360 God has purposes and plans that are often unseen, and what you 514 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:03,520 don't want to hear is guided by His greater wisdom and control 515 00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:06,840 over your life. So what are you called to do in 516 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:09,520 this moment? I want to encourage you to trust 517 00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:12,760 and surrender. Trust in God's wisdom even when 518 00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:16,440 you don't understand David. Surrender your feelings to his 519 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:19,880 design and direction and trust that he knows what is best for 520 00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:21,600 you. Obey God. 521 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:25,920 The response is not to negotiate or ignore, as the Holy Spirit 522 00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:28,720 will not change his mind once a message has been given. 523 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:32,440 Instead, listen to the message, meditate on it, and be ready to 524 00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:35,080 act upon it. Can I encourage you to do this? 525 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:37,920 Remember the source when you're called to return. 526 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:42,200 Recognize that a clear, consistent message is likely 527 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:46,480 from the Holy Spirit and aligns with God's will and God's Word, 528 00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:49,400 and never with accusation towards your life. 529 00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:52,840 So how do you handle all of your feelings? 530 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:57,440 Can you imagine what David is feeling in this moment of 531 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:00,520 pivoting and returning? How do you handle your feelings 532 00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:03,960 in this moment of pivoting? Feelings are valid, but they're 533 00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:08,560 not the final authority. Your feelings are valid, but 534 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:12,280 they're not the final authority. It's natural for you to feel 535 00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:16,080 scared, uncomfortable, or even resistant, but these feelings 536 00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:19,040 should not be, or, excuse me, should be, surrendered to God's 537 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:20,720 will. The last thing I want to 538 00:36:20,720 --> 00:36:24,400 encourage you to do, Avoid bargaining with God. 539 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:30,160 When you are called to pivot, avoid bargaining with God. 540 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:33,560 You cannot bargain or negotiate with the Holy Spirit. 541 00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:37,120 Acknowledge your feelings, but focus on obedience rather than 542 00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:39,680 trying to change the message that you've been given. 543 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:44,880 Review return. Notice what this leads to. 544 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:48,760 It leads to a refuge. Notice the story if you would 545 00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:51,200 and we'll get into chapter 30 now. 546 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:54,200 It happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third 547 00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:59,280 day that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag had 548 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:01,520 attacked Ziklag. Excuse me? 549 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:04,960 The South and Ziklag, they attacked Ziklag and burned it 550 00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:07,760 with fire. The same people that King Saul 551 00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:16,040 was called to wipe out now robs David's families and had taken 552 00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:19,640 captive the women and those who were there from small to grade. 553 00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:23,000 And they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went 554 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:25,000 their way. So when David and his men came 555 00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:28,080 to the city and there it was burned with fire, and their 556 00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:30,520 wives, their sons and their daughters had been taken 557 00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:32,120 captive. Notice this. 558 00:37:32,120 --> 00:37:35,400 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their 559 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:38,720 voices and wept until they had no more power to weep. 560 00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:45,440 Your emotion is OK God can handle your emotion. 561 00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:48,760 But I'm a Christian now. I shouldn't cry. 562 00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:54,200 That's that's false. They wept, but God is suffering 563 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:56,440 over this season. They wept. 564 00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:00,160 You can weep and still follow after God. 565 00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:05,920 And so he gets up, and David, his two wives, I know him, the 566 00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:09,320 Jezreelite, and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, 567 00:38:09,320 --> 00:38:12,240 had been taken captive. And then David was greatly 568 00:38:12,240 --> 00:38:15,560 distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul 569 00:38:15,840 --> 00:38:18,840 of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his 570 00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:21,640 daughters. But David strengthened himself 571 00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:25,120 in the Lord his God. That one sentence is a sermon, 572 00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:29,160 but we're going to pass over it just for this time being. 573 00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:32,480 Then David said to Abbie Athar, the priest, Ahemelec's son, 574 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:34,320 please bring the ephod here to me. 575 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:36,800 And Abby Athar brought the ephod to David. 576 00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:40,360 So David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue this 577 00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:42,120 troop? Shall I overtake them? 578 00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:45,400 And he answered them, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake 579 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:48,320 them, and without fail recover all of them. 580 00:38:48,560 --> 00:38:52,520 So David went he and the 600 men who were with him, and came to 581 00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:56,440 the Brook Bazoar, where they stayed who were left behind. 582 00:38:56,440 --> 00:39:01,720 But David pursued he and 400 men, for 200 stayed behind, who 583 00:39:01,720 --> 00:39:05,000 were so weary that they could not cross the brook of Bazor. 584 00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:08,080 Then they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to 585 00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:11,200 David, and they gave him bread, and he ate, and they let him 586 00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:14,680 drink water, and they gave him a piece of cake of figs and two 587 00:39:14,680 --> 00:39:17,640 clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his 588 00:39:17,640 --> 00:39:21,600 strength came back to him, for he had eaten no bread nor drunk 589 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:23,880 any water for three days and three nights. 590 00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:27,160 Then David said to him, To whom do you belong, and where are you 591 00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:29,200 from? And he said, I'm a young man 592 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:32,960 from Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite, and my master left me 593 00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:36,200 behind because three days ago I fell sick. 594 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:39,280 We made an invasion of the southern area, the cherished 595 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:42,880 sites in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the 596 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:46,640 southern area of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag with fire. 597 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:49,960 And David said to him, can you take me down to this troop? 598 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:53,520 And he answered, Swear to me by God that you will neither kill 599 00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:57,360 me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take 600 00:39:57,480 --> 00:40:01,560 you down to this troop. So when he had brought. 601 00:40:01,640 --> 00:40:05,400 Put him down there They were spread out over all the land, 602 00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:08,960 eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil 603 00:40:09,080 --> 00:40:11,840 which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from 604 00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:14,960 the land of Judah. And David attacked them in at 605 00:40:14,960 --> 00:40:18,640 twilight until the evening. The next day, not a man of them 606 00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:22,800 escaped, except 400 young men who rode on camels and fled. 607 00:40:22,800 --> 00:40:28,160 And so David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away. 608 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:33,000 David had recovered all that the Amalekites had taken away. 609 00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:39,000 David had recovered all that the Amalekites had taken away. 610 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:43,320 Could it be that the detour is actually going to be a refuge 611 00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:47,360 for you to recover all that the enemy has taken away? 612 00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:51,560 OK, let's keep going because you're still tired. 613 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:55,080 Not a man of them escaped except 400 young men who rode on 614 00:40:55,080 --> 00:40:58,800 camels. So David recovered all that the 615 00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:02,760 Amalekites had carried away. And David rescued his two wives, 616 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:08,400 and nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great 617 00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:10,840 sons or daughters. Spoiler or anything they had 618 00:41:10,840 --> 00:41:14,280 taken from them. David recovered. 619 00:41:15,480 --> 00:41:18,840 Oh, come on. David recovered all of it. 620 00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:23,920 He recovered all of it. Then David took all the flocks 621 00:41:23,920 --> 00:41:27,480 and the herds which they had driven before those other 622 00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:30,200 livestock and said, this is David Spoil. 623 00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:39,600 He recovered all of it. The detour was a review that led 624 00:41:39,600 --> 00:41:44,680 to a return that led to a refuge that led to a recovery. 625 00:41:46,120 --> 00:41:48,480 There is someone greater than David. 626 00:41:50,520 --> 00:41:57,160 There is someone greater than David who left his home, who 627 00:41:57,160 --> 00:42:01,400 acted on my behalf and he recovered all of it. 628 00:42:02,280 --> 00:42:06,320 There is someone greater than David that didn't fight Goliath 629 00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:11,200 but fought death in one, not only beat death, but hell and 630 00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:14,280 the grave. There is someone greater than 631 00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:20,200 David that recovers all of it. But could it be that the detour 632 00:42:20,200 --> 00:42:24,480 from the review led to the return, and the return led to a 633 00:42:24,480 --> 00:42:29,440 refuge, and the refuge led to recovery in your life? 634 00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:34,200 But I couldn't see it just yet. You don't have to see it to know 635 00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:36,040 it. That He can save it. 636 00:42:37,160 --> 00:42:40,160 You don't have to be in a spot in your life to see everything 637 00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:44,120 that's happening around you, but to trust that the detour is what 638 00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:48,320 God is leading you into. David recovered all of it. 639 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:53,880 Oh, that God would in my life not bring clarity, but trust. 640 00:42:55,440 --> 00:42:59,440 Some of us want clarity on all these issues, but what God is 641 00:42:59,440 --> 00:43:03,160 asking is your trust. I want to read you something 642 00:43:03,160 --> 00:43:07,840 that really ministered to me, this devotion from the Gospel 643 00:43:07,840 --> 00:43:12,640 Coalition, he wrote. I once told a friend I'd give 644 00:43:12,640 --> 00:43:15,760 you my whole bank account for clarity on a relational issue. 645 00:43:16,480 --> 00:43:19,400 He said no, you wouldn't. I said yes, I would. 646 00:43:19,720 --> 00:43:21,400 He said, You really want clarity, huh? 647 00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:26,520 OK, I'll pray for that for you. The next morning, less than 12 648 00:43:26,520 --> 00:43:30,480 hours later, I woke up and read this line from Amy Joseph's 649 00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:33,760 demystifying decision making. She wrote these words. 650 00:43:33,760 --> 00:43:37,160 We are too far. We are far too easily demand 651 00:43:37,160 --> 00:43:40,720 clarity from our Creator when instead of clarity, He would 652 00:43:40,720 --> 00:43:46,160 rather cultivate faith in US. I suppose God answered my prayer 653 00:43:46,160 --> 00:43:48,080 for clarity quicker than expected. 654 00:43:48,640 --> 00:43:52,000 Instead of giving me clarity of direction, He gave me clarity of 655 00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:57,120 priority, reminding me that increased trust is infinitely 656 00:43:57,120 --> 00:44:00,960 more valuable than a divine blueprint for what to do next. 657 00:44:02,120 --> 00:44:05,400 The author goes on to write Consider three ways trust in God 658 00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:08,200 is more valuable than clarity. You might want to write these 659 00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:12,600 down for future use. Clarity might help you now, but 660 00:44:12,800 --> 00:44:14,520 trust will help you for a lifetime. 661 00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:18,480 Clarity might help you now, but trust will help you for a 662 00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:21,000 lifetime. The difference between clarity 663 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:23,760 and trust is similar to the difference between a painkiller 664 00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:27,800 and true healing. We often long for the narcotic 665 00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:30,080 of clarity because we want a quick fix. 666 00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:33,800 Clarity takes us out of the uncomfortable, out of a place of 667 00:44:33,800 --> 00:44:37,560 dependence, and makes us feel back in control. 668 00:44:38,080 --> 00:44:43,040 But is that what we need most? If God gave us clarity that may 669 00:44:43,040 --> 00:44:46,280 or may not help us with a particular decision, but it 670 00:44:46,280 --> 00:44:50,320 would never help us again, Trust would help us for a lifetime. 671 00:44:50,920 --> 00:44:55,000 Those who trust the Lord's the Lord don't thrive because they 672 00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:58,360 always have clarity, but because they deemed the one who holds 673 00:44:58,360 --> 00:45:02,760 the future future worthy of their souls deepest rest. 674 00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:06,120 The security we longed for doesn't come from knowing the 675 00:45:06,120 --> 00:45:09,680 future, but from knowing and trusting God. 676 00:45:10,720 --> 00:45:12,400 And I read that line. This is important. 677 00:45:12,400 --> 00:45:16,000 The security we long for doesn't come from knowing the future, 678 00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:17,920 but from knowing and trusting in God. 679 00:45:18,240 --> 00:45:20,160 Don't misunderstand me, the author writes. 680 00:45:20,160 --> 00:45:23,200 Clarity isn't a bad thing. It's often the fruit of faith 681 00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:26,880 and action. But don't rush past the seasons 682 00:45:26,880 --> 00:45:32,760 of life that feel unclear. Don't live in the future and 683 00:45:32,760 --> 00:45:36,240 miss the preciousness of what God is trying to teach you right 684 00:45:36,240 --> 00:45:39,240 now. If you learn to trust God even 685 00:45:39,240 --> 00:45:43,320 in unclear seasons, your efforts will bear sweet fruit for the 686 00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:47,600 rest of your life and for all of eternity #2 clarity allows you 687 00:45:47,600 --> 00:45:50,760 to move on. Trust allows God to move in. 688 00:45:52,080 --> 00:45:55,640 One of the hardest parts of unclear seasons is feeling 689 00:45:55,640 --> 00:45:58,320 stuck. Can I get an Amen? 690 00:45:59,360 --> 00:46:02,040 Like we can't move forward in any areas of life until we 691 00:46:02,040 --> 00:46:06,640 resolve the unclear area. But remember 2 truths, he writes 692 00:46:06,920 --> 00:46:08,800 first. If you do nothing in this 693 00:46:08,800 --> 00:46:12,480 present season except deepen your trust in God, it will be 694 00:46:12,480 --> 00:46:15,320 one of the most productive seasons of your life. 695 00:46:16,960 --> 00:46:19,560 The product of clarity is a decision. 696 00:46:19,840 --> 00:46:22,440 The product of trust is a relationship. 697 00:46:23,240 --> 00:46:26,360 Which is more productive in the long run? 698 00:46:26,840 --> 00:46:29,440 I appreciate Anne Voskamp's observation. 699 00:46:29,440 --> 00:46:33,480 Listen to this too often. We want clarity, and God wants 700 00:46:33,480 --> 00:46:37,440 us to come closer. Is it possible that God is 701 00:46:37,440 --> 00:46:41,680 allowing the season of waiting to deepen your communion with 702 00:46:41,680 --> 00:46:44,160 Him? And second, God may be slowing 703 00:46:44,160 --> 00:46:47,520 you down in some areas of your life, but He doesn't want you to 704 00:46:47,520 --> 00:46:51,640 stop moving. Don't sit on the sideline while 705 00:46:51,640 --> 00:46:53,960 you wait for clarity in one area. 706 00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:58,000 God usually gives us clarity not while we're sitting in our hands 707 00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:02,360 fixating on a decision, but while we are actively focusing 708 00:47:02,360 --> 00:47:05,920 on this mission #3 and we'll close with this. 709 00:47:05,920 --> 00:47:08,160 Clarity gives you something to run to. 710 00:47:08,840 --> 00:47:11,320 Trust gives you someone to run to. 711 00:47:13,280 --> 00:47:19,040 One of the most precious gems is this story the author writes, 712 00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:22,400 and we'll close with this as the worship team comes forward. 713 00:47:23,360 --> 00:47:27,040 My 9 year old son stood with his bicycle at the top of the steep 714 00:47:27,040 --> 00:47:31,800 hill in front of our house. His gaggle of neighborhood 715 00:47:31,800 --> 00:47:35,120 friends stood at the base of the hill where my husband and I were 716 00:47:35,120 --> 00:47:38,360 doing some gardening. Sounds like where we live. 717 00:47:39,680 --> 00:47:43,080 Suddenly my son cried out from the top of the hill. 718 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:47,560 Hey guys, watch this. My husband and I immediately 719 00:47:47,560 --> 00:47:52,080 looked up an alarm, as those are dangerous words coming from a 720 00:47:52,080 --> 00:47:54,360 young boy at the top of the hill. 721 00:47:55,480 --> 00:47:59,480 Much to our surprise, our son's next move was not to ride down 722 00:47:59,480 --> 00:48:04,240 the hill on the bike, but to send the bike down the hill 723 00:48:04,240 --> 00:48:08,960 without a rider. Our eyes move back and forth 724 00:48:08,960 --> 00:48:13,440 between the bike, which was picking up speed, and the new to 725 00:48:13,440 --> 00:48:16,240 us car toward which it was headed. 726 00:48:16,920 --> 00:48:19,640 Sure enough, the bike slammed into the side of the car. 727 00:48:19,640 --> 00:48:25,360 As we watched in shock and horror, my son, recognizing what 728 00:48:25,360 --> 00:48:28,720 he had done and not even understanding himself why he had 729 00:48:28,720 --> 00:48:31,560 done it, began running down the hill. 730 00:48:32,000 --> 00:48:36,400 I fully expected him to run to his room in embarrassment, but 731 00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:38,720 he did something we did not expect. 732 00:48:40,240 --> 00:48:44,680 He ran directly into my husband's arms, paying my 733 00:48:44,680 --> 00:48:47,400 husband one of the greatest compliments of his life. 734 00:48:48,360 --> 00:48:51,880 In a moment when fear of shame and consequences might have made 735 00:48:51,880 --> 00:48:56,920 him run from his father, he chose to run to the arms of his 736 00:48:56,920 --> 00:48:59,880 father. He knew his father well enough 737 00:48:59,880 --> 00:49:03,480 to know that there would surely be consequences, but he also 738 00:49:03,480 --> 00:49:07,360 knew that his father loved him far more than he was 739 00:49:07,360 --> 00:49:13,000 disappointed with him. The story helps us see the all 740 00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:19,080 surpassing value of trust. Trust not only helps us make 741 00:49:19,080 --> 00:49:23,800 decisions without being paralyzed by fear, but trust 742 00:49:23,800 --> 00:49:28,240 also gives us someone to run to even when we make poor 743 00:49:28,440 --> 00:49:35,400 decisions. Take the detour, Take the 744 00:49:35,400 --> 00:49:40,280 detour. The review of it all, the return 745 00:49:40,360 --> 00:49:45,080 of it all led to the refuge that David would create for his 746 00:49:45,080 --> 00:49:49,160 family and the recovery of it all for his family. 747 00:49:49,640 --> 00:49:54,280 Isn't it interesting that the detour that David was taking was 748 00:49:54,280 --> 00:49:57,640 away from notoriety in the front lines? 749 00:49:58,920 --> 00:50:02,440 The detour that David was called to take was to go back to his 750 00:50:03,440 --> 00:50:07,200 family. How unpopular is that? 751 00:50:08,560 --> 00:50:12,560 Come on, we're in ministry. We got to be on Instagram and we 752 00:50:12,560 --> 00:50:17,120 got to get our sermons high and we got to no, no, no, listen, 753 00:50:17,480 --> 00:50:22,200 the detour for David wasn't to battle that, but it was to go 754 00:50:22,200 --> 00:50:25,680 save his family. Notice where God put the 755 00:50:25,680 --> 00:50:34,120 priority of David's life was back on his family, and as he 756 00:50:34,120 --> 00:50:39,080 got that in order, God would send him back in an order to 757 00:50:39,080 --> 00:50:42,720 fight. We hope you enjoyed this message 758 00:50:42,800 --> 00:50:45,800 and we'd love for you to join us in person every Sunday at 10:30 759 00:50:45,880 --> 00:50:47,480 AM. For more information and 760 00:50:47,480 --> 00:50:49,680 updates, visit wearebridgetown.com. 761 00:50:50,000 --> 00:50:52,000 Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next week.