Pursue, Overtake & Recover All!

Back in 2002 while stationed in Germany, I attended a women's conference.  The theme was "Pursue, Overtake & Recover All."  At that time, I was fairly new in my relationship with Christ, but was very excited to attend something like this.  

I was truly blessed by the overall experience of the conference.  I saw women of all races and backgrounds come together under one roof and lift up God.  Healing, deliverance, and miracles took place.  I was truly blessed.  However, the one thing that I took out of that entire experience and remains with me today is the scripture from which the conference title came from, 1 Samuel 30:8 (NKJV) "So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”  

To give a bit of back story...David and his army were heading into battle against the Amalekites.  But when they arrived at their destination, they saw the place ransacked and everyone gone.  All the families had been captured and taken by the Amalekites.  Of course the men were greatly distressed because their families had been taken captive.  So the next best thing was to come up against the one who orchestrated the whole thing, David.  In seeing this, he became greatly distressed.

Now I won't give the entire story...I encourage you to read it for yourselves, it's beautiful and speak volumes.  But two things stood out to me.  Though threatened on every level, David encouraged himself in the Lord (1Samuel 30:6).  He recognized the power and ability in God to not only save him, but to get back what the enemy had taken away.  After David sought God, God's response was David was to pursue, overtake, and without fail recover all.

You see, I don't by far to profess to be a bible scholar, preacher, or teacher of the bible.  However, I do know what God has done for me...and my testimony stands strong in the midst of the scriptures I share with you.  Many times, Satan has tried to destroy me.  And it was in those despairing times that I had a choice.  To fall victim to his plight or to muster up enough strength from somewhere and seek God.  See, God doesn't expect us to have it all together. He knows we're going to stumble in life...but where He receives the glory and steps in is when He sees our fight to stay afloat.  God said in Hebrews 13:5 that He would never leave us nor forsake us.  God's word is bond.  It does not and cannot return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11).

So in times of distress and despair, don't allow those elements to cave in on you.  Find the strength from somewhere to seek God.  Learn to encourage yourself in the Lord.  Yes, it sounds easier said than done...but I am here as a living witness that even up to this very day (4 September 2014) I CONSTANTLY encourage myself in God and seek Him for my needs.  Life will keep happening.  Satan will keep pushing...and the flesh will always remain weak.  It is in the hidden places of God that we receive renewed strength, encouragement, boldness and courage to continue forward.

I pray that God will bless you all richly today.  I pray that you will always hold on to the words of God and allow them to saturate your whole-being, giving you the fuel to the vehicle to live out loud for Christ.

Be blessed :)