Iron Sharpens Iron

Iron Sharpens Iron

Rod Hairston

We are anointed because of Jesus Christ.

However, that does not make us immune from heartache and pain.

Pressure can make us forget that we are anointed.

David lost everything of value to him, and aligns himself with his enemies.

David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David's two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue." (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭30‬:‭1-8‬ NIV)

1. David inserted a "BUT" between his devastation and his destiny.

2. David found strength in God, despite the devastating reality of his present.

Our worship and praise for God can break our chains and gives us freedom.

3. David renewed the priority of prayer in his life.

We need to do the same. Seek God first. Our answers will come through prayer.

They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. David asked him, "Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?" He said, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag." David asked him, "Can you lead me down to this raiding party?" He answered, "Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them." (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭30‬:‭11-15‬ NIV)

Be careful with how we treat people. God may be using them to help you get to your destiny.

David had the wisdom to treat the Egyptian well, and it helped him in the end.

He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭30‬:‭16-17‬ NIV)

We have to fight to get back what is rightfully ours!

Remember we are anointed, and we are called to fight.

God fought for us through His Son.