Recovery Requires the Right Relationships

0:23 Open your Bibles with me to 1 Samuel chapter 30. Today is part two. Last week we gave part one of encourage yourself. We talked about encouraging ourselves. At some point in life you got to learn how to encourage yourself. You got to learn what to say to yourself. It's okay to talk to yourself as long as you're saying the right stuff to yourself. So last week that was part one, encourage yourself. Today is part two, subtitle, subtitle.

0:58 Recovery requires relationships. Say that. Recovery requires relationship. I know that says the right relationship, but I told them to change that. They missed it. Recovery requires relationship. Let me rehearse for just a few moments what we talked about last week. We talked about David who kills Goliath. David kills Goliath. And he, after killing him, the king, King Saul, gets upset, mad, angry, because the people are singing David's praise. And so the king wants to eliminate David, so he's trying to kill David. So there's several instances where he tries to kill David. And David ends up on the run, and he runs into a cave.

1:55 In the cave are some jacked-up jokers. there's some men who are discontent in distress and in debt that's in fact how the bible describes them discontent in distress and in debt and they these 600 men locked up in a cave hire David to be their leader.

2:21 And David hires them, accepts the role, and he's their leader, and he finds them a job. He finds them a good government job that he shortly thereafter gets laid off from. They get laid off. He joins these men in their job is they get joined to the Philistine army. They become soldiers in the army of their enemies. the general of the army sees these Jewish fellas in his army and knowing that they're about to go do battle with the Jews decides to release them that they can't go so we can't use y'all you all might switch and change on us and so they go home he releases them he terminates them he fires them he lets them go and when they get home, they discover that their city has been burnt with fire. Their sons, daughters, and wives have been taken captive. Are y'all still with me? They're taken captive. And the Bible says that David and his men wept. As a matter of fact, the scripture says in verse 4 of chapter 30, did I tell y'all first Samuel 30? The scripture says they wept till they had no more power to weep, no more tears to weep. They couldn't cry anymore. They've wept. But between verse 4, where they had no more power to weep, and verse 18, can I get y'all to slide down to verse 18? Can y'all read verse 18? Can y'all just turn your page up just a little bit, and can I just read verse 18? It says, Here it is right here, verse 18.

4:22 So David recovered all. There's enough, that's it right there. That's enough to shout about right there. Everything he lost, he got back. David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away. And David rescued his two wives. And then it says in verse 19, are y'all still with me? Verse 19, and nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them. Then it says this again, David recovered all.

4:57 Now that's something to shout about right there, that God can enable you to get back everything that the enemy took from you. Now, what I'm celebrating about this passage, what I'm rejoicing about this passage, is that twice, back to back, verse 18 and 19, it reaffirms to us that David got everything back. Now, anytime, when you become a student of Scripture, anytime God repeats himself, he's trying to tell you something.

5:29 And so he repeats it twice that he recovered everything. And so I want you all to know today that God's got something in store to help you get restored. The question is, what happened between verse 4 and verse 18 for there to be recovery? What happened? What went on after verse 4 but before verse 18 that enabled them to recover? I'm glad you asked the question. because in this particular message, this story, this situation, the Bible gives us some vital information that I'm hoping that you will grab a hold of and apply. Verse, let's see, where do I want to start? I guess I'm going to start at verse 11.

6:22 So David, matter of fact, let me rehearse again what I said last week. I almost forgot this part. David prayed. and sought the Lord and inquired. The scripture says, David, inquired of the Lord, shall I pursue? Shall I go after them? And God told him to go after them. He said, pursue and you shall recover. Y'all say that to me. Pursue and you shall recover. All right, tell your neighbor, I'm going to pursue and I'm going to get it back.

6:51 Go ahead, tell him, everything that the devil took from you, I'm going to get it back. Tell him, he took my joy, but I'm going to get my joy back. He took my peace, but I'm going to get my peace back. He took my name, but I'm going to get my name back. He took my career, but I'm going to get my career back. Who am I preaching to already? I just got started. Somebody said, I'm going to get it all back. So let's follow what he did so that we can find out how we can get our stuff back. So the scripture is fairly clear about what he did. And here he decides to pursue. He decides to go after. Because God told him. He prayed. God said, pursue. You shall recover all. So he's in pursuit.

7:43 and while he's in pursuit, we come across verse 8, 9, and 10. Are y'all with me in verse 8, 9, and 10? So David inquired of the Lord saying, Shall I pursue the troops? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all. So David went, he and the 600 men who were with him and came to the brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. Y'all see that right there? Everybody didn't go with David. Verse 10 says, but David pursued he and 400 men, for 200 stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the brook Besor. So twice, right here, verse 9 and 10, they give us some insight.

8:40 In verse 9, he says, there were some who were left behind. In verse 10, it says 200 stayed behind. So here's the point, is that everybody didn't, all 600 didn't go with David. Everybody didn't make the trip. And here's my first point I need to tell y'all. Everybody can't go with you where God's about to take you.

9:03 There's a shout. that's something to shout about right there that some of y'all will never get to your destiny because you're unwilling to let some people go. At some point in your life, I can guarantee you that there gonna be some people for whatever reason, whatever cause, there gonna be some people that you gonna have to say, I cannot hang out with you any longer. You can't go with me. How many of y'all know that where you gonna go, what God has for your future, what's in your destiny, the anointing that God has for you to achieve, the places he's going to take you, you don't want everybody going with you. Everybody can't handle where you're going. Everybody can't take where you're going. Everybody can't respond the way you need them to respond. And so my first point here is that you need to release the wrong relationship. You need to get out of some relationship. Y'all might as well say amen, somebody. You got to release the wrong relationship. You got to get rid of some people. Everybody can't go with you. Look at your neighbor and say, it might be you.

10:06 You can't go with me. Look at him real hard and say, you can't, I can't hang. You can't go with me. You can't go with me. You can't. Go ahead. Did y'all tell him? Did y'all tell him? I know you want to go, but I can't let you go with me. I know you want to. I know you want to do something, but I can't let everybody stay. And sometimes it's tough to let relationships go. It's tough. But sometimes you just got to recognize where God's taken me. And I realize I've been the pastor of this church for 35 years. Matter of fact, I'm in my 36th year. Y'all clapping, but go ahead, look at your neighbor. He said, he looks so young.

10:58 He don't look, he looks so young. Yeah, I look back over these 36 years, and I think about all the people who have come through this church. There's a lot of people that I don't see no more.

11:25 And I have to be honest with you, sometimes I'm grieved over the people who I don't see anymore. I'm grieved. It makes me cry. The people I poured into, prayed for, cried with, served, gave them the help that I give, taught them stuff, and then I don't see them anymore.

11:46 It has been, it has grieved me. Because I care about people. If I didn't care about people, they'd be gone. But I love people and I care about people. And it hurts me sometimes. But then God reminds me, here's how I, can I tell y'all something? If you tell somebody I said this, I'll tell y'all, tell them you're lying.

12:13 Some of those people, I'm glad they're gone. I'm happy. some of them were more of a pain than a pleasure. Some of the people that's in your life cause you more stress than they give you strength. And you have to have the courage to be able to say, I can't hang with you no more. And I recognize that where God has taken me over the course of my life, I'm better without some of those people than I am if I had them still in my life. Can I get an amen right there from anybody? So everybody needs to recognize that everybody ain't going to be in your life. Everybody ain't going to stay.

13:05 And you don't want them to. You don't want everybody to stay in your life. Where God's going to take you, the doors he's going to open, the blessings he's going to provide, the victory he's going to give you, the miracles he's going to work. You don't want everybody hanging with you. And so my encouragement to you today is to learn how to recognize. As a matter of fact, here's what I had to learn. I learned, this was a lesson I had to learn. I had to be honest with you. It was a transition point for me. Rather than me grieving over the people who are no longer here, I've learned to celebrate the people who are still here. Let me thank God for the people who have hung with me for 30 plus years. Let me thank God for all of the people who stuck with me through thick and thin. From 3311 to 3600 to 600 Watkins Park Drive. Let me thank God for the people who are still here. Who am I talking to?

14:00 Who say I'm still here? Who can say I've been with you for 30 years? Who can say I've stayed for 25 years? Who can say I've been here for 20 years? Let me thank God for the people who are still here. And the fact is, there are going to be some people you got to let go. Go ahead, write their names down right there in your notes.

14:33 I'll wait. I'm going to go up here and sit down while I wait. it's going to take a while. Go ahead. Just write those names down. You can't have everybody in your life. Can I get an amen right there for a minute? You can't have everybody. And by the way, probably the hardest people to let go are probably the very ones who need to be at the top of your list. Thank you. because there's some people speaking negative things in your life you need to let them go there's some people not headed in the same direction you're headed in you need to let them go they don't believe what you believe you need to let them go and if the truth be told some of them are jealous for what God has already done for you Thank you.

15:31 So you know they ain't going to handle the new blessings that God gives to you. You know they can't take them. If they can't handle you in your Honda, how are they going to handle you in your BMW? Come on, y'all. Talk back to it. Anybody know what I'm talking about? And you got to learn not to be worried about them. Don't let them stress you out. Don't let them drag you down. Many of them don't believe like you believe. They don't have the faith. I want to hang around people who are going to build my faith. I need to hang around some people who are going to help me believe God. I need to hang around some people who are going to pray for God to bring in my life to things I need God to bring into my life.

16:23 I wish I had a praying crowd with me here today. Somebody give God the praise. I'm going to let them go. Somebody say, I'm going to let them go. Here's point two. Here's point two. So release the wrong people. Number two, recognize the right people.

16:47 Recognize the right relationship because there are some relationships you need to have. There are some people that need to be in your life. There are some people that you want in your life. and very often the people you need in your life are people you might not normally recognize that you need them in your life. Here's what I'm telling you. I'm going to give you a scripture here in a moment but let me just tell you the truth. I have traveled the world. I have preached around the world. I have met presidents. I have met senators and congressmen and professional athletes and high and significant people. I have held jobs. I've done things. I have had opportunities provided for me. I is the chairman of the board of the National Association of Evangelicals. I is the president of Converge Denomination. I have gone places, done things, and guess what? Listen to me. Every door that has opened in my life, listen, write this down. If y'all write nothing else down, write this down.

17:42 You need this right here. Y'all need to hear what I'm about to say. Everything, every opportunity, every door that is open for me, every miracle that God has wrought in my life, every blessing that God has wrought in my life, I'm trying to build it up so that y'all will say, can you hurry up and tell us what it is, Pastor? Here it is, that every opportunity that has come to me has come by virtue of a relationship. I know y'all not clapping because y'all writing it down, but that's fine. I want you to get this. Relationships are key. The right relationships. You got to get rid of the wrong ones and welcome the right ones. Every door, every miracle, every place I've gone, every opportunity that I've had, somebody recommended me.

18:35 Somebody say, I know a dude. that's why you got to be careful how you treat people because those people might be the avenue to launch you into your next destiny some of y'all have never had opportunities you haven't reached your destiny you never you haven't gotten to where god wants you to get to because you're nasty you mean you're insensitive I feel tension in the room.

19:16 Because you don't know how to talk to people. You don't know how to be kind to people. You don't know how to be patient with people. You're nasty. Some of the nastiest people go to church every Sunday. Thank you. Some of the worst people in the world got a Bible under their arm, a cross around their neck. Talk about they been changed. If you been changed, I hate to see how you were before you got changed. When you have the power of God living inside of you, guess what?

20:14 You might feel a certain way some days, but something inside of you rises up and causes you to treat people the way that God wants you to treat people. Now I have to admit to y'all, I am, I is melancholy. I don't know if y'all know what that means. That means I don't always feel very good.

20:40 If y'all only knew what I was thinking when y'all came up here and talked to me every day. If y'all only knew what was going on in my head. But you know what I've learned? I've learned not to let my emotions or my feelings dictate my behavior. Go ahead, look at your neighbor and say, stop being so nasty.

21:21 Stop being so mean. Stop being so insensitive and learn how to love people. Y'all ain't saying nothing. Let me go back here and talk to these people. Let me talk to the crowd back here who understand. Y'all understand. Do I have any help back here? Does anybody back here know what I'm talking about?

21:46 It makes all the difference in the world how you treat somebody because they might be the key to launching you into where God's trying to take you. And, okay, so I got to hurry up. Oh, my gosh. Okay. Look at verse 11. and here's what verse 11 says. Verse 11 says, now this is David with his men. They come back to their city. It's burnt with fire. The wives and children have been taken captive. And then it says this in verse 11. Then they found an Egyptian in the field. Y'all see that verse 11? And brought him to David. Stop. Stick a pen right there. They found an Egyptian. Now And listen, ooh, ooh, ooh, here's a good thing. They found an Egyptian.

22:40 That would be an enemy of Israel. Sometimes God raises up somebody that you least expect that he would use to bring you into your destiny. Y'all have to stop. Don't look past people. Don't overlook people because you never know who God might want to use to bring you into your destiny.

23:04 Go ahead and preach, Pastor. And they gave him bread and he ate and they let him drink water. They showed kindness to this guy. As a matter of fact, this Egyptian, matter of fact, we find this out in a few minutes, a little bit later. Matter of fact, as a matter of fact, they gave him a piece, verse 12, and they gave him a piece of cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. The man was about to die and they showed him kindness. But he was a part of the army of the people who invaded Ziklag zigzag and burned it down and took the sons and daughters and the wives of David. And yet they show him kindness. Some of the people you need to be the kindest to are the people who might be the meanest, who may have hurt you, done you harm, ruined your reputation, got you fired. You don't treat people the way they treat you.

24:24 That's the sign that you are a child of the Most High God when you can love people that you know have treated you wrong. There goes my alarm again. I'm near somebody who's guilty of what I'm...

24:47 So this is significant and important. Significant and important that you connect with the right people. be careful how you treat folk they might be the answer to your destiny Y'all notice how the claps are getting lower and lower and lower. I went to preach at a church one time and the lady playing the piano celebrated my ministry.

25:46 As a teenager, I was a teenager. And then she said to me, I'm going to invite you to the church that I play for on the second Sundays. And I went to the church that she played for on the second Sunday. She played at all these different churches. She said, but I want you to come to the church that I play for on the second Sundays. And I went to that church that she played for on the second Sunday. God used her to bring me to the good hope United Methodist Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, not knowing that this one right here would be in that church. some of y'all ain't married yet because when they invited you somebody want to invite you but you didn't go Y'all, come by. Somebody look at your neighbor and say, you better be careful because your destiny might be tied up in an invitation, in a relationship, whatever.

26:46 God's trying to open up doors for you, bringing the right people into your life, but you so mean and you so nasty and you ain't never going to go. They ain't paying you, so you ain't going. You know, you got all this little string of stuff you want to go. You need to learn to have the kind of relationship with God that God can talk to you about where he wants you to go and where he doesn't want you to go, and they don't have nothing to do with whether they pay you or not. When you go there, you might meet somebody that might be the key to launching you into your destiny. Are y'all hearing what I'm saying? Y'all don't hear me.

27:25 I'm preaching whether y'all know it or not. I am preaching. Okay, here's my last point. I got four minutes. Take your time. Take your time. Take your time. What was my first point? Release the wrong relationship. Point two. Recognize the right relationship. Recognize the right relationship. Here's my third point. I'll be finished here. Recovery may require restoration and research.

28:05 Restoration, recovery, I'm sorry, may require restoration and research. in verse 13, it says, then David said to him, talking to this Egyptian, to whom do you belong and where are you from? And he said, I'm a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite. And my master left me behind because three days ago I fell ill, I fell sick. we made an invasion of the southern area of that place right there in the territory which belongs to Judah and of the southern area of Caleb and we burnt Zeglack with fire. This is the man who participated in burning down their city and having their wives and children taken captive.

29:03 He was a part of that army of people. and here oh man this is so good I'm celebrating the fact that David had men on his team who recognized that there's something about this guy that we need to take him to David because this guy knows and he knows where the army is that did this, that's got the wives and the children, and he knows where they are.

29:41 And they, boy, Lord, if I had people on my team who were sensitive enough, who are the people I need to talk to or who are the people I don't need to talk to? Somebody said, you don't need to talk to everybody. You just need to talk to the right people. And then it says right here in verse 15, and David said to him, here's David's, David's, oh, hold up. Oh, I almost skipped this point. The man was about to die. And David, they fed him. They got him healthy. The man, they gave him a cake of figs, two clusters of raisins. They gave him some water to drink. They restored him. They gave him some bread. And some of y'all need to learn to do good to people who hate you.

30:38 Some of y'all will never get anywhere because somebody treats you bad, you're going to treat them bad back. If they ain't do nothing for me, I ain't going to do nothing for them. You ain't never going nowhere. Look at your neighbor and say, you ain't going nowhere. Thank you. You got to learn to be, show kindness to people because you never know who they might be. Go ahead, lean over to your neighbor. He preaching better than you're saying amen.

31:09 Amen. Hallelujah. I feel a shout coming on me right now because I can look back over my life at people who didn't treat me right, but I treated them right. I did kind to them even though they didn't treat me right. I'm preaching to somebody here today. You need to treat folk right. Treat them the way the Lord wants you to treat them. Don't reciprocate the people because they hurt you. Don't you hurt them. Oh, my God, I feel a shout coming on me. Somebody say recovery will require restoration and research. Somebody say and research. So David said to him, verse 15, I'm in verse 15, I'm almost finished. And David said to him, can you take me down to this troop? This is his research. Take me where these jokers are.

32:03 Can you take me to where they are? So he said, verse 15, swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master and I will take you down to this troop. If you look out for me, I'm going to look out for you. Verse 16, and when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines. and from the land of Judah. They were having a party. They were dancing. They were celebrating. They were going on. They had it going on, celebrating with David's stuff. I can see David looking off from the hill, say. That's my record player down there that they playing.

33:03 And that music I hear, that's my earth, wind and fire tear. They were celebrating the spoils of what they had taken. from the land of Judah. And I celebrate the fact that I'm going to have to talk about this a little bit more next week because I have, ooh, it's 1101. I was hoping somebody would say take my time, but y'all didn't.

33:41 They showed some kindness to a man who had fallen sick. Some of you need to go back to the people that you have not treated well and ask them to forgive you. They might have been the person God brought into your life to open up some doors of miracles for you. But you were nasty. You were mean. You are insensitive. If y'all all say amen together, nobody will know I'm talking about you. You could have missed out on what God has for you because you refused to treat people the way God wanted you to treat them. Amen. I am persuaded that relationships mean everything to God. I am convinced it's critical for you.

34:43 Somebody need to go back to broken relationships and ask God to heal them. Amen. I can always tell when I'm talking to y'all, y'all get so quiet. Go ahead, make that list of them. Y'all got several lists. first ones are the people you need to say goodbye to there's another list of people you need to be kind to treat them the way God wants you to treat them now some of y'all are not able to do either one of those things because you don't know Jesus you don't have a relationship with him when you grow your relationship with Jesus he'll tell you who needs to be in your life and who doesn't need to be in your life Amen. He will tell you. So my assignment today is to challenge you today because God wants to restore.

35:36 God wants you to be recovered, but you have to maintain proper relationship.