Welcome to
Zion Bread of Life Christian Church

Sunday, 25th February 2024

Rev Daniel Xi An Poon

How can we turn defeat into victory? The world tries to put us down, even though we proclaim joy, but somehow we will still worry and depress. The devil wants us to stay depressed and defeat, and therefore it’s important for us to keep on reminding ourselves, Jesus is the only Way. There are also people in the Bible who turned defeat into victory, and one of them is King David. David was not a perfect man, but the Bible says David is a man ‘after God’s own heart’. How can a normal person like David be the man after God’s own heart?

I Samuel 27:1 “And David said in his heart, now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.”

David was chased by King Saul at the time, he was worried and he was afraid. He tried to run away, and he used his own knowledge to decide where he should run to. In his logic, he thought that if he leave Israel, then Saul would not find him, especially run to the enemy of Saul, the Philistines. David was just a normal person, he was thinking how a normal person would think, and he made decisions according to how the world would make decisions. So when and how did David start his journey of following God?

I Samuel 30:1-8 “Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, please bring the ephod here to me. And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 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.”

1. Contrary to Wishes 事與願違

We are the followers of Christ, we believe in God, and we are baptised, but it seems that there are still troubles in our lives. David was the same, he trusted in God, but he was in a troublesome situation. All his family and belongings are being taken away by the enemy, and even his men wanted to kill him. When David tried to do things with his own method, when he tried to take over his own life, troubles will continue to arise. We also tend to make decisions according to our own will, instead of God’s Will. David thought Ziklag was a safe place for him to bring his family to, but Ziklag did not bring protection to them.

David’s life change from Ziklag, instead of continuing with his own ways, he turned to God. Everything happened to him was contrary to what he wished and planned. Even the people following David turned to him, because they thought by following David, they and their family would be protected. David became their idol, and therefore when the enemy took away their families and belongings, the people changed and wanted to kill David. The world is also putting us in this situation, for us to blame God. when we come across troubles. Who brought the people to Ziklag? It was not God, they did not inquire God when they moved to Ziklag.

When we stopped seeking God, we will slowly lose our ways, we will walk in our own ways, not God’s Way. Then problems will arise, our decisions will be challenged, and relationships with others will be broken. David and his followers were facing problems, they lost the peace inside their heart. God wants to give us peace, but the world wants to take our peace away.

2. Bind Your Heart to God in the Midst of Trouble 在困難中把心與神綁在一起

When Saul tried to kill David, David chose to run away. But this time, when David faced troubles, he changed his way. Even when David’s men wanted to kill him, David changed, he chose to bind his heart to God. He is not using his ways anymore, instead, he used God’s Way. God is David’s Creator, and David knew he could rely on God. The Bible told us that David was worried and greatly stressed, but he chose to strengthen himself in God. David chose to believe God even before he retrieved his family and belongings.

David’s heart changed, he repented, and he knew God was his only help. So often we ask God to help us, we ask God to solve our problems, but our hearts still stay the same. We want to see things happen as what we wish, then we will change, but this is not faith. Faith is to believe before seeing it happen, it’s not about what the environment is, it’s not about living a smooth life, but to trust in God no matter what. Jesus has given us the best example, He didn’t come to the world to be a rich man or a king, but He trusted in God no matter the situation.

When we follow God, we must know that God is using His Way to guide us, we are not the ones giving conditions to God and bargain with God. In the Kingdom of God, He has His Principles and His Way, and this is what we must follow. David in Ziklag learnt this lesson, he knew he must follow God’s Way, put his trust in God, and bind his heart to God.

3. Seek and Rely on God in the Midst of Trouble 在困難中依靠神

David recognised his problem, he knew his struggling, even though he already repented, and even though he was strengthened by God, he humbled himself before God and admitted his mistakes. Do we know why we make mistakes? Do We recognise the mistakes we are making? There are so many voices around the world that tried to get in our head, sometimes we thought we have received from God, but do we really know God’s Way? David knew he needed help, he went to the high priest, he humbled himself, and turned to the servant of God for help.

David was honest before God, he did not hide anything from God, and he honoured the authority appointed by God on the earth. God did not talk to David straight away, God did not speak to David directly, but through the priest. And David was willing to follow and trust in God. How can we turn defeat into victory? We must know that if we use our ways, then at the end, we must carry the consequences, on the other hand, when we seek God and follow God, He will turn our defeat into victory.

When we face troubles, we tend to run away, the world tells us to run away, saying to us the grass is greener on the other side. But God’s Way is not like this, He will prepare a feast in the presence of our enemy. He can restore relationship, He can mend the broken, and He will turn our defeated experiences into a testimony of victory, to show the people His greatness. We will be honoured and people will see God’s glory in our lives.