Over the years, the devil struck and stole many things that belong to us such as our health, our joy, our finances, our marital joy, etc. To this end, we really need to recover all that the enemies had taken from us all these previous years if we are to fulfill our destiny.
For that reason, we really need to pursue, overtake as to recover all. To understand this topic, we need to go back to the Bible and get our background story from there. We can see the story in 1Samuel 30:1-20.
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 to recover all.” So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind.
Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives.
And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.
Like what happened to David and his men in the above story, there are many things that belong to us that are in the hands of the devil, which he collected when he invaded our life and family. As we are in the new year, we really need to pursue the enemy, overtake as to recover all as David did.
For some of us, it is our health, for some, it is our resources (Finances) while for some it is peace in our families, and for some, it may be one thing or the other. Whatsoever the case, we really need to pursue, overtake as to recover them all.
However, before we start to pursue, we need first to inquire of the Lord, that is to say, we need to pray to get directives from the Lord. When David inquired of the Lord, the LORD answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail to recover all.” It is on the strength of that assurance from GOD that David and his men pursued his enemy.
It was at the strength of God’s assurance that David and his men pursued, overtook, and recovered all. From verses 11-15 we saw that David had help, a person who gave him the direction to where to find his enemy. So that is what happens when we are pursuing under God’s directives, HE will send helpers on our way to guide us to victory.
In other words, most of the time, the success, breakthrough as well as victories we have in life is as a result of the help God sent our way. So we really need to be alert to recognize and utilize the help God is sending our way. Those who fail to recognize the help God sent their way always miss out as they do fail to utilize this help.
David and some of his men were able to overtake his enemy because they were determined and refused to be fainthearted or weary, so we really need to determine and not give up on weariness. It is our strong determination that will make our pursuit of our enemies pay off.
See Isaiah chapter 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint”.
In pursuing our enemies, we need to accelerate or increase our speed to run faster than our enemies because unless we are faster, we will never catch up before we can overtake. While pursuing, another way we can catch up faster as to be able to overtake is to use a faster means.
That is, while our enemies are traveling by road, we could take off in the air Isaiah 40:31b “they shall mount up with wings as eagles”; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.
After David overtook his enemy, before he could recover all that belong to him and his men, he attacked and defeated them. 1st Samuel30:17 “And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled”.
In other words, before we can recover what belongs to us that are in the hands of the enemies, we must show strength, we must be stronger than our enemies. It is only if we are stronger than our enemies that we can defeat them like David.
That is why we must never joke about our spiritual life this year. That is why this year must be a year of total recovery. We must be determined to make it so. Shalom!
