“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.” – Hebrews 11:1-2 New King James Version.
Five Keys For Developing Your Faith For A New Beginning
These five keys begin with the alphabet “E” (ENCOURAGE, ENQUIRE, EMBARK, ENDURE, and ENTERTAIN) as inspired by the Holy Spirit from the first book of Samuel, the thirtieth chapter. (Please see 1 Samuel 30:1-19 King James Version).
King David and his men returned to find their city destroyed and their family taken captive. Overwhelmed with grief, they wept until they had no strength left. David’s two wives were among the captives, and his men, bitter with loss, even considered stoning him. The turning point came when David encouraged himself in the Lord, choosing faith over despair. (1 Samuel 30:6 KJV).
The first key is to ENCOURAGE yourself in the Lord your God by RECALLING to your mind God`s promise to you and HOLDING FAST to it as revealed from His WORD because what God has revealed to you has the POWER to HOLD you up, REJUVENATE you, and get you out of the state of depression in bad times. Psalm 119:49-50 The Message Bible says, “Remember what You said to me, Your servant—I hang on to these words for dear life! These words hold me up in bad times; yes, Your promises rejuvenate me.” Lamentations 3:21 KJV also says: “This I RECALL to my mind, therefore have I HOPE.” The New Living Translation put the same verse this way, “Yet I STILL DARE to HOPE when I REMEMBER this.”
The second key is to ENQUIRE (or INQUIRE, which according to the 1828 Noah Webster American Dictionary of English Language means to ask a question; to seek for truth or information by asking questions. “And David ENQUIRED at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And He answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt SURELY OVERTAKE them, and WITHOUT FAIL RECOVER ALL.” (1 Samuel 30:8 King James Version).
It is very important to SEEK the LORD and His STRENGTH and to SEEK His FACE EVERMORE as a lifestyle and not only in the times of storm. (see 1 Chronicles 16:11). To SEEK the LORD is to SEEK for TRUTH and the TRUTH of God when CORRECTLY APPLIED will ALWAYS GUARANTEE your TRIUMPH in any battle of life, for we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. (see 2 Corinthians 13:8 New King James Version).
The third key is EMBARK (To LAUNCH/START or SET OUT). “David went, he and the six hundred men with him. They arrived at the Brook Besor, where some of them dropped out. David and four hundred men KEPT UP THE PURSUIT, but two hundred of them were too fatigued to cross the Brook Besor, and stayed there.” (1 Samuel 30:9-10 the Message). David EMBARKED (LAUNCHED/SET OUT) in FAITH based on what God said and not on assumption.
The fourth key is ENDURE. You need to ENDURE while you EMBARK because there is a tendency to become faint (fatigue) and drop out from the PURSUIT, as in the case of two hundred of them who were too fatigued to continue in the PURSUIT, but PRAISE GOD, David and four hundred men KEPT UP THE PURSUIT! God`s INSPIRED WORD encourages us to ENDURE to the END: “But he who ENDURES to the END shall be SAVED.” (Matthew 24:13 New King James Version). The Message Bible put it this way: “STAYING with it—that’s what God REQUIRES. STAY with it to the END. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be SAVED.”
The fifth key is ENTERTAIN (HOSPITALITY). The 1828 Noah Webster American Dictionary of English Language definition of ENTERTAIN is “To receive into the house and treat with hospitality, either at the table only, or with lodging also.” And it references this text from God`s INSPIRED WORD: “Be not forgetful to ENTERTAIN strangers; for thereby SOME have ENTERTAIN angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2). David’s act of hospitality toward a stranded Egyptian—feeding and reviving him—became the crucial link to locating the enemy and fulfilling God’s promise of total recovery launching them into A NEW BEGINNING.
This encounter shows that when passion for a mission is paired with compassion for people, God’s plan unfolds, and the vision is accomplished without fail. (see 1 Samuel 30:11-15 New King James Version). [To be continued next week].
