Insights
Seeking Guidance from God
🤔 When faced with difficult situations, instead of making snap decisions, it’s important to pause, think, and seek guidance from God.
🤔 “A godly person is going to stop and think, pause and think, ‘What shall I do? How shall I handle this?'” – Dr. Charles Stanley
🤔 Pausing and being quiet allows our negative emotions to settle, giving us clarity to ask God, “What shall I do, Lord?”
🛡️ “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing, our Helper, He amid the flood, of mortal ills prevailing.” – The power and strength of God can overcome any challenge we face.
💡 By acknowledging our inadequacy and asking God for guidance, we can make wise decisions and avoid regrets in tough times.
🤔 Trust in God’s wisdom and follow His instructions, even if they don’t make sense to you.
🤔 God knows better than empty promises; true change comes from genuine confession, repentance, and seeking guidance on what to do next.
📖 Sometimes, when seeking guidance from God, reading the Word of God can reveal answers that have been there all along but haven’t been noticed.
🙏 When faced with a situation where you have no one else to ask for advice, turn to God and His Word for guidance and encouragement.
Dealing with Difficult Situations
💔 King Saul’s jealousy towards David led him to try to destroy him, showing the destructive power of envy.
💔 David’s relationship with Saul was filled with conflict and danger, yet he chose not to harm him, showing incredible restraint and forgiveness.
💪 Despite being chased and hunted, David made the controversial decision to join the Philistines, showing that desperate situations can lead to unexpected choices.
😢 David faced the distressing situation of his city being burned and his loved ones taken captive, but he found strength by encouraging himself in the Lord his God.
😢 David faced extreme adversity and had no one to turn to, yet he didn’t give up.
The Power of Encouragement
🙏 We have the privilege and responsibility to be encouragers to others, even when they may not feel comfortable sharing their struggles.
🙏 The impact of encouragement can last for centuries, as the Psalms written over two thousand years ago continue to inspire and uplift people today.
💭 To encourage ourselves, we can recall past times when God came through for us in difficult situations or heartaches.
Summary
TLDR: The key idea of the video is that we must learn to encourage ourselves in difficult times by seeking God’s guidance, trusting in His wisdom, and obeying His instructions.
- 🙏 We must learn to encourage ourselves in difficult times, as exemplified by David in the Psalms, who found strength and comfort in God despite his struggles with King Saul.
1.1 In difficult times, it is important to have someone to confide in and seek encouragement from, but there are situations where we may feel unable to share our distress, so we must learn how to respond to these situations on our own.
1.2 Sometimes people may appear down or different but not feel comfortable sharing their struggles, so it is important to remember that we have the ability to encourage ourselves in difficult times.
1.3 God intends for us to encourage ourselves, as exemplified by David in the Psalms, which have been encouraging people for over two thousand years.
1.4 David has been running from King Saul for years due to Saul’s jealousy and attempts to destroy him, including throwing a javelin at him twice.
- 🙏 Despite facing relentless pursuit, betrayal, and loss, David finds strength and encouragement in the Lord, teaching us the importance of encouraging ourselves in times of hardship.
2.1 Saul relentlessly pursued David, even though David spared his life, and eventually both Saul and his son Jonathan were killed in battle.
2.2 David, who was being chased and had joined the Philistines, was not wanted in battle by the Philistine soldiers because they feared he would turn against them, despite the king acknowledging David’s righteousness.
2.3 David and his men return to find their city burned and their loved ones taken captive, and despite being distressed and facing the threat of being stoned by his own people, David finds strength and encouragement in the Lord his God.
2.4 David, who had lost everything and was being threatened by six hundred men, had no one to turn to and no hope for a positive outcome.
2.5 When faced with heavy heartaches and no one to turn to, David strengthened himself in the Lord.
2.6 Encouraging ourselves involves finding ways to strengthen and uplift our own spirits, even when we don’t have others to rely on for encouragement.
- 🙏 Pause, reflect, and seek God’s guidance in difficult situations to find strength, overcome fear, and make wise decisions.
3.1 In difficult situations, instead of making impulsive decisions, it is important to pause, reflect, and seek guidance from God.
3.2 A godly person will pause and think about how to handle a situation, finding refuge and strength in God who is a present help in trouble, allowing them to overcome fear and uncertainty.
3.3 Stop striving and know that God is in control, as we often argue with Him and struggle to accept His message, but by pausing and being quiet, we can allow our negative emotions to settle and seek guidance from Him.
3.4 In difficult situations, it is important to get quiet before God, wait upon Him, and not make hasty decisions.
- 🙏 Seek God’s guidance in every situation, trust in His wisdom, and obey His instructions without questioning, even in challenging and uncertain circumstances.
4.1 Stop and ask God for guidance when facing challenges, and remember that with Christ on our side, we can overcome any obstacle.
4.2 Ask God for guidance and wisdom in every situation, as He already knows the right answer and has a plan to bring you through any difficulties or hardships.
4.3 David sought guidance from God by asking the priest to bring him the ephod, in order to inquire if he should pursue a certain band.
4.4 In tough situations, seek God’s guidance and obey His instructions without questioning, as He has the wisdom and answers we need.
4.5 If you’re living in sin, don’t expect God to answer your prayers; instead, genuinely confess, repent, and ask for guidance on how to clean up your life.
4.6 Pursuing someone who wants to kill you and not knowing where they are can be a challenging and uncertain situation.
- 🙏 Trust in God’s guidance and recall His past victories to encourage ourselves when seeking guidance, as remembering our history builds faith and confidence for future battles.
5.1 When we are unsure and seeking guidance from God, we can open the Word of God and ask Him to show us where to read, as He can speak to us clearly through His Word, and sometimes we have to encourage ourselves when we don’t have anyone else to ask for guidance.
5.2 When faced with a situation where there is no one else to ask for advice, it is important to turn to God and His Word for guidance and encouragement.
5.3 God always has an answer for any situation we face, and it is important to trust Him, even if His instructions may not seem right, and to recall past times when He has helped us.
5.4 Remember that you are making history in your life, as God has helped you in the past and there is nothing He can’t do to help you through whatever you may be going through.
5.5 Remembering and acknowledging God’s past victories in our lives is crucial, as it builds our history and faith, allowing us to face future battles with confidence.
5.6 Forgetting our history leads to repeating the same mistakes, so we must acknowledge and learn from our past experiences.
- 🙏 David’s faith in God’s past victories gave him confidence to face overwhelming odds, and by seeking God’s guidance, remembering His faithfulness, and obeying His instructions, David encouraged himself and achieved victory over his enemies.
6.1 David’s faith in God’s past victories gave him the confidence to face overwhelming odds, and God never leads us into traps but rather guides us through challenging situations.
6.2 Ask God again if you don’t believe the first time, as the Holy Spirit’s work is to confirm in your heart that God has spoken, and remember how God has helped you in the past when feeling discouraged.
6.3 God’s love and guidance are unchanging, so when faced with challenges, we should pause, seek His guidance, remember His faithfulness in the past, trust Him, and obey His instructions.
6.4 David encouraged himself in an impossible situation by challenging his men to follow him, even though they didn’t know where they were going, and he found help from an Egyptian soldier who had been cast aside by the enemy.
6.5 David’s army, despite being outnumbered and exhausted, successfully pursued and defeated the Amalekites, rescuing their families and reclaiming all their belongings.
6.6 David listened and obeyed God, leading to encouragement and victory over his enemies, and he valued and rewarded those who stayed behind to support him.
- 🙏 Trust in God’s guidance, seek His direction, and obey Him, as He is the ultimate healer and encourager who leads to victory and works everything out perfectly.
7.1 Trust in God’s guidance and not in human advice, as He is the ultimate healer and encourager, and following His direction leads to victory.
7.2 When faced with a difficult task, trust in God’s guidance and seek His direction, as He has a track record of bringing things to pass and works everything out perfectly.
7.3 God used a lone Egyptian to lead David to the enemy and help him recover everything he had lost, showing the importance of seeking and obeying God’s guidance.
- 🙏 Obey and trust God, find joy in doing what you love, and accept Jesus as your Savior for a purposeful and joyful life.
8.1 You are writing your own history and you want the people you’ve related to over the years to remember you in a positive way.
8.2 Obey and trust God without question, as He does not create failures, and the ultimate encouragement comes from being reunited with loved ones, regardless of material possessions.
8.3 One man encouraged himself before God, listened to Him, and did what He said, which is an unchangeable principle; there are other ways to encourage oneself, such as achieving and accomplishing something one loves to do, like preparing a message or engaging in photography.
8.4 Find something that brings you pleasure and do it, because God intends for us to be joyous and happy, and when we talk about what God is doing in our lives, our testimony becomes the most effective.
8.5 God’s plan is for His children to live a purposeful and joyful life, and if you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior, you will reap what you sow and cannot change that.
8.6 Without Christ, you will make a miserable mess of your life, so ask Jesus to forgive your sins and be your Savior, because money, fame, and influence won’t matter when you face God.
