Encourage Yourself!

1 Samuel 30:6 “…David encouraged (strengthened) himself in the LORD his God.”

I like to sing (Make noise) in the shower and sometimes I have bad days! There, you now have two new personal revelations about me. King David had these same days and so do each of us. Listen to his words in Psalm 42:5 “Why art you cast down, O my soul? and why are you disquieted in me? Hope in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” It is a good thing to sing in the shower, especially if you are singing the song of the Lord.

1 Samuel 30 tells us a story about when David was having a particularly bad day. David and all of his fighting men had returned home from a brief excursion against the Philistines when they discovered that the Amalekites had come against their own hometown of Ziklag. They discovered that all of their women and children had been captured and taken away. The Bible tells us in verse 6 that “David was in serious trouble because his men were very bitter about losing their women and children.

Each of us in the very recent past has found ourselves in “serious trouble,” as well. Perhaps it’s your children, your spouse, finances, health, emotions, relationships, church, employment, etc.. No matter what the situation or circumstance, we would do well to see how David responded and found himself recovering all that had been taken from him, destroyed his enemies, and also took their herds and flocks as the spoils of war!

David did not sit on a log and cry out in despair, “Oh woe is me!” He did not call on his friends to have a group pity party. He did not run from his situation or drown his sorrows in the medication of the day. He did not allow himself to get depressed. 1 Samuel 30:6 “…David encouraged (strengthened) himself in the LORD his God.”

It doesn’t address in 1 Samuel what exactly David did, but we do have and entire Book of Psalms (Songs) that demonstrates quite clearly how David reacted when things went from bad to worse. David began to sing to himself and to the Lord. Feast on these words:

Psalm 103: 1-5 “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all thy diseases; Who redeems thy life from destruction; who crowns thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.” David started singing to HIMSELF words inspired by the Spirit of God!

Anyway…back to me singing in the shower! I was having a bad day and headed downward. (Instead of looking upward) The Lord brought David’s experiences at Ziklag to my heart and I heard Him say to me, “…David encouraged (strengthened) himself in the LORD his God.” I’m smarter than I look, so I began to ask the Lord to give me not just any song, BUT a Song of the Lord! This is what He gave me…

I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!
I can do all things His Strength has set me free!

When I get up in the morning
And I face a brand new day,
I lift my hands unto the sky,
These are the words I say

I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!
I can do all things His Strength has set me free!

Then I dive into my Bible
And I feast on Words of Life.
No matter what the day may bring,
My strength comes from on High!

I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!
I can do all things His Strength has set me free!

As I began to sing, the words came alive in my spirit and Victory for the day and following week burst forth! Just like David, I recovered all that had been taken from me, I saw my enemies destroyed right in front of my face, and I was given some spoils of war, as well!

Maybe you ought to try singing the Song of the Lord in the face of your enemy. Encourage yourself in the Lord right now! When you praise, He shows up on the scene! Psalm 22:3 “But YOU are holy, O You Who inhabits the praises of Israel.”

When he shows up…your enemies scatter!

WALKING YOUR WAY UP WHEN YOU'RE DOWN!

1 Timothy 4:8 “Physical exercise has some value…”

For the last year I have been observing a major attack of depression on the Body of Christ and people in the world alike. I preached on “How to Defeat depression according to the Bible” just a few short weeks ago and have also written several recent articles right here on the Blog site!

Since the Lord created our bodies, He knows that physical exercise does have some value in our lives. 1 Timothy 4:8 as listed above continues to say “…but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward both in this life and the next.” Spiritual principles have the major place in dealing with depression for it deals with the root source of a wounded spirit.

However I read a recent article that I want to share with you on Exercising your way out of Depression! Does science line up with Scripture? Of course it does. “Physical exercise does have some value…”

Read the following quotes from the Article entitled Exercise and Depression” I’ll give you the link at the bottom of the message.

“Energy loss is one of the key characteristics of depression.”

“Exercise generates energy”

“There’s a whole series of things that happen when we begin to exercise. As we get up and begin to move and exercise, there’s a general bodily arousal state that occurs. It includes many different systems of the body -- everything from metabolism to cardiovascular activation, various kinds of endocrine changes in the brain, various kinds of hormonal changes and shifts."

“With moderate exercise, [in our research] we’ve been working with short, brisk walks [of] five or 10 minutes. The primary mood effect in that situation is increased energy. Secondarily, sometimes -- but not always -- there’s a tension reduction."

"With more intense exercise -- for example, an hour of heavy aerobic exercise -- there is a reduction in energy and a reduction in tension. But oftentimes, after recovery [from the workout], there’s an energy resurgence that occurs."

“Short, brisk walks’ studies really illustrates this point. People can think about ... how tired they’re feeling, then get up and begin to walk -- walking moderately, maybe quickly down the street for a short while. Immediately, they will begin to feel differently. As we’ve found with short, brisk walks of five to 10 to 15 minutes, there’s a significant increase in energy. They begin to feel it almost immediately."

“It’s a significant problem because when you’re depressed, you have no energy. When you think about exercising, you have no energy to try it. What I suggest is to start out very minimally, just getting up and walking a few steps or just down the street. Then as they begin to move a little bit, they start feeling differently, and they’re able to do some more."

“Exercise is vital."

"Exercise should be part of a treatment plan for depression. The exclusive use of exercise for depression could be a problem for various reasons. But it should be part of an entire treatment plan."

Check out the full article. http://health.webmd.com/cgi-bin21/DM/y/mBGi10MsAKT0GB0B5J80Fj

So the next time you are feeling blue, grab the Ipod, put on some Praise and Worship music and take a walk…even a short one. Let your body work the way it was designed. Start out with five-ten minutes and don’t feel the need to overdue it.

1 Timothy 4:8 “Physical exercise has some value…”

JUST A PERSONAL NOTE: BEGINNING TUESDAY JULY 13, 2010 @ 7:15 pm, I WILL BEGIN A SERIES ON "THE END TIMES" AT CALVARY CHAPEL. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE @ 410-969-5100. EVERY TUESDAY EVEBNING AT 7:15 LOVE TO SEE YOU THERE!