You’re targeted by a thief

The devil is out to steal, kill and destroy everything that belongs to you or should belong to you.

John 10:10 (NKJV)

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

You have been called to resist the enemy, use your authority and stand your ground. You were called to guard what belongs to you and reclaim whatever the enemy has stolen from you.

Yet, too many times when Christians have suffered a loss, they retreat. They go into flight mode instead of fight mode. They are so wrapped up in their situation; they aren’t prepared for battle “You can’t defeat the enemy by being a part-time Christian.” But our Lord and savior is a God of restoration. His will is for you to recover everything that has been stolen from you and live in VICTORY.

What has the devil stolen from you? Was it a relationship, your health, your finances, your children? Do you want it back? God is ready for you to storm into the enemy’s camp and reclaim what is rightfully yours. It’s time to get it back!

So, here’s the question, How do you reclaim what the enemy has stolen.

Encourage Yourself and build yourself up in the Lord.

1 Samuel 30:6 (NKJV)

 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.

It had to have been one of the worst days of David’s life. David and his men had been away at battle when they returned home to Ziklag, only to find that their enemies, the Amalekites, had taken everything. Their wives, children, and everyone else from their camp had been abducted, to top it off the Amalekites burned the whole town to the ground.

David and his men “wept until they could weep no more”

1 Samuel 30:4 (NKJV)

Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

 Then it got worse, David’s men were so bitter about what had happened, they began talking about stoning him! This is when David became greatly distressed. David found himself at a crossroads.

Have you ever been at a crossroads like that? Where something bad happened you. Maybe not Ziklag bad, but bad enough to put you in great distress. Something that you can’t see a way out of. That’s because you’re choosing which direction to go and, ultimately, your final destination.

Will you stay in the place of weeping, distress and mourning and accept what seems to be your new reality? Or will you stand up, fight, and reclaim what the enemy has stolen from you?

What we do know is this, David recovered everything the enemy stole from him. So, if we want to reclaim what the enemy has stolen, you need to follow his example. And the first thing he did was encourage himself in the Lord. That’s not always the first thing that comes to mind, but it is the key to breakthrough.

How do you encourage yourself?

First, with the Word of God, “You have got to keep going with The WORD until you win.” Dive into the Word and remind yourself of what He has said about you, the dominion He’s given you, and the promises He has made to you. It is impossible to spend good time in the Word and not walk away encouraged in the Lord.

Second, remind yourself of all the victories He’s given you. You may start slowly in remembering, but when you get going, those times He’s healed you, delivered you, favored you and defended you are going to come one after another until you’re shouting victory so loudly you’ll be ready to run after the enemy and reclaim everything that’s been stolen from you.

When things look bad, even impossible don’t quit. Encourage yourself in the Lord. Then, get ready to move into battle, put on the full armor of God. Go after what was stolen from you, pursue the enemy.

1 Samuel 30:8 (NKJV)

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.”

If you’ve ever received a great spirit boosting talk, that feeling that makes you motivate to run though a brick wall, that feeling that makes you ready to get out there and make it happen! It somehow gives you a surge of energy and enthusiasm that can’t be quenched by anything other than taking action.

That’s what happened to David when he encouraged himself in the Lord. He went to the Lord and asked, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And God said, “Pursue…” For David, to pursue meant to gather his men, gather information about his enemies, then attack them until they were defeated.

What does pursuing look like in your situation? If the devil has stolen your health, your sleep, and your peace, how can you begin to pursue? You begin by making a decision that you’re not going to camp out where you are and settle for his thievery. You’re not going to tolerate it any longer. Instead, you’re going to take up arms and go get your health back! Or your finances, relationship, opportunity, or anything else he’s stolen.

Your weapons are the Word of God, and the knowledge of your authority over all the powers of darkness. It comes from a place of feeling power rise up on the inside of you, then determining to operate fully in that power.

 “When you move over on God’s side, you begin to take a bite out of fear on a daily basis. And you begin to take back the ground you’ve lost every day. You start doing something every day you haven’t been doing. If you’ve been bedridden with sickness and disease, you begin to do something. If you can’t do anything but wiggle your left finger, figure out some way to wiggle it harder today than you did yesterday. And you begin to take back the ground and take back the Kingdom, take back what belongs to you in the Name of our Lord Jesus because you are the righteousness of God!”

And do the same thing for your finance, your relationships, or anything else that’s been stolen. Pursue it. Take it back. It belongs to you!

God Bless, Israel