Jesse Lockhart 7-1-26

Podcast Summary — “Encouraging Yourself in the Lord”

This message opens in 1 Samuel 30, where David and his men return to Ziklag only to find the city burned, their families taken captive, and their strength drained to the point that “they wept until they had no more power to weep.” The preacher uses this moment to paint a picture of what it feels like when life pulls the props out from under you — when you go from spiritual heights to sudden collapse, and the enemy seems to strike while you’re away, unprepared, and feeling safe.

He describes the emotional weight of seeing smoke rising from what used to be home, the panic of not knowing whether loved ones are alive, and the human instinct to look for someone to blame. David’s men even spoke of stoning him, not because he failed them, but because grief makes people desperate for a target.

From there, the message shifts to faith’s vision — how faith looks beyond the smoke. The preacher brings in Abraham interceding for Lot in Sodom, showing how sometimes all we see is destruction, but on the other side of the smoke God is still leading His people out. The smoke is the enemy’s distraction; faith is the ability to trust what you cannot yet see.

The heart of the sermon is David’s turning point:

“But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”

When no one else had strength, when no one else could lift him, David called for the ephod — a symbol that he was going to do business with God. The preacher emphasizes that sometimes you must do your own praying, your own encouraging, your own leaning on God. Friends help, but they are human; God alone never fails.

He reminds listeners that God is the rock, fortress, deliverer, and high tower — quoting David’s own words from Psalms — and that victory in Jesus is still real, still available, still necessary. The message closes with the call to trust God when you have nothing else to lean on, because that’s when you discover He is all you need.

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Whitwell, Tennessee — Fairview Union Church