Please enjoy this excerpt from Bishop Pitts' newest book, Fault Lines. See below for purchase options!
God’s plan is always for your comeback
to be greater than your setback!
Look at this familiar story from the life of David. In 1 Samuel 30, David returns to Ziklag to find the city torched to the ground by the Amalekites. All the wives and children had been taken captive. David and his men lifted up their voices until they had no more power to weep. It’s okay to cry – there is a time for everything. But, there is a moment when you’ve cried long enough. David was greatly distressed – the people spoke of stoning him because of the grief in their own souls. It was a terrible scene, but what did David do in the midst of his pain? He encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
There will be times when you will have to be your own cheering section. Look yourself in the mirror and declare: “God is with me and for me. His hand is on me, and He’s been good to me.” Sometimes, you have to say it when you’re facing a stack of bills or feeling sick in your body or when it seems like nothing good is going on around you. Clap for yourself! Declare that God is on your side and that the Lord Himself will fight for you. If you don’t have anyone to encourage you, learn to encourage yourself. Learn how to thank God for your own breakthrough and your own open door. Praise God until something begins to happen for you!
Your confession of faith must be that the future you is going to outdo the present you. Further in the story of 1 Samuel 30, David asked the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake?” The LORD answered, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them, and without fail, you shall recover all.”
Remember that the pronouncement over Gad was, “A troop shall overcome, but he shall overcome at the last.” Gad ended up establishing a specific area and the people who dwelled there became known as the Gadarenes. Many years later, in Mark 5, Jesus came out of the boat to this same place. There was a man there who was dealing with a troop – a legion of demons had overtaken him. He was overcome, but what he didn’t know was that he was in a place with a prophetic promise. Jesus asked him, in verse 9, “What is your name?”, and he answered, “We are legion, for we are many.” Jesus opened up His mouth and with one word brought deliverance and freedom to this man – this man who had been thrown in the fire and in the water, this man who had his dwelling in the tombs, this man no one else could help, this man there was no hope for, this man they had all said was out of his mind. This man was now clothed and sitting in his right mind when the people of the city came to see him. This man is a picture of you – bouncing back by the words of Jesus.
People are going to be amazed at you. They’re going to say, “The last time I saw you, you were rock bottom and bitter. What has happened to you?” And, you’re going to testify, “Yes, that’s very true, a troop had overtaken me, but I bounced back and I bounced back better!”
When it felt like your life was thrown into chaos, you could’ve lost your mind and no one would’ve faulted you for it. You could’ve said, “It’s too much,” and no one would have disagreed. You can have a setback where you lose your momentum and your rhythm, or you get bad news that knocks the wind out of you, or you go through a tragedy, or have unanswered prayer or a financial crisis. But, God wants to give you a bounce-back. You may feel like you’re in the boxing ring, but Jesus has always been in your corner!
For more insight into bouncing back better and building a life where you can emerge stronger after setback, check out Bishop Pitts’ new book, Fault Lines, available here!
