While David and his men were off fighting, the Amalekites destroyed their homes and took their families captive. First, David’s army wept. Second, they looked to David for guidance. Third, David sought God, 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.”’ Notice four important points:

(1) Satan will attack your loved ones to get to you. It may be big stuff like your husband losing his job or your wife discovering a lump in her breast, or little stuff like low-grade family tension and lack of consideration for each other. You need to stay alert and discern Satan’s attacks so you can defend yourself against them.

(2) Love people but lean only on God. The people David fought side by side with one day turned against him the next day. That’s why your strength, strategies, and solutions for living must come from God, not others.

(3) Talk to yourself in the right way. ‘David encouraged himself in the Lord.’ (1 Samuel 30:6 KJV) If you want to end up discouraged, talk about your situation. If you want to be encouraged, talk to the One who can change your situation—the Lord. The Bible says, ‘A wholesome [uplifting, positive, inspiring] tongue is a tree of life.’ (Proverbs 15:4 NKJV) So learn to talk to yourself in the right way.

(4) You can get back what you have lost. God told David, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.’ And what God did for David and his men that day, He will do for you if you seek Him.