Acting With Tenacity

tenacity -- mean mental or moral strength to resist opposition, danger, or hardship
stubborn persistence and unwillingness to admit defeat, resolve, firmness, determination.

David was Set Apart.  Anointed, Made Pure by confessing his sins, Accountable to his Godly friend Jonathan, had found a secRet place but was also filled with TENACITY.

Saul is on a mission to kill David and anyone who helps David. In fact, Saul kills 85 priest because they knew that David had fled but they did not disclose that information to Saul the king.  And this is where we pick up the story...

1 Samuel 23:1-5 David Saves the City of Keilah

23 Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” 2 Therefore David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3 But David's men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David inquired of the LORD again. And the LORD answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” 5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

David by obedience to the Lord goes up to Keilah, him and his men, they defeat the philistines that were waging war and robbing grain. David had done a great thing for king and country in defeating the king’s enemies.

But after all that David has done word gets out that Saul is in pursuit...

6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. 7 Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8 And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”

The very people whom he had saved would turn on him and give Saul information about David’s whereabouts.  But David has tenacity…stubborn persistence and unwillingness to give up.
I love David’s response He puts on a worship clinic. He calls for the Ephod and seeks direction from God? He knew even in this situation that God had a plan.  He knew by the information bought him that Saul was plotting his ruin (1 Sam. 23:9) and therefore applied to his great protector for direction. No sooner is the ephod brought to him than he makes use of it the Word of God. 

Maybe he reads Joshua 1:8 “Be strong and very courageous, do not Fear."  Perhaps he rereads the story of young Joseph the dreamer who acted with tenacity.  Or maybe he read of Noah who built a boat in tenacity even though he didn’t know what rain was.  Saul was coming with 3000 men. David had about 600 men. The odds were against him, He might as well admit defeat. Saul would eventually catch him and kill him. It would have been easy to call it quits and to say what’s the point of running?

He flees the area. He has a stubborn persistence, He refuses to admit defeat.

10 Then David said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will surrender you.” 13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. 14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.

How many of you know, if God is on your side it does not matter how big the enemy seems to be, It does not matter if you are completely surrounded, Your God is bigger!

The question is will you be tenacious and never say die?

Never give in, never give up, and refuse to admit defeat.

Psalms 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

How do we respond when surrounded by our enemies?

How do we respond when we are betrayed?  Because we are set apart, we are different from the world. Therefore we do not respond the way the world would.  Oh that we would act with tenacity!

Throughout David’s life you see him acting with tenacity. When he kills the bear in the field. When he kills the giant with five smooth stones. When he runs away for years of his life from Saul his once friend now enemy. You see this young man who refuses to give up, refuses to be defeated, he has a stubborn persistence to accomplish the things that are before him.

One thing that will help us to have tenacity is knowing who we are in Christ and that He has a plan for our life. God had a plan for David’s life. He was anointed to become king of Israel that is what he was destined for. More than just any king, it would be through his lineage the messiah would come. He would need resolve, determination, steadfastness or in other words he would need to act with tenacity.

He would have to overcome these trials and many others that were soon to come.
In James 1:2, we are told to “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Just as David received a crown, tenacious people will receive the crown of life on the other side. That is why we can count it all joy. It says that after someone has stood the test of trials in this life and remained Tenacious, then they will receive the crown of life.  The crown of life is not given to those who receive the gospel “with joy” and “endure for a while” but give up “when difficulty or persecution happens. But to those who endure to the end.  God’s people will not live a trial free life. But when we go through trial we act with tenacity knowing in our weakness He is made strong. Just as it was in David’s case.

You can act with tenacity in your marriage- you can have such a resolve and determination in your heart that the word divorce will never be a part of your vocabulary and you would spend more time on your knees.

You can act with tenacity in relationships- Those that turn their backs on you or misuse you just as they did with David, it does not have to affect you. Because you refuse to be beaten by this you run to God, grab the ephod and claim His words over your situation.

You can act with tenacity in your walk with Christ. Just as David had a zeal for the Lord’s anointing and would not kill Saul, you too can have a zeal for the things of God and not be beaten by the lust of the flesh.

You can act with tenacity over sickness. Sickness is beaten by the blood of Jesus. He has paid the highest price and the enemy WILL NOT WiN!

You can act with tenacity for unsaved people. That you would rush the throne of grace crying out for the lost ones here in east Houma, in your family, for coworkers.

Just as David was surrounded by his enemies and overcame, you too can overcome if you just act in tenacity. You only lose if you give up.  Today would you ACT in TENACITY.