In this episode of Real Life Radio, we delve into the transformative journey of David as he navigates the spiritual terrain of Old Testament challenges. Pastor Jack Hibbs guides us through the story of David’s flight from King Saul, illustrating the perilous effects of faith’s faltering grip. Through a compelling narrative, listeners are taken on a reflective path, examining personal faith journeys and learning how to rebuild one’s spiritual foundation on the immutable strength of God. With today’s message titled ‘When Faith Fails,’ Pastor Jack expounds on how crises can lead us back to a deeper, more resilient trust
When my faith is failing, fear comes in. Then I begin to act timid. I don’t have any more of the oomph to get out there and do things for God. I get real protective of my interests.
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This is Real Life. Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I’m David Jay, thanking you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God’s Word, the Bible.
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Your week is packed. You’re running on empty, and sometimes Sunday already feels like a distant memory by Wednesday. That’s exactly why real-life devotions exist. Each week, Pastor Jack Hibbs brings you a short but powerful moment in God’s Word designed to encourage, equip, and refocus your heart. It’s not another podcast or a long sermon. It’s a few meaningful minutes that meet you right where you are. Whether you’re on a commute, going for a walk, or you just need a reset in the middle of your day, Real Life Devotions are ready when you are. Fresh encouragement straight from the scripture. And it’s all just one click away. Check out the newest devotion now at jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. Your place for real faith, real encouragement, and real life. That’s Real Life Devotions at jackhibbs.com.
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on today’s edition of Real Life Radio. Pastor Jack continues now with his series called 1 Samuel and a message titled, When Faith Fails. Samuel of the Old Testament was the last judge of Israel and the first of her prophets. So here in chapter 21, we’ll consider how David is now living like a man without God as troubles begin to appear. You see, when our faith fails us, our old life makes a comeback and we struggle with the truth. David, he’s on the run, fleeing from King Saul. Now, he’s in a spiritually very weak place, fearful, desperate, and unsure of God’s protection. So today, Pastor Jack teaches us that it really is tragic when David’s faith fails, but a crisis can lead to growth and redirect us into a deeper dependence upon God. Now, with his message called, When Faith Fails, here’s pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs.
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When we begin to get our eyes off of God, we naturally, not supernaturally, we naturally begin to go after earthly things to help us out. We go after things to prop us up when our faith is not solely upon God. The danger of this is we can continue to live our lives as believers, but not exercise faith. Strong faith in God, meaning we can be a believer, we can be walking with God, so to speak, but we’ve got things that are propping us up. And if those things from the world are taken out from underneath us, we’ll fall down. Well, let me tell you, whatever it is in our lives, if it’s the ambition of life or if it’s the pursuit of this or whatever, power or drugs or I don’t know, the acceptance of men or women or a crowd or whatever, that’s a prop. And God’s grace is such that he loves you so much, he will send someone to pull that carpet out from underneath your feet so that your faith will be brought down to the brink so that you can start again. David’s faith is gonna be brought down, but God’s gonna build him up again. But listen, you don’t lay a skyscraper down on top of a clay foundation. I was blown away as you have been perhaps when you go to New York City. And you gotta wonder, there’s so much cement going so high in the air, you gotta wonder if it doesn’t throw the earth off, you know? It’s like, doesn’t, gosh, all this cement, you’d think it’d cause the earth to wobble or something that’s so big. Then you start thinking, how do they build those things so high? In September, I was at the Empire State Building, it was so tall, it was in the clouds. You couldn’t see the top of it when you went up to it. I mean, you couldn’t see the top of it when you stood at the base of it, it was in the clouds. Reaches to the sky. You got to wonder, how do they build stuff there? You drive around Chino Hills. Have you noticed Chino Hills? I don’t know. Right on Payton Drive where I live, the ground is sinking. Drives me nuts. They fill it in. And then about six months later, your car gets its wheels almost tore off again because it’s sinking. And there’s going to be an accident sometime because it keeps sinking. Sinking. And there’s no sign, warning, dip, warning, city sinking, something, no. But, you know, you build something in Chino Hills and it’s like, oh my goodness, they got all the soils tested because the ground’s so unstable. I understand people that, you know, you have swimming pools in Chino Hills, your pool is moving because the ground is so weird. How do you build something on that? Well, it’s very difficult. And you go to New York, they build these mountains of metal and concrete. You wanna know why? Manhattan is granite. You can build a skyscraper because it’s on a firm foundation. It’s not going anywhere. You’ve got to build your strength as a believer on Christ who is our foundation. The word of God. Knowing the word. You say, well, I already know all that. Great, then watch your building grow. Your spiritual success, watch it advance. But how’s the foundation? We will never know how our foundation is until it’s hit or struck. Those great twin towers came down, but frankly, the foundation didn’t go anywhere, did it? The foundation. And I just thought about this. David, you don’t need Goliath’s sword. You’ve got God. You’re a sling kind of guy. You know, you go out there and when you’re even younger, David, remember you killed a lion and a bear. And then you killed that big uncircumcised nincompoop Goliath. And then the cool part is you took the sword that you’re trusting in and you drug it across his neck and cut his head off. That’s pretty cool. But that sword’s never done nothing. But you know what? When our faith fails, we’ll make some disastrous moves. Final point, verses 10 to 15. When our faith fails, our witness will suffer. When our faith fails, our witness suffers more. Look at verse 10, 11. Our witness suffers because we go back into defeat. This is weird. Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul. That means he didn’t leave Saul’s presence. It meant he left Saul’s kingdom, the realm, and went to Achish, the king of Gath. Anybody remember where Goliath was from? Gath. Goliath was from Gath. David, what are you doing? And the servants of Achish said to him, is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another and dances singing, solid slain thousands, but David 10,000? What’s he going back there for? This enemy had already been defeated. Remember, remember in 1 Samuel 17, verses eight through 10, Goliath came out and he said, all right, here’s the deal. Israel, you send me one of your captains. I’ll fight him. Whoever wins becomes the champion of them all. And whoever loses becomes the servant to you. Remember that? So David came out there, whipped him. That meant… That Gath and the Philistines were losers. They were to be Israel’s servants. It was over for them. David goes to a place that’s defeated. When our faith fails, we will almost die. in a unconscious manner, gravitate back to places of defeat. In other words, when your friend or when you or when I have backslidden and you go back and visit the world and you’re backslidden, what are you doing? Where do you go? You go to old hangouts. What are you doing there? You don’t belong there anymore. You’re a new creation in Christ. It’s that old man again. Turn left, turn left. There, remember that? What are you doing? David, what are you doing going to Gath? They’re defeated. The enemy has been vanquished. David goes to Gath. It’s a strange thing to me. When our faith suffers and our witness suffers, we often gravitate to things that have been completely defeated and hold no power. To help. What was David thinking? Why go back to the places that the Lord has delivered us from? You know what I’m saying? Is something going on in your life and God might be using this right now to speak to you? Someone’s enticing you to go back to something where God’s delivered you out of it. Maybe alcoholism is your thing. You can’t handle drink and God’s delivered you from that. And somebody keeps saying, come on, oh, come on. Maybe it’s a boss. Hey, buddy, come on. You know, hang out with the guys. Happy hour, and who knows, you might get that raise. That’s satanic. You know, that guy’s probably got horns underneath his hair. Think about it. Hey, if you just do this, you know, there could be quite a thing in your stocking, you know, for Christmas. That’s demonic, right? That’s just like Satan standing there at the tree. Oh, come on, Eve, you know the score. God doesn’t want you to eat of the fruit of the tree because he knows the day that you eat of it, you’ll know good from evil. You’ll be just like him. That’s why he doesn’t want you to have it. Go ahead. And the Bible says, so when Eve looked at the fruit and saw, All the tantalizing things about it. Hmm. Make me wise. Make me powerful. Make me Miss Eden. I’m gonna go for it. She went after it. Hey, it worked in the garden. Hey, Adam and Eve were created in perfection, remember? So I’m not gonna fall for that. Oh yeah? They were perfect and they fell for it. Be careful. We need to be careful.
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You’re listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs. To learn more about this ministry or to catch up on some previous episodes, go to jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. And now let’s get back to today’s message. Once again, here’s Pastor Jack.
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I don’t know, is it me? But it seems like ever since they raised the first wall in the building over there in the property, Satan got out of a cage. And he keeps driving by this place and the new place and your place and my place. Hey, what’s going on over there? It’s almost like when they raised that wall up, it triggered a satanic alarm. Hey! This thing goes off in hell. What is going on? Can’t we keep that little church in that stupid little hidden place where nobody can find it? It’s weird. It’s all spiritual, man. It’s heavy, strange. But you know, God is so good because I remember them raising the wall and standing there going, God, and I’m crying. You didn’t know that. I was out there by myself. And the wall’s going, I’m crying. God, you’re so awesome. and the enemy, he makes plans. But you know what? I’d rather have the enemy make plans. Wouldn’t you rather be a believer? Wouldn’t you rather be a church that’s advancing in the kingdom so that the enemy’s gotta make plans? I wonder how many churches Satan drives by and goes, well, we got that one tied up. We got that one silenced. Look at them, they’re scared of a shadow. I’ve said this before, I’m gonna say it again, because I just want it to be a true fulfillment. You know, when Satan and his little demons, they could drive, you know, they’re out on a Friday night driving around. And they drive by this place, or any place where we gather, I don’t care if it’s on the side of a hill, to worship and to serve the Lord. I want them to get upset. I want them to go, oh no, drive, go, go. Get out of here, this place gives me the jeebies. They’re singing, hallelujah, praising the Lord, Bible, missionary stuff, people getting touched by God. Let’s get out of here. I can’t take it. Wouldn’t that be great? I hope that’s how it is. We need to stay out of the places of defeat. Don’t go back to the things that the Lord has delivered us from. It’s not worth it. It’s a dead end. Jesus warned. Jesus said that You can take a pig, you know, and you can wash him all up, but it’s still a pig and he’ll go right back to the mud because he’s a pig. Actually, Peter said that. Jesus didn’t say that. Peter said that. Peter also said, you know, a dog, dog’s a funny thing. He’ll puke his guts up on the carpet, shake his head and stuff, run around the yard a few times, come right back and lick it right up. And Peter says, you know what? That’s how people are who will, They’re religious, but they don’t know God. You can get them all dressed up, but they’re like a pig. They run right back into the mud. Because they’re a pig, they go to mud. And because they’re dogs, they go to vomit. But listen, you’re not a pig and you’re not a dog. You’re a lamb. You’re a sheep. You ever worry, oh, I hope I’m not a goat. I’ve never seen a lamb go, man, I hope I’m not a goat. Am I a goat? they turn to another sheep, do I look like a goat to you? You know, look behind my ears. I’ve been told, don’t know if it’s true, I’ve been told that a sheep will act like a goat at times if it hangs around goats, but it won’t, it won’t stay like that. I think when God sets his seal upon your heart and your life and he redeems you, you may have a lapse in a, and a breakdown in faith, but you know what? The shepherd’s gonna get you through. You cry out to him in your distress. He’ll get you through. Well, I’m a goat. If you were a goat, you wouldn’t be asking the question if you were a goat. You wouldn’t care. You’d be eating tin cans and trash and enjoying it. You’d be going back to the places where you once trafficked and loving it, because you’re a goat. because you’re a dog or because you’re a pig, but a lamb, a sheep, no. Sheep, lambs, they get all wiggy and freaky when they’re away from the shepherd. They get all nervous. They don’t know how to act. Isn’t that just like us? Praise the Lord for that. Very quickly, verse 12. When our faith fails, fear overcomes our faith. It says that David took these words to heart and became very much afraid of King Achish of Gath. That’s very sad. Here’s a great warrior now. He’s just cowering in fear. Very quickly, jot this down. We have to move on and end this. When our faith begins to wane, people, fear begins to creep in. And it goes in this progression. Jot it down. When my faith is failing, fear comes in. Then I begin to act timid. I don’t have any more of the oomph to get out there and do things for God. I get real protective of my interests. I get timid. Timidity is a sin. Oh, look, he’s so timid. Isn’t that cute? No. And spiritual things? No. Fear leads to timidity. No. Timidity leads to cowardice. That is like a soul is imprisoned. And the end result is unbelief. We have to be careful as a church. We have to be careful as God’s people. And then tragically, verses 13 to 15, we end with this. Tragically, when our faith fails, our witness suffers, and we become people that we’re not. It says, look at this, verse 13. I mean, if it wasn’t so serious, it’d be funny. So David changed his behavior before them, and he pretended madness in their hands. He scratched on the doors of the gate, and he let his saliva fall down his beard. He acted like an idiot. He got scared. He’s playing around with the camp of the enemy. His faith is now out the window. He changes his behavior. He starts acting weird in front of them. This is David. He starts acting like a loony. He fakes madness, the word’s insanity. What was he doing? I mean, he’s being weird. And they’re going, can you imagine these guys with spears and stuff, they’re going. He scratched on the doors of the gate. This is David. How sad is this? Oil ran down the beard of Aaron in anointing. David’s spitting saliva out on his beard, foaming at the mouth, faking like he’s nuts. And when we’re like this, in this situation, we make horrible decisions. And David’s making a horrible one now. And it’s kind of funny because the king goes on to say, take this idiot out of my presence. And the word in Hebrew is hilarious. We don’t get it in the Greek or in the English here. He says, don’t I have enough idiots in my presence already? That’s what he says. It’s what’s in the Hebrew. There’s already too many idiots here. Take this one out. It’s hilarious. I guess the only redeeming thing about this, Saul was insane. David had to fake it. But his faith is failing nonetheless. And so we see in this chapter just a tragic act when faith fails. And tonight you might be thinking, you know, Jack, my faith’s been failing. Well, my friend, there’s still many chapters ahead of us to study and God will so build up David’s faith. We need to exercise some faith tonight. I’m gonna ask you to stand if you would and And Lord, while we’re standing, we ask you, Father, to bless and to meet all the needs of those that are to the right of us. Bless them, God, so much that their cup overflows and they know it. Lord, to those to the left of us, cause them, Lord, to receive from you your good hand, that their family and friends and enemies and workers and neighbors would have to say, I want to know this God that has blessed you so. Heavenly Father, fill this church, these your people, all of us with your Holy Spirit. Baptize us, Lord, into your power. We see David tonight operating in his own power, running around like an idiot. Jesus, you said to wait for the power from on high. And Lord, by your Spirit, We once spoke idiotically, but now through you, Lord, we get to speak words of life. And so, Father, we pray for your blessings. Lord, do in our midst, in this church, things that cannot be explained, that the world might know the Lord, he is their God. In Jesus’ name.
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pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs, here on Real Life Radio, and his message called When Faith Fails. You know, this message, by the way, is part of Pastor Jack’s series called First Samuel. It’s a series that highlights the prophet Samuel, who was called by God during one of Israel’s darkest times to bring the people back to a heart of true worship. And we’ll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.
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So as you heard from our broadcast, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And if you’d like to know what a commitment to Christ can mean in your life personally, we would love to help you out with that. Go to jackhibbs.com slash know God. That’s K-N-O-W, God. And there you’ll be guided through what a commitment to Christ can mean in your life and the freedom that you’ll find in knowing God. Don’t miss out. That’s the Know God tab at jackhibbs.com.
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This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you, our listeners. Visit us at jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. Until next time, Pastor Jack Hibbs and all of us here at Real Life Radio wish for you solid and steady growth in Christ and in His Word. We’ll see you next time here on Real Life Radio.
