David and his men returned to Ziklag to find it destroyed and their families taken captive by raiding Amalekites. David's men were angry and wanted to stone him. David found strength in God during this distressing time. The passage describes the Amalekites attacking and burning Ziklag, taking captive all the women and children, without killing anyone.

2. David and his men reached Ziklag on the third
day. Now the Amalekites had raided the
Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag
and burned it, and had taken captive the
women and all who were in it, both young and
old. They killed none of them, but carried
them off as they went on their way.

3. When David and his men came to Ziklag, they
found it destroyed by fire and their wives and
sons and daughters taken captive. So David
and his men wept aloud until they had no
strength left to weep. David's two wives had
been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and
Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

4. David was greatly distressed because the men
were talking of stoning him; each one was
bitter in spirit because of his sons and
daughters. But David found strength in the
LORD his God.
1 Samuel 30:1-6 (NIV)

5. The REAL Christian life begins INTERNALLY
& is expressed OUTWARDLY by our
actions.

6. “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may
strengthen you with power through his Spirit
in your inner being,”
Ephesians 3:16 (NIV)

7. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though
outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly
we are being renewed day by day. For our light
and momentary troubles are achieving for us
an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on
what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

8. Once, having been asked by the Pharisees
when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus
replied, "The kingdom of God does not come
with your careful observation, nor will people
say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the
kingdom of God is within you."
Luke 17:20-21 (NIV)

9. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from
the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ
from the dead will also give life to your mortal
bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Romans 8:11 (NIV)

10. The Christian life begins INTERNALLY
1. I need a QUIET TIME, A HIDDEN TIME at
the beginning of each day to set my rudder
for the REST of the day.

11. The Christian life begins INTERNALLY
2. God will use HIDDEN TIMES (many times they
feel like a desert) to prepare us for all He
wants from us during VISIBLE times.

12. The Christian life begins INTERNALLY
3. “BUSYNESS” is a curse that will slowly burn
us out. HIDDEN TIMES bring us back to the
priority of our relationship with God.