What to do when you encounter Friction?

2 Samuel 16:5-16

This passage give the account of David fleeing from Absalom. As David and his men are leaving one of the descendants of Saul named Shimei curses David and throws rocks at him. Just as David we all deal with friction especially when trying to serve the Lord. In this sermon we will look at David’s restraint to learn a valuable lesson on dealing with friction.

What to do when you encounter friction?

1)  Consider the source (verses 10-11)

• There are 3 main sources for the friction that we encounter, God, Satan, and the world. As see in the book of Job it can be difficult sometimes to determine the source of our friction (Job 30:21).

2)  Do not overreact (verse 9)

• Abishai is a great example of how we overreact.
• Examples from the world (Brakes, pushing a box)
• The key to overcoming friction is steady force (1 Corinthians 15:58 ; 1 Peter 5:9)
• The key in this will be to trust God (verse 12).
• We must remember that in the automotive world nothing moves forward without friction.

3)  Apply the Holy Spirit (verse 11 with 2 Samuel 19:18-23) 

• There is one place in the automotive world that friction is not wanted and that is in the engine.
• In the body of Christ there should not be friction (Philippians 2:1-8)
• The Holy Spirit of God is usually typified in the bible by oil. Oil is used to counter act friction in the engine.
• When we encounter friction where it should not be then the solution is to apply the Holy Spirit.
• Forgiveness is the key, reconciliation is a different matter but we need to forgive to avoid Bitterness (Hebrews 12:15).