Monday, August 11, 2008

Facing The Goliaths in Your Life

"3 Weapons to Conquer Your Goliath"

What are you facing right now in life? What Goliaths are leaving you discouraged and maybe defeated?

Is it unemployment, finances, your career or boss? Maybe its your hidden addictions to alcohol, drugs, or pornography?

Let's talk about a simple country boy who took on Goliath and won.

The Bible says in 1 Samuel 17:40-44:
Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.


He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him.

He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

"Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" (NIV)

How often do your enemies and addictions taunt you? They make you feel inadequate. How often do you feel like you're defeated. These voices tell you, "I'm not strong enough." "I don't have what it takes."

You feel inadquate... worthless... and weak. These are all lies from the enemy- words from hell itself.

You are given the power of Jesus Christ to conquer all your sins. The bible says, "...we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

Here are the 3 Weapons to Conquer your Goliath:

In verse 45, David responds to the Philistine (Goliath) with these powerful words, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied."

The first thing David did in the midst of his conflict- he brought God in the middle of it. David said, "... I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty..." We need to stay focused. Don't get side-tracked by the trials in your life. Remember to always involve God in every issue you are facing!

The second thing David did was stay firm. He didn't run away from his conflict. He didn't coward from fear. The bible says, "David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him."

48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

The third thing we need to remember is truth. Truth is what sets us free. Truth is how we can win the battles of our conflicts and addictions. Remember those "voices" that made you feel inadequate? Powerless? Even defeated? In the book of Truth, it says in Romans 8: 37-39:  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)

It's time! It's time for you to defeat the Goliaths in your life. David knew something that so many of us forget; He saw his Goliath, but he saw God even more. David knew in human perspective the odds were against him. But, because of David's unwaivering faith in God, he knew the odds were against Goliath in comparison to God's almighty power.

Go, and equip yourself for battle! Then, run quickly towards the battle line and meet your Goliath. Knowing God will protect you, God will sustain you, and that He loves you!

God's Promise to you: Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV)

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is so encouraging! Our sermon last Sunday was about the limits we put on God, essentially the size of our "God box". But when we try to think about it (though we can't fully understand the length, width, and depth of God and His love), God is so much bigger than any Goliath we face.

Thanks again for your inspirational blog posts!! :)

Heart Like Jesus said...

Jer,

Thanks for the great feedback!
It's amazing how an old childhood story can be so powerful for today's conflicts that we face.

This devotional has been a great reminder for me to remember that it's all about perspective. Do we focus on the Goliaths or the One who created the Universe.

I will bet on the Creator and Author of our lives!

Have a great day!