2009 – Day 112.Apr. 23 – “Trust Me”
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 17: 48 - 51 … 48 So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.
My Journal for Today: All God needed from David was one “Trust Me” moment; and with one smooth stone and a little middle-eastern slingshot, Goliath was felled to the amazement of all in that place that day; but the whole scenario was for God’s glory.
And all God needs from you and me is the trust expressed in Proverbs 3: 5-6 [link provided], a Proverb from God which I truly hope you have memorized and believe deeply in your heart. Because, if you do; and you’ve put that belief into the action of showering your mind with the memories of verses like Romans 8: 31 or 1st Peter 5: 7, you have the stones in your bag and the sling to take down any Goliath in your life.
Think about the stone of Romans 8: 31, which says, “If God be for us, who can be against us.” Or the backup of stone of 1st Peter 5: 6, which declares, “… casting all your cares on [God], for He cares for us.” My brother or sister, if you truly believe those truths; all you have to do is put one of those stones of truth into the sling of surrender to God; and God will do the rest with the reality of Prov. 3: 5-6 trust.
I really don’t need to prolong my devotional entry for today. No, what is needed if for you and me to have a few smooth stones in our shepherd’s bag of life; and then we simply need to go out and confront Goliath, believing that God will take one of the stones He has given us from His word to bring down the enemy. Jesus used three smooth stones like that in the wilderness (see Matt. 4 or Luke 4) to bring down the ultimate enemy; so, let’s take our stones of truth and go forth to take down our Goliaths and to give God the glory.
My Prayer for Today: You have given me the stones, Lord; now I go forward to take my giants down in Your Name. Amen
Showing posts with label Goliath. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goliath. Show all posts
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
2009 – Day 109.Apr. 20 – God Versus Our Giants
2009 – Day 109.Apr. 20 – God Versus Our Giants
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 17: 1 – 16 … Link to study passage ...
My Journal for Today: If I were a betting man, I would wager that this is a story that you know well from Bible lore. David and Goliath; and it’s an allegory for our lives, isn’t it?
We all have Goliaths which we face, … intimidating “giants” which cause us to balk in fear. And like Goliath, they come out day after day, attempting to put us down and see ourselves incapable of overcoming the giant’s challenge. Maybe yours is fear of people, … especially powerful people. Maybe it’s public speaking. Maybe it’s overcoming some emotional wound from your past like sexual abuse or rejection from a parent. We all have our Goliaths.
But if we read on ahead, why didn’t David fear this overwhelming giant? And the answer is quite simple. David was given the discernment to see that Goliath was no match for David’s God. And so it is with our lives as well. When we see God being able to overcome anything which man or the world can put forth, we will not be afraid to stand up to the Goliaths in our lives.
So, … do I have any Goliaths in my life? You can bet on it ! But I have learned a technique, which was taught to me by a mentor years ago. He taught me that I was going to have Goliaths which would show up in my life; and when they did, He said I needed to have my weapons ready to do battle. Reading on in 1st Samuel, we see that David chose to use the weapons which had helped him protect his sheep as a shepherd. They were his sling and a few smooth stones; and David had practiced using them against some very strong foes, like bears and lions.
My mentor taught me to always carry a sharpened, ready, and practiced sword of the Spirit, which we know of, from Ephesians 6: 17 is God’s word. And when I have God’s word deeply embedded in my heart/mind; and I believe its truth, I’m ready for any Goliath who might come along. So, my mentor helped me learn, memorize, and meditate on verses from the Bible which are fear dispelling Scriptures. They are verses like Isaiah 41: 10, Romans 8: 31, and 2nd Timothy 1: 7. I’ll leave it to you to look those up. But if you don’t have those, or other similar verses, deeply implanted in your mind; and you don’t believe them with all your heart, you are going to be vulnerable to the giants Satan or the world will send your way. But even more than that, you’re going to be very vulnerable to your own heart [see Jer. 17: 9], which will easily deceive you with fears which will cry out to make you believe that the thing you fear is bigger than God.
Nothing we fear is stronger than God! Do you believe that? Because if you don’t, you have Goliaths in your life which are going to cause you to cower in fear and retreat into yourself. And that, my dear fellow Christian, is a place where you don’t want to go. You need to be able to believe in a God Who will deliver you in any circumstance (see John 16: 33 or 1st Cor. 10: 13 or 2nd Cor. 12: 9 or 1st Pet. 5: 7). But the question is, do we know, in our hearts, and believe those verses? And are we ready, as was David, to confront Goliaths and allow God to bring them down?
My Prayer for Today: Give me the stone, Lord. I’m ready to do battle! Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 17: 1 – 16 … Link to study passage ...
My Journal for Today: If I were a betting man, I would wager that this is a story that you know well from Bible lore. David and Goliath; and it’s an allegory for our lives, isn’t it?
We all have Goliaths which we face, … intimidating “giants” which cause us to balk in fear. And like Goliath, they come out day after day, attempting to put us down and see ourselves incapable of overcoming the giant’s challenge. Maybe yours is fear of people, … especially powerful people. Maybe it’s public speaking. Maybe it’s overcoming some emotional wound from your past like sexual abuse or rejection from a parent. We all have our Goliaths.
But if we read on ahead, why didn’t David fear this overwhelming giant? And the answer is quite simple. David was given the discernment to see that Goliath was no match for David’s God. And so it is with our lives as well. When we see God being able to overcome anything which man or the world can put forth, we will not be afraid to stand up to the Goliaths in our lives.
So, … do I have any Goliaths in my life? You can bet on it ! But I have learned a technique, which was taught to me by a mentor years ago. He taught me that I was going to have Goliaths which would show up in my life; and when they did, He said I needed to have my weapons ready to do battle. Reading on in 1st Samuel, we see that David chose to use the weapons which had helped him protect his sheep as a shepherd. They were his sling and a few smooth stones; and David had practiced using them against some very strong foes, like bears and lions.
My mentor taught me to always carry a sharpened, ready, and practiced sword of the Spirit, which we know of, from Ephesians 6: 17 is God’s word. And when I have God’s word deeply embedded in my heart/mind; and I believe its truth, I’m ready for any Goliath who might come along. So, my mentor helped me learn, memorize, and meditate on verses from the Bible which are fear dispelling Scriptures. They are verses like Isaiah 41: 10, Romans 8: 31, and 2nd Timothy 1: 7. I’ll leave it to you to look those up. But if you don’t have those, or other similar verses, deeply implanted in your mind; and you don’t believe them with all your heart, you are going to be vulnerable to the giants Satan or the world will send your way. But even more than that, you’re going to be very vulnerable to your own heart [see Jer. 17: 9], which will easily deceive you with fears which will cry out to make you believe that the thing you fear is bigger than God.
Nothing we fear is stronger than God! Do you believe that? Because if you don’t, you have Goliaths in your life which are going to cause you to cower in fear and retreat into yourself. And that, my dear fellow Christian, is a place where you don’t want to go. You need to be able to believe in a God Who will deliver you in any circumstance (see John 16: 33 or 1st Cor. 10: 13 or 2nd Cor. 12: 9 or 1st Pet. 5: 7). But the question is, do we know, in our hearts, and believe those verses? And are we ready, as was David, to confront Goliaths and allow God to bring them down?
My Prayer for Today: Give me the stone, Lord. I’m ready to do battle! Amen
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
2009 – Day 103.Apr. 14 – Inner Qualities
2009 – Day 103.Apr. 14 – Inner Qualities
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 11 … And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.”
1st Samuel 17: 34 – 35 … 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.
My Journal for Today: We now spring forward in our story about David from his anointing by Samuel to his confrontation with King Saul, who is now, in 1st Samuel 17 confronted with the Philistine Giant, Goliath. And Saul asks David how he can go against this enemy. And with no hesitation David gives his résumé of having killed lions and bears in the wilderness as a shepherd. Goliath was no big deal for young David because he had been schooled in the wilderness by God’s providence and power; and though young in years, David had seen God’s deliverance in action many times.
It is often said that one’s character is defined by what we do when no one is looking; and David’s character had been schooled, if you refer to yesterday’s devotional in my journals, in the schoolroom of solitude and obscurity by the schoolmasters of monotony and reality. So, David may not have looked like it; but he was ready to do battle against any enemy; and he was saying confidently to his king, “Bring him on!”
Every day you and I face the Goliaths of this world. There is the tyranny of the urgent, by unimportant and trivial matters trying to take over. There is the terrorism of fleshly temptation. And all of these Goliaths are crying out, “Come against me; and I will take down your best.” And unfortunately most of God’s warriors these days sink from the terrorism in this world these days. Why? Well, it’s because we haven’t been schooled by the hard knocks of life and we haven’t seen God do His business. Therefore, we simply don’t have the confidence that we can, like David, slay the lions and bears of this world.
I work in a ministry where every day I have to go up against a Goliath in this world, the awesome power of Satan’s “XXX” Industry. Sex as a stronghold of sensual power and is a pervasive Goliath in today’s world; and it is bringing men, even Christian men, down into the pits of death in sexual sin, every day. But like David, I know that I can defeat this Goliath. I’ve been out there in the wilderness; and I’ve experienced what is promised in 1st John 4: 4, that my God is greater than Satan, the Goliath. I’ve felt the victory of Christ giving me His power to lift me above my enemies. So, I know the reality of Isaiah 41: 10 and Phil. 4: 13 and Romans 8: 31.
So, when any Saul of this world might say to me, “Bill, you can’t defeat Satan’s sensual forces in this world!” To that I say, “Bring them on; I’m ready … because my God is in my corner; and (from Eph. 6: 13-18) I’m fully armed and ready to do battle against any Goliath with God’s mighty weapon, …His word.”
For any who might read here, I’m not bragging on Bill Berry. I completely respect the power of my Goliath-like spiritual enemies, … Satan and my own deceitful heart. But my confidence to do battle is, as I’ve said, in a God Whom I’ve seen bring down many worldly Goliaths in my own life and in the lives of many others too weak to do battle alone, but relying on God’s strength to cover their weakness (see 2nd Cor. 12: 9).
Beloved, we can go up against Goliath today; but you’ve got to believe the truths of the Scriptures I’ve referenced above and you’ve got to be willing to put on your armor, take up your sword, and go to the high ground of prayer to do battle. You may need some seasoning and training out in the bootcamp wilderness of life. It takes time and practice, as David experienced as a shepherd, to become God’s well armed warrior who is a practiced and skilled swordsman of the Word. But when you’ve prepared yourself for the Goliaths of this world, as David had, you’ll be ready to stand forth and take the battle field to take on Satan’s Goliaths.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, show me the battle; I’m ready to stand with You for Your glory. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 11 … And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.”
1st Samuel 17: 34 – 35 … 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.
My Journal for Today: We now spring forward in our story about David from his anointing by Samuel to his confrontation with King Saul, who is now, in 1st Samuel 17 confronted with the Philistine Giant, Goliath. And Saul asks David how he can go against this enemy. And with no hesitation David gives his résumé of having killed lions and bears in the wilderness as a shepherd. Goliath was no big deal for young David because he had been schooled in the wilderness by God’s providence and power; and though young in years, David had seen God’s deliverance in action many times.
It is often said that one’s character is defined by what we do when no one is looking; and David’s character had been schooled, if you refer to yesterday’s devotional in my journals, in the schoolroom of solitude and obscurity by the schoolmasters of monotony and reality. So, David may not have looked like it; but he was ready to do battle against any enemy; and he was saying confidently to his king, “Bring him on!”
Every day you and I face the Goliaths of this world. There is the tyranny of the urgent, by unimportant and trivial matters trying to take over. There is the terrorism of fleshly temptation. And all of these Goliaths are crying out, “Come against me; and I will take down your best.” And unfortunately most of God’s warriors these days sink from the terrorism in this world these days. Why? Well, it’s because we haven’t been schooled by the hard knocks of life and we haven’t seen God do His business. Therefore, we simply don’t have the confidence that we can, like David, slay the lions and bears of this world.
I work in a ministry where every day I have to go up against a Goliath in this world, the awesome power of Satan’s “XXX” Industry. Sex as a stronghold of sensual power and is a pervasive Goliath in today’s world; and it is bringing men, even Christian men, down into the pits of death in sexual sin, every day. But like David, I know that I can defeat this Goliath. I’ve been out there in the wilderness; and I’ve experienced what is promised in 1st John 4: 4, that my God is greater than Satan, the Goliath. I’ve felt the victory of Christ giving me His power to lift me above my enemies. So, I know the reality of Isaiah 41: 10 and Phil. 4: 13 and Romans 8: 31.
So, when any Saul of this world might say to me, “Bill, you can’t defeat Satan’s sensual forces in this world!” To that I say, “Bring them on; I’m ready … because my God is in my corner; and (from Eph. 6: 13-18) I’m fully armed and ready to do battle against any Goliath with God’s mighty weapon, …His word.”
For any who might read here, I’m not bragging on Bill Berry. I completely respect the power of my Goliath-like spiritual enemies, … Satan and my own deceitful heart. But my confidence to do battle is, as I’ve said, in a God Whom I’ve seen bring down many worldly Goliaths in my own life and in the lives of many others too weak to do battle alone, but relying on God’s strength to cover their weakness (see 2nd Cor. 12: 9).
Beloved, we can go up against Goliath today; but you’ve got to believe the truths of the Scriptures I’ve referenced above and you’ve got to be willing to put on your armor, take up your sword, and go to the high ground of prayer to do battle. You may need some seasoning and training out in the bootcamp wilderness of life. It takes time and practice, as David experienced as a shepherd, to become God’s well armed warrior who is a practiced and skilled swordsman of the Word. But when you’ve prepared yourself for the Goliaths of this world, as David had, you’ll be ready to stand forth and take the battle field to take on Satan’s Goliaths.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, show me the battle; I’m ready to stand with You for Your glory. Amen
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