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