1 Samuel 17:1-50 (Click on text to read scripture)
Running a race is not easy... it takes lots of practice, lots of perseverance, and keeping our eyes on the finish line. It is easy to want to give up, especially when you hit "the wall." As a hurdler, I used to hit a wall at the 200 meter mark. I was turning onto the last straight away and could see the finish line on the horizon, but my legs wanted to buckle. I used to pray that the Lord would put His hand on my back and keep me going, and sometimes that is what we need to do in life.
David discovered that in order to be a conqueror, it took training. He didn't start on the battlefield, but in a field of sheep (vs. 14-15). However, no task was too small for David to perform faithfully and 100%. We must remember, that at this point, he had already been anointed by Samuel to become the next King of Israel (1 Samuel 16:1-13), yet his only subjects were sheep! We must be faithful where we are now and trust God for what is to come!
Second, David became a conqueror because he believed God and stepped out in faith (vs. 32). Often times faith acts cannot be rationalized (the city walls of Jericho falling down at the cry of Israel's army, Peter walking on the water, Gideon's small army gaining victory, etc). Over and over we see God accomplishing great things in impossible ways. Jesus said in His Word, that we will one day do even greater things than His miracles (John 14:12-14). God's Word is true and gives us great power for overcoming obstacles and strongholds in His Holy Name!
Third, David used the tools that God had given him (vs. 38-40). God doesn't need worldly things to accomplish His purposes. The Word's solutions don't fix the problem, Israel was proving that. God uses what we have. David used a sling and a stone, Moses had a shepherds staff, etc. God gives us spiritual gifts and abilities for a reason. We must be careful to not excuse our inactivity for the Kingdom because we don't feel we are properly equipped! He often chooses the weak things of this world, the lowly things in the world's eyes, to accomplish His great purposes (1 Cor 1:25-29).
Lastly, David knew that in order to be a conqueror, he could not fight in His own strength (vs. 45-50). God's name is more powerful than any weapon, we must learn to call out on the name of the Lord! Letting God fight our battles IS NOT GIVING UP, but it is His divine will and purpose in order to bring himself glory! Isn't giving God all the glory our ultimate purpose after all?
God is not camped out on the last spiritual high that you had, He is right here, where you are, right now! Remember, that before David could kill Goliath, he had to spend years in the fields with sheep and facing bears and lions. We need to be faithful, even in the little day to day struggles and attacks in our life, so when our Goliath comes we can securely say, "You come against me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts... This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands!" (vs. 45-46).
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Why Do I Fail? (Part 1 of Being a Conqueror in Christ)
1 Samuel 17:1-50 (Click on reference to read text)
Satan loves to put Goliath sized images and problems before us. Satan likes making us feel like we are trapped by a warrior that is fully armed, and ready to bring total destruction and slavery. How quickly we forget that if we have a personal relationship with God's son, Jesus Christ, although we are small, we have the power of God and the Host of Heaven on our side. This is exactly what happened to Israel.
God had promised Israel land that they would dwell in safely. In this point of history, the Philistines were trying to remove Israel from the promised land, and they almost succeeded. So often we reach the point that Israel was at, running in fear, but how do we get there?
First we forget who we are (vs.8). Goliath called the Israelites servants of Saul, and no one seemed to even notice. This was their first mistake. They were chosen by God, His children, called by His name. When we forget who we are, we also fall susceptible to attack. It is so easy to stop believing in the faithfulness of our Father when we stop putting our identity in Him! It is not until verse 26 that God is even mentioned in this story... we must keep Him in the forefront of our minds and lives!
Second we begin to focus on the problem and not on God (vs. 11 and 21-24). Yes, they had a big problem... a nine foot tall problem. Their problem seemed huge, but God is so much bigger! When we lose sight of God, our faith hides behind our fear. Remember the story of Elisha when he told Gehazi "don't worry, those who are with us are more than those who are with them" (2 Kings 6:8-23).
Finally, we often live in captivity to fear and failure because we follow false advice (vs. 28). People will provide opposition to you and sometimes encourage you to stay in fear and bondage, BUT GOD BRINGS FREEDOM (Gal 5:1). This verse clearly states, "do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." It is a choice that we make! Don't listen to people that encourage you to live in bondage. There truly is freedom in Christ!
We must remember that we "are MORE than conquerors in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:37). We all allow things to keep us from being a conqueror. What or Who is your Goliath? What are you battling for your promised land right now. Remember, God is bigger and with God all things are possible (Matt 19:26).
(This week we learn what not to do. Tune in next week as we focus on how to become a conqueror!)
Satan loves to put Goliath sized images and problems before us. Satan likes making us feel like we are trapped by a warrior that is fully armed, and ready to bring total destruction and slavery. How quickly we forget that if we have a personal relationship with God's son, Jesus Christ, although we are small, we have the power of God and the Host of Heaven on our side. This is exactly what happened to Israel.
God had promised Israel land that they would dwell in safely. In this point of history, the Philistines were trying to remove Israel from the promised land, and they almost succeeded. So often we reach the point that Israel was at, running in fear, but how do we get there?
First we forget who we are (vs.8). Goliath called the Israelites servants of Saul, and no one seemed to even notice. This was their first mistake. They were chosen by God, His children, called by His name. When we forget who we are, we also fall susceptible to attack. It is so easy to stop believing in the faithfulness of our Father when we stop putting our identity in Him! It is not until verse 26 that God is even mentioned in this story... we must keep Him in the forefront of our minds and lives!
Second we begin to focus on the problem and not on God (vs. 11 and 21-24). Yes, they had a big problem... a nine foot tall problem. Their problem seemed huge, but God is so much bigger! When we lose sight of God, our faith hides behind our fear. Remember the story of Elisha when he told Gehazi "don't worry, those who are with us are more than those who are with them" (2 Kings 6:8-23).
Finally, we often live in captivity to fear and failure because we follow false advice (vs. 28). People will provide opposition to you and sometimes encourage you to stay in fear and bondage, BUT GOD BRINGS FREEDOM (Gal 5:1). This verse clearly states, "do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." It is a choice that we make! Don't listen to people that encourage you to live in bondage. There truly is freedom in Christ!
We must remember that we "are MORE than conquerors in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:37). We all allow things to keep us from being a conqueror. What or Who is your Goliath? What are you battling for your promised land right now. Remember, God is bigger and with God all things are possible (Matt 19:26).
(This week we learn what not to do. Tune in next week as we focus on how to become a conqueror!)
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Give Thanks...
Philippians 4:4-13 (Click on reference to read text)
My family and I walked into our home Monday night to discover water pouring from the ceiling of our kitchen, and our daughter's upstairs bedroom closet soaking wet. A few hours, and what will soon be several thousand dollars later, we have a hole in our kitchen ceiling, a hole in our daughter's floor, an insurance claim, a furnace that needs to be replaced, and a leak in our roof we discovered haphazardly through this entire process. As my home has become a construction site, I ponder Paul's words... Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!
It is nearly impossible for the fleshly mind to comprehend how Paul could say this. He was sitting in a prison and not out doing what he felt the Lord had called him to do, yet we find him not only rejoicing, but admonishing others to do the same. He truly believed what He wrote, "God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God" (Romans 8:28). He intimately knew the Father. He knew that our loving Father is out to bless and protect. However, Paul also knew that the Lord was more concerned about eternity than our present comfort.
So what was there to rejoice about? Thanks to Paul's prison sentence, we have the New Testament. Most of the New Testament was written by Paul while he was in prison. You see, although Paul was seemingly being held back from his mission, to proclaim the gospel to the known world, God actually used this time so that Paul could proclaim the Gospel to all the world for centuries to come.
God's plans are perfect. We must cling to Him and His promises and CHOOSE to believe in His faithfulness, period! No matter what our present circumstances dictate. Paul could have easily given into his circumstances and wasted this time in prison. However, he allowed God to use him even though he was held captive. What situations are you in? Are you bemoaning your circumstance and having a pity party, or are you asking yourself what the Lord would have you do in the midst of this trying time?
I have plenty to rejoice about. A house can be repaired, but the peace that God is giving me in the midst of this situation is priceless. He has shown me His awesome faithfulness. You see, we had just come home from being out of town for a week. We were able to minimize the damage because we were home and stopped it before it was worse. A house is just a shell, but building a home of the foundation of Jesus Christ is what is truly important. So let us learn from Paul: rejoice in the Lord (vs.4), be anxious for nothing (vs. 6), pray with thanksgiving in the midst of your circumstance (vs.6), let God's peace guard your heart (vs. 7), focus/dwell on the good things (vs. 8), find contentment in Him (vs. 12), for we can do all things through Him who gives us strength (vs. 13)!
My family and I walked into our home Monday night to discover water pouring from the ceiling of our kitchen, and our daughter's upstairs bedroom closet soaking wet. A few hours, and what will soon be several thousand dollars later, we have a hole in our kitchen ceiling, a hole in our daughter's floor, an insurance claim, a furnace that needs to be replaced, and a leak in our roof we discovered haphazardly through this entire process. As my home has become a construction site, I ponder Paul's words... Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!
It is nearly impossible for the fleshly mind to comprehend how Paul could say this. He was sitting in a prison and not out doing what he felt the Lord had called him to do, yet we find him not only rejoicing, but admonishing others to do the same. He truly believed what He wrote, "God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God" (Romans 8:28). He intimately knew the Father. He knew that our loving Father is out to bless and protect. However, Paul also knew that the Lord was more concerned about eternity than our present comfort.
So what was there to rejoice about? Thanks to Paul's prison sentence, we have the New Testament. Most of the New Testament was written by Paul while he was in prison. You see, although Paul was seemingly being held back from his mission, to proclaim the gospel to the known world, God actually used this time so that Paul could proclaim the Gospel to all the world for centuries to come.
God's plans are perfect. We must cling to Him and His promises and CHOOSE to believe in His faithfulness, period! No matter what our present circumstances dictate. Paul could have easily given into his circumstances and wasted this time in prison. However, he allowed God to use him even though he was held captive. What situations are you in? Are you bemoaning your circumstance and having a pity party, or are you asking yourself what the Lord would have you do in the midst of this trying time?
I have plenty to rejoice about. A house can be repaired, but the peace that God is giving me in the midst of this situation is priceless. He has shown me His awesome faithfulness. You see, we had just come home from being out of town for a week. We were able to minimize the damage because we were home and stopped it before it was worse. A house is just a shell, but building a home of the foundation of Jesus Christ is what is truly important. So let us learn from Paul: rejoice in the Lord (vs.4), be anxious for nothing (vs. 6), pray with thanksgiving in the midst of your circumstance (vs.6), let God's peace guard your heart (vs. 7), focus/dwell on the good things (vs. 8), find contentment in Him (vs. 12), for we can do all things through Him who gives us strength (vs. 13)!
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