How do you face your enemy

How do you face your enemy? 

Do you face your enemy in anger, in fear, with boldness, with peace, with confusion, with intimidation? 

Let’s look at the shepherd, David, and his method of facing his enemy. Yes, this is the same David who eventually became the most beloved king of Israel.

But as a teenager, he faced a fierce enemy.

It all began one day when his father, Jesse, sent him to take food and check on his older brothers who were camped with the Hebrew army preparing to war with the Philistines, their greatest enemy.

As David approached the battlefield, he didn’t hear a battle going on, but instead heard a man shouting with a harsh, angry voice. The man was from the enemy ranks—a giant of a man. Not just extremely tall, he was muscular, fierce, violent looking, and wore rugged, heavy armor. His name was Goliath.  

Goliath had challenged the Jews, demanding they send a warrior to fight against him. The representative who won this two-man battle would bring victory for their own army on that day. Among the ranks of the Hebrews, all trembled with fear. No one would volunteer to fight Goliath.

As he reached his brothers, David heard Goliath again shout to the Israelites, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together” (1 Samuel 17:10).

When David realized what was taking place, anger rose up in him, to think that such a man was taunting the army of his God. After a bit of exchange with his brothers, David proclaimed: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? (1 Samuel 17:26b)”

 

David then went to King Saul and volunteered to fight Goliath. The king questioned David’s ability to step into such a battle.

But David confidently told the king, “’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, 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. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.’ Moreover David said, ‘The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine’” (1 Samuel 17:34-37).

David went out to battle the giant, Goliath. His trustworthy God gave him victory over this ominous enemy.

David had a history with God. God had helped him win over many other enemies before Goliath.

Do you have a history with God, your Creator? That is, do you have a relationship with Him and do you know how big and how capable He is? We establish a relationship with our Creator God through His Son, Jesus.

For those of us who have that relationship, let’s build our history with Him  by getting to know Him better through prayer and Bible study.

If you do not have a relationship with God, through Jesus, I invite you to do so right now, right here. Confess that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and ask Him to come into your heart. Get to know Him through reading the Bible.

What is your enemy today? Is it sickness, relationship issues, financial burdens, concerns for family members? −just naming a few possibilities.

Look that situation in the face and say, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the servant (me) of the living God? The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine (or whatever my situation)!”

Let’s confidently face our enemies as David faced Goliath, knowing our God is well able to work things out for our good.

Thank you for reading this post. I pray you will face your Goliath with confidence in the living God.

©Connie Wohlford 2016