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

How can I know it's God?

“Risikili” – Part 3 – How can I know it's God?

We continue with RiSiKiLi−

                       You know, Read it, study it, know it, live it.

 

In my last post we established that God knew His plan for each of us before we were born and that our enemy/God’s enemy will try to derail the plan if we’re not vigilant. Also we spoke of abundant life and God’s desire that we attain His idea of abundant life, which is far beyond anything we could dream up. 

     

Photo by Margot Pandone

So let’s continue looking at how God’s Word plays a role in this. We need to examine our personal desires in every aspect of life. In order to line up our highest desires with His highest desires for us, we must get to know Him and His nature. By prayerfully reading and studying His Word we get to know God. In reading the four gospels− Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John− we learn about Jesus. In knowing Jesus, we know  God. 

As we know Him better, we begin to recognize His unfailing love for us. As we comprehend this matchless love, we will trust Him more. As we trust Him more, we begin to step out in faith more boldly into the path He designed for us. 

The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble (Proverbs 3:18-19).

If we’re listening, God will speak to us through His Word. Yes, He speaks to us in other ways as well− such through another Christian or by His Own Spirit speaking to our own spirit. But the only way to prove we’ve heard a Word from God and be certain that it really came from God is to see that it lines up with His written Word.  Many people take action on what they thought was a Word from God, to simply later find themselves disillusioned and confused.  

Just today, I heard someone say that he knows a man who says he doesn’t need to read his Bible. He just listens to the Holy Spirit. Whoa! That sounds scary! When we think God is telling us something, we need to prove it against His Word. The Holy Spirit will never tell us anything that does not line us with God’s Word—the Bible.    

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

And another thing− if we want to hear from God, it’s imperative that we pray. We need to talk to Him and listen for Him to talk back to us. 

And remember, as we said last time, Satan does indeed have a plan for each of us and one of the best ways to begin to walk out Satan’s plan is to walk in our own plan.  The road of my own plan will eventually merge right into his.  So many blindly choose this route and then wonder how their life turned out so disappointing. Often they will attribute it to “bad luck.”  Well, luck has nothing to do with it and the word “luck” is not in my Bible.  Bad luck is a commonly used excuse for consequences resulting from not walking in God’s Truth.

 

So how can one know this “Truth,” in order to walk in it?  Since “Truth” and God’s Word are synonymous, the answers are waiting in the pages of His Scriptures.  

“There is no such thing as health or growth in Christian living apart from a clear priority on the place of the Bible in the life of the individual or the group.” Jack Hayford 

Let’s pray these psalms > Lord, I ask that You “Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8).  “Guide me in Your truth and teach me” (Psalm 25:5). In Jesus name--- AMEN. 

Photo by Joshua Sortino