Whenever Goliath came out spouting intimidating words that taunted the people of Israel, we are told that “they all fled from him in great fear.”
He tries the same tactic on David and hits him with a torrent of trash talk. “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”
But David does not respond the same way as the rest of his fellow citizens. As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. (I Samuel 17:48)
David takes the time to let Goliath know why he is coming at him with such confidence too! “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
He is not fighting as an amateur shepherd boy, but as a soldier of the Lord Almighty. His mission is not just to kill the giant, but to let the whole world know that the real God is the one who is on the side of the Israelites.
No wonder he is running toward Goliath with great expectation!
Dear DWOD friend, can you relate to what is going on in this battle between David and Goliath?
When you are gripped by fear, you are tempted to run away from the enemy before he takes a shot at you. But when you are brimming with confidence, you can’t wait to take a shot at him and knock him out.
As the apostle Paul reminds his young protégé Timothy: For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)
When the Spirit of the God who raised Jesus from the dead resides in us, we can indeed run toward the enemy, can’t we?
This is why the armour of God described by Paul in Ephesians 6:11-20 includes a shield, a sword and a helmet…but no weapon to cover your backside J God expects us to face the enemy and fight the battle, not to run away in fear and expose our backs to his attacks.
Is there a formidable foe you are facing right now? What obstacle do you find intimidating or seemingly insurmountable? Who has been taunting you relentlessly and causing you to shake and shiver in your boots?
Perhaps you are even contemplating the possibility of turning around and running away from it all. Hold it! Stop in your tracks right now.
Remember who you are. Remind yourself whose you are. Realize who resides in you. Recall who is on your side. Repeat these words from Romans 8:31: If God is for us, who can be against us?
You’ve got what it takes. Correction. You’ve got WHO it takes. The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, the God who has already won the victory over the greatest enemy of them all, death. He is not only on your side, He is on your inside, just waiting to come outside of you and deal a death blow to the enemy.
So, what are you waiting for? Run toward your enemy! Quickly. Right now! Take down the giant. In Jesus’ name. Amen
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