Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at the ruddy-faced David. Scripture says “…when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field” (1 Samuel 17:42-44). David stood on his knowledge to face Goliath. He said in the beginning that Goliath was without God, a pagan Philistine and it’s depicted in the statement he made, by cursing David by his gods. We have a God and not gods! Moreover, he was uncircumcised, which gave him no right to standing with God.
Goliath considered David by his stature and not the power behind him. He didn’t know David was operating by the principle: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). David rested in the strength of God and appropriated it to effect the change he desired. He replied Goliath: “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:45-47).
He faced Goliath in the Name of the Lord; I love this. Faith doesn’t keep quiet; it talks of what it believes in. You don’t have to be a quiet Christian; you’ve got to always voice out what you believe. Speak the opposite of your problems and not your problems. The battle is not by physical strength; the success of your life depends on what you know. Don’t deny your faith because you found yourself in a “difficult” situation. Nothing’s impossible unto God! When Goliath charged toward David, he didn’t run away; he also charged toward him. What manner of faith! While charging toward the Philistine, “David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled” (1 Samuel 17:49-51). You might ask, “How possible could he kill a giant with a stone and a sling?” It wasn’t a mere stone; that stone had the power of God behind it. It’s also interesting to find out that the Word clearly states that David slew Goliath, even though he had no sword in his hand. Before the battle David made it clear that he’d smite and take his head from him. Meanwhile he had no sword in his hand.
He saw the sword in the eyes of his faith! Oh my God; if believers could develop their faith to such an extent and even more. Just look at the few stories we’ve discussed from the Bible; I know they’ll inspire faith in you as you read. That’s why it’s expedient that we study the Word over and over until we’re so soaked with it. If you have knowledge, faith will come; it’s automatic! You’ll not struggle for it. The more you put your faith to work, by changing circumstance to suite you, the more your faith will grow. It pays! The men of old had extraordinary faith in God; and that’s what made them righteous before God, not their works. The Apostle Paul talks about that in the book of Romans.
I would recommend that you also read the whole Chapter of Hebrews 11. Paul was actually making known how some of the Old Testament folks put their faith to work. He spoke and spoke and in the verse 32-35 he said, “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.”
What else do we need, having the Word of God, the Holy Ghost and angels as messengers and our guardians? The born again Christian is a superman from above; a man with dominion and dignity. You’re of a higher value; don’t overlook that. Take courage in whatever you do, taking into account the God you serve and He’ll never fail you. After David had given to his son Solomon, the pattern after which the temple was to be built, he said to him: “Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD” (1 Chronicles 28:20).
He also said in some of his psalms: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD” (Psalm 23:4; 27:1; 31:24). Everyone who did extraordinary thing in the Bible believed in God undoubtedly; if so, then we can learn a lot from them. There are great works of faith, both in the Old and New Testaments. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). How comforting these words are.
Do not forget to put on the whole armour of God as a soldier in Christ: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:14-17). If David defeated Goliath in the Name of the Lord, this is what you’re to put on as a child of God. It’s the armour with which we war; happy are you if you have it on. Don’t just see it lying somewhere; take it and put it on, for it was meant to wear!
Take courage in whatever you do, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). Sometimes you might have men coming against you in so many ways, don’t give up on them. Pray for them and also take this advice from the Apostle Peter: “But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ” (1 Peter 3:14-16).
Listen, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand” (Psalm 20:7-8, 6). We are not helpless at all. Always, the Word talks about the right hand of God, which we earlier had a look at. After Jesus had accomplished the task for our salvation, He sat down at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55, 56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22). God’s right hand is a place of power and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). The enemy “…shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways” (Deuteronomy 28:7).
Currently, I don’t know where you are in life, but I want to tell you there’s so much hope for you in Christ. Don’t give up; the Lord can refresh you and give you a good starting point. He gives strength: “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31).
The Word gives a very important advice: “Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually” (1 Chronicles 16:11) Seek the face of the Lord by studying more of the Word. This will build an extraordinary faith in you than you can ever imagine. You were born by the Word of God, which is Spirit. Just as you feed your body, you’ve got to feed your spirit the same way. The only way you can do that is to study more of God’s Word. The Word has the ability to reproduce itself in you, so don’t do without it. Just like people go for physical therapy, go for the Word therapy; as people put themselves on various kinds of diet, put yourself on the Word-diet. Let the Word be more than your necessary food (Job 23:12); meditate on the scriptures day and night (Psalm 1:2). As you continue to feed and feed on the Word, your spirit will become a stalwart in the things of God. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…” (Colossians 3:16).
Let the Word fill every fibre of your being! Have the Word-appetite, thirst and hunger for it, such that you constantly feed on it. Your ability to remain unshakable and maintain your grounds in the evil day is by the power of God’s Word. How much of it you have in you will determine the decisions you make. There are many ways you can study the Word; you can install a Bible app on your mobile devices, watch and even listen to faith-messages on the go. I’ve taken in the Word of God so much that I’m conscious about who I am everywhere I go. Sometimes I may be smiling and even talking while I take a walk. Not that I’m getting mad, it’s because the Word is alive in me. So I perfectly understand Jeremiah when he said: “…his (God’s) word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay” (Jeremiah 20:9).
When the Lord chose Joshua, He said to him: “Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:6-8).
Make it a habit to speak more in tongues: “But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 1:20 AMP). The Word says, “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself…” (1 Corinthians 14:4). So the person who speaks in an unknown tongue builds up and charges himself like a battery. The Amplified translation says a person improves himself as he speaks in tongues. In other words, the person becomes bolder and bolder. Sampson easily killed the lion because the Spirit came mightily upon him. Learn to hold tongue-sessions, blowing up in tongues and charging yourself. You’ve got to stir your spirit to always be on fire. If you’ve not received the gift of tongues, ask for the help of the Holy Spirit. When you ask, believe that you’ve received and you’ll have it (Mark 11:24).
Sometimes people get troubled as they go to bed; they fear someone would attack them or they may die. But David said, “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8 NIV). You can have bodyguards, watchmen or security guards but that doesn’t guarantee you total security. Your guards can even be a threat to your life; I’m not saying they’re not good. They are, but see God as your total protection. It’s the Lord that protects, and not man. Don’t put so much confidence in those that keep watch over your home, business etc, than you would for God. The Psalmist said “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain” (Psalm 127:1 NIV). Don’t interpret what you feel by sight; let it be from your faith in the Word of God, “For we walk by faith, not by sight. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward” (2 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 10:35).
There was a Whiteman who came to Ghana as a missionary. As he was on his way to preach to one of the villages in the country, his petrol got finished in the middle of the road and it was in the evening. When he lifted up his eyes, lo and behold, there was a filling station. He got closer to get his petrol tank filled. When he was coming back the following day, he realized there was no filling station. What? But he paid for the petrol! The question I asked was this: “Which serious business man or woman would consider setting up a petrol filling station in an area where cars hardly passed by?” That wouldn’t make sense at all. But hear me, with God all things are possible! Who knew what could have happened to him? God knows His children, and delivers them from the wicked. I’ve heard about stories where men of God charged aircrafts to land safely when emergency warnings were declared. They knew who they were!
With what I’ve share with you, people might tell you: “If you think you’ll not be burned when you walk in fire, that’s it go walk in it. If you think you can walk on water, that’s the sea, go walk on it.” I once heard someone say he doesn’t believe in miracles because ever since Jesus walked on water, no one has ever done it. But hey, when you look at the life of those who defeated lions, walked on the sea and in fire, including Jesus, they didn’t just do it by going to the bush to face lions. They didn’t just walk in fire or on water when they saw them? They all defied the laws of nature when the need arose, when they needed to do it. So the rule is simple: I will never allow such things to dominate me in case I face them. This doesn’t mean I go and walk in fire or water as soon as I see them; that would be foolishness! So don’t worry when they say those wrong stuffs to you.
Before Jesus left, He said to us: “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). He also said in Mark 16:17-18: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” You can change anything, only if you know your rights in Christ. Take advantage of this power you’ve been endued with.
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:10). No matter what happens in your life, be like Paul, who said: “None of these things move me…” (Acts 20:24).
I love you,
God bless you!Labels: THE BELIEVER'S AUTHORITY