King David was what could be called a warring king. He, like everyone
else was not free from the struggles of life. However, one thing he did
know that many believers fail to take advantage of, he knew where to
turn to be strengthened and encouraged. He knew the source for
overcoming the struggles of life. "I will love You, O Lord my
strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God,
my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my
salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be
praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies." (Psalms 18:1-3) No
matter what David faced, he knew that the Lord was always with him and
would never leave him to fend for himself. Many of the Psalms that David
wrote reflected his struggles, yet he still knew where his source of
life came from.
On one occasion, at a young age, David face what we might consider a
mountain in his life. This mountain had a name, Goliath. Goliath was a
champion warrior of the Philistines who was of great stature. The Bible
shows us that he was almost ten feet tall. He wore a helmet and his body
armor weighed one hundred twenty five pounds. He also carried a spear
with a iron spearhead that weighed fifteen pounds. The sight of Goliath
and the threats that he made were enough to cause the army of Israel
under King Saul to become dismayed and greatly afraid. David's father
Jesse called for David to take some provisions to his others son's who
were with the army. David met with his brothers, saw Goliath and took
courage in the Lord. He was not about to sit by and allow Goliath bring
reproach upon God's people. With five smooth stones in his shepherds bag
and a sling he faced Goliath.
David was not facing Goliath alone, no, the Lord was with him. "Then
David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a
spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of
hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day
the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take
your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp
of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the
earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then
all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and
spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our
hands." (1 Samuel 17:45-47)
Every believer one time or another will face a situation that looks like
a Goliath. The key to overcoming the Goliath is not to let worry,
anxiety or fear have place because they compound the situation. Jesus
tells us, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:34) We are not to worry because "...our heavenly Father knows that we have need..." (Matthew 6:32) The Apostle Paul tells us,
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace
of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7) Paul also tells us, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)
Although David lived one thousand years before Christ appeared on earth and was under the Mosaic Law, he still exercised faith
in God for everything. The conclusion of David's encounter with Goliath
shows us that David did not wait for the battle to come to him but, "when
the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David
hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put
his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the
Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead,
and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the
Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and
killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David
ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of
its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it." (1 Samuel 17:48-51)
Faith in God's ability is what put David over. The writer of Hebrews records, "But
without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God
must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) Without unwavering confidence
in God, His Word, His wisdom, His ability and His promises it is
impossible to please Him. The other way that we can say this is, God is
not pleased with the person who has no confidence in Him; who doubts His
Word, His ability and promises or does not believe that his ways are
right. Solomon tells us to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge
Him, and He shall direct your paths." ( Proverbs 3:5-6) The Apostle Peter says it this way, "Casting
the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your
concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately
and cares about you watchfully." (1 Peter 5:7 AMP)
For many, faith seems to be somewhat obscure, unattainable and or
limited to only a few believers. However, faith is quite simple. Also
know that God has given it to every believer, "...God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." (Romans 12:3) That problem that most believers seem to experience, is they do not constantly feed on God's Word so their faith can grow. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans
10:17) For most, we feed our body multiple times each day for strength
and nourishment but our recreated spirit is neglected because most
believers do not feed on God's Word. This is one reason why so many
believers have weak faith. Another problem is believers having a double
confession. One confession is upon the absolute truth of God's Word and
then when things do not immediately change, the confession turns the
opposite way, refuting God's Word.
I want to encourage you that as we have seen, every believer has been given faith from God. (Romans 12:3) Do not let discouragement try to over take you in the midst
of what seems to be an insurmountable circumstance, instead, "...hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23) PTL
Monday, December 6, 2021
Standing on Top of the Mountains
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