Seven Actions to Defeat Your Giant -- Part 7

The seventh and final segment of a series of weekly articles. See end for links to previous posts.

SEVENTH ACTION: Move forward with God-given confidence (1 Samuel 17:55-58).

Here are "Seven Actions to Defeat Your Giant" from the battle of David versus Goliath as recorded in 1 Samuel 17:

1. To prepare for the battle, you must look at your giant from God's perspective (v. 26).
2. To prepare for the battle, you must remember the victories from your past (v. 33-37).
3. To prepare for the battle, you must put on the armor of God (v. 38-40).
4. As you fight your battle, you must declare, "The battle is the Lord's" (v. 41-37).
5. As you fight your battle, you must do what you know to do (v. 48-50).
6. As you fight your battle, you must complete the task (v. 51-54).
7. Move forward in God-given confidence (v. 55-58).

Today, we will consider the seventh action — move forward in God-given confidence (1 Samuel 17:55-58). The actions are listed to reveal a progression. The seventh action, by itself, cannot bring victory for it lacks context. But, when the seven actions are considered together, they reveal God's game plan for your encounter.

THE HISTORICAL ACCOUNT

Immediately after David kills Goliath, he is taken by Abner, the commander of the army of Israel, directly to King Saul. Picture this with me. David, the lowly shepherd youth stands before his king while holding the head of the giant in his hand!

Saul asked David, "Whose son are you, young man?" (v. 58a). David's humility and willingness to give God the glory was very evident and remains a lesson for us. He answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite" (v. 58b). David knew his humble beginnings, he knew it was God who won the victory, and he knew his place in the presence of his king. This was the prime reason why centuries later David was remembered as a man after God's heart who was obedient to the Lord, as seen in Acts 13:22.

The victory at the Valley of Elah radically altered David's life and propelled him onto the national scene. His victory over Goliath gave him a God-given confidence that victory was assured if God was on his side (for example, see Psalm 108). David could remember this victory, follow these same seven actions, and be ready to engage in future battles.

MOVING FORWARD

Like David, you can move forward with God-given confidence. You can see God was with you and gave you the victory over your giant. Now, you have a confidence in Him that we call "faith." There are many reasons that you can move forward with God-given confidence, such as:

Your story gives you confidence. Before your battle, you believed by faith in God and His promises. But perhaps your faith was based on what you were taught, the stories from your parents' faith journey, or others’ victories. But after your battle, your faith increases because it was intimately personal. Now, you have your story — your victory. God was faithful and is faithful to YOU! When you encounter the giants of tomorrow, you know that God will be faithful and bring victory.

Your faith in God gives you confidence. You are now equipped with the proper mindset to move forward with God-given confidence. Your faith in God has history; it has context. Apply that faith to your current battle. Like the three Hebrew young men who were challenged to either worship an earthly king or face imminent death, their response was to declare that God would deliver them, but if He did not, they would still not serve him nor bow to his golden image (see Daniel 3). In other words, "You can kill me, but I am going to worship God!" They knew that their staunch stand for righteousness would result in God bringing the victory.

You can be like the apostles who were used by God to do miracles. They were called before the Sanhedrin, scolded, and flogged. Look at how the apostles responded: "Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus" (Acts 5:41-42). Though they suffered physical torture and public humiliation, they knew, without a doubt, that God will bring the victory.

You also have an understanding of Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Before your battle, you were focused on your immediate conflict before you. Now, your focus in on God; He will journey with you, He will never leave you nor forsake you, He will bring victory, and He will get the glory.

God-focused priorities give you confidence. When you focus on God instead of your battle, you become heavenly-minded rather than earthly-minded. You know that when you follow God and His Word, the Bible, that you may seemingly lose temporarily, but that ultimate victory is assured. This changes your outlook on life and your priorities.

The apostle Paul wrote, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). He believed that while he was alive he could honor Christ with his life. But, he knew that when he died that he would be united with Christ in heaven and for eternity. So, death lost its sting! In the same way, your priorities are now to serve God in every endeavor and you know that whether in the immediate victory or defeat that God is with you. You are the ultimate winner — move forward in your God-given confidence.

Obedience to God's Word gives you confidence. The Bible is the most timeless and priceless document written. Ever. As you read stories like David and Goliath, and apply these principles to your life, you are equipped for battle. You can move forward with confidence that being obedient to God's Word places you in proper alignment with Him. So, read God's Word. Meditate on God's Word. Apply God's Word to your daily life. It is the bread of life!

Being in God's presence gives you confidence. The best way to take your eyes off your giant and onto God is to get into His presence by reading the Bible, praying, fasting, and waiting on the Lord to speak to you.

There are many episodes in the Old Testament when the Holy Spirit came upon individuals and they were empowered to do something extraordinary — prophesy, perform miracles, and even fight battles. We know from Acts 2 that God will fill you with His presence. We know from the rest of the book of Acts that when you are filled with the Holy Spirit you are empowered to live for Christ and be His witness.

The greatest reward, bar none, is to be in God's presence. The "Great Commission" found in Matthew 28:18-20 ends with, "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

CONCLUSION

I leave you with the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 8:

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? . . . Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

To read the previous posts of this series, click one of the following: Preamble, Seven Actions No. 1, Seven Actions No. 2, Seven Actions No. 3, Seven Actions No. 4, Seven Actions No. 5, or Seven Actions No. 6.