"For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" . . . David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." 1 Samuel 17:26b, 32 God has called us to address our giants and not ignore them. No amount of denying a problem will make it go away. We must face it and "having done everything to stand. Stand firm . . ." (Ephesians 6:13-14). Remember, the battle is the Lord's (1 Samuel 17:47). Fear may try to come in, but stand firm in faith. David had a clear understanding that God was fighting the battle for him. If David could trust God, so can you!

Where did David receive his strength? By abiding in God: "Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14). In God's presence is where your heart will find strength and courage to press through difficulty.

If you are in a tough situation, stop and remember how God came through for you in the past. Before David went up to fight Goliath, he recounted the great victories God had given him in the past: "Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God." And 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." And Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you." 1 Samuel 17:36, 37 Encourage yourself from times in your own life when God provided breakthrough and from accounts in the Bible where God came through for His people. We are not exempt from conflict in this earthly life, "but in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us" (Romans 8: 37).

Press On!
Pastor Jeff

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14


© 2008 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.