5.     David was content to be himself. 
 
David was given the option of using all kinds of fancy weapons and armor when going to fight Goliath.


He would have looked gooooood, like a real warrior.

Intimidating.  Strong.

Instead, he chose to use tried and true methods. He didn’t try to be someone else. He used a slingshot and a stone that he’d used a thousand times before.  He knew his strengths. He knew God had enabled him before to kill a lion and a bear when the situation called for it. And what’s a giant in comparison to wild animals?

 APPLICATION: Just be you. 

God created you to be who you are with all of your strengths and weaknesses. You don’t have to look like a warrior to defeat a giant. Just remember all the
battles God has brought you through before.

Always remember the battle is the Lord’s. This one might look a little more intimidating. But if it’s a lion, bear, or a giant, God’s got it under control.  

Just trust Him to take care of you. Be you. And go fight.

4.      David’s goal was the glory of God. Period.

 David didn’t walk up to Goliath full of pride. He didn’t offer to defeat Goliath so that he would look good in front of everyone else. Instead, he gave credit to God again and again. His motive for defeating the giant wasn’t for his own sake, but rather for God’s name’s sake. He had confidence in the Lord to deliver him from this giant, and that’s exactly what God did
 
APPLICATION: The main motivation you should have for defeating your giant is God’s glory. Not to make yourself look better in front of your friends or on Facebook.

Or to help you have more self-confidence.

Or so you can use your accomplishments as a weapon to cut others down with. Your motive is to be God’s glory.

Your anthem in life should not be “try harder.” Instead, it should be to “lean further” on Him. The more you lean on Jesus, the stronger you will become, and the more your life will point to the One who give you your life in the first place. And isn’t that the goal, after all?

Remember that HE is the vine and YOU are the branch. Without being connected to Him, you can do nothing. Trying to produce fruit when you aren't connected to the Vine is...well...fruitless. 

Connect to Him. Give Him the glory. And stop fighting in your own strength for your own glory. You'll be glad you did...especially when you watch a giant tumble to the ground.
 

3. David did his best.

Several descriptive words stood out to me when I read the story of David and Goliath this time. For example, verse 20 says, “David rose up EARLY in the morning” He knew he had a job to do and he got up early to make sure he got it done. Also, verse 22 says, “and RAN into the army.” How many of us would run? To me, these words indicate that David didn’t take his orders lightly.

2.      David did NOT go looking for a fight.

 David wasn’t planning to defeat a giant that day. He just was following orders from his father. He was a sheep keeper, which didn’t involve slaying giants. He had a monotonous job that he did day after day after day. The orders David received for the day happened to lead him right into a battlefront, but he did not go looking for a giant to fight.

 APPLICATION: Don’t pick fights. Don’t make mountains out of molehills. Don't be easily offended.  Life has enough drama without creating more. Some people seem to find pleasure in a constant state of turmoil, and oddly enough, it's often the ones who claim to "hate drama."

As a rule, if you find yourself wanting to fight, it’s probably best for you to stay quiet. Wisdom is learning to speak out when you would rather stay quiet, and staying quiet when you’d really like to say something.

It’s so easy to hear a familiar Bible story, nod, and think, “Yeah, I’ve heard that story before,” without really stopping to think about the significance of the story. I was struck with several principles while reading 1 Samuel 17, the
story of David & Goliath.  God showed me just how relevant it is to my life right now. I'll post one principle for the next week (so I won't bore you to tears with a ridiculously long blog!) about the familiar story of David and Goliath.

So here’s the first principle in David's approach to killing a giant:

1. David was filled with the Spirit of God before he ever faced the battle.

 

So here we are on trip #2 to South Sudan, and I haven’t even written anything about trip #1. Oops. So here’s a quick summary of our story…


 

Looking for an easy recipe for dinner? This is as easy as it gets! Dump
ingredients in crockpot, leave for several hours, and tada!!
Dinner!

                             

There is a man named Kony that is on the loose in east Africa. He has caused
more terror than I can even begin to express in words. Joseph Kony is a warlord who specializes in capturing and traumatizing children
so thoroughly and severely that they will never attempt to run away, then
training them to be soldiers who obey his every twisted command. I watched the popular youtube video and thought maybe it was a stretch. Surely no one could be so vicious in this day and time and still roam free.



I was very, very wrong...