The Fight: Round 3

by Tim Howard

One of the greatest fights recorded in scripture is about a man named Goliath and a boy named David. Here’s the Biblical record.

“A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath. He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armor—126 pounds of it! He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword. His spear was like a fence rail—the spear tip alone weighed over fifteen pounds… Goliath called out to the Israelite troops, "Why bother using your whole army… pick your best fighter and pit him against me.” … Hearing the Philistine's challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope.” MSG 1 Samuel 17.

You may be asking: How could anyone stand up against someone like that and win? Evidently others were wondering the same thing, because no one dared to accept his challenge except a boy named David.

David told the King he was prepared to do battle with this Giant even though he was small in stature. God was with him! He would use weapons, which included 5 stones and a sling. Here’s what the record says: “David reached into his pocket for a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine hard in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply. The Philistine crashed, facedown in the dirt. That's how David beat the Philistine—with a sling and a stone.” MSG

A better question might be: How does a much larger man, a much stronger man and soldier with much more training in warfare fail to win this battle?

Let me give you three reasons:

1. Goliath overestimated his own strength and underestimated God’s strength. David didn’t! His confidence wasn’t in his own abilities but in the promises and power of God. David didn’t lean on his own understanding. He fulfilled Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight…” NIV

2. Goliath devalued, disrespected and disdained David because he was small. David, however, used five small stones to do the impossible. If you are going to win the fight against your giants, you’ve got to know that every little bit helps. It’s the little things that are important and it’s the little things that add up to a lot. Rick Warren said: “One snowflake can’t do much but if you get enough of them, you can stop traffic.” Don’t look down on the little things of life. If you do you will lose the battle.

3. Goliath didn’t take into account his weakness. Even though his armor almost totally covered his body, he was still vulnerable. Pride can blind you to your weaknesses. David walked in humility and it proved to be the key to his victory. Humility is a powerful weapon. James said it best: “God gives us more and more strength to stand against…evil…. God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble.” St Paul puts it this way: 2 Corinthians12:9  “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” 

What giants are you facing and fighting today?

Don’t depend upon your own abilities but trust in God. Don’t wait for the 15^th round, hoping to get a KO. Keep throwing the little punches every round. They are paving the way to victory. Make sure you walk humbly before God. He will help you win the fight.

Back to the Future

by Tim Howard

If you were asked to make a top 10 list of Bible stories found in the Old Testament, a few might come to mind. How about Noah and the ark, the parting of the Red Sea or David and Goliath to name a few! I’m sure your list would include a variety of classics if you’re familiar with the Bible but one great story that comes to my mind is found in Joshua chapter 6.

It was the time when the mighty walls of a city called Jericho collapsed. That miraculous event allowed the Israelite soldiers to conquer their enemies and claim the inheritance God had given them. Even though it was miraculous it wasn’t instantaneous. The siege lasted for 7 days with some very strange directives.

God had instructed their leader; Joshua to have soldiers; priests and people march around the city for six days while blowing trumpets and carrying the Ark. The people were to remain silent for these six days and God promised to defeat their enemy on day seven. On the last day the instructions were a bit different. Here’s what the record reveals:

Josh. 6:4 “Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the horns.”

Josh. 6:5 “When you hear the priests give one long blast on the horns, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the walls of the city will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the city.”

Josh. 6:20 “When the people heard the sound of the horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the city from every side and captured it.”

This victory happened because of faith. “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.” Hebrews 11:30

Trusting God can be extremely difficult when you focus on your problems rather than His promises. The walls or Jericho were unprecedented in that era and it was their first major challenge.

Faith will stretch you because it doesn’t operate on the basis of sight. What you see can be intimidating. What you see can immobilize you and impede your progress if it causes you to run from God rather than to Him. That’s what happened forty years prior to this victory when the last generation of Israelite people stood on the verge of entering the future God had promised them. They listened to the majority, who told them the land was too great, the people too big and the cities to strong. They sabotaged their future inheritance because they lacked faith in God.

Their lack of faith was seen in 3D. One, they focused on their inabilities rather than God’s ability. Two, their mouths did nothing but speak negatively and three, they refused to obey God’s directives.

God has a future for you! You will need to keep your eyes on His abilities and not your inabilities, however. We all have insufficiencies but He is sufficient for all things. With Him all things are possible. You can write a future for yourself but only God can write His future that’s been specifically designed for you. He wants to use your obedience as His pen to write your future. Don’t’ let the devil take away your pen. Walk by faith and not by sight. Be a part of the new generation and get back to the future God intended from the beginning.

Who Do You Trust?

by Andrew Cromwell

If you are anything like me, you find yourself being caught up in some of the anxiety over the economy and the future. Reading the paper or listening to the evening news is like exposing yourself to a highly infectious flu called “worry”. You may not catch the flu the first time around, but eventually if you keep exposing yourself, it’s going to move into your body and run its ugly course.

But it’s not just the news. Our own hearts conspire to make us worry about the future. We start worrying about losing our job or our house. We get nervous and start hoarding things thinking that we might not have enough.

But it’s a downward spiral. Once you start putting your trust in your bank account or your job or your inheritance, you are putting your faith in something that will always let you down and will also make you a smaller person. When you are worried about the future and put your trust in what you have, you become stingy and closed-fisted. You hold on to what you have because you believe your source of supply is small and undependable.

What is fascinating is that it doesn’t matter if you have a little or if you have a lot. We all find this infection creeping into our hearts. We are like the millionaire workaholic who was asked, “How much more money do you need?” His response: “Just a little bit more.”

Wouldn’t it be nice to be free from this “little bit more” trap? The answer is simple, but it takes a lifetime to live it out. The Bible says in Romans chapter eleven,

Everything comes from God; everything exists by His power; and everything is intended for His glory.

And here is the secret -- we must put our trust in God as our source and supply. Nothing else is truly stable and trustworthy. And when we trust Him, we don’t have to worry about the future because He takes care of His children.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. — Matthew 6:33

Putting God first is something we do everyday and in everything we do. It is also something that is easy to forget to do! Before we know it, there we are putting our self first yet again. The pastors in Kings County would love to encourage and remind you that putting God first is the only way to live worry free. Why don’t you give them a chance this weekend?