Love and Respect

Max Lucado

Hello Life Group!

We will be studying from Chapter 5 of Max Lucado's book, 'Facing Your Giants' this Sunday Feb 10th. Be sure and drop by and check us out. You will gain from the experience.

It's David and Goliath Again

A Command Requiring Faith

God told Abram: "Leave your country, your family, and your father's home for a land that I will show you.

A Promise of Abundance

I'll make you a great nation and bless you.
I'll make you famous; you'll be a blessing.

Obedience and a Leap of Faith

So Abram left just as God said...

Confirmation of God After the Leap

God appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your children." Abram built an altar at the place God had appeared to him.

Takes Eyes Off God and Fear Takes Over

Then a famine came to the land. Abram went down to Egypt to live; it was a hard famine. As he drew near to Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai, "Look. We both know that you're a beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you they're going to say, 'Aha! That's his wife!' and kill me. But they'll let you live. Do me a favor: tell them you're my sister. Because of you, they'll welcome me and let me live."

This is David's story all over again. It seems to speak to the nature of God and people. Maybe it is a warning sign for us.

Be encouraged when you are obedient and take that leap of faith.

Be in awe as God blesses your obedience in tangible ways.

Be watchful you don't take your eyes off the source of your blessings.

Be alarmed when you experience fear

Be quick to turn back to Jesus.

Raging Sauls and Desperate Days

Stepping back for just a minute, I have proposed that all of us should pursue an abundant life. We defined abundance as the perfection of God's will and purpose in your life. With abundance as a target, Jesus will be our focus. Acknowledging that we can never appreciate God's abundance without the help of Jesus.

Over the last couple of weeks we talked about the classic children's bible story of David and Goliath. David was asked to take food to his brothers on the front battle lines. When he got there, he was astonished or maybe not, that his brothers and the entire Israelite army was being taunted, bullied and shamed by the Philistines. The Philistines had sent out their champion bully, Goliath. He was challenging the Israelites to send out their best and "winner take all". Every one was cowering back unwilling to take on Goliath. They amassed their total battle force and prepared to take on the giants. Enter David.

David grabbed 5 stones. 1 for Goliath and 4 for Goliath's brothers. He ran to the giant. Told him he was about to die. Maybe Goliath was laughing and threw his head back. David flung a stone, hitting his exposed forehead. Goliath goes down. David takes Goliath's sword and cuts off his head. He takes his head as proof and puts his armor in his tent. Where was David's focus as he raced down the hill to fight Goliath. Was he focused on Goliath or was he focused on God? This is so key to living a victorious life. We can not have victory while focused on the problem. We must focus on Jesus and let God work through us and others to create the abundance we so desperately crave and need!

When facing your giant, pick the absolute worse possible outcome and take it before the Father. Say, "God this situation is impossible. Unless you choose to step in I will be destroyed." Then, claim God's Word in your prayer. Shift your focus from the problem and focus on Jesus. Maybe pray, God you have said that if I pray anything in your will, you will answer my prayer. Claim the Word of God in your prayer. God is not a liar. So pray, God please save me from destruction and provide the abundant life you have promised me. Then be still and wait for the "peace that surpasses all understanding". Really! It works! Do it!

This brings us to today's story: the aftermath of David whipping the biggest baddest bully in the world as they knew it.

David is received in Saul's household because of his heroic deeds. His father has lost his #1 sheep herder. David and Jonathan immediately bond and Jonathan is totally committed to David. Out of tremendous love for David, Jonathan does a seemingly nonsense thing. He makes a covenant and transfers his right to the throne to David. Every task David is given by Saul, he does well and everyone loves him.

It would be great if the story ended here and everyone lived happily ever after. But it is only the beginning. In my life's struggles, God has been faithful. I have experienced abundance, but it's not the end. It is always the beginning of the next struggle God will use to bring me to the place of full abundance. This includes obedience and God's perfection of His will and purpose in my life. A full life with Christ just keeps getting deeper and better. The struggles are what drive me to where God can do His best work.

Facing Your Giants

Life Group Friends,
We are starting a great study called "Facing Your Giants" by Max Lucado. The first chapter talks about the traditional David and Goliath story when David whacks Goliath with a stone. We covered this adventure from the Word and had a great time with it last week. You can read it on this blog's previous posting. So tomorrow, we will jump right in and cover chapter two and three.

Likely, you are way past chapter three in your reading. The book is written in true Lucado style and is pretty engaging and easy reading. As always, come prepared to contribute in body, soul and spirit. You guys and gals are the best!

Love ya,
Archie

David and Goliath - No Fear

Here are my thoughts as I read God's Word from:

1 Samuel 17

David and Goliath

^{1 -3} The Philistines drew up their troops for battle. They deployed them at Socoh in Judah, and set up camp between Socoh and Azekah at Ephes Dammim. Saul and the Israelites came together, camped at Oak Valley, and spread out their troops in battle readiness for the Philistines. The Philistines were on one hill, the Israelites on the opposing hill, with the valley between them.

^{4 -7} 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. His shield bearer walked ahead of him.

Why the wait? Were they ready for battle? Did they know the scripture? Did Goliath know the scripture? Did he know people in his ranks that thought something was up?

^{8 -10} Goliath stood there and called out to the Israelite troops, "Why bother using your whole army?

This was Goliath day of fame. His ego would kill him. Likely, he had strutted his stuff for years and enjoyed victory in battle. A bully around town. Taking what he wanted. Nobody to stop him. His power went to his head. He believed the lies of others that nothing could stop him, yet what was with all this armor? Did he secretly know he was vulnerable? Was he fearful?

Am I not Philistine enough for you? And you're all committed to Saul, aren't you? So pick your best fighter and pit him against me. If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you'll all become our slaves and serve us. I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!"

Goliath must have knew he was unstoppable. Was he confident or not? Did he just enjoy being on the local news making fun of an entire nation?

¹¹ When Saul and his troops heard the Philistine's challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope.

What a tremendous depression must have filled the Israelite camp. The evil one and his dominion were devouring the Israelites from the inside out. He was feeding their fears. God allowed Satan to have his day of fame. God allowed the Israelites to know failure. There was no doubt in any ones mind of the outcome of the battle. THE STAGE IS SET!

When catastrophe of gigantic proportions loom overhead, is when God has the biggest opportunity for establishing His preeminence. As Christians we will be David many times throughout our life. The battle will be waiting. The enemy laughing at you. Your friends saying you are defeated. Think of Job. You have to make a choice. You are weak in your flesh. You are a child of the King at heart. What will you choose to do when faced with your Goliath?

^{12 -15} Enter David. He was the son of Jesse the Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse, the father of eight sons, was himself too old to join Saul's army. Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to war. The names of the three sons who had joined up with Saul were Eliab, the firstborn; next, Abinadab; and third, Shammah. David was the youngest son. While his three oldest brothers went to war with Saul, David went back and forth from attending to Saul to tending his father's sheep in Bethlehem.

¹⁶ Each morning and evening for forty days, Goliath took his stand and made his speech.

When in battle, repetitious lies may be spoken against you. It is normal if you hear a lie enough times you will begin to believe it. Goliath spoke his lies 80 times. Each time, the Israelites began to believe it a little more. How can you battle the lies you are told? What is the best kind of lie? It is a lie that looks and feels like the truth. Think of Adam and Eve. Think of I an nothing in self, but am everything as a child of the King.

^{17 -19} One day, Jesse told David his son, "Take this sack of cracked wheat and these ten loaves of bread and run them down to your brothers in the camp. And take these ten wedges of cheese to the captain of their division. Check in on your brothers to see whether they are getting along all right, and let me know how they're doing—Saul and your brothers, and all the Israelites in their war with the Philistines in the Oak Valley."

David must have been anxious for this day. Up at the crack of dawn. The battle was about to begin. Does it seem like God waits until the last minute to show His power in battles you have fought? Why might that be? Might it be that the weak are parsed out and the faithful are left standing to receive God’s abundance? When life is the darkest, look for God to shine new light. Look for God to save you and kick Satan in the teeth. God is stronger than he that is in the world.

^{20 -23} David was up at the crack of dawn and, having arranged for someone to tend his flock, took the food and was on his way just as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the army was moving into battle formation, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines moved into position, facing each other, battle-ready. David left his bundles of food in the care of a sentry, ran to the troops who were deployed, and greeted his brothers. While they were talking together, the Philistine champion, Goliath of Gath, stepped out from the front lines of the Philistines, and gave his usual challenge. David heard him.

^{24 -25} The Israelites, to a man, fell back the moment they saw the giant— totally frightened. The talk among the troops was, "Have you ever seen anything like this, this man openly and defiantly challenging Israel? The man who kills the giant will have it made. The king will give him a huge reward, offer his daughter as a bride, and give his entire family a free ride."

Everyone was fearful. There was no one faithful. Everyone looked at the size, shape, complexity of the problem. There was no solution. They were confident of their impending death. Wouldn’t you be?

Five Smooth Stones

²⁶ David, who was talking to the men standing around him, asked, "What's in it for the man who kills that Philistine and gets rid of this ugly blot on Israel's honor? Who does he think he is, anyway, this uncircumcised Philistine, taunting the armies of God-Alive?"

²⁷ They told him what everyone was saying about what the king would do for the man who killed the Philistine.

Who was pushing who’s buttons? Did the troops see David’s eagerness? Maybe their perception of his naivety? They were under pressure to fight Goliath. Their superiors wanted someone to do battle for them. Or was David intentionally pushing their buttons? I think it was incredulous to David that no one was stepping up to battle, ever with the promised rewards of the king. The winner would be set for life!

But, that was not David’s motivation. He was there because God was with him and David was looking to see where God would work today! It was just part of David chasing after God that he found himself delivering cheese to the front line with an expectatious Spirit wondering how God was going to use him?

²⁸ Eliab, his older brother, heard David fraternizing with the men and lost his temper: "What are you doing here! Why aren't you minding your own business, tending that scrawny flock of sheep? I know what you're up to. You've come down here to see the sights, hoping for a ringside seat at a bloody battle!"

^{29 -30} "What is it with you?" replied David. "All I did was ask a question." Ignoring his brother, he turned to someone else, asked the same question, and got the same answer as before.

God’s light exposes the darkness of the soul. Without God we are cowards or stupid. Probably both.

³¹ The things David was saying were picked up and reported to Saul. Saul sent for him.

Those in authority will take note of individuals that confidently stand alone and above the crowd.

³² "Master," said David, "don't give up hope. I'm ready to go and fight this Philistine."

Reminds me of young Samuel hearing God’s voice as a child. God requires obedience from us regardless of the battle or the possible outcome. It’s not about us. It is all about God. If we can ever understand and appreciate how small we are and allow God to provide us the power, we will move mountains and slay our Goliaths.

³³ Saul answered David, "You can't go and fight this Philistine. You're too young and inexperienced—and he's been at this fighting business since before you were born."

Saul sees with his eyes, not with his heart.

^{34 -37} David said, "I've been a shepherd, tending sheep for my father. Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I'd go after it, knock it down, and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I'd grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it. Lion or bear, it made no difference—I killed it. And I'll do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God-Alive. God, who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine."

David’s confidence in God is based on his faithfulness, obedience and actions of the past that have allowed God to work miracles in his life. He is confident in God’s power and purpose. David lives an abundant life. Saul has nothing to loose and everything to gain. He is ready for God to step in.

Saul said, "Go. And God help you!"

^{38 -39} Then Saul outfitted David as a soldier in armor. He put his bronze helmet on his head and belted his sword on him over the armor. David tried to walk but he could hardly budge. David told Saul, "I can't even move with all this stuff on me. I'm not used to this." And he took it all off.

⁴⁰ Then David took his shepherd's staff, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pocket of his shepherd's pack, and with his sling in his hand approached Goliath.

David knew what he knew. He was willing to try the Kings way on for size, but when it came down to battle it was outfitted in God’s armor. Don’t you know he was contemplative while he picked the five smooth stones. He was looking into the future. He believed with God’s help, he would slay Goliath. He picked up four more stones for Goliath’s brothers. He was prepared to go the distance. He considered the possibility that the battle would not end with Goliath and he wanted to be ready.

^{41 -42} As the Philistine paced back and forth, his shield bearer in front of him, he noticed David. He took one look down on him and sneered—a mere youngster, apple-cheeked and peach-fuzzed. ⁴³ The Philistine ridiculed David. "Am I a dog that you come after me with a stick?" And he cursed him by his gods. ⁴⁴ "Come on," said the Philistine. "I'll make roadkill of you for the buzzards. I'll turn you into a tasty morsel for the field mice."

David’s adrenaline must have been pumping! Maybe he thought, ‘Without God I will die. Like the fiery furnace. I don’t know if God will save me, but I know He can.’ Or maybe he had no doubts. Maybe his confidence was fortified with faith and he never even considered the possibility of failure. Either way, he was obedient. The outcome of the battle did not determine the pleasure of God on David’s life.

^{45 -47} David answered, "You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel's troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day God is handing you over to me. I'm about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there's an extraordinary God in Israel. And everyone gathered here will learn that God doesn't save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to God—he's handing you to us on a platter!"

And the battle begins with David leading the charge. He wasn’t just single handedly taking on a giant. He became commander in chief. The entire army was following him.

^{48 -49} That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine. 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.

David ran to battle and outpaced the entire army. There were none so eager. Can you imagine the confidence David instilled in the troops. Likely, they were remembering the God that their fathers had told them about. The God that loved them. The God that had saved their nation many times before. The God that had sent angels to battle for them in times past. They were ready to fight. It took one little scrawny shepherd’s boy accompanied by a BIG God to establish their victory.

⁵⁰ That's how David beat the Philistine—with a sling and a stone. He hit him and killed him. No sword for David!

God had spoken.

⁵¹ Then David ran up to the Philistine and stood over him, pulled the giant's sword from its sheath, and finished the job by cutting off his head. When the Philistines saw that their great champion was dead, they scattered, running for their lives.

Let there be no doubt. Goliath was dead. Victory was Gods.

^{52 -54} The men of Israel and Judah were up on their feet, shouting! They chased the Philistines all the way to the outskirts of Gath and the gates of Ekron. Wounded Philistines were strewn along the Shaaraim road all the way to Gath and Ekron. After chasing the Philistines, the Israelites came back and looted their camp. David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem. But the giant's weapons he placed in his own tent.

⁵⁵ When Saul saw David go out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, "Tell me about this young man's family."

Abner said, "For the life of me, O King, I don't know."

⁵⁶ The king said, "Well, find out the lineage of this raw youth."

⁵⁷ As soon as David came back from killing the Philistine, Abner brought him, the Philistine's head still in his hand, straight to Saul.

⁵⁸ Saul asked him, "Young man, whose son are you?"

"I'm the son of your servant Jesse," said David, "the one who lives in Bethlehem."

What story are you reminded of? There was a Savior born in the city of David, Bethlehem. He was an insignificant carpenter’s son. Who in battle, defeated the evil on. Jesus has gone before you in battle. Now it is your turn. Will you be the brother that tells others to go home or will you be the one that can’t believe no one is doing anything. Will you be the one that runs into battle with nothing but the armor of God?