Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1498414
WheelsOfGrace.com | Volume 14 Issue 3 | 23 Welcome to Shop Talk with Pastor Jim! Today we're going to be looking at the story of David and Goliath. I know we've heard the story from the time we were little all the way up, but I'm going to take a different aspect of this story. 1 Samuel 17:11 says when Saul and all Israel heard these words from Goliath the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Here's the thing that I want to talk to you about. There was a whole army that had all the latest technology of armor, weapons, everything that you could possibly have at that time and yet there was one giant that stood before them, who defiled them, and who was defiling God, and they were afraid to go forward and attack. Verse 29 David goes on to say, "What have I done now? Is there not a cause?" Here's what we need to know: we have a cause as believers in Jesus Christ. You and I, we have a cause that we should be fighting for and defending each and every day. We are the hands and feet of Christ. Are we acting that way? It goes on to say in verse 32 that David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fall because of him. Your servant will go and fight with the Philistine." Here we have a kid who came to bring his brothers food for the day, not knowing anything else; he was just kind of on his way; he was a shepherd boy. He gets there, he hears Goliath the giant mouthing off, talking smack to the army, and he says, "Man, don't let the army, don't let the nation of Israel be afraid, because I'm going to fight him." Can you imagine a kid willing to take the place of the entire army? How would that make you feel? You're in an army. You're there and yet you're afraid to go to battle to fight for the cause of your nation. It goes on to say they get ready for battle. Verse 45 says that David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with the sword, with a spear, and with the javelin, but I come to you in the Name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defiled." What we're talking about here is heart. David came here to give his brothers some food and yet he hears this giant mouthing off again, talking smack to not only one person but to the entire army of Israel; they were afraid to go forward. They didn't know what to do. They were dismayed, the Word says. David looks at the scene and he looks at the giant and says, "Man, I'm going to go against this giant, not only for me, but because he's defiling who God is." What does this mean for you and me today? Well, many of us may be up against giants today: maybe it's health, maybe it's finances, maybe jobs, who knows? It could be a million different circumstances: marriage, family, etc. Maybe you're looking at your giants and thinking, "Hey, man, there's no way around it" and you're sitting on the sidelines, just waiting for the season to pass, or maybe even just giving up. I'm here to tell you today that there is a cause. There is a battle that you have to win. It's a spiritual battle that you have to go after. Please understand, when you go with God, when you keep your eyes on Jesus, and go forward to what He has for you, there's no giant that is going to stand before you. As the story goes, David goes into the battle. He hits the giant right between the eyes with the stone and it drops him; then he grabs the giant's sword and chops off the giant's head with the giant's own sword. Here's what we need to know: if we go against our giants and we put our eyes on Jesus and we make sure that our cause is right, that we are doing what we need to be doing, that God is going to not only go with us, but He goes before us, and the battle is already won for you and me. Have heart, stay in the game. Watch what God's trying to do through you and in you. He wants to grow you up into His image, grow you up to what He has for you, so when you're looking at your giants, whether it is today or maybe it's tomorrow, remember that your God goes before you, and you don't need all the fancy stuff to make it through. You just need your Bible, prayer and people to walk with you. Know that you cannot only go after and defeat the giants, but others are looking at you, looking at your life, and how you react. You don't know who is going to see Jesus in you when you go up against your giants. So, this week, look your giants in the face, stay in prayer, stay in the Word, and trust God – He is going to see you through it. He is faithful. Facing Your Giants: Is There Not A Cause? Shop Talk with Pastor Shop Talk with Pastor Jim Jim