Topic: Faith Boosters
Text: 1 Samuel 17:21-47
Key verse: And David said to Saul, Let no man\’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
The knowledge of the emotion of fear started in the Garden of Eden after man disobeyed God. Fear is defined as: An unpleasant feeling triggered by the perception of danger, real or imagined. Everyone at one point in time faces fear. All the men of war feared the champion of the Philistines, because of his size and the stories they had heard about his military prowess.
David appeared in the scene with no sense of fear at all. He rather started to ask for the reward for whoever would overcome Goliath the giant. Fear originates from perception, what you believe about yourself in the face of that danger, and how you understand and interpret the possible outcomes of the encounter. David never tried to compare himself with Goliath; rather he kept making reference to God.
David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” He saw Goliath\’s threat as a defiance of God\’s army. His focus was on God and not on himself. When you make the issue about yourself then you seek help from within you, but if you look at your challenges as against God, then you will interpret the outcome based on God\’s ability to deal with it.
David looked at Goliath through the lenses of previous victories God had given him over the Bear and the Lion.
When you profess faith in the face of danger, others might consider it as pride. But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!”
I have also felt anger towards others when they spoke in faith while l was full of fear, rather than try to find the source of their faith, l have called them names, claiming their faith was based on presumption and mere blind faith. Indeed faith in God is blind to failure; it is rooted in the power of The Mighty God, his ability, resources and history. Notice the basis of his confidence in his reply to the King.\”The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”
I know this might sound difficult to believe, but to walk in faith; you must take your eyes away from yourself and put it on God. See life through God\’s lenses. You will become a possibility thinker if your confidence rests on God\’s ability. God has a million options on how to solve a problem. Fear can be crippling, when you engage in over analyzing the problem. David said….\”And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”
Do you have any testimonies of things God has done in the past for you? These are your faith boosters. Reference to previous testimonies of deliverance is a basis of faith for the future. This is a new day, anxiety is a manifestation of fear, quit being anxious. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Learning how to talk to God about everything in prayer is important. Many times in prayer, we tell God the problem and also tell him how to solve it. If you already know what to do then you don\’t need God. As long as David compared himself with Goliath he was no match, but when he compared Goliath with God, it was impossible for him to fail.
Try writing down all your challenges on the left side of a page in your journal and write down all the things you have heard God has done and can still do on the right side of the journal. What can you see? In case your problems are more than God can handle, check out the testimonies in the bible and talk to other believers and you will see, there is nothing impossible with God!
Quit being anxious!
Roses & Thorns