1 Sam. 17 - face the challenge

by Jimmy Lau

1Sa 17:45  Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 

1. Courage Will Overcome Fear         
Twice a day for 40 days Goliath would challenge the Israelites demanding a 1 on 1 battle (v.16). But no one from Israel’s camp would dare come forward to fight Goliath. The Israelites didn’t believe it was possible to defeat Goliath. They were greatly afraid (v.11). Only David was not afraid of Goliath. He accepted the challenge (v.32).

What is FEAR? F.E.A.R. is an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. There’s no true threat of immediate physical danger, or something terrible is going to happen. Fear is an illusion. It is just an emotional response to a perceived threat. And the only place where fear exists is in the mind.

The way to overcome fear is to face it. Yes, pluck up the courage and face it: “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” Joshua 1:9).


 2. Youth Need Not Be A Liability         
Everyone thought David was too young for it. David proved them wrong. The apostle exhorts: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purit” (1 Timothy 4:12).

                         
3. Ignore The Negatives And Believe In Yourself.
David’s eldest brother chided him (v.28). Even Saul told him he was too young and inexperienced for the job (v.33). Goliath too mocked him (v.43). David ignored their negative remarks.
 
Believe in yourself and ignore those who try to discourage you. Israel chose to listen to the negative reports of the 12 spies and became discouraged (Numbers 13:31-33).
                              
Don’t let negative people discourage you. Trust God and believe in yourself; you are in charge of your own destiny: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

                                                                  
4. Make A Difference.
Because of David’s action, Israel fought and won. I saw a video about a woman who went about cooking some meals to feed some poor and homeless folks. A man approached her and asked: “Why are you doing this? You know how many poor souls are there out there in the world? Can you feed them all? What difference does it make?” At this moment a poor hungry soul appeared and said to the woman: “Thank you so much. My wife and children are so thankful for the food; we have not eaten for three days.” So the woman replied to the man who asked him what difference does it make: “Well, it makes a difference to this family.”
 
There are so many works to be done in the church. You don’t have to do all. You just need to do what you can. It will make a difference to someone: “Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11).

 
5. Trust God.
Goliath trusted in his sword and spear; David trusted in his God (v.45). Today, we are fighting spiritual warfare. Our weapon is our faith: “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). Faith is trusting God. Let us have faith in God.