THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST: DEFEATING THE ENEMY (2)

"DAVID…SELECTED FIVE…STONES"

40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

Shall We Talk?

Just like David…selected five…stones from the brook,” here are 5 stones we can use to defeat the enemy: (1) The stone of past successes. Recalling his earlier victories David declared, “God who delivered me from the …lion and…bear, will deliver me from this Philistine” (1Sam. 17:37TM). Write your defeats in sand, but carve your victories in stone by keeping track of God’s faithfulness and the “marvelous works…He has done” (1 Ch. 16:12NKJV). Has He ever failed us? No, and He won’t now! (2) The stone of prayer. “Prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare” (Eph.18 TM); we can’t win without it. David “strengthened himself in the Lord” (1Sam 30:6NKJV). When Saul came after him he called on God, his “defense and refuge” (Ps.59:16NKJV). (3) The stone of priority. God’s priority is His reputation and David’s objective was to defend it by proving “There is a God in Israel” (1Sam.17:46). Involving God in our situation gives Him an opportunity to showcase His grace and power. (4) The stone of passion.

We can’t stare at our giant forever. Rehearsing our hurts won’t heal them and cataloging our problems won’t solve them. We must go out and face the enemy, knowing “the battle is the Lord’s” (v. 47). (5) The stone of perseverance. Solomon said, “The diligent make use of everything they find” (Pr. 12:27NLT).

David picked 5 stones because he didn’t know how many he’d need to do the job. Like Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over till it’s over,” so be prepared to go the distance. It may take more than a day, a month, or even a year to see results, but with God’s help we’ll win....to be cont'd

In Christ,