What Goliaths are coming at you?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
(1 Samuel 17:45 (NIV))

Have you ever had something come against you that seemed impossible to overcome?

We all know the story of David and Goliath. We know that Goliath was a giant of a man. We know that he taunted the men of the armies of Israel to the point that they were afraid of him. Not a single man was willing to face Goliath in combat. The problem arose from the same human characteristic that we still suffer from today. Humanity looks at the physical and sees impossibilities. David, in his youth and faith, saw that his God was far greater than the enemy that he faced. He saw Goliath as merely another enemy for the Lord to defeat.

We know what happened. David picked up five smooth stones and secured them in his bag. One day we can ask David why he picked up five stones, for the very first stone found its mark. God guided the stone and killed Goliath. The enemy that had come up against God’s people to kill them had been defeated and the remaining solders tried to flee for their lives. It took the faith of a young man, some say a boy, to stand up against the enemies of God’s people.

Is there anything that we should learn from this?

Every day, those who profess a faith in Jesus face untold enemies. Do we, as the Body of Christ, act like the men of the armies of Israel and fear the battle? Do we try to appease the enemy by giving in a little and compromise our faith? Do we turn and run from the enemy? Do we see the physical and forget the spiritual?

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
(1 John 4:4 (NIV))

Look at what God accomplished because David knew this?

In the middle of all that we face in this world, do you know this?

What Goliaths are coming at you?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

What do you remember about your early faith?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

The word of the LORD came to me: “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:

” `I remember the devotion of your youth,
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the desert,
through a land not sown.
(Jeremiah 2:1-2 (NIV))

God told Jeremiah to tell the people of Jerusalem that He remembered the devotion of their youth. I want you to think about that simple statement.

Looking back at your faith when it was new, have you lost your zeal? Have you lost your passion for Jesus? Have you gone from an “Amen” type of faith to a “whatever” type of faith? Have you lost the fire that used to burn so bright and so hot?

To be honest with you, life is hard. It is so easy to lose sight of the fire and the passion when you are told by everything in your life that you have to take care of other things first. It is difficult to maintain the fire when you are being beaten down by the world. It is difficult to maintain the passion when you have to focus on your job for so many hours a day. Life can, and often does leave you exhausted.

What if Jesus were to say Jeremiah 2:1-2 to you. Would you listen to the things that are not being said and realize that Jesus is asking you what happened?

Think about that for a moment!

Jesus did not go anywhere. He is still right there. It is we who have let the relationship take a back seat.

Sometimes I think that the saddest words in the English language are, “I remember . . . “ They imply that something has changed and not for the better.

What do you remember about your early faith?

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery

What is your spiritual age?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
(2 Kings 22:1-2 (NIV))

Do you believe that youth means not walking with God?

How many times have you seen a group of young people and you automatically assume that they are up to no good?

Age is not a defining benchmark for spirituality and a right path in God’s Word. Far too many times I have seen older people who profess to be followers of Jesus do things that would make their children grimace.

Josiah was only eight years old and he did what was right in the eyes of God. David was just a boy when he listened to God’s call and defeated Goliath. Samuel was only a boy when God called him.

The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, `Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
(1 Samuel 3:8-10 (NIV))

Jesus was in the Temple when He was only a boy.

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
(Luke 2:49 (NIV))

Youth does not mean an ignorance of faith just as adulthood does not mean the presence of a strong faith. Be open to the Spirit and allow Him to work were HE will. Be open to whatever and whomever God places in your life that listens to His Word.

Copyright 1998 – 2013 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery