Five Smooth Stones & The Enemy's Sword

God often speaks to me when I need Him to.  Yesterday, He spoke through my Pastor's sermon.  I went over and over things in my head all day.  I prayed about it.  I reread the notes I had taken.  I came to the realization that I had failed to kill my enemy.

Before anyone begins thinking I've decided to counter the Bible and commit murder, let me explain.  My Pastor decided to preach through the Bible, knowing it will take time.  Yesterday, my husband and I were supposed to teach kid's church.  Late last week I received a call to switch Sunday's.  Already, God wanted me in that service.  I just didn't realize why at the time.

 

Yesterday's sermon was on a story most Christians know well: David and Goliath.  Even non-Christians know the story of David and Goliath.  Could there be more of an underdog story?  The story has been replayed as the foundational plot in movie after movie, and book after book.

Pastor went through the story, breaking it down and making it practical for Christians to use in everyday life.  Here's a rough breakdown of the lesson:

-  David confronted the problem head-on.  As Christians, we can't ignore problems.  We must face them.

-  David endured criticism.  His brothers and Goliath called David names.  If you ever want to kill a Goliath, be prepared to endure criticism.  Sometimes those closest to you will be the most critical.

-  David wasn't afraid to be himself.  David was a shepherd.  King Saul attempted to make David a soldier by putting David into battle gear.  But David wasn't a soldier, and God had taught him the skills he needed while he was a shepherd.  Her killed the lion and the near as a shepherd, not as a soldier.  The soldiers had spent 40 days afraid to face the giant.  Be who you are.  Learn the lessons God gives you where you are.  

-  David knew the battle wasn't his.  He knew that the battle was the Lord's.  God used David.  God could have killed Goliath himself, but there were lessons to be learned by David killing the giant.  God can fix our problems, but then how will we learn to trust Him?  How will He teach us what He desires for us to learn?  

-  Probably one of the best lessons for me personally was this one:
David ran at the problem and used what he knew.  Hitting Goliath with the stone didn't kill Goliath.  It only brought the giant down to David's level.  Once at David's level, the shepherd boy then cut off the giant's head with the giant's own sword.

One of the reasons we fight the same battles over and over is we don't cut off the giant's head and kill the problem.  In gardening, we can't kill weeds if we don't pull up the roots.  It's the same principle.

Why do money problems return?  Because we temporarily fix issues, but then allow new ones to form by not having savings, not controlling spending, not changing habits. 

Why do we continual to battle anger or fear or depression?  We continual to battle these things because we don't kill pride or control our thoughts.  

Why do we continual to battle negativity?  Because we don't kill the negativity in our minds by doing as the Bible says and casting down those thoughts.  

Let me give a practical example.  My husband and I have struggled with sewer problems since we bought our house.  We have a giant tree growing by the house whose roots keep growing into the sewer lines.  Three lines are old clay pipe.  Every year we've had plumbers come out and snake the lines, clearing out the roots.  We've used the root killer stuff too.  But the problem will not go away until we cut down the tree, ground out the stump, and lay a new line.  It's expensive, so we have only done small measures.  Until we kill the giant (the tree and its roots), it will only keep getting back up (blocking our sewer system).

-  David's example caused the entire camp to fight.  He was an example.  Once the army saw a giant was defeated, they them had the confidence to fight themselves. 

Want revival in your church?  Start with revival in your heart.  Move to revival in your home.  Watch it spread.

- The final lesson: Giants are killed in the valley, not on the mountain top.  We don't kill our giants in the easy times.  We may prepare in the easy times, but we kill our giants in the hard times.  It's in the midst of financial struggle that we decide to be slaves to the lender no longer.  It's in the midst of anger that we decide to let it erupt or to control ourselves and not let it cause fallout in our lives and the lives of those close to us.  It's in the midst of depression that we decide our lives are worth more than the toxic thoughts we have let poison us.  

After church, a man put his thoughts on Facebook.  He talked about how he has walked to the river edge and chose five smooth stones.  He carries them with him during struggles as a reminder of the lessons from David and Goliath.

Maybe we need our own five stones.  We need the stones when our world seems chaotic.  We need the stones in personal battles and in battles with our changing culture.  Goliath was brought down with the first stone, but David had four more ready if he needed them.  In other words, be prepared to fight longer.  And remember, cut off the enemy's head.  There's no use in sorta fixing an issue.  Fix it permanently.