*** NOTE: I am headed to the Dominican Republic early tomorrow morning and I will not get back until next Tuesday. I will be there to focus on the children we have in our schools. I will also be looking for land to build our own school. I am asking that you pray with me on finding the land God wants us to have. During this trip I will not put out Today’s Word. This is the last “Today’s Word” you will receive from me until next Wednesday. I will post updates on social media. You can follow me @rickpina on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to see how the trip is going. Thank you in advance for your prayers.
(1 Samuel 17:37-40)
This morning I continue our series entitled, “Standing on a Word from God.” This is Part 42 of the series and Part 14 of the life of David.
Let’s get back to our story. David heard Goliath after the giant had been taunting the nation of Israel for 40 days. The Israelites and the Philistines were in a stalemate the entire time because no one from Israeli army had the courage to fight Goliath. After David convinced Saul he was ready to fight and WIN, he was given the opportunity to represent Israel in the fight. After taking over a month’s worth of berating, king Saul put the future of the nation in the hands of a teenager. This was not just any teenager. This was a teenager anointed by God. He had already killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands. He was not afraid of the giant. He was living by faith.
David’s confidence was in God and the favor of God was clearly on him. If God’s favor had not been on David, he would have never gotten the opportunity to fight Goliath. Remember, this was a winner-take-all fight. Only two men were going to enter the Valley of Elah and the fate of their respective nations was in their hands.
After giving David the authority to represent the nation of Israel, king Saul attempted to give David his own armor. Most Soldiers had body armor, but David, who was simply shepherd boy, was no Soldier, so he did not. It would have been a privilege to wear the personal armor of the king into battle. This would be like a Private in today’s Army, wearing the uniform of the Commanding General. David put it on, strapped Saul’s sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it felt like. After a few moments David said, “I can’t go in this, I’m not used to it.” So David took the armor off and gave it back to the king. David then picked up five smooth stones from a nearby stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff, the five stones, and a slingshot, David started across the valley to fight the Philistine giant. I can only imagine the scene. A king and his army were standing by as a teenage shepherd boy wandered into a valley to face a giant. The giant was armed for battle. The boy had nothing but a stick, a slingshot and a few rocks. The nation’s future was in the boy’s hands. It’s a good thing that David’s future was in God’s hands! We will stop here for today and pick it up from here when I get back from the Dominican Republic.
So what does this mean to you today? Two things:
1. Enter into God’s Rest is a key aspect of the life of faith.
a) If you are frustrated because you are trying very hard to get God to move in your life, then that is the problem. You are trying too hard. You can’t force God to do anything. He leads you, you don’t lead Him!
b) The life of faith is a life that consists of simply going wherever God leads you to go and doing whatever He leads you to do. You GO and DO, even when God is leading you to do things that are beyond your ability, because you know that God’s grace is on you to perform whatever He leads you to do.
c) David was led by God to fight Goliath. Since he was doing what the Lord was leading him to do, he did not have to force the door to open. God opened the door for him. David quickly got an audience with the king and he quickly received the approval to represent the nation. This is how it is when you are led of God.
d) When you enter into God’s rest, you know you don’t have to impress anyone. When the king offered David his armor, David appreciated the offer, but since he was not comfortable with it, he simply took it off. He was not worried about Saul being upset or offended. He was not trying to MAKE anything happen. He was not trying to impress anyone. David was simply resting in who he was and in what the Lord was leading him to do. You would do well in learning to do the same.
2. Operate in your own grace.
a) You don’t have the grace of others and they don’t have yours. Saul might have had the grace to fight with armor, but David felt no pressure to look like anyone else or to attempt to fight like anyone else. David accepted the grace of God that was on his OWN life and he was comfortable being who God called him to be. This is how we are supposed to live.
b) Goliath stepped into the Valley of Elah dressed like a warrior. David stepped into the valley dressed like a shepherd. You know why? Because he was graced to be a shepherd. Since he was operating in his own grace, the hand of God was on him and the Blessing of the Lord flowed. The Blessing will not flow when you attempt to be someone the Lord has not called you to be.
c) The anointing only flows through the authentic. You must know who you are and then be comfortable with being who God called you to be. If you try to live like someone else, you will fail because they have their own grace. God did not give you what He gave them. But God did not give them what He gave you. When you embrace the grace to be YOU, the world will take notice!
Closing Confession:
Father, this is a season of expectation for me. I expect You to do what You said You would do in my life. So I labor to enter into Your rest. I rest from my own works. I am settled in whom You have called me to be. People who don’t know their purpose experiment their way through life. I am not experimenting. I have accepted and submitted to Your purpose. Therefore, Your grace and favor are on me to become the person You have called me to be. I feel no pressure to be someone I am not. I accept no pressure to copy or mimic someone who I don’t have the grace to become. Your grace flows TO ME and THROUGH ME because I operate in the authenticity of my divine assignment. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
