(Read 1 Samuel 17:32-37)
Today I will continue with “Faith and Patience Volume 5 – Greater is Coming!” We are studying the life of David. David’s story is impressive and inspirational. I trust you are enjoying it thus far.
Yesterday we learned that after 40 days of taunting, not one of Saul’s Soldiers dared to face Goliath. However, David, a sheep-watching harp-playing teenager, said to the king, “Master, don’t give up hope. I’m ready to go and fight this uncircumcised Philistine.”
We know that Saul loved having David around. We know he was a faithful shepherd of his father’s sheep. We know he was a skillful harp player who also happened to be the only person who could bring Saul comfort when the evil spirit was tormenting him. But we did not know that David was also a warrior. We did not know that David had exceptional courage and fearless confidence. Saul did not know either. Saul did not see David as a Soldier. The King saw him as a boy. He said, “You can’t go and fight this Philistine. You’re too young and inexperienced—and he’s been at this fighting business since before you were born.”
Remember, this was the King speaking. The King of Israel was saying, “Goliath is too big, and you are too small. Goliath has the experience, and you do not. Beyond all of that, Goliath is a grown man, and you are just a boy. YOU CAN’T DO IT!” Have you ever been there? Have you ever attempted to do something God is leading you to do, only to have others question your ability, and possibly even your sanity? I have been there. I know how David felt. I know what it is like for others to think you can’t do something that deep down in your heart, you know you can, by God’s grace. When this happens, you must be undeterred by what people tell you. If God said, “GO,” you cannot be moved by others saying, “NO!”
David was unphased. He replied, “I’ve been a shepherd, tending sheep for my father. Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I’d go after it, knock it down, and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I’d grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it. Lion or bear, it made no difference—I killed it. And I’ll do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God-Alive. God, who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine.” Wow! David had unwavering confidence in God. His confidence helped him persuade Saul. The King said, “Go. And the Lord be with you!”
So what does this mean for you today? A few things:
1. When you live by faith, you will be underestimated.
— When you walk with God, you will be underestimated because God routinely calls you to do things you cannot do without Him.
— People will underestimate you because they are calculating their estimations on their assessment of your abilities. But God factored OUT your weaknesses when He factored IN His strengths.
— God calls you to do things only HE CAN DO! To properly estimate what you can do, people have to calculate their estimations based on God’s abilities, not your own. If they acknowledge the fact that you are Born-Again, and God lives in you, and they then factor IN God to the equation, they have to come to the conclusion that there is NOTHING you can’t do! Because there is nothing, God can’t do. The problem is that most people won’t acknowledge the hand of God on your life. They will see you as a mere human. You just cannot be moved by what they say or believe. You must believe what God believes about you!
— When you launch out in faith to do what you are clearly incapable of doing (without God’s grace), you will be misunderstood and underestimated. Don’t get upset about it. The underestimation is actually warranted. Without God, you cannot. But with God, you CAN DO ALL THINGS (Phil 4:13). Just tell the people underestimating you that you agree with them. In your own strength, what they are saying is true. But because God is ON you, IN you, WITH you, and FOR you, you CAN do what you could NEVER do without Him.
— Many things are impossible with man. All things are possible with God (Mat 19:26).
2. God will push you beyond your wildest dreams.
(Ephesians 3:20 TPT)
Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.
— When you operate in God’s grace, you will routinely do things beyond the realm of what is expected of you. You will also go far beyond what you initially expected of yourself because God will lead you beyond your preconceived limits.
— You will operate beyond your expected performance because God is the one flowing through you. When God gives you the words and performs the work (John 14:10), there is no limit to what you can do. Because at that point, you are no the one doing it.
— When you are led of God, you operate in wisdom that exceeds your education, because God is giving you divine revelation. You will have insight that exceeds your experience, because God is leading you from within, telling you what to do and how to do it. You will have courage that exceeds your physical ability, because your confidence will be rooted and grounded in love, and there is NO FEAR in love. You will have all of this by God’s amazing power.
— Don’t be surprised when people are surprised by what you do. Because if you are honest, you are surprised too!
3. People don’t know what you have been through.
— People are quick to tell you what you can’t do because they don’t know what you have already been through. Saul told David that he could not fight Goliath because he did not know what David had already fought and killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands.
— People see you today, and they see your glory, but they don’t know your story. They will underestimate you because they don’t know all the processing you have had to endure to get to where you are.
— You’ve been through too much, seen God do too much, and have far too many testimonies to turn back now!
— When you launch out in faith, with the confidence of knowing ALL you have been through, people will tell you that you are crazy, or that you shouldn’t believe God on that level. But that’s only because they have not experienced God the way you have. When you look back over your life and think about ALL the situations God has brought you through, you know that He did not bring you this far to fail now. What is in front of you pales in comparison to the one WHO IS IN YOU. So regardless of what anyone believes you can or can’t do, you know you can do all things through Christ and you PRESS FORWARD! You know that GREATER IS COMING FOR YOU!
*** On a personal level, I like being underestimated. I like seeing the looks on people’s faces when I open my mouth, and God speaks through me with wisdom that blows their minds. Don’t be moved by people or their opinions. Only be moved by God.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, You lead me to do things I could NEVER do on my own. You lead me into the invisible to perform the impossible. Without You, I cannot. But with You, I can do all things! Nothing is impossible for You. Therefore, nothing is impossible for me. When I launch out to attempt the impossible, I will be misunderstood and underestimated. This will happen because people are looking at me. But I am looking at You! You, Father, live in me. You give me the words and You perform the work! I yield to You in all things. This is why I boldly declare that GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
