Defeating The Enemy

Image by -RobW- via Flickr

David...selected...five stones

1 Samuel 17:40

Just like 'David...selected five...stones from the brook,' here are five stones you 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' (1 Samuel 17:37 TM). Write your defeats in sand but carve your victories in stone by keeping track of God's faithfulness and the 'marvellous works...He has done' (1 Chronicles 16:12 NKJV). Has He ever failed you? No, and He won't now!

2) The stone of prayer. 'Prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare' (Ephesians 6:18 TM); you can't win without it. David 'strengthened himself in the Lord' (1 Samuel 30:6 NKJV). When Saul came after him he called on God, his 'defense and refuge' (Psalm 59:16 NKJV).

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' (1 Samuel 17:46). Involving God in your situation gives Him an opportunity to showcase His grace and power.

4) The stone of passion. You can't stare at your giant forever. Rehearsing your hurts won't heal them and cataloguing your problems won't solve them. You 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' (Proverbs 12:27 NLT). David picked five stones because he didn't know how many he'd need to do the job. Like Yogi Berra, the American baseball player, said, 'It ain't over 'til 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 you'll win.

Taken from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.