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.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.  This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.  All those gathered here will know that it is not by the sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give all of you into our hands.”  1 Samuel 17:45-47 NIV

So imagine that you are this young boy out on the farm and your brothers are in battle in a nearby town and your dad sends you to bring them a care package.  You’re a teenager with no military experience and no weapons.  The commander tries to suit you up in armor, but the suit is way too big.  This army has been cowering from this giant that has been taunting them.  No one expects you to fight this giant.  After all, you are only a teenager delivering some food.  You could just walk away and wish everyone well.  Pray for them.  But we all know that this was not what David was called to do.  David was called to slay this giant.  Now before he actually agreed to go and do this, he was being taunted by his brothers and being told to just go home.  His brother called him conceited and accused him of coming there only to watch the battle.  Now nowhere in the story does it say that David says “I’ll show him, I’ll show my brother what I can do.”  One of David’s first questions is asking what will be done for the one that slays the giant and then he asks who this Philistine is that defies the armies of the living God.

David is upset that this giant is defying God’s army.  David never cowered from him even though this giant came at him with sword, spear and javelin.  David continued on with his sling and his stones.  David told the giant that the Lord would deliver him into his hands.  He told the giant that he came against him in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies he had defied. And one of my favorite lines in the Bible, “the battle is the Lord’s”.  This line is also found in 2 Chronicles in the battle of Jehoshaphat when the two vast armies came against him.

What made David such a mighty warrior is that he was fighting for God.  He was fighting against those that defied the one true God.  If we are focused on God, then what else would we fight for?  And when we do fight, we know that all we have to do is be there.  The battle is the Lord’s.  The Lord will fight the battle for us.

Today if you find yourself engaged in battle, take a minute and ask who you are fighting for?  Are you fighting for yourself?  Are you fighting to prove a point to someone?  Are you fighting over something that God has long since walked away from?  We need to very carefully choose our battles.  The enemy loves to taunt us.  The enemy loves to defy our one true God.  If God calls you into battle, then the battle is His.  Stand firm, be a living example of our God, and claim your victory.  He will certainly deliver the enemy into your hands.  But if God is not calling you into battle, then you may want to make a tactical retreat.

Pray for wisdom and discernment to know the difference.  Pray for the strength and courage that it takes to walk away from a battle that is not worth your time and consideration.  Pray for the strength and courage to stand firm in the Lord’s battle.

You see one day we are going to stand before the living God and be judged for every word we said.  Now you know that when you get mad at someone and step into battle with them that you say things you should not say.  When we stand firm and stand on the front line in the Lord’s battle, he guards our hearts and our minds.

The bottom line is this, my friend, the Lord gives us plenty of battles to fight for Him.  If I’m going to fight, I want it to be for God.  I want whatever happens to bring glory to Him.  I want the whole world to know that there is a God.  I know that if I fight for my honor and my glory that the results probably aren’t going to be so great.

So today if something upsets you and you feel yourself about to jump into battle mode, ask yourself these questions.  Am I fighting for me or for Him?  Will this bring glory and honor to God?  Will this let the whole world know that there is a God?

Think about this, if David had slayed  someone much smaller than him or even his same size, no story in that, right?  David slay a giant.  He not only slay a giant, he slayed him with a slingshot up against the giant’s sword, spear, and javelin.  Now that’s a story!  That’s God!

Choose your battles carefully.  Be slow to anger, but be quick to stand up and stand firm for our Lord and Savior.

Have a great day!