“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world,” 1 John 4:4
Have you ever struggled with thoughts of inadequacy? Maybe you have thought that what you do or who you really are doesn’t make that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, as if your contribution really wouldn’t be noticed regardless?
Oh, how I loathe thoughts such as these, and I am here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.
Lies like these make people underestimate themselves and the talents and/or gifts that God has placed in them. And that, my friends, is a feeling God never intended for His people to have. As a matter of fact, Jesus taught the exact opposite. He compared His followers to the salt that brings good flavor to this nasty-tasting world. Matthew 5:13 says, “Ye are the salt of the earth!” If you are in Him, you have some flavor to offer.
You are here to make an impact. You are here to stand out from the crowd. To be noticed, so that the whole world will have a beacon of hope, seeing, that if God did it for them, He’ll do it for me also. Daily, what you do in your life can affect others around you. You have power working on the inside of you that was meant for influence. Your actions, and the way you think, matched up with the gift of God at work in you, were meant to effect change for someone else.
Sadly, too many slide to the side of self-pity, not understanding and believing enough in who God says they are and what they have to offer.
But I am here to tell you, and the Bible confirms that “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world,” (1 John 4:4). When we were adopted into the family of God there was a certain degree of unexplainable spiritual awesomeness that He planted inside us. He has Himself at work in you!
What?!
Yes!
Just put up a “God at work” sign and tell all the skeptics to move out of your way because greatness is going on in me and I can make a difference!
The only one that can really stop you from doling out your influence on this world is you. You must believe in the power of God at work in you: “What is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heavenly places,” (Eph. 1:19-20, NKJV). The same power that raised Christ from the dead is now at work in you. It’s there and He wants to use it to work some greatness out in this world. If you were the salt shaker that only flavored one person’s life, then you have changed that person forever. God can do so much more through you. All you have to do is believe more in who you are in Him and who He is in you.
You can make an impact. You are meant to influence. Imagine if each of us, with the power of God in us, could touch just one life. What would that do to the national or global landscape? Now, imagine if we could touch one life every year, or more. Impact! He Who is at work in you is greater than all. All you have to do is believe it more than you do other thoughts that try to convince you otherwise.
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me,” (Gal. 2:20, NKJV)
Winners and success stories, how often do we study their lives, habits, and choices to open a window to the possibility of implementing something in our lives that will benefit us.
Unfortunately, as the case usually goes, many examples come from a different direction or perspective in which we view life or in the course we want to take. Therefore, we will glean our lesson from the trusted source of God’s Word.
With that, we will look closely at the old familiar story of David versus Goliath. At the beginning of this story, the prospective winner has already been determined in the minds of those on both sides who attended that battle, and David is not their choice for a victor.
When Goliath was viewed, the world saw in him what they considered to be the ideal champion. They took into consideration his height, strength, weapons, and experience at war (1 Samuel 17:4-7, 33) and made what they thought was an accurate determination.
But across the Elah Valley, there was one whose stature and outward appearance weren’t as impressive, at least not to those who had drawn up for the standoff. He was considered meddlesome and nosy by even his brother (v. 28), too small and inexperienced for the fight.
What they did not consider was the unflinching faith David possessed on the inside. What they could not see about David was what marked him as a true champion for that time, and ages to come.
David possessed an uncommon confidence. (Vv. 23-32)
What do I mean by uncommon confidence? It really is as simple as it sounds. David’s character produced in him the ability to believe, to have an assurance that could not be matched by those around him. It is what caused him to stand out as someone uniquely special among the thousands gathered.
Taking the scene in perspective, daily the Israelites were challenged in their own faith through the tool named Goliath. As warriors dotted the landscape, when this massive man appeared, the men of Israel disappeared.
Physically they believed that they were no match to compete and win against this giant.
David, on the other hand, cared not for the man’s size or boast. His disdain for him was voiced when he said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v. 26).
There was no flinching or fear in his actions or voice. He was 100% ready to confront this enemy and be done with him and his army: “And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine” (v. 32).
It takes an uncommon, extraordinary faith to see something or someone so big and choose to not focus on it.
David saw the same thing those around him saw, but he chose to process what he saw through a different filter: faith.
As the rest cowered in fear, David stepped up and offered to do what no one else, not even the king, was willing to do.
Foolhardy youth? No.
The seed of faith planted in him grew greater than any fear this foe hoped to instill. David knew who he belonged to, and he knew who he served.
Uncommon confidence bypasses the scene before one’s eyes and focuses on Who is really in charge.
David refuses the voice of doubt. (Vv. 33-37)
It is always your choice what you will allow in your hearing and your heart.
Doubt will speak if you give it a voice. Open the door just a little, and it will consume the whole room.
When David stated his declaration to fight the giant, the very next words he heard were, “Thou art not able…” (v. 33).
Talk about letting the air out of the balloon. But words such as these people hear all the time. Even if they don’t present themselves in the same wording, the idea arises to discourage and draw one’s attention to the can’t’s of life: you can’t do this because…, you are not able due to …
These “can’t” phrases can rob you of the hope to push past what you see, and if David had allowed, Saul’s words would have done just that and prohibited his progress against this enemy.
But David refused. Instead of words of improbability and fear, he leaned on his experience with God, which he already had (vv. 34-37).
David had been delivered by God through unbelievable situations before when encountering a bear and a lion. Both animals, I dare say, would even put Goliath to flight had he come upon them.
Ferocious as they were, they, nor Goliath, can outmatch God. David knew that God was the one who delivered him before, and He believed with his whole heart that He would do it again.
David refuses to fight like others fought. (Vv. 38-46)
Experience is a great teacher and there are things we can learn from the wisdom of others who have fought the battles of this life before us.
But Saul was at a standstill in his faith. Not only did he lack it in the progression toward Goliath, but also in the way he expected David to fight.
He wanted David to wear something that wasn’t designed for him.
David wasn’t built like Saul – not in body or belief. So, he couldn’t fight like Saul would fight.
God has blessed each of us with our own unique style and gifts to carry forth in faith. God knows each one individually and has blessed each one with individuality.
The way He chooses to work in or through another should not cause us to neglect what He has placed in us.
This is a strong part of the faith lesson.
David could have shrunk back in comparison because he did not fit Saul’s design, but he didn’t. He worked what God gave him, how God gave it to him.
Comparing our abilities against the line of another’s calling will not only diminish your faith, but it can bring you to a total standstill as it did Saul.
Devoid of armor not fit for him, David, with stones in his hand, pronounced with faith to the Philistine: “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied” (v. 45).
When David stepped on that battlefield, the real weapon he stepped up with was not found in his hand, but in his heart. It was a faith that Saul and the rest of Israel’s army lacked in their arsenal.
That’s why we can’t compare; it’s always the part of the fight that we cannot see that matters the most: the inside part.
David’s faith takes a stand and believes in God’s deliverance. (Vv. 46-48).
Jesus once spoke in rebuke to the Pharisees, saying, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34), and Proverbs instructs, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (4:23).
Those in the camp of the Israelites, their hearts were cowered in fear. But David’s heart brought him face to face with Goliath.
Unflinchingly, he took a stand, but he didn’t take a stand on his own merit. He took his stand based on what he believed in his heart about God: He is faithful.
David said, “This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands” (Vv. 46-47).
In David’s heart, he knew this was not about him or what he could bring to the fight. “The battle is the LORD’s!”
Our hearts are considered to be the very center of our being. And in that center, David made sure God was the center.
In his life and in his fight, not himself, his circumstances, wants or desires were brought to the forefront. No, but the Lord God Almighty was his focal point.
Are we moving forward with hesitant steps because God is not the center of our progress?
True faith will always be a heart issue. With that, he moved forth in complete confidence: “David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine” (v. 48).
Where others hesitated, David quickened his steps – again, with no backing down. His heart would not accept decrease, but it seemed at every avenue he traveled in his life, his heart of faith grew more and more because he sought to put God in the center more and more.
David used his personal gifting. (Vv. 49-50)
Earlier we discussed David refusing armor that was not fit for him. Here, we focus on what is.
David had a unique way that he would face his giant, and it was going to be by using something small and seemingly insignificant.
Many struggle with their individual giftings. Compared to others, it may not seem big enough, influential enough, or polished enough. “If I could just _______, I would be able to _______” (you fill in the blank).
Every believer is gifted by God. But every believer may be gifted differently. When David stepped out with his little stones, I wondered what the onlookers thought.
To him, it didn’t matter. What mattered was being himself before God. This was his design. This was his gift. This is what he knew how to do well.
In a world surrounded by trends and social media, it takes bravery to be yourself. You will never succeed at being anyone but you.
Use what God gave you in faith, no matter how small it appears, and leave the results to Him.
Faith wins. (v. 51)
Little David slew the big giant. Not because he was smarter or stronger, but because every step he took in the process was a step of faith.
When any questioning arose or doubt was uttered, David continued forth in faith. He never gave the space of his heart permission to think about or adhere to anything else.
Some of our favorite faith verses remind us that: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1), and “Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Together, these tell us what faith is and what faith does: it goes on and believes God regardless of what is seen or not seen. And that’s what David did. He didn’t have faith, which was just talked about. His faith moved him into action to do something despite how the circumstances appeared.
Father God is in the business of stretching our faith. Bringing us to places or before situations we may view as strange, unimaginable tasks to conquer. He has something He wants to fulfill on the other side of that stretching moment but we, like David, must commit to the follow through in faith.
Faith is the access key to everything God wants to do in our lives.
Is your faith being stirred for more today? What are some hindrances to growing your personal faith?
Walking in faith and choosing to follow God by faith will carry you further than your own plans ever will.
But don’t be surprised if the victory you are anticipating comes in a way that you least expect it. Often God’s view of how something is or is to be will look much different than our own.
Nevertheless, David felt prompted to move on God’s behalf because of his sold-out relationship with God. He approached Goliath with an all-in attitude.
Retreating was never an option in his book. And even though David would go on to face other challenges (such as being on the run from King Saul), he still had space in his heart and repertoire to pen the words that would encourage himself and many hearts through fearsome trials, saying, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
That is faith language at its best. But remember, David backed his talk up with action. He lived a life operating with an all-in faith and you can, too.
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When God puts a gift, a seed of talent in you, whether you feel particularly inspired or not, the gift in you demands to be heard, noticed, and shared with the world.
It’s just like that. In each of us there dwell the possibilities that He knows you can do something with it.
We are good ground and from it we want to bear much fruit. The world needs what grows from the soil of you.
“His lord said unto him, well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord,” Matthew 25:21
There is something to be said about a job well done. That oh-so-satisfying feeling when one has worked hard to see the fruition of a purpose being fulfilled and then steps back and announces, “Ah, it was hard but well worth it.” One of my pet peeves is asking someone to perform a task for me and the job ends up only halfway done, with half-way effort. It’s a very frustrating experience because I could have just done the job myself the right way but that defeats the purpose of delegating a duty in the first place.
With that realization, I wonder how God must feel about the duties He has delegated to us? In our daily walk have we dealt with our Christianity with that same half-way done effort or have we really gone for the gusto? Have we really expressed ourselves as being faithful, manifesting all God is or has done in our lives?
Through that short stint of questioning the reality of it all hits me. No! The truth is, many of us are like the seed in the parable of the sower. The cares of this world have encroached upon us, choking the spiritual vitality right out of us, leaving us with only half-hearted energy to do a halfway job for God. Each of our lives is destined with purpose. Each has been endowed with something wonderful and unique to contribute to this world. God has chosen us to stand as ambassadors, to show this lost world how to be found and how to live in this world while having a flourishing relationship with Him. Unfortunately, that cannot be accomplished if we are not as diligent in the care of the work of the Lord as He is to us.
How will that great thing God put in you ever develop as an outgrowth of your faith if you are not faithful to it; if you are not faithful to Him? For if one is faithful to Him, then are they faithful to all He has instilled in them. How many wouldn’t like to hear, “Well done,” coming from the mouth of our Lord? Sometimes we work hard in this life, doing all we know how to do to stay above water, then after all the heartache, sweat, and tears, a voice speaks and confirms that it was not in vain. “Well done.”
In order to receive that proclamation of good work, one has to be faithful. The word “faithful” was used twice in this one verse alone. First, it described the servant. Then it was used again to describe his work ethic. The servant was one who the master could count on because of his character, and also because of the way he handled the affairs of business. Does that word describe us in either or both of those ways? One without the other just won’t do. James 2:17 tells us, “Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone.” What goes on on the inside of the believer should show up on the outside. There should be some type of manifestation branching out of our faithfulness.
Everyone in Christ is called to a life of devotion to God, giving Him priority, as characterized by faithfulness, and having that reach out in our daily affairs. We are called to be that reliable, trustworthy person whom God doesn’t mind acknowledging as, “Well done,” and handing him or her more talents to care for.
A life of faithfulness will get you there. Take God off the back burner of your life and give Him precedence over all. Rewards will come, but devotion comes first. The harvest will come but only after the seeds have been planted. The position of fulfilling purpose and accomplishing good works will always start with a position of faithfulness.
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Open, dear one. Open up and receive. So many of our days are spent pouring out for others. But, it’s okay to accept goodness in your life when you serve a God who is nothing but good.
If there is a fence built due to hesitation, tear it down. Let it not lay a siege around your heart and your life. Our Father is wonderful, and He does wonderful things for His children: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:11).
The epistle reminds us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
When God is so good and so willing to give, it is okay to receive from Him. It’s okay to open the door and welcome God’s goodness and His beautiful gifts into your life.
Yes, into your life. Don’t let lies and false ideas convince you that somehow you are different. Somehow you are unworthy. Somehow you have to remain guarded against this hope because this is not for you.
Yes, this is for you, too. To Him, you are worth it. To God, you are loved and are His treasured possession. And as God does, He loves to bless His own. The Bible tells us to “Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4).
Yes, He freely gave for our salvation (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). And yes, He gives us His Holy Spirit for our daily living (John 14:26). But God also gives goodness, desires, and things that put a smile on His children’s faces.
Put your guard down and welcome the goodness of the Father in your life today.
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“This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things:”Numbers 4:4
Every believer has a place in the calling or ministry of God. There is no such thing as someone who has been saved by grace that is not equipped in one or more ways to operate in a particular gift (s) by His grace (Rom. 12:6). And while the area you are called to work in may not look like the ministry of another (1 Cor. 12:4), it is no less critical in its impact for God’s kingdom.
Like a well-functioning body, every member is needed to step up to the plate with their gifts (comp. 1 Cor. 12:12, 14). While the spotlight tends to fall naturally on those in the front, there are many behind-the-scene positions, if they were not managed by capable persons working in their gifts, then whatever is going on upfront would not be going on at all.
After watching a good movie, especially one with multiple twists and turns, I love to scroll through the credits to see those who participated in the making of the movie. My goal is to see who the writer is. Many eyes may be drawn to the main characters, but the real star of the show is the one who wrote the story. The one who allowed him or herself to spend much time in relative obscurity, working their gift to pull the story off according to their specific design.
There are no wasted behind-the-scene moments when working to help the service of God go forward, when helping to get His story out there. There is no work that we do for our heavenly Father that is to be considered unimportant if we are working where He has called us to work. There is great value in every calling (1 Cor. 1:26, 27).
And it was God who called the Kohathites for a special job. In the days of their wilderness wanderings, when the people were ready to journey, and the tabernacle had to be disassembled into its specific pieces by the priests, it was the sons of Kohath who were commissioned by God to be there to help in the process by being carriers of the holy vessels that were inside (Num. 4:15).
Because they were not priests; because they were not the upfront guys, the items would first be covered (for their protection) so they could not see or touch them (4:17-20), but they were still called upon to help carry the things of God, to help carry the ministry.
Where they were needed to work for the kingdom of God may not seem glamourous (after all, they didn’t get the special garments, with the special office of preparing the special offerings), but the work was helpful in successfully moving the articles of the tabernacle from one location to another.
Friends, your position of performance may not include being front and center. There may be certain parts your calling cannot participate in. But wherever God has placed you, it is important, and your service to Him is valuable.
1 Corinthians 12:18 states, “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.” This is what I call the God-placements. According to His divine purpose and design, God has a special place for each of us, and every place we serve is essential and profitable for the Kingdom’s work.
While we may put much emphasis on those who are holding the microphone, speaking at large gatherings, singing to multitudes, and writing bestsellers – we forget the joy of being called where God knows we fit. Where God knows we can make the most difference.
We forget the importance of just doing. Doing what we do best for Him, for God. No matter how small or insignificant it may seem to others, it makes a difference for His kingdom.
One psalmist said, “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Ps. 84:10). Whichever way you want to interpret that verse, I would rather participate in the humblest of positions in the will of God than out, for in it I will find the richest of all experiences.
Everyone has a place. Everyone in their place can do something amazing that would help this work continue to grow and spread. If it is to hold a microphone, so be it. But if I only get to be a carrier for Him, let me carry the ministry God has instilled in me with all my might and strength, knowing there is no work, big or small, that is done in vain (1 Cor. 15:58).
Your reward may not come now with the applause of men (which is a heavy responsibility that produces low returns), but when performed for God, for His glory (1 Cor. 10:31), it will come with a “well done” (Mt. 25:23) from Him, the highest reward and applause we should seek.
Lord, though our flesh may desire to see more, do more, and touch more, let our spirit rest in the truth that if we are called to only be carriers of the ministry, we are called according to Your beautiful pleasure and placement for our lives. Help us to serve in that calling, with all grace, working to please our God and heavenly Father. AMEN!
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