Friday February 24, 2023

A battle won in advance

Search the Scriptures

Indeed, the victory belongs to the Lord and he delivers you into our hands. 1 Samuel 17.47

Today I'm taking you... to the battlefield ! Which  ? The one where Goliath is. An extraordinary warrior, a superman, a giant. As the Bible says : "He was about 10 feet tall."

As if that weren't enough, in addition to being physically intimidating, Goliath challenges the army of Israel : "Give me a man, so that we can fight together !"

I don't know about you, but personally I wouldn't have gone. Who wants to fight with an unprecedented, undefeated and unrivaled opponent ? History tells us that "Saul and all Israel were terrified and filled with fear".

However, a man will stand up : David ! A lover of God, a worshipper... Anything but a man of war (at that time). On the other hand, it must be said that he has guts when he declares :

"You come against me with sword, spear and javelin ; I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, in the name of the God of the army of Israel that you have insulted. Today the Eternal will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you down and cut off your head." (1 Samuel 17.45-46)

You should know that Goliath had a shield... which was certainly huge. While David, he advanced without armor, but armed with something else, infinitely more formidable : a real CONFIDENCE and FAITH in God. David had no physical shield, but he had one of faith !

Maybe, are you currently fighting ? Unemployment, illness, debt, discouragement, whatever it is called... God has already won the victory for you !

Your part is to grasp this shield of faith in Christ and boldly proclaim that God delivers your enemies to you!

The Lord of hosts has not forgotten you. He gives you victory !

Listen the voice of God

Sometimes, you can feel alone in the fight, yet God is there... Take the time to listen to what God wants to tell you.

Praying is simple. Speak to God as you would with a friend. Here is a sample prayer that you can follow : "Lord, sometimes the fight seems so intense and my difficulties are so great... Yet I choose to believe that you will act. I do not know what you will do, but I know that you will act. Thank you, Dad, I love you and trust you with my life."

Praise God

To praise God is to express our gratitude to him for who he is and for all that he does. Remember how he has already acted in your favor and tell him how grateful you are. What if, today, you thank him (in advance and by faith) for everything he will do ?

Act today

Now dig deeper into what you have received and write down concrete actions you can take. For example, decide not to compare yourself, even if your opponent seems invincible ; or not to forfeit before having fought, because your fight is that of the Lord !

Honor the Lord

Our journey for the day ends. Let us pray together to celebrate and honor our God.

"Lord, the victory is yours ! The power is yours ! I bless you and I praise you because you will not let me down ! Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, amen !"

Audrey Salafranque

Source (The Thought of the Day)