This brings me to that moment David stood before Saul. David made his pitch to be the man to fight Goliath. David was incensed that the Giant of the Philistines would dare to provoke and taunt the God of Israel. David was perplexed as to why, when there was a cause, wouldn’t anyone challenge Goliath? He made his appeal to Saul in 1 Samuel 17:31-37.

³¹ Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. ³² Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

³³ And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵ I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

Peter sat at the table with Jesus feasting in what would become known as “The Last Supper” when Jesus came to wash Peter’s feet. A very intimate conversation ensued between Jesus and this disciple when Jesus told Peter in Luke 22:31-34:

³¹ And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

³³ But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

³⁴ Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

Peter made his pitch to Jesus. He was a man of high ideals, that included fierce loyalties and with great emotion and bravado, I would imagine, Peter swore his unyielding faithfulness to Christ–even to death. Yet, Jesus knew better. He knew that Peter would be sifted. He knew that Peter would face an ultimate test of faith in the midst of the fear of death. He knew Peter would not pass this test the first time, but Jesus prayed for Him and had confidence in Peter that he would recover and become stronger in his faith.

As the story continues, we discover that when Jesus is arrested, accused, and sentenced to crucifixion, Peter three times denies having anything to do with him. Peter wanted to save his own skin at that moment more than he wanted to follow Jesus to the death.

There is something I can contrast between these two stories that I want to highlight. Both of these men (young men) loved God. Both of these men believed in justice, faithfulness, courage and righteousness. Both of these men faced a great moment of adversity–a “Goliath”, but only one had the strength and will to fight.

One man had a history of doing the right thing, the hard thing, the brave thing while defending sheep against predators. When no one else was looking, David built a history of faith and trust in God and honed his fighting skills. When David saw Goliath, he saw another predator that needed to be killed. The other man, Peter, had yet to build his history of faith. Peter had high and righteous ideals, and was pretty quick with a sword (as we read later when he cuts off the ear of a soldier arresting Jesus), but lacked the courage to face his greatest fear–death. Up until this moment, Peter’s faith had not been tested to that level.

Proverbs 24:10 says:

¹⁰ If you faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small.

Jeremiah 12:5 says:

⁵ “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you,
Then how can you contend with horses?
And if in the land of peace,
In which you trusted, they wearied you,
Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?

I hear so many believers in Jesus talking about the “End Times” as we are watching the events of the world unfold before our eyes like the pages of Revelation, Daniel, and Ezekiel. The talk about the “Mark of the Beast” being the one thing that Christians “will not take!” becomes the chatter in some circles. The proclamations with much emotion and bravado speak to the high ideals and righteous desires of most believers. My question is, “How will you have the courage in the face of adversity and the threat of death, to make your ‘NO’ strong and with conviction? How do you prepare for that?”

My concern is for the believer who has not practiced saying “no”. If you haven’t said no to pornography, witchcraft, lust, drunkenness, fornication, drug abuse, cursing, or lying, what history of “fighting” predators of your life will you reflect on to give you courage in that moment? If you haven’t ever resisted evil coming against you, your family, your children, your neighbor, your nation, or your government, with what determination will your “NO” resound? Worse yet, if you have not set an example of “No” for your children to follow, what makes you think your children will step up to the guillotine when the moment of choice is thrust upon them between God and the Beast?

My point here is that we need history. Believer, you and I need to have fought a few fights and won if we are going to be able to stand against the onslaught of evil barreling down upon us. We need to have fought our lion and our bear–when no one else was looking. Our private life needs to bear the marks of someone who resisted sin, submitted to God, fought the devil and won. Goliaths must look to us as “just another predator that needs to die.” Our ideals are not enough to carry us in adversity and in the threat of death. Faith in Christ will.

What if we have very little or no history of putting our faith into action resisting Satan?

We start by repenting. This is what Peter did. Realizing he had betrayed Jesus in the moment of truth, Peter wept bitterly. Jesus, after His resurrection, restored and forgave Peter. Jesus forgives and restores us too. Ask Him.

James 1:21-25 says:

²¹ Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Do something for your heart and read Psalm 103.

Secondly, we receive the power of the Holy Spirit. If you read the book of Acts you will see that this same Peter I am referring to in this blog became a changed man when he was filled with the Holy Spirit in the upper room in Acts chapter 2. Peter was so transformed that his preaching brought thousands to Jesus. His shadow imparted healing to people who were infirmed, and when it came time for Peter to be martyred–on a cross, Peter asked them to turn his cross upside down because he didn’t feel worthy to die the same way His Savior did. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit moved from a man with high ideals, to a man of conviction and bold faith.

The Holy Spirit will infuse you with courage, faith, and even give you the “want to” to resist the Enemy.

In Acts 2:38, transformed Peter says:

³⁸ Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Which brings me to the third step which is ask God for wisdom and go to war.

James 1:5 says:

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 4:7-8 says:

⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

Ephesians 6:10-14 tells us how to go to war when it says:

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Lastly, we count our lives as nothing as Paul said in Acts 20:24:

²⁴ But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

²¹ For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)

We must face our fear of losing our reputations, our jobs, our friends, our social circles, and our lives, and realize that there is a greater loss than dying or being left out, and that loss is “gaining the whole world and losing our own souls.” (Matthew 16:26)

Practice your “NO” now against the enemy attacking your children, neighbors, nation, and the world. Dust off your prayer life and become someone with a life of prayer and fasting. Pray for one another and encourage each other to walk in obedience to the Lord no matter what the consequences are. There is so much at stake, and believer, you are needed in the battle now.

I wonder how David must have felt when the prophet Samuel came to the house of Jessie looking for a man to anoint as king.  By-passing all of David’s older brothers, Samuel was instructed by the Lord to anoint David, the youngest, the shepherd to be the king even as Saul, the current King of Israel was still reigning.  I am sure it didn’t make sense to David to be chosen, but it was probably also very exciting to think that this Promise of Destiny would be his.

If David was anything like me, he probably daydreamed about his days as King.  He probably imagined the pomp and fanfare he would experience on his coronation day.  He might have imagined life in a palace and life of ease and power.  Maybe he saw himself pronouncing lofty and powerful edicts.  Yes, life as a king would be magical, powerful, and beautiful.  When God makes a promise after all, it should come to pass with ease, be fraught with honor, blessing, and approval, and happen without human effort.  Right?

So I wonder then, how David felt after years of running for his life as a jealous King Saul pursued him to kill him. Watching the nation of Israel divide into two kingdoms under a selfish King Saul must have frustrated him as he knew he could keep the kingdom together if only given the chance.  How did it feel to defeat Israel’s enemies, the Philistines, only to be then be hunted by the King whose life you preserved?  What kind of promise was this that God gave David?

It was after David had grown to adulthood, when he was thirty and after he had married and began raising sons that David received the Promise from God of kingship.  In 2nd Samuel 2 we read about David’s first step into the kingdom when the tribe of Judah anointed him to be their king after Saul’s death.  It wasn’t the whole nation of Israel that anointed David, just the tribe of Judah.  From there we read about bloody civil wars between the house of David and the house of Saul.  The tribes of Israel fought against David to defeat him, but David succeeded in winning the battles.  Chapter 3 of 2nd Samuel tells us that the war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time.  David increased in strength and power while the house of  Saul was weakened. He reigned as king of Judah for seven and a half years.

David received his promise through battle, war, frustration, disappointment, anger, and persistence.  He was finally anointed King over all of Israel, but then had to conquer the seat of his kingdom, Jerusalem, by conquering the Jebusites that lived there.  God empowered David.  God established David, and God was with David giving him victory over his enemies and favor with the Israel, but it came with work, with war, with pain, and ultimately with victory.

I hear so many messages about God’s promises and how they are supposed to look and act.  They are supposed to come easy and with little or no effort on our part, and admittedly, I have seen God’s promises come about this way maybe only a handful of times.  He performs miracles, make no mistake about that, that bypass our wisdom or best ideas, and He brings things into existence that were not previously known or grasped.  More often than not, however, I have watched God bring His promises to pass through the persistence and faithfulness of people who refused to give up.  I’ve seen people with promises from God persevere through the darkest of circumstances–sometimes fully confused and discouraged, but still putting one foot in front of the other.

Many who have received God’s promise, did so after watching those same blessings fall on someone else with ease, while they themselves struggle to maintain faith.  Many who have received God’s promises to them discovered that what God was to give them looked nothing like what they had previously imagined, yet looking back, God’s hand is seen guiding the entire process.  The point is, God’s promises will come!

When you get discouraged that your life is not where you expected it to be, or you haven’t succeeded in the areas of life that you thought you would thrive in, I want you to remember David.  I want you to reflect on the conflicts of your life, and the trials you passed through to receive the promise.  Look back at the lessons you have learned and the faith you are developing.  Treat your today like another lesson in reigning as a king, and pray for wisdom to retain what you learn. Then, when God gives you the kingdom, and establishes your “throne”, it will be said of you, “_________was a man/woman after God’s own heart”.

Maybe what you were promised seems far from your view today.  Maybe you are hiding out in fear that what God has said will not come to pass.  Maybe you want to give up and throw in the towel on your faith and in God himself.  May I encourage you today that nothing of your life is wasted.  God uses every day, every experience, every mistake, and every victory to shape you and bring you into what He has promised.  Nothing is lost in God’s hands, and nothing is wasted in His plans.  Keep walking.  Keep trusting.  Keep growing.  Keep believing.  You are the one God has chosen.

Isaiah 55:11

New International Version (NIV)

That is often the phrase I fall back on when I attempt something with good motives only to find it fell short of it’s expected goal or crashed altogether.  My intentions are what I want people to see even if the outcome was not favorable.  Motive and intent are huge pieces of the puzzle that explain the why and the what of  all we do.  So can I possibly do something with good motives and intentions that can be very wrong?  That is the question I want to delve into as we look at a passage of scripture from 1 Chronicles 13.

Many of you have read this story.  You will find it in two places in scripture.  The first place is 2 Samuel 6, and then here in 1 Chronicles where we have a little more insight into the story.  The narrative speaks of David,  who has recently been crowned king over Israel, coming up with a brilliant plan to bring back to Israel the Ark of the Covenant of God that had been stolen by the Philistines during the reign of Saul.  David’s intent was to restore the glory of God to the people of Israel, and to show once again that God reigned over His people and was present with them.  Verses 1-4 of Chapter 13 show us David’s idea and how he communicated it to the people, with verse 4 telling us that “The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.”  David’s motives and intent were understood by the people as being right and pure and  in keeping with their convictions, so the plan proceeded.

Here is where the story becomes full of energy.  There is such excitement about going to get the ark, that people make a parade out of it with music, dancing, and celebrating.  They built a brand new cart to transport the Ark on, so that it would look magnificent as it wound its way “home”.  This was supposed to be a festive, God-honoring event, but something happened:  One of the oxen pulling the new cart stumbled and the cart began to tip.  Uzzah a man with good intentions reached out to steady the Ark, and instantly was struck dead.   The parade came to a dumbfounded and sorrowful halt as the realization of Uzzah’s death settled on each of them.  Confused, hurt, afraid and angry, David asks the question, “How can I ever bring the Ark of God to me?”

God seems so unfair.  So unpredictable.  He seems to make goals unattainable, and consequences dire.  He is unjust if we leave the story right here.  Sadly, many people do leave the story right here.  But let’s press on further.

David is angry and hurt, but David takes that pain to God and inquires of God about the reason for Uzzah’s death, and what David discovers is the lesson that I need to remember.  David finds out that God had a prescribed method for transporting the Ark of the Covenant and it did not involve carts, or exhibition.  God takes David back to His instructions from Numbers chapter 4 where the specific, detailed instructions of Ark transport were recorded.  The Ark was only to ever be transported by the priests of the Levitical clan.  They were to wrap the ark in the shielding curtain of the Tabernacle, then cover that with the hides of seals, then put the transporting poles into the rings attached to the side of the Ark.  After that was completed, they were to wrap all of that in a blue cloth.  (Numbers 4)  Never at anytime were they to touch the Ark, or have anyone else come near it.  As David inquires of the Lord, he realizes something:  God is always right and just.

David has a choice in his anger to do several things:  1. he can justify himself and his motives and accuse God of being cruel;  2. he can run from God and choose to no longer try to attempt anything for God’s glory; and 3.  he can re-calibrate his heart to God’s desires and designs.  David chooses to align his will with God’s.  We see this in verses 11-13 of 1 Chronicles 15.  David recognized that God had already given instructions on this issue, and David’s sin was that he did not inquire of God about those instructions.  David repented, did it God’s way, and succeeded and bringing the Ark back to Israel.

So how does this story apply to you and me?

We have a host of scriptures that give us instruction on many areas of our lives.  Without gray areas or shadows, God gives us His intents and His design for much of our life.  Somehow or another, however, we allow ourselves the ideas that God is all about our happiness.  We let this idea rule our decisions.  We think, of course God would be okay with this because it doesn’t hurt anyone else, and it makes me happy.  This idea is a costly one.  If I disregard what God has already said in order to accommodate my desires, I have become the plumb line that God must adjust to.  He is now on my terms.  Interesting to note, however is the fact that God does not regard my standards as His.  Like Uzzah, I can reach out with good intentions to do what seems right at the moment, but if it is something I have already been instructed about, I cannot accuse God of being unfair when He keeps His word and I suffer consequences.

My prayer is to be like David, who when confronted by his sin, changed his direction, re-calibrated his heart and intentions with God’s desires, and saw the fulfillment of his dreams doing it God’s way.  God will not always bless what we are doing, but we are always invited to “do” what God is blessing.

So in every decision, ask the question:  “Has God already spoken about this issue?  What did He say?”

**My thanks to my Pastor Rick Wise for teaching on this subject and giving me God’s perspective.”