Attitude #1 of a Giant-Slayer – Staying Connected With God

This was written by my pastor at His People Joburg, feel free to follow her on Twitter @CarolGossman, she most certainly follows hard after God!

David stood defiantly before the King. “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear,” he began, challenging the King’s doubt that David was old enough to fight Goliath. “This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine!” he bravely declared. We are not told what David was feeling inside but it is obvious that he was determined to fight Goliath and that he was convinced he would win.

John 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

We were all meant to live in partnership with God. That is, agreeing with Him about situations, remaining filled with Him, being led by Him and tackling life knowing He is with us. When we try to live outside of Him there are some warning signs that quickly appear – fear, stress, jealousy, depression, high levels of temptation. Gosh! It just shows how often we step out of the partnership…

David had a history with God, in which God had helped him protect his father’s sheep from a lion and a bear. He knew what God had done in the past and was convinced that God would do the same in the future. We all have a history with God in which He has done wonderful things for us. He has saved us, rescued us from the grip of sin and even set us free from pain and hopelessness. When we face difficult situations it is tempting to feel that this one is like no other – impossible, unconquerable and sure to defeat us. David, instead of giving into fear, reminded himself of all the previous victories that he and God had together.

REMEMBERING WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US IS THE FIRST KEY TO REMAINING IN FAITH.

Caleb was excited about the potential of the land that he and the other spies had just seen. Bunches of grapes so big that more than one man was needed to carry them, beautiful fields and mountains able to sustain great numbers of people – the land was perfect for the Israelites! Unfortunately, 10 of the spies did not agree. They were afraid of the giants that lived there and quickly informed Moses that it would be impossible to take the land. Caleb could have bowed to the popular opinion and given up his dream. Instead, the Bible says, he silenced the people and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it!”

The greatest hindrance to your being who God wants you to be and accomplishing what He’s called you to is: listening to and agreeing with the negative report that others bring. I have been told many times by well-meaning people that I would not be able to run a prophetic ministry or lead people or have a happy marriage or… the list is endless. If I had stopped to listen and had agreed with just a few of them I would be depressed, defeated and frustrated. Nothing in life that is worth achieving comes without some level of battle. The battle is usually centered around our attitudes and thought life. The devil is trying to discourage you so that you will give up because he knows that your victory will bring many others into their victories also. But Caleb silenced the negativity and encouraged Moses and the nation, “We can certainly do it!” With God nothing is impossible, and as we remain partnered with Him nothing is impossible for us either!

SILENCING NEGATIVITY AROUND YOU AND ENCOURAGING OTHERS IS THE SECOND KEY TO REMAINING IN FAITH.

Related articles

• What’s your Goliath? (angelonamission4god.wordpress.com)
• Forget about Your Giant for a Second (bigstoryguide.wordpress.com)
• Source of Strength (edenpastor.wordpress.com)