#1 Do Not Be Surprised!
It not unusual for a Christian to be under attack. In fact, we should anticipate that the enemy has us on his radar. His goal is to take us down by whatever of his deceitful methods works. We should not be fearful of him. But we must be wise to his ways and we must know what to do in the battles that come our way so we come out the victor.
2 Corinthians 2:11
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
#2. What NOT To Do In The Battle
Read 1 Samuel Chapter 17.
The 1st Do NOT Do In The Battle .....
We see that the Israelites and the Philistines were faced off for battle. Goliath, the over 9 four giant, comes out dressed in all his gear and begins his speech.
In verse 8 we begin reading, “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!”
Do NOT be intimidated by the appearance of the enemy or give credit to his threats.
The 2nd Do NOT Do In The Battle....
Verse 11 reads, "When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid."
Dismayed means: beat down, discouraged, to break down, (figuratively) by confusion and fear -- be (make) afraid, (cause to) dismay, go down, scare, terrify.
They weren't just dismayed. They were exceedingly terrified!
Do NOT permit yourself to be dismayed,. confused or fearful......certainly not terrified!
The 3rd Do NOT Do In The Battle....
Notice what Goliath did in verse 16. "For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army.
Do NOT pay attention to the continuous flaunting of the enemy.
Ephesians 4:27 Don't give the devil any opportunity to work.
The 4th Do NOT Do In The Battle....
We read on in verses 20-24, just as David was entering the scene, "He arrived at the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. “Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel.
Do NOT be moved by the enemy's taunts.
Do NOT run away from the enemy for Any reason, especially NOT fear!
Do NOT be impacted by the way the enemy looks.
#3. What TO DO In The Battle
The 1st TO DO In The Battle....
We continue to read in verse 26, "David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel?"
Realize that the enemy is in defiance of you. You are the son (daughter) of the Most High God. When the enemy defies you, at the same time he defies (reproaches, disgraces, shames) Your God. You are made in His Likeness. You serve the Almighty God!
The 2nd TO DO In The Battle....
Continue reading in verse 27, "Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?
Take a Stand! Realize the enemy Is NOT on God's side. You ARE!!!!! You are the army of the LIVING GOD! STOP allowing the enemy to harass you!!!
The 3rd TO DO In The Battle....
Reading on again starting in verse 28, "”But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle! “What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!” He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him.
When someone attempts to cut you down, devalue you or falsely accuse you, persist until you get action, do not succumb to their efforts to shut you up.
The 4th TO DO In The Battle....
Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”
Be bold and very courageous.
Joshua 1:6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous.
The 5th TO DO In The Battle....
But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”
Be Persistent! Never, Ever Give up!!!!!
Remember what you have done in the past.
Always Give God the credit.
Put your confidence in God again. He rescued me before, He Will rescue me now again.
The 6th TO DO In The Battle....
After attempting to wear Saul's armor, we continue reading on starting in verse 39, "“I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.
Be Who YOU Be! Don't try to put on someone else's ways. God has created you the way you are, to do things He has called you to do. Do what you are skilled in. David was a shepherd. He was used to using a slingshot.
The 7th TO DO In The Battle....
After Goliath's attempts at intimidating David by cursing him and making fun of him, David responds to Goliath, starting at verse 45, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us
Be confident in the Lord.
Remember and proclaim in whose authority and power you come in.
Declare the end at the beginning....THIS IS what will happen. Your head IS coming off!
Maintain your confident stance in the Lord.
Give credit to The Lord! This Is the Lord's Battle.
The Final TO DO In The Battle....
As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.
Do what you are there to do.
Don't back away.
Do not be fearful.
Run toward the enemy.
Take that enemy out!!!
Triumph over the enemy!!!!
Cautious reminders:
Ephesians 6:12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
So....don't go fighting against your neighbors, your relatives or people you meet on the street. They really are not your problems. Your problem is Satan and all his helpers in the unseen realm.
Remember:
1 John 5:4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.
Remember:
Proverbs 21:31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.
Remember:
Jesus is victorious over the enemy. He took the enemy's authority away from him. He won the victory. He gave us the victory. He gave us power and authority over the tactics of the enemy. We only have to reinforce what Jesus has done. Maintain our victory. The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, is our weapon in battle. We speak God's Word. We stand in authority over unseen powers in Jesus name. We do not bow our knee to the devil. We do not yield to the tauntings of the enemy. We give the enemy no room. We stand firmly against him as we proclaim the truth. We know that because of what Jesus did on the cross, He has made us more than Conquerors. We stand. We do not become dismayed or discouraged. We never flee. We are not responding from fear. Our confidence is in our God and His Faithful Word. We are the Army of the Living God. We fight. We Win. We declare the end result at the beginning. We exalt God and we oppose all that would attempt to defy us or our God. Through Christ we have the overwhelming Victory!!!! Amen!!!!
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