1 Samuel 17:45-51,  Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin.  But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.  And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.  Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

For most Christians and definitely for the Jews, this is a very well-known historical event!  David, a young man, showed up to the battle with nothing but a full understanding of who his God was!  He knew it; he had experienced it from his time alone with Him.  He wasn’t trained to battle a warrior, but he was equipped with all he needed, his faith in God.  Goliath, the giant, had taunted David, trying to intimidate him, trying to get him to doubt, but it was almost as if the giant’s words just stirred up that much more confidence in David.  To David, the attack on the Israelites was a direct attack against God. So David knew God would go before him, God would fight for him and with him, and God would defeat the enemy for His own glory!

Have you felt as though you are being attacked by an enemy that has surrounded you on every side? He is a relentless bully trying to defeat you in every area of your life.  He throws his lies continuously, trying to make you doubt.  He wants you to be full of fear and anxiety because everything seems to be out of control everywhere you turn! I get it, there are times I have felt as though I can’t even catch my breath before I get hit with another strange attack.  Well, here’s the beauty of it!  God is still in control ~ He is still on His throne!  ADONAI-Tzva’ot, The Lord of Hosts (Heaven’s armies) will fight and defend us for His glory!  That doesn’t mean there are no battles for you to fight necessarily, it means He is by your side, He will fight for, and with you, you are not alone!

We must take spiritual warfare seriously!  We must be constant in prayer for each other!  Pray for your needs, your family, friends, your pastor and his family, your coworkers, your country, the teachers in the schools around you, and pray for me!  We all need to pray!  I grew up being taught very little about spiritual warfare; it seemed like something that went on, but it was somewhere off in the distance, and it was not really “personal”.  Trust me, if you are walking with God and seeking to serve Him, it’s personal!  But, on that note, remember this part of David’s story too:  Saul tried to equip David with his armor, but it was too much. David knew all he needed was to go trusting in God, and God would deliver the enemy.  God is able, and it is His armor we need. He sees, and He is calling us to keep our eyes on Him!  The other day, when I started feeling overwhelmed, and I was praying, God reminded me of when I was taking my first scuba diving lesson; the instructor was working with me on trusting the equipment, and he pointed with 2 fingers at my eyes and then back at his eyes as if to say Focus on just me and breathe as I breathe.  It took me a couple of minutes, but as I was under the water and my brain registered that it was ok, I could breathe, and I was fine.  I relaxed, and I could dive without that fear.  That is what God is asking, focus on His eyes and breathe as He breathes.  Trust Him, and you will be able to go places with Him you otherwise would never be able to go!  Trust that He truly does love you and He won’t just let you go! 

We are living in those last days, and satan isn’t going to let up; he is out to kill, steal, and destroy all he can before his time is up, and he knows his time is getting short.  Let’s commit ourselves to knowing Him and praying for each other. Trust God for His timing, faithfulness, and for victory, in Jesus’ name!