Seed Thoughts September 2013

//Lynette Hagin

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be Like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."
-Isaiah 58:11 (NIV 1984)

A 34-year-old woman named Florence Chadwick attempted to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast in July 1952. Her goal was to be the first woman to make that swim. When she entered the water, a heavy fog had settled in along her route. Blinded by fog, she became disoriented and discouraged. When she finally decided that she couldn't go on, her escorts in a boat helped her out of the water.

The escorts feared to tell her the truth—Florence was only about 800 yards from the goal. After learning how close she came, she said, "All I could see was the fog." Her clouded vision kept her from victory.

How do you see your challenges? Are you viewing them as impossible, or as possible? I love to read about the impossible situations David faced. One of my favorite stories is about David and Goliath. To refresh your memory, David had been sent to take food to his brothers and their commander. They were with the Israelite army, which was battling the Philistines. But the whole army of Israel was immobilized by fear of a Philistine giant, Goliath, who was over nine feet tall.

All Israel feared the giant's power. This was no ordinary soldier. He was covered from head to toe in solid brass armor. Every day for 40 days, this giant had mocked Israel's army. He cursed their God and challenged them to send someone out to fight him. And every day King Saul and his army trembled in their armor and were afraid to fight. It must have looked like the Philistines would win the battle.

At this point, David arrived on the scene. Goliath appeared and repeated his challenge and taunts. Israel's soldiers once again were terrified. However, Goliath and his threats were heard by a young man who believed that God could deliver Israel out of this situation. " 'Don't worry about this Philistine,' David told Saul. 'I'll go fight him!' " (1 Sam. 17:32 NLT). Of course Saul replied, " 'Don't be ridiculous! . . . There's no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You're only a boy, and he's been a man of war since his youth' " (v. 33 NLT).

Well, we know the end of the story. David finally convinced Saul to let him fight Goliath. I love what David said as he approached the giant who was mocking him: " '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!' " (vv. 45–47 NLT). And that is exactly what happened.

How do you respond to your Goliaths? When you see a nine-foot-tall obstacle in front of you, do you see it as insurmountable? Or as an opportunity for the power of God to be revealed? What is your Goliath today? It may be problems with your finances, your health, or your marriage. It may be a habit or addiction, or even your attitudes.

Your giant may be a situation. You may have created that situation by wrong decisions, or you may be a victim. You may be dealing with a giant of grief. Maybe you can't move ahead for looking back. Your "what-ifs" keep you dwelling on the past. But you can't change your past. Change your "what-ifs" into "what's next!"

Face your giants with faith, not fear. Fear imprisons—faith liberates. Fear paralyzes—faith empowers. Fear disheartens—faith encourages. The army of Israel was focused on Goliath, and all they could see was his stature. Their fear reaction was, "We're going to be slaughtered." When we live by sight instead of by faith, we will be defeated and dominated by the enemy.

Hebrews 10:38 says, "The just shall live by faith." David's faith would not allow him to stand idly by while Goliath defied the God of Heaven. Faith is not content to let the devil win the battles of life. Remember: when facing giants, trust God. He always gives the victory! Bring your giants to the Lord. He is still in the giant-killing business. The battle is the Lord's, and He will kill the giant every time.