| I. DON’T ENGAGE
IN BATTLE BEFORE YOU ASSESS THE SITUATION.
1 Samuel 17:17-18 And Jesse said unto David his son, Take
now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and
run to the camp to thy brethren;
18 And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and
look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.
A. Know exactly what it is your coming against.
B. Don’t let what you see, or what you might hear others say, cause fear to
enter you heart.
1 Samuel 17:23-25 And as he
talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath,
Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to
the same words: and David heard them.
24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and
were sore afraid.
25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up?
surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth
him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter,
and make his father's house free in Israel.
II. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE REASON WHY YOU ARE BATTLING.
1 Samuel 17:29 And David said, What have I now done? Is
there not a cause?
A. What will be gained when the battle is over?
1. Are there any spoils to be gained?
2. How will it effect other?
3. Will God receive any Glory?
III. MAKE SURE YOU ARE PREPARED FOR BATTLE.
1 Samuel 17:33-37 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able
to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and
he a man of war from his youth.
34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and
there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his
mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him,
and slew him.
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised
Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the
living God.
37 David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of
the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of
this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.
A. Examine your past battles.
1. If the outcome of your past battles ended in defeat, don’t engage in a
new battle without changes.
2. If the outcome ended in victory, reflect on the past, to assure yourself,
that what God did before, He can and will do for you again.
B. Make sure your confession lines up with your covenant.
1. You are who God says you are.
2. You can do what God says you can do.
3. God is who He says He is.
4. God can do what He says He can do.
IV. DON’T ALWAYS FIGHT ALONE.
1 Samuel 17:8-11 And he stood and cried unto the armies of
Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am
not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let
him come down to me.
9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your
servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our
servants, and serve us.
10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give
me a man, that we may fight together.
11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they
were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
A. Don’t let the enemy be the one to decide how the battle is to be
fought.
1. Every battle is different, let God be the one who decides how it is to
be fought.
2. If you call on others for help, make sure they are strong in faith.
3. Always put your trust in God.
V. MAKE SURE YOU USE WEAPONS THAT HAVE BEEN PROVEN.
1 Samuel 17:38-40 And Saul armed David with his armour, and
he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.
39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go;
for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for
I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones
out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a
scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
A. David had more then just stones, and so do you.
1 Samuel 17:43-46 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I
a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by
his gods.
44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy
flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword,
and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord
of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite
thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of
the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of
the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
B. David said, You may have a spear and a shield, But I come against you
with A NAME.
1. What you fight against in the Spirit realm, will effect your life in
the Natural realm.
2. Wants you engage in a battle, don’t let anything cause you to quit,
until God gives you the victory.
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