You Can't Win If You Don't Fight!

1 Samuel 17:20-26 NKJV

So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle. 21 For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. 22 And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 23 Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. 25 So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”

26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

Let us pray…

This morning I want to speak on the subject. “You Can’t Win If You Don’t Fight”!

Introduction

There are going to be sometimes in our lives that we are going to have to go up against some giants. They may not be like not be named Goliath, they may go by other names like cancer who will bring along his partner fear. Then there is that one of addiction that likes to call us out. Oh, there is that one that likes to keep you up at night named anxiety, let us not forget that one that can keep us in bondage for years, it goes by the name of grief.

As we face some of these giants that we have to do battle we need to remember that the mindset we take into the battle with the giant can determine the outcome of the battle. What you bring to the battle, will determine what happens in the battle, which will lead to how you come out the battle!

Our text finds the army of Isreal and the army of Philistines facing off the do battle, but the army of Isreal was face with the giant by the name of Goliath that it seemed was impossible to overcome. For going on forty days this giant was telling them that they could not win, he was calling them out, and they were terrified.

But “You Can’t Win If You Don’t Fight”!

Believing Before Battling

We find ourselves drawn to the moment David hears of Goliath's challenge. He doesn't hesitate, doesn't doubt, doesn't question whether he, a mere shepherd boy, could possibly stand against this giant of a man. Instead, he steps forward, ready to face the challenge head-on.

The major difference between David and the Israelite soldiers is how he looked at the battle. See, David didn’t look at the battle, he was more concerned with what he was going to get for the victory.

David had a view of the victory! David heard Goliath’s challenge, and knew how big he was, but he had faith in God, and knew God was bigger.

Because of his faith in God, he believed before he entered the battle. David's faith was not a passive acceptance of God's will, but an active engagement with it. He didn't simply wait for God to deliver him from his enemies; he stepped forward, ready to do his part. He trusted in God's power, but he also understood that faith requires action. His faith was not a shield that protected him from the world, but a sword that he wielded in service of God's will.

This active faith is evident in David's response to Goliath's challenge. He doesn't respond with fear or doubt, but with confidence and conviction.

“You Can’t Win If You Don’t Fight”!

He doesn't see a giant; he sees a man defying the armies of the living God. He doesn't see an insurmountable challenge; he sees an opportunity to demonstrate God's power.

David's faith was also rooted in his knowledge of God. He didn't blindly believe in a distant, unknowable deity; he knew God intimately, as a shepherd knows his sheep. He had spent countless hours in the fields, under the stars, communing with God. He knew God's character, his promises, his power. His faith was not a vague hope in a higher power, but a deep, personal trust in the God he knew and loved.

David's faith was also rooted in his knowledge of God. He didn't blindly believe in a distant, unknowable deity; he knew God intimately, as a shepherd knows his sheep. He had spent countless hours in the fields, under the stars, communing with God. He knew God's character, his promises, his power. His faith was not a vague hope in a higher power, but a deep, personal trust in the God he knew and loved.

This knowledge of God is evident in David's response to Goliath's challenge. He doesn't respond with vague platitudes about God's power, but with specific, concrete statements about who God is and what He promises. He doesn't see a giant; he sees a man defying the God who delivered Israel from Egypt, who parted the Red Sea, who led them through the wilderness. He doesn't see an insurmountable challenge; he sees an opportunity to demonstrate the power of the God he knows and loves.

David's faith was not self-serving, but God-serving. He didn't believe in God because of what God could do for him; he believed in God because of who God is. He didn't see his faith as a means to an end, but as an end in itself. His faith was not a tool he used to manipulate God, but a relationship he nurtured out of love for God.

David's faith was not dependent on his circumstances, but on God's promises. He didn't believe in God because things were going well; he believed in God despite the fact that things were going badly. He didn't see his faith as a fair-weather friend, but as a steadfast companion in times of trouble. His faith was not a crutch he leaned on in times of weakness, but a source of strength he drew on in times of need.

1. You have got to have tomorrow sight for today’s vision.

2. Not everyone will see the vision God gives you.