Don't Quit

We have a real enemy. His name is Satan and his methods are many. One thing he would love to do is to discourage you in your calling, and one of his greatest tools in this endeavor is the tool of distraction. The way he would accomplish this would vary from person to person, but the result would be the same: to get your focus off of God by making your “problem” seem bigger than it really is.

In 1 Samuel 17, we see Saul and the army of Israel locked in battle with their ancient enemy, the Philistines. The battlefield is perfect. Israel is on one mountain side while the Philistines are on the other. There is a valley in between where the fighting will take place.

Saul, we can imagine, rides out like a good general-king to speak to his troops, to remind them of what they are fighting for — their God, their families, their homes. The troops are anxious, not afraid, just ready to begin, to show the Philistines they are messing with God’s people. They shout as their king reminds them of their past victories and their courage grows as they prepare to fight today. Then something happens. They begin to wonder, “Is that thunder in the distance, or laughter?” Saul notices a change coming over the faces of his soldiers at something they have seen behind him. In disbelief he turns to see what has their attention and nearly falls off his horse.

In the distance, standing at nearly 9’ 9” tall is it a man? No, and yes. A man, but more than a man, a giant. His armor weighed between 100-150 pounds, his spear was made from stout lumber and the spearhead weighed upwards 18 pounds. Not only was he a giant, but he was virtually invincible in this armor. The sight alone of this giant sent fear deep into their bones, but nothing was prepared them for what he was about to do next: 1 Samuel 17:8-10

1 Samuel 17:8–10 KJV 1900

8 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.

Their response? 1 Samuel 17:11

1 Samuel 17:11 KJV 1900

11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

Fast-forward forty days later. David’s father sends him to the battlefield with a care package for his three oldest sons who had gone to fight with Saul. David, the youngest, stayed behind to watch the sheep. When David arrived just as the soldiers were going out to fight and like, just like the previous forty days, Goliath came out and made his challenge, with only on difference. 1 Samuel 17:23

1 Samuel 17:23 KJV 1900

23 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.

All the soldiers lost their courage and ran to hide, but David stood still. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing — the armies of Israel, God’s chosen people, were afraid and hiding. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing — this “uncircumcised dog” was insulting Israel’s God and no one would stop his mouth!

David did not see a giant, he saw a chance to give God glory.

Friends, when the devil comes at you and says to you:

You can’t do this. It’s too much. You’re wasting your time. You’re wasting your breath. You’re wasting your energy. You’ll never make a difference. You’ll never reach that student. You’ll never succeed.

When he comes to you with those lies, you are going to have to make up your mind whether you will run and hid from the calling God placed on your life, or if you will stand your ground and fight!

If David had enough faith in God to face Goliath, then you and I can have faith to not give up on the task God has called you to.

What can we learn from David’s faith? We learn first that David’s faith...

Encouraged Him 23-37

David, hears the giant and turns to see him, his back is now on the army of Israel. He sees the same giant, hears the same words, but has a different response.

While the army ran in fear, David stood in faith. He was angry.

A. He was angry at the giant for insulting his God

B. He was angry at the army of Israel for their lack of faith in God.

Friends, the devil is going to come to you to discourage you in your calling here. He will do so by:

Getting your focus on your problem.

1 Samuel 17:25 “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.”

“Have ye seen this man that is come up?

David said, “Yes I’ve seen him, but what is he compared to God?

1 Samuel 17:26 “26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

They were focused on giant, but David was focused on God.

Get your focus on God

Fear caused them to flee from their duty.

Fear caused them to lose all faith

David, however, refused to give up on God.

1 Samuel 17:32 “32 And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

Saul said, it is impossible.

David knew what Jesus would later say: “With God, all things are possible.”

Friends, when Satan whispers that it can’t be done, let your faith shout back that “God can do it!”

When you’re overburdened by stress at home and stress in class, when you hear the enemy laughing remember that God has never once broken a promise.

I promise you the devil will try to derail you this year, but if you will stand your ground and keep your faith God will encourage you. Not only did David’s faith encourage him, it also...

Equipped Him 38-40

David was a shepherd, not a soldier. He would one day be a great military leader, but that day would not be today. Saul tried to equip him with his own armor, but it was foreign to David. He’d never used this type of weaponry and would have been killed if he’d attempted to.

Instead he used what he was familiar with - his staff, stones, scrip, and sling.

We glossed over this, but in verses 34-37 David tells Saul of a time when a bear and a lion stole one of his sheep. Do you know what David did? He didn’t say, “Well I don’t have any armor or a sword, so I guess we’ll just lose that sheep.”

He grabbed what he had, what he was familiar with - his staff and his sling - and he went after that lion and that bear. He found them, took the lamb from their mouth, and killed them both. Then he says to Saul, 1 Samuel 17:36-37

1 Samuel 17:36–37 KJV 1900

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.

Talk about courage, but more than that. His faith in God to deliver him from the lion and the bear were proof that God would deliver him from Goliath — not for David’s sake, but for His own. I’ve been preaching through James on Sundays and chapter one deals with enduring trials. How we should “count it all joy” when they come our way and how when we don’t understand we should ask God for wisdom to understand His purpose in our tiral. Prayer is a good reaction to a trial, but unfortunately, our first response to difficulty is to ask God to remove us from it, when we should rather ask Him to receive the glory in it!

David’s faith encourage him, and it equipped him, that is it demonstrated that God was with him and would always be so. Lastly we see his faith also...

Empowered Him 41-51

David walked into the valley to face Goliath, and Goliath came out to him. He was insulted that they would send a boy to do a man’s job, and promised to make short work of David. These words were meant to cause fear in David, but where faith lives, fear dies.

David’s faith empowered him to stand against the giant, read with me 1 Samuel 17:45-47

1 Samuel 17:45–47 KJV 1900

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. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.

Goliath screams in rage and runs toward David, no doubt an attempt to cause David to run away, but instead David runs towards the enemy. He reaches into his scrip, pulls out just one stone, fits it in the sling, swings and lets it fly home! The rest is history my friends, the stone knocks the giant down cold, and David removes his head with his own sword.

This victory was not his victory, but God’s.

See, David’s faith was not in his own power and ability, but in God’s.

While all the army of Israel could see was a giant, David saw a chance for God to be glorified. He knew that no matter how big the obstacle, God is bigger.

Conclusion:

See, that is what Satan does — he makes your problem seem bigger than God, but your faith stands to remind him that NOTHING is bigger than God.

When your tempted to give up, to walk away, then, liked David, let your faith:

Encourage you — ask. “Has God ever once let me down?” The answer is “No. He has never let you down.” Let your faith...

Equip you — don’t rely on the world, rely on what you know, that God is able.

The world says give up. It is not worth it.

God says I’m right here with you. Don’t give up. Lastly let your faith...

Empower you — God has placed here. God has placed students in your care. God has called you to something bigger than you. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it.

When, not if, but when life gets hard, stress gets real, when Satan begins to whisper in your ear to quit, ask your self the same question David asked his brother, “Is there not a cause?” Isn’t God worth it? Isn’t that difficult student or parent worth it?

Quitting is easy. Doing what God has called you to is not. Don’t quit.