Preparing for Battle

31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

THE BIG QUESTION? - Where did David’s courage come from?

Faith - QUALIFIER - but FAITH isn’t your strength

faith is the channel through which God pours his power.

EXAMPLES

Heb 2:11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac

Heb 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents

Heb 11:29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land

got fights? see giants? need courage? get faith.

how? - affirm the promises AND endure the trials.

AFFIRM THE PROMISES

What promises? God’s promises. NOT just any promise.

remember - we aren’t to be presumptious. to presume is to claim a promise that God didn’t give us in his word. Or a promise in his word that wasn’t FOR YOU.

What promises did David have?

the land was theirs. he would be king. the phillistines were cursed. - because of that he knew he could fight AND win.

What promises do we have?

Rom 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

1 cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

But it’s more than just “believing” them.

it’s getting them down deep into your heart. into your soul.

how? Simple, basic, Christian disciplines - like David did.

Psalm 144:9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you, 10 who gives victory to kings, who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword. 11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

(many say this is a psalm David wrote in prep to fight Goliath)

note - he is singing God’s promises, probably over and over again. prayerfully singing.

psalm 56. 3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

another example - here David is likely captured by Phils. And in his fear he does what? Sings. Prayerfully sings. Why? he’s massaging these truths into his heart.

We sing to worship the Lord, we read his word to worship the Lord, but we also sing and read to massage the truth deep into our hearts. This is what affirming his promises looks like

FIRST WAY OF PREP for BATTLE? - we affirm promises.

Faith doesn’t always stay at the same levels. Sometimes it’s high - sometimes it’s low - the difference?

Well, are you affirming the promises? massaging them into your heart? not just reading, but READING and THINKING and REMEMBERING.

not just singing - but declaring? shouting? this is prep for war.

I know, we’re scared of this because it’s been so twisted by the word of faith crowd - but don’t burn the barn down on account of a few mice.

Heb 13:5-6 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?

see that? That’s Paul - telling the congregation to say/proclaim - a PSALM. He’s basically telling them - HEY! SING THIS! It’ll HELP!

and if we listen and sing that psalm, believing it, it’ll help keep us free from the love of money and discontentment

So that means - for those of you in a trial right now - Rom 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

DO We KNOW? - we do know - but we need to be reminded - to know it more.

When we are low - when we are afraid - when we’ve failed - when we suffer - when the bills are piling up - when we are discontent

Psalm 16:6 “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”

When we feel insignificant - like nothing we do matters - like we don’t really have anything to offer

1 Cor 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

The world says “I think I can” “I believe in myself”

That’s self-affirmations. That’s nonsense.

We believe in BIBLICAL affirmations. We hold to what the Bible says

But I’m not sure - well faith is a gift - and where does it come from? Rom 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

so hear it. from your own lips if you have to. and pray that God does something with it.

desert rain analogy. stand in the valleys.

So how was David ready to go to war?

Years of preparation - singing. reading. hearing. reciting.

massaging the truth into his heart over and over again.

And he endured the trials..

The lions. The bears. His own brother. The king himself “you are not able....”

some of the roughest attacks come from within the church itself.

Martin Luther rebuked by his own friends.

Jesus told to stop by Peter

Paul detered from Jerusalem

but they all pressed on. They knew.

James 2:1 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds,3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

But there is one last piece.

He affirmed the promises - he endured the trials

AND - he took up the means that God had provided.

38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

David didn’t walk into the field empty handed and wait for God to ZAP

he had years of practice, while faithfully working for his father

but he also didn’t walk out into the field with faith in his skill

he brought his skill, but his faith was in the Lord.

application: Financial struggles? How does God provide?

work. - Faith works. Faith goes to work and earns a paycheck, it’s God’s designed way. And THROUGH THAT God provides.

“well God promised to provide for me.” Yeah, now get a job.

Presumption sits and waits for the food to land on the table. FAITH works, follows what the Lord commands, and then watches the Lord provide.

Every disciple must learn this lesson

Matt 10:10 Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions.

But then jesus said…Luke 22:36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.

First - God Provides - Second - THROUGH the means he ordains

Faith isn’t passive - faith works. It’s active.

so we don’t just pray “Thy will be done” and then wait for the lightning strike.

We do it, and carry it out into every facet of our lives that we possibly can.

THEREFORE

What is the Lord calling you to? Do you have a vision yet?

A vision that aligns with his word? That you draw out from his promises?

Are you affirming those promises? massaging them down deep into your heart?

Have you faced trials so far? Are you ready for the next ones that are coming?

And are you honing your skills, gathering your tools, for what’s to come?

We, as God’s people, building his kingdom. Need to be prepared.

many of us are generations behind - that’s Ok - God is gracious and a lot bigger than your shortcomings. That’s what faith does.

But let’s get to work - and let’s ask the Lord for his help.