"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12
We all have battles in our lives; we all have challenges. For us to pretend we didn't, we would lie to God and each other. Yet the problem in life comes not when we have battles or temptations, but when we choose not to side with Jesus in overcoming them. When we hear Goliath's taunts against us and against our God, and they no longer phase us-- that's when we know we are in trouble. When we choose to live with our sins or addictions or fears instead of choosing to rise up, we choose to live for this world and the things of this world instead of choosing to fight for God.
And this is hard. Because fighting super battles is difficult sometimes. But it's also necessary if we are going to follow God. God doesn't condone selfish or complacent lives. God calls us to surrender our crosses daily, to join Him in battling against the deviled his schemes.
The good news about fighting battles is that we don't have to do it alone. We have a God who is able, strong, and willing to overcome any battle, addiction, or stronghold in our lives.
I've been reading the book "Goliath Must Fall" by Max Lucado and the question is asked whether we've been interpreting the story of David and Goliath wrong most of our life? What
What if David and Goliath wasn't about us being braver, better, and more prepared so that we can overcome our giants? What if in the story of David and Goliath, David is Jesus fighting Goliath on our behalf?
What if winning our battles wasn't about doing more or being better spiritually, but what if winning our battles was about where we are focusing and who we are trusting?
If we think more about the way we've grown up hearing about David and Goliath, it's commonly been a message about ourselves and our self-sufficiency. David was prepared... prepare more like David. David knew God's world, read the scripture more like David. David was brave, be braver and more assertive in battling sins in your life.
But what if we read the story through the lens of the Bible that points to JESUS as the ultimate Savior of sinners over and over again. Instead of making the story about us- what if we made the story about a God who loves to save and deliver? Jesus gave David victory that day not because of who David was but because of who God is?
Instead of trusting ourselves to win the daily battles of life, what if we trusted God more? What if we chose to invest more of our energy and time and effort in getting to know Him? What would our lives look like if we truly believed in God's love and saving power in our daily life?
