Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 1 Samuel 17: 8-10 NIV
Day after day, the men of God lined up side by side, with their armor on and weapons in hand, ready to battle the enemy together. But Goliath didn’t want to battle the children of God as a group, the enemy never does; he wanted to fight them just one at a time! The tactics of the enemy haven’t changed much through the years, he still wants to isolate us from each other and force us to battle alone! He knows we are stronger together!
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”1 Samuel 17:26b, 32 NIV
When Satan taunts one of us, he taunts all of us. We all lose heart when the enemy defies even one man in the army of the living God. Never feel alone in the fight, for if the enemy brings you down, we all lose! When David faced Goliath, he represented the entire army of God. Whatever battle you face today, make no mistake, brother or sister in Christ, you battle for all of us. If you win, the enemy becomes subject to all of us. If you lose, we all lose.
Before you let the weight of that thought overwhelm you, listen to the words of David as he faced the giant.
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17:45-47 NIV
You may be facing your own giant today, and while it’s true that you battle for all of us, rest assured, you do not battle alone! If you come against the enemy in the name of the Lord Almighty, you will not fail. You will win, for the battle is the Lord’s, and He never loses! When David ran toward the battle, he had all of God’s people behind him, and God by his side. You have the same advantage. Never lose sight of that.
David’s confidence and courage came from God. He looked not at his odds of winning, but at the strength and power of the God he served. He counted on God taking the attack against his chosen people personally. Do you have the same confidence? Will you face the battle, without wavering? Are you willing to be the one God uses to defeat the enemy and win the victory for all of us?