Who You Listening To?

 Last week, I started with the battle of David and Goliath. There is a lot to pick apart in this historical account. It's a great reminder that we can read and reread passages in scriptures and see something new each time. After all, Hebrews 4:12 tells us the Word of God is alive, active, and sharper than a sword. It doesn't change, of course, but because we are growing in grace and in our knowledge of God, we see new to us things every time we read. That's what happened to me last week!

David heard a lot of voices in 1 Samuel 17. But he had to choose which one he was going to listen to. There is a difference between what we hear and what we listen to.

David heard his father, Jesse, tell him to go check on his brothers who were serving in the Israeli army. He listened and obeyed. But once David got there, while checking on his brothers as he was sent to do, he heard Goliath's rant. The giant was mocking the army of God and trying to coax them into battle. David also heard all the things the soldiers were saying out of fear. He saw them run away. 

But in the mix, he also heard that there was a reward for defeating Goliath. My first question was, why were they letting the giant dictate the rules of engagement? My second question was to myself: Am I doing that? 

David heard his brother Eliab, who was probably jealous of the Samuel visit and the king-anointing thing he had to watch, try to put him down. Where are your few sheep, you are supposed to be caring for? But David didn't listen to any of that. 

He even heard Saul trying to tell him that he needed a specific type of armor. Armor that didn't fit him at all. He still didn't listen. David didn't get his instructions from any of these conversations. He rolled right out to the giant and told him how the battle was going to go. David was confident that God was going to take the giant out. He told Goliath that God would defeat him and then, he'd remove the giant's head. In verse 46 of 1 Samuel 17, David said, Today, the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. This verse gives us quite a bit of insight into David's thought processes.

He specifically said that the Lord would conquer Goliath, and then, he would finish Goliath off. David didn't listen to Goliath. He didn't listen to his older brother. He didn't listen to the king. He did listen to the voice of God in his heart - that's where he drew his personal battle plan.

Today, I will not listen to the voice of the giants I am facing. I'll turn a deaf ear to those who say I can't, I shouldn't, or I won't be able to... fill in the blank! My goal is to ignore negativity and embrace God's battle plan for the day. And He always plans for us to win. He always leads us into victory. I'll remind myself that I am marching into this day through the cross, and absolutely nothing can change what Jesus did on the cross. Not caregiving. Not depression. Not anxiety. Not any battle or fear can weaken the power of the cross. I choose to see my giants through the cross today as I realize God has conquered them and made them too weak to stand. Now, I just need to finish them off through the power of His word (the sword)! Will you join me?

Check out my latest release. Command Your Morning is a 31-day devotional that is focused on taking charge of your soul and day in the morning and trusting God that the rest of the day will follow suit! You can get the eBook from my shop at Buy Me A Coffee. Or the print and Kindle versions are now available in my Amazon Shop.