You Have All You Need in the Lord: Solid Advice for Tough Trials – 5 Smooth Stones, part 3
Are you in a trial or difficult situation? God is with you. This message offers solid advice to get through tough or impossible situations. Also learn what to do when you’re not sure what to do.
Today we’re resuming the Five Smooth Stones series, focusing today on how to handle difficult situations. You will be victorious as you stand for the truth of God and focus on him and allow God to be God in your life. When you face the enemy or any difficult situation, do not rely on the world’s weapons. Fight the spiritual battle with spiritual weapons.
You don’t have to be famous or successful to be victorious and do great things. Put your faith in God Almighty. He uses ordinary people to accomplish his goals. Simply be yourself and allow God to work through you.
God Is Bigger, Stronger, & Greater Than Any Situation
No Matter the Situation, God is With You
In this series, we have already studied 1 Samuel 17:1-28. Today we will be looking at verses 28-40.
The story of David and Goliath is a powerful story if you understand that no matter the situation, God is with you. You will be victorious as you stand for the truth of God and focus on him and allow God to be God in your life.
When you face the enemy, or any difficult situation, do not rely on the world’s weapons. Fight a spiritual battle with spiritual weapons. Know that God is bigger, stronger, and greater than the situation you now face. Remain focused on God and always give God the glory, for he is worthy of all praise.
Today, we will see that you do not need to be anyone special to be victorious and do great things. Just remember David was a shepherd boy when he faced Goliath. Think about Ruth, Rahab, Daniel and his three Hebrew friends along with a host of others, all who were ordinary individuals. They trusted God. Their faith was in God Almighty. Each one of them were simply ordinary people God used to accomplish what he desired. Simply be yourself and allow God to work through you using the gifting he has already blessed you with.
There will always be crossroads in life where you must choose right or wrong, good or evil, obedience or disobedience. Crossroads that deal with choosing faith or fear, of stay and fight or shrink back and run, of moving forward or remaining silent, of glorifying God or glorifying self. You need to be spiritually ready before you get to those crossroads by being confident in the Lord and humble in heart.
Where Is Your Focus?
In the last message in this series, the text we ended with was David’s brother falsely accusing David. It was David’s older brother whose heart was wicked and jealous. He accused David of the evil issue that was in his own heart.
‘When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”
29 “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” 30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. 31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him’ (1 Samuel 17:28-31, NIV).
David responded to his brother by not allowing the negative words and false accusations to deter him from what was truly important in David’s heart. David was focused solely on God and for the glory of God. David refused to engage or argue with his brother. David did not allow the negative words of his brother to cloud his mind with negative thoughts. Instead, David turned away and remained positive and hopeful in his heart. Goliath, the enemy, who caused fear in the hearts of Saul and the others on the battle line, did not cause David to be fearful in his heart or mind.
Will you step out in faith and move forward in the strength and power of God?
Knowing the story of David and Goliath, we can see that David was God’s instrument (in this season) to bring hope to both Saul and his army.
David understood the spiritual significance of the situation; it was a spiritual battle of faith and trust in God Almighty and for the glory of God. In Saul’s and his army’s natural eyes, it was a seemingly hopeless situation. Trusting God was the last thing on the minds of Saul and the army. So, God uses a small shepherd boy, a smooth stone, and a sling, to take down the enemy that Saul and an army of men were fearful of that day.
Like David, God calls us to step out in faith, even as others appear fearful, to come out against the enemy. At times you may face a seemingly impossible situation, but remember, the battle is the Lord’s and you have everything you need to be victorious when you have faith and hope in the Lord. You see, in your weakness you are strong with God Almighty. God is glorified as you move forward in the strength and power of his might, trusting God, not in your ability.
David saw the physical battle that lay before him as not simply a physical battle but, more importantly, as a spiritual battle. A spiritual battle for the glory of God.
A spiritual battle takes faith in God, and a physical battle takes courage. Faith during spiritual battles comes from a deep spiritual conviction in the truth and promises of God. Courage is absent when faith and hope are absent.
When the situation looks impossible, fear and negative thoughts will captivate the heart and mind of the person and they can never move forward. Faith and hope will arise from deep spiritual experience, and the seemingly impossible is possible with God. Faith and hope will be gained by recalling past spiritual victories in life. Courage might follow some positive words; however, fear and doubt will always follow negative words.
David exhibited spiritual courage along with faith and hope while everyone else exhibited fear because David was able to draw his spiritual courage and strength from his past experiences, such as when God delivered him from the lion and bear.
In this short series we can see that God can use an ordinary shepherd boy to defeat a seemingly undefeatable enemy. We have learned that God looks at the heart and not at a person’s size, strength, or worldly ability. God is looking for a person of faith, hope and one with a deep conviction for the things of God that he can use, and he will do the rest.
David picked up five smooth stones and his sling when he faced Goliath. And with God’s help, David defeated Goliath. God used what David already knew and had in his hands. It only took one stone to bring Goliath down.
We see the same with Moses. God used what was familiar to Moses and what he had in his hands. When Moses worried if the people wouldn’t believe him or listen, God gave Moses a way to show God’s authority when he turned his staff—something Moses was already familiar with and used—into a snake and gave Moses the ability to control it (see Exodus 4:1-5).
God wants to use you, like he used Moses and David, to bring about a spiritual victory in your life and the lives of others. Be a living example and encourage others to develop steadfast faith and hope along with a deep conviction in God Almighty.
Are you willling to trust the Lord in whatever you’re facing?
‘David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” 33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” 38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine’ (1 Samuel 17:32-40).
Understand, you have everything you need to defeat the enemy when you have faith, hope and a deep conviction in God Almighty. You can face overwhelming odds and be victorious in Christ the Lord (see Rev 12:11). It’s easy to look around and find reasons why a situation looks impossible. But remember, you will overcome and defeat the enemy by the blood of the Lamb. Have faith and hope in the Lord and do not shrink back. In Christ, you have victory.
Saul and his army were fearful, and Saul looked at David and told him he couldn’t go out against the Philistine, that he was only a boy. Saul was looking at the situation with his natural eyes. He was spiritually blind and without faith; he was not being spiritually minded. Saul was trying to fight this battle with worldly weapons (body armor and a sword), but this battle was not simply a physical battle, it was a spiritual battle.
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
We see that Saul, like all mankind, looks at the outward, when God looks at the heart.
Do not think that God cannot or will not use you in a particular situation, because he can if you will allow him. You do not need to be a special type of person or have some special ability to be used by God. You simply need to be willing and in faith, trust the Lord. Understand that God used fisherman to preach the Gospel message and the religious leaders of the day recognized the disciples were not learned men of the scriptures.
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say” (Acts 4:13-14).
God looks for a willing heart and your faith. He will do the rest. The Holy Spirit in you will complete what you are lacking to accomplish the work he calls you to do (see 1 Corinthians 12:4-11).
When In a Spiritual Battle, Do Spiritual Warfare
David’s past experiences prepared him to trust God when he faced Goliath. David’s deep conviction and faith prepared him to stand against Goliath who was defying the army of the living God. The Holy Spirit gave David the boldness to stand against Goliath and the courage to rely on God for the victory.
So often, we try to do things on our own strength. We try using the wrong weapons. Relying on worldly weapons in spiritual battles will not work. Relying on someone else’s armor, someone else’s ability is not relying on God. Rely only on God Almighty, everything else will fail you.
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
In faith, hope and with deep conviction look to God.
David tried to use the armor and weapon that Saul wanted him to use, but it was not going to work for David. David only used what he was comfortable and familiar with, his sling and a few smooth stones. David understood God’s name was on the line and that this battle was more than a physical battle. It was a spiritual battle. David relied on God and God did the rest.
When in a spiritual battle, do spiritual warfare. Pray, praise God, and stand firmly on the word of God. Proclaim the truth of God’s word, and the word of your testimony. Proclaim the blood of Christ; it cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Stand in faith on the promises of God and in the power of Jesus’ name. Do not pay any attention to what the world may say. Trust God.
Notice that David paid no attention to Saul’s negative words. David paid no attention to his brother’s negative words. David chose to listen and obey only God’s command and no one else.
Do not believe what the world says. Do not listen to the negative noise that fills your ears when you know in your heart what God is calling you to do. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding; acknowledge God and he’ll make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).
What to Do When You’re Not Sure What to Do
Block everything else out and listen for the voice of God to speak to your heart. The enemy of your soul will use whoever he can to cause fear and doubt to well up in your heart and mind.
Ask yourself these questions when you are unsure of what to do or whose voice you hear:
Is this the voice of God?
Is this voice speaking faith or fear?
Will God be glorified in this?
Will what I am about to do line up with the word and promise of God?
If not, should I be doing it at all?
Remember Past Victories for Faith & Strength Today
David made it clear that he knew the Lord rescued him from the mouth of the lion and bear as David rescued the sheep from those same enemies. David viewed Goliath to be no different than the lion or the bear. Each were deadly and yet David trusted God to deliver him from this uncircumcised Philistine. David was not afraid, and he wanted Saul and the others not to be afraid, just as Joseph told his brothers who had sold him into slavery.
‘But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid”’ (Genesis 50:19-21).
There is a Godly purpose for the Lord to allow things in our lives. Trust God to bring victory in what you are going through today. Look back and see the faithfulness of God and let that be the resource to draw from in your time of need. Both David and Joseph understood God’s divine hand on their lives.
If you believe God is all-knowing and ever-present, then why would the Lord need to test you to see how you would respond? He wouldn’t need to test you to find out what he already knew. But he will test you and allow things in your life so you might learn to trust him so you can recall and respond in a way that glorifies God Almighty.
Begin today to think how God has faithfully watched over you in times of blessing and in times of need. If you remember what God did in the past can you believe that he is able to do it again. Remember, he does not change. Remember how God brought you through those difficult times and believe that he will continue to do so even now.
What do you Believe? David believed and trusted God. David knew that God delivered him from the mouth of the lion and the bear, and that God would certainly be able to deliver him from the false words and threats that were coming from the mouth of this uncircumcised Philistine.
The Israelites were to remember what God did for them in the desert.
“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you” (Deuteronomy 8:2-5).
What do you remember? The Israelites wandered for forty years, and their clothes and shoes never wore out. Their feet never became swollen from walking in the desert. They experienced a miracle of God’s protection and provision. What about you?
God Can Use What You Already Have
In Matthew 14 we see the miracle of feeding 5000 with only five loaves of bread and two fish. What a miracle of provision.
‘When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” 16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children’ (Matthew 14:14-21).
Several points are noteworthy from Matthew 14:
They used the five loaves and two fish. God used what they had on hand to feed the crowd. There was no need to send the people away.
What they had in their hands was sufficient in the master’s hands. There was no need to get more.
Jesus made it possible to feed the crowd, but it was the disciples who did the work of giving out the food and the recovery of all the leftovers.
The disciples will remember this miracle and the time of God’s provision because they were a part of the miracle.
In 1 Samuel 17 David recalls God’s deliverance from the lion and bear when he rescues some sheep and he believed that God could rescue him from the uncircumcised Philistine that was threating the army of the Lord. King Saul should have been the one to remove the disgrace from the armies of the Lord, but his lack of spiritual insight and his disobedience towards the commands of God gave way to fear and God used a simple shepherd boy to defeat Goliath.
God used the tools of a shepherd to bring victory in battle and glory to the name of the Lord.
Stop Trying to Use Worldly Weapons in Spiritual Battles
In Acts 3 you will see a man who was crippled from birth is healed when Peter and John pray with authority (see Acts 3:1-9).
At times all you have or all you can do is pray. Prayer is powerful. It’s powerful to know that you have all you need when you have faith in the Lord. Stop listening to negative words. Stop making excuses of why not. Stop trying to use worldly weapons in spiritual battles. In Christ, you have all you need to be spiritually victorious.
‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity”’ (Jeremiah 29:11-14).
God anointed David and he had a plan for David. David trusted God and God used him for the glory of God.
God has a plan for your life. Knowing Jesus as your savior is all you need for spiritual victory. Focus on the Lord and, in faith and hope and deep conviction, bring your requests to the Lord.
Always pray expectantly and for his glory. Remember the battle is the Lord’s. The battle is already won. Walk forward in faith, hope and with deep conviction. Victory is in Jesus.
Suggested Praise and Worship
YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED
If this message has been helpful to you, we’d be grateful for your support. A small gift of $5 can help us reach our goal of helping people grow in faith, heal, laugh, and thrive—both locally and globally. It’s because of people like you that this ministry can offer hope, help, encouragement, and a closer walk in faith with God.
This and other sermons brought to you by Faith Chapel, an Assemblies of God church in Pleasanton, CA.
1 Samuel 15:10-23: Do you wish you had more faith? This message illustrates mistakes to avoid, steps to increase faith, and how to achieve a deeper relationship with God.