Cowering vs. Courage 2/24/2014

"'Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.  If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us.'  Again the Philistine said,  'I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together.'  When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid." 1 Samuel 17:8-11

Imagine a scene in which two great armies stand on opposing hills glaring at each other across the valley that separates them.  Imagine one of the armies having a 9 foot giant calling out to the other for a one on one with their champion to settle the whole matter.  Imagine this going on for 40 days.  And imagine the fearful army being the army of God.

We face the great challenges of the adversary every day, both as individuals and as the body of Christ. It seems that the world is becoming increasing bold in withstanding the word of God and that the battle is waged on more and more fronts.  Our children can no longer pray in school.  They are being taught that we evolved from some microbe in some primordial slime and worse, that we are descended from monkeys.  Christians in some parts of the world are being martyred for their faith. Their is an active effort to remove the God in whose belief this country was founded.  And we are experiencing moral decay at an alarming rate.  The giant adversary and his armies are taunting and threatening the people of God.  How long will we cower?

Beloved, we must remember who we serve and who is on our side.  We must also remember that the problems of today are not new.  Thousands of years ago, it was a young boy who asked the people of God, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" 1 Samuel 17:26.  It was a single voice that spoke up for the cause of God.  A single person who took on the enemy.  And it was a single act that emboldened the people of God who went on to victory. Imagine what could be done with 2, 3, 100 or 1000 faithful voices crying out to God for strength and courage to do what needs to be done.

Let us not hide in our sanctuaries and tremble at the enemy.  Let us engage.  Let us fight for what is right in all aspects of life, beginning with our own.  And let us be the people that God called us to be. Surely He will give us the victory.

One,

Lee