Seeing Beyond the Giant Before You - Sharon Jaynes
Today I’ve invited my friend, Kelly Balarie, to the kitchen table. Kelly is one of those spiritual cheerleaders…the kind that encourage you to never give up! She’s written a passel of articles and some great books, but the truth is, she’s just like you and me. She’s had some tough times, and now she loves to share about how to be battle ready and victorious through it all. Let’s welcome Kelly. Oh, and at the end of the post, you’ll have a chance to win a copy of her new book, Battle Ready!
We battle because of what we see in front of us. Our child is not respectful. Our husband doesn’t understand us. Our job is not changing. Our dreams aren’t working out. Bills continue to accumulate. Our health is deteriorating.Suddenly, and often subconsciously, doubt creeps in. I won’t make it out of this. Things won’t turn out well for me. I am going down. There are no answers. This is an impossible situation.
The more we fight against what we see, without gaining ground, the more discouraging everything becomes. God, you are not here for me. I’m all alone. I have to fend for myself. I can’t trust you, God.
I’ve been there. In some ways, I am there. Everything that I thought should-be, well…is-not.
This should be better by now.
Nope. It is not.
This should change entirely.
Nope, it hasn’t.
Everything is still the same by my sight. Yet, in massive ways, by faith, everything is different. Let me explain…
Rather than seeing a squad of 10-foot Goliaths in front of me, I choose to see other things.
Like David, I choose to see:
- God’s past faithfulness.
“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.” (1 Sam. 17:37)
David remembered what God did, trusting God would do it again.
- The small mission found in today.
David was asked by his father to bring food to his brothers and the commander who were at war. He followed through. This was a divine set-up. God positioned David just right to defeat the giant.
- My mustard-seed sized faith, rather than all the doubt circling around me.
David’s older brother said, ““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.” (1 Sam. 17:28b)
David didn’t get swayed by others doubt; he believed in what God could do.
- What I do have.
David “took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream.” (1 Sam. 17:40)
Even though Saul dressed David in his armor, helmet and sword, David did not try to be someone else. Nor did he try to please or appease Saul.
Rather, David knew who God called him to be. He trusted God’s work in him. David won the battle with the unlikely weapon of a sling and 5 smooth stones. David’s seemingly ridiculous strategy ended the battle after – just one shot.
Faith won. It always will. If we let it. If spiritually we choose to see it.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Heb. 11:1)
We can choose to see what we do not see: God’s faithfulness, Christ’s victory, God’s promises and protection.
This kind of faith defeats giants. They, at the right time, in God’s way, fall right before our very eyes.
If you’re ready to be battle ready, leave a comment below. We’ll randomly pick one comment to win a copy of Kelly’s book, Battle Ready: Train Your Mind to Conquer Challenges, Defeat Doubt, and Live Victoriously.
