Lo and behold the famous Goliath steps out and shouts his usual defiance against the armies of Israel and David happened to show up.
But wait! There was more to this story or as it is said – more than meets the eye.
There was a path David walked on before arriving at the battle in the valley.
I would liken it to the path to the awakening.
The Path:
David went from being a SHEPHERD to a SLAYER
Sooner or later, we will walk on this path to awaken the giant within us.
1 Samuel 16: 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
The first place we stop at along this path is:
I. The FIELD
David was unseen, doing what was right, and faithful at it.
God will trust you with large moments because of the small ones. “Faithful in the little”
If you can handle quiet and alone times, you won’t be affected by the cheers and criticisms from the crowd.
Obscurity is necessary!
God HAS to so your character can match who YOU are becoming!! Before GOD reveals us (publicly) he has Got to remove “things” (privately)
The field can be a time of isolation and CAN harm one person yet help another.
When you are all alone
A) you find out WHO God is
B) you find out who you are
Character is not shaped on a platform but in your performance without any recognition.
You will be seen when you need to be. That is, IF you need to be seen.
A person’s Character is shown through their actions in life, NOT where they sit on Sunday.
People of Character Do The Right Thing Even If No One Else Does. Not Because They Think It Will Change The World, But Because They Refuse To Be Changed By The World!!
Moving Along the Path
1 Samuel 17:34-36
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, 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. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear.”
II. The FIGHT between the lion and bear
David faced the lion and bear IN SECRET before God had him DEFEAT Goliath in PUBLIC.
He learned to worship in PRIVATE before he was invited to worship in the king’s PALACE.
No one knows your private battle, nor should they.
It is a Proving Ground! If we can’t handle battles in secret, can we truly handle success in public?
Many People Have Lions & Bears, But No Experience. One needs the experience to gain experience.
David was willing to sacrifice his own life for the sheep.
Bluntly speaking, some do not get past the lions or bears on this path that they are becoming.
The last thing on this path is the awaking of the giant within as you face the giant.
1 Samuel 17:45-46 (NIV) 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.”
David met up with Goliath and you will meet up with Goliath at some point.
III. The FACING of Goliath
Face what you Fear!
(David had Gods Kingdom on his mind, He was not thinking of himself.)
Keep your head as you take off the head of your Goliath
REMAIN HUMBLE
The memory of your beginnings nurtures humility
When your status changes – make sure you don’t
“Humility,” says Joni Erickson Tada, “is just another word for the little-last-lost-least position we hold when gazing at Christ.”
It is when we walk along this path, we truly discover the Giant within (it has been there all the time), but there is a need for certain events to call it to fruition.