Open Heavens Feb 16th, 2008

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Joshua 10-12

WATCH THAT ARMOR

MEMORIZE: "Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11)

READ: 1 Samuel 17:37-40

“And David girded his sword upon his armor, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him" (1 Samuel 17:39).

The weapons with which you confront your Goliath will either draw you closer to your victory or turn you into the victim. Be careful what you arm yourself with before facing your challenges! When King Saul could not dissuade David from going to fight Goliath, he insisted that he must be adorned with his own armor. That became another pre-Goliath battle David had to contend with! If the armor was as useful, why did King Saul not put it on and go to face Goliath?

The nature of a problem determines its antidote. You do not fight a spiritual battle with earthly weapons. You will surely miss your target. There is need for wisdom in whatever you do. Never mix divine wisdom with worldly wisdom. They never blend. Some church leaders in an attempt to attract lots of youths into their ministry, have played down biblical principles to the extent that premarital sex and unbridled relations between the opposite sex are tolerated. That is running a brothel in the name of Christ! Jesus Christ has given us His Word as the standard. Nothing should be added or taken away from it.

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;” (2 Corinthians 10:4) Jesus Christ is wisdom personified. Anything you add to Him will spoil your show. He is the only way. Anything He cannot do for you, nobody else can. Another lesson is that unproved weapons should not be used to tackle an enemy you have not encountered. If you do not engage your armor today, they will disappoint you tomorrow. If David had gone out with Saul's armor, he would have died while trying them on. In other words, the spiritual weapons you have repeatedly employed in fighting smaller enemies would also be relevant in combating your Goliath. Faith, knowledge of God's Word, righteousness, obedience, soul-winning, prayer, etc. will be needed to confront any enemy irrespective of its size. Have you engaged smaller challenges in battle? Did you win? If you did, each victory guarantees future victories! Put on God's armor today!

ACTIONPOINT: Using unproved weapons to fight the enemy is like giving a jet fighter to a non pilot on the day of war. He will be destroyed inside it.