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Teaching God’s Children How to Overcome Difficult Situation

In the previous post we discussed some things we can do when overwhelmed. Life happens, things happen sometimes so quickly it can leave us feeling helpless and unprepared. I’d gather we’ve all had moments in life where we felt this way. There have been instances of someone losing a job, a loved one, or the end of a relationship. You feel despair when bills mount or overwhelmed when a medical condition is revealed. A tragic or near-tragic event can cause these feelings too. Whenever I encounter these types of challenges, I am reminded of one of the most familiar stories in the Bible. It reminds me of the Story of David and Goliath.

David & Goliath The Summary

David was the youngest son of Jesse, and Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. While delivering roasted grain, he also brought ten loaves of bread to his brothers. During this task, he heard Goliath of Gath, the Philistine champion, shout his usual obscenities at the Israelites.  In 1 Samuel 17:24, the scripture says, “Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.” This scripture speaks of that mountainous situation that we have in our lives. The situation which brings great fear and lets our imaginations envision the absolute worst outcome as it did with the Israelite army! Once that news hits it’s easy to then focus on worst potential outcome, which then produces fear. The fear then leads to despair. A feeling of dread emerges that the worst has arrived. Many times, we then “accept” that the result will be bad. And, soon others hear and join in with the negative thoughts, negative talk, and outwardly depressed and sorrowful emotions. All of these things then bring us down even further. Now what to do? 

How to Overcome! 

We learned from David that once he heard Goliath shout his obscenities, he responded to the men in the army, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17: 28).  There was immediate push back and reference to God. David immediately decreased Goliath and increased the Lord.  

How many of us miss this opportunity? Many just cave into the negative, but when in the midst consider David immediately pushed back and once you decide not to cave to negativity – there is the change from overwhelmed to overcomer!  He elevated the Lord in those moments so much so that King Saul asked for him.  To make a longer story short, David probably just a teenager at the time calmly said, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” (1 Samuel 17:32).  We know the rest of the story David slays Goliath so what steps can we take to win against our circumstances and situations that are our Goliaths?  Well, let’s follow David’s lead! 

How to Overcome – Lessons from David

1. David, immediately brought the Lord into a negative situation,  “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”. 

a) Trust in the Lord and His Word; bring Him into your situation and circumstances immediately.  Start to pray and have conversations with the Lord – don’t wait!  Focus on the positive Word of God. It takes more faith the worst things become.  Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight”. 

2. David didn’t feed into negative sentiments, feelings or conversations even when the members of the Israelite army spoke negatively and fearfully of Goliath. 

a) Focus on the positive believing that the Lord is your strength and present in the midst of the situation.  Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God”.  

b) Be mindful, other peoples lack of faith can impact your faith. Matthew 13:58, “And he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief”. And, Mark 6:5, “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them”.

3. David faced his problem head on knowing the Lord determined the outcome. He remained convinced of a victorious outcome! 

  a) We must decide to confront the issue from the vantage point of strength. This is not easy, hence it requires faith in the Lord’s promises to us; the belief and trust in God’s outcome. It’s in the Lord’s hands.  Proverbs 16: 33, “Our The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD”.   1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you”.  Also, 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong”. 

When you find yourself faced with what appears to be an unsurmountable problem remember these lessons from David.  Focus on the Lord’s word of victory, in other words, His promises to us! Now, let’s be overcomers!