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Monthly Archives: October 2010

The Message Of Haggai

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Haggai “was a man of one paramount idea — build the Temple!” (Homer Hailey).

His primary focus and heart’s desire was to see the temple restored, as well as the worship of God to return. I thought about this so much when I was going over this small set of verses. There are so many parts we read of about broken temples in the bible, and when I read those, I think of MY temple; not the one which was built by hand, but the one that my soul lives in.

I begin to think about how that as we come to God and we are saved, he cleans up and wipes away our sins and we are forgiven, which is wonderful and without it, where would we be? Let’s take this further though. Think about how each and every day that we walk around our houses and see all of these things that need to be taken care of outside, and yet with our lack of energy and willpower, those things continually get put off time after time until the effects of the neglect begin to show in a way that we can see.

With my spiritual temple, it’s all in the same. I walk around each and every day of my life with the power and ability to clean up my own little messes in prayer, and yet with no willpower do nothing. I know that sometimes it’s hard to find that motivation to get up off of our couch and get to work on cleaning house, but it’s double the difficulty when you begin to talk about what dwells inside the hearts of you and I. The pains and sufferings that we face are by no means easy, and it takes a lot of work and upkeep to prevail on the maintenance of that, and yet, we continue to neglect. So wherein lies that motivation when we cannot find it? To me, I have found that we can encourage ourselves, yes. I can get down in prayer and get a hold of God to the point where it feels like that angels are all around me. It’s wonderful. But when your life is to the point where you can’t get the first word out, what then?

A lot of Christians today are standing there in their non-spiritual perspectives, looking at their ruined spiritual temple, and just walking away from it.

Let’s read some now.

Haggai 1:4-8

[4] Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
[5] Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
[6] Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
[7] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
[8] Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.

The people had become discouraged, and as a result of that, forgetful and neglectful of God. And truthfully, this behavior is quite common with the people of today; nothing has really changed with that. Their priorities were skewed; they were only considering themselves and not God in the grand scheme, building their own houses, and not His. People are out in the world trying to just take care of themselves and be of no help to others. But when we reach that point of no return in our discouragement, it takes that lending loving hand of a neighbor to lift us up. You see, the message of Haggai was very well received and effective.

And wouldn’t you know that one of the reasons that it was effective was Haggai’s dependency on the Word of God! Man, if we can but only grasp this. We can pick ourselves up sometimes, but it takes more than one person to build a house, let alone repair a broken one. Being able to depend on each other more will allow the body of Christ to grow more and more, and our inner spiritual temples will flourish along with the Temple of the church.

A lot of people might cringe at this idea, and that’s okay, but sometimes I sit in the most elaborate beautiful churches that I can see with my eyes and yet see the spiritual discernment in ruin. People need help. They need led, and they need the truth. I have came short so many times in my life, but what I do know that the only thing that has got be back on the path for God was the word of truth.

Haggai appeals to God as his authority over 26 times in the course of 38 verses! Let’s read some more:

Haggai 2:7-9, 17-19

[7] And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
[8] The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
[9] The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

[17] I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD.
[18] Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid, consider it.
[19] Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.

Haggai was teaching that faithfulness and material blessings are directly connected, and that when a good work is awaiting its accomplishment, the time to do is now. Discouragement, however profound, is not an adequate reason for neglecting duties, even when they seem to be encompassed with difficulty. So just remember to build yourself up with the foundation of God, and you will not be moved by every little thing that comes by. And more than that, the spiritual temple that you begin to build within will be less about you and more about God. And as that begins to happen, you will see a wonderful transition in your life take place!

You Are Not Forgotten

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Genesis 37:2-11

[2] These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
[3] Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
[4] And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
[5] And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
[6] And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
[7] For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
[8] And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
[9] And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
[10] And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
[11] And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

When Joseph received the dream that he shared with his brothers, he was only 17 years old. There are many of you out there that have a dream that God has gave you to fulfill. Joseph could not help the dream he received, and was only trying to share his vision with others. He wasn’t aware though of how his brothers envied him, and they did not receive it; in fact they rebuked the dream, questioning him in the process.

There will be many people that we face in our lives that will reject your dreams that God has placed in your life. Maybe it is to be a worship leader, minister, or a teacher: Just remember that if God gave it to you that he will not forget the vision that he supplied. Through the next phases in Josephs life, he faced being sold into captivity, faced temptation from another woman, being placed in jail, and truly did not see the full success of his dream until he was 30. There might also be some hardships and time that will pass before you can ever see the fruition of what God has placed in your heart. He told people to remember him, and they forgot him.

There are many people that we can count on in our life, but at some point we will be left behind by them. It’s just a natural occurrence, and should not be let down by this. The beauty of this story is that Joseph, after all of the trials he faced, still had the heart to help those who wronged him. Being placed as the governor of the land to follow through on his calling, God knew from the first day where he would be. All he had to do was endure.

So I will end this post by saying this: You are not forgotten, and if you just endure with your faith that God will come through for you, the opportunity to make a difference for others will come. Not in our time, but in Gods. Take the hardships as they come with love, and just remember the ones before us that showed in the scriptures that we are not neglected without justification for benefits by God’s blessings. Have a great day!

A Place For Me

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The word place can be defined as an area set aside for a particular purpose, a stead, a location, a home, a space, a position, a dwelling or a room. Some examples of usage are: A place where I can go, He took my place, He made a place for me at the table, this is my place!

At a previous service a while back my heart was stirred by the testimony and scripture that was given by Brother John Vanover. He talked about a special “place” that was made for Moses. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: (Exodus 33:21) He said this place was not just for Moses but exists for all of God’s children. It is a secure place, on a solid foundation. A place of refuge.

I have been so blessed by this scripture over the last several days. I thought about the place that God has made for me to stand in. It is a place that was given to me without money and without price. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: (John 19:7) Jesus took my place so I could have a place.

Not just any place, not stuck back in a corner, or in a dard basement but I have a front row seat. Hallelujah! I can’t help but get excited when I start to describe my place. I know I don’t deserve to be here but I am so very glad to be right beside my Father. If I need something to eat, I can just reach out to the table that is spread with the very best. If I need to talk to my Father, I just have to turn toward Him and He inclines His ear to hear what my petitions are. If I am hurt or sick or down hearted, He is so close by that He can just wipe my tears away, touch me with His healing hand, or just reach out and lift up my head so that I can see all of His goodness. Again I have to say Hallelujah how wonderful it is to be part of God’s family.

If you are reading this and thinking I would like feel that way, I have good news for you. You have a “place” right beside God, too. When God gave His only begotten Son to die on Calvary he made a “place” for whosoever will. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)

If you turn aside the place that Jesus made for you then you will have to go to a place that was made for the devil and his angels. A place called Hell. A place of eternal torment where the fire is not quenched. Choose that good “place” that was made for you.

That if thou shalt confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raise him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:8)

Don’t Be Afraid Of The Wind

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Every single day, whether you be near or far in the world, we are all faced with hardships. And when these hardships have something to do with an object or person that is of worth to you, and something or someone else comes against it in some way, the experience that you deal with to go through it is what I like to call a trial. The size of the trial can vary, as well as what the trial involves. It could be something that affects your health, your finances, your family, your friends, so long as it is personal, it matters to you and your life.

When it comes to trials that are to do with our personal lives, we’ll do just about anything to make sure there is a good outcome. I have found that without being aware, more often than we would like to admit, that we completely leave our faith out of our trials all together. And in most of the cases, I have found from personal experience that doubt was ever present.

I want to bring a scripture into all of this before I go any further:

Matthew 14:22-33

[22] And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
[23] And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
[24] But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
[25] And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
[26] And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
[27] But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
[28] And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
[29] And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
[30] But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
[31] And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
[32] And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
[33] Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

So many times, we have the opportunity to remind ourselves every day through prayer and the word of God that we serve that Savior that “is I”, who will catch us when we sink. Instead, we act as the disciples most of the time, leaving our faith on the boat, complaining, being in a troubled spirit, not believing, and doubting most of all.

There is even a good portion of us who won’t even get out of the boat when that voice is bidding us to step out on the calling on our life. We doubt what we have inside of us, constantly questioning, and yet it was the one, “it is I”, who put the gift in there to begin with, remember?

There is a few out there, who will actually step out into the waters of the spirit, and get out there and begin to start working in their gifts, and as the winds around them begin to push them around, with the winds as a metaphor to the trials that they face as a worker in the church today, most of the time the only thing we can say is “LORD SAVE ME!”. And you know what? That’s totally okay!

I want us all to start getting out of that boat, with the boat standing for fear of being obedient to what God would have called in your life to do, and start stepping out there, for the scripture put it best:

“O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”

The most important part of all of this is that at the end of the day, the God that we serve will make the winds cease, and bring peace to the waves that crash all around you. In other words, those trials that we deal with would not be near as bad if we step out with more faith and less doubt. Believe that when you step out to face all the hardships in your life that Jesus is at the end of the trial waiting, and that victory is that the end, and if you should feel yourself begin to sink, he WILL catch you, for the Bible says he will never leave nor forsake you! God Bless You All!

Patience, Patience, Patience

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One of the toughest pieces that we have to learn about our character and our witness to this world as a Christian is our patience. It is the most single tested value within your core, and without it, we won’t last long before we want to give up and throw in the towel on everything we stand for.

A thought that came in my mind when I was praying to God about working a greater patience in me was that proven faith shows demonstrated patience, which brings wisdom from the experience, and hope from knowing you made it through all of it.

To try and bring this point of view out little by little, I have various scriptures that I want to tie all together. I hope these bring out a point of view that helps you like it did me. Please, by all means, comment and give input! It is all welcome!

For starters, patience is defined as the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.

With that said, wow. I have found myself more often then not being weak when I should be strong in many situations in my life.

  • The God of Patience

Romans 15:5

“Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus”

So in other words, show it towards one another! That did not have any clauses to leave it out from anyone! It is neither selective to who we prefer, nor who we do not. We must open our hearts and have a greater understanding to everyone and everything. That shows a stronger witness inside and out. Publicly and privately.

  • Christ’s Demonstrated Patience And Mercy

Isaiah 53:7

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

Matthew 27:14

“And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governer marvelled greatly.”

Hold the phone for a sec. Let’s take away the wonderful from this for a second and be real. Just the fact that Jesus Christ faced all of the persecution that he did and saying nothing is enough to show the demonstrated patience. We can’t even hear a mean word from someone without rising up inside and wanting to speak our peace, or feel like that we need to feel like justification has been delivered to them. Now, let’s put back in the best part. He opened not his mouth and endured the suffering so that we could have a place in Heaven eternal. That makes my heart soar!

  • More Mentions

2 Peter 1:6

“And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;”

James 1:3-4

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing”

Romans 5:3-4

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience, and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Isn’t that just amazing, when we begin to dig in and read all of the pieces for yourself and put them all together? I love the word of God! I just hope as we all continue to be molded each and every day, that we can learn from our tried patience and experiences to raise ourselves up with encouragement from hope, and not be ashamed of what God has brought us from!

Hannah’s Deserate Plea

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1 Samuel 2:1-10

[1] And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.
[2] There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.
[3] Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
[4] The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
[5] They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.
[6] The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
[7] The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
[8] He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and he hath set the world upon them.
[9] He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
[10] The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

Hannah was willing to relinquish the very thing she was asking for.

What a heavy price she paid. When Samuel was born she only had him to herself for a couple of years before giving him up to Eli. After that she only saw him once a year when she and Elkanah went up to Shiloh for the annual sacrifice. Was the outcome worth the price? Hannah thought so because as she released Samuel into Eli’s hands she prayed another poetic prayer of triumph exalting God.

I believe that Hannah’s prayer and resulting sacrifice paid the price for the anointing that was on Samuel over his entire life. She thought she was asking for a child for herself but Israel got a Judge and a Prophet of unparalleled character and worth. God closed Hannah’s womb to see what that would produce.

Things could have turned out far differently. What if Hannah had chosen self pity when she found herself barren? How about discouragement leading to bitterness and bitterness to despair? She could easily have succumbed to resigned resentment or smoldering anger with God.

When we look at Hannah we see a woman who paid a price few would willingly pay. Yet after Hannah gave Samuel up to God, the Lord visited her again and gave her three more sons and two daughters. She was abundantly fruitful in her life but it all started with barrenness.

Receive Them Joyfully

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Luke 19:2-7

[2] And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
[3] And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
[4] And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
[5] And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.
[6] And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
[7] And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

We all know the story of Zaccheus. I’m sure that if you ever attended Sunday school at some point that you have heard it. For those that have not heard it, I will attempt to give an understandable version of it.

Zaccheus was the chief tax collector in Jericho. He was a rich man, and despised by those around him because he took not only the money for the Roman taxes but also kept for himself. In principle, the more money that one could get from the people, the more they could keep.  When he heard of Jesus’ arrival to Jericho, he wanted to see what all the fuss was about.  Being a man of small stature, Zaccheus was so determined to see Jesus that he dropped all he was doing and climbed a tree to try and get a view. Despite the crowd around him, Jesus saw up in the tree and told Zaccheus “Come down at once, for today I must stop at your house”. Being the person that he was, people all around were clearly upset, even by speaking that Christ was going to be a guest with a sinner.

A lot of messages focus on the fact that he was short and climbed up the tree to make the extra effort to get closer to Christ, but we want to take a deeper look into what happened in the before and after.

Zaccheus was a person who did not care to take from people that were poor for his own good. Therefore in essence he was in the wrong for some of his actions. The crowd around him even judged him by calling him a sinner. However, once he knew that Christ had acknowledged him, he came down quickly and received him JOYFULLY.

There will be many people that we come into contact with that may not be on our list of friends or even people that we dislike ourselves. But as Christ was demonstrating, he showed that it IS possible to look beyond the flaws of someone to try and show love to them. There are many people out there today that are “hanging up in the trees”, desperate for something to fill the void in their life. If we are not too careful, we’ll be as the crowd and pass judgment and not give a second thought to it. Don’t pass them by! God can inspire you with the words to say that will not only show compassion, but also a chance to lead them to salvation. This can go beyond friends into the very home that you live in. If you want to see your parents and relatives notice the light you shine, show them that same love that Jesus showed. Get along at home, practice forgiveness, and love them regardless. And in the process of all that, PRAY! He can change their lives! And you can be the light that leads them to deliverance!

Where Is Our Concern?

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Matthew 10:7-14

[7] And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
[8] Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
[9] Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
[10] Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
[11] And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
[12] And when ye come into an house, salute it.
[13] And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
[14] And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

These are some great instructions that each and every one of us need to apply wherever we go. It might sound outdated, but when applied to our day and time, teaches us that we need to give freely and not let our close possessions get in our way. Sure there are great things in life, but most of the time it leads us to get in a lazy state of mind. A question that we have to ask ourselves is, “Do we have any burdens?” And generally, the answer to this from our lazy state is no. We have programmed our minds to think that it is okay to not care. This is not okay in any capacity. Where Is Our Concern? We are truly blessed in abundance, and we have what it takes and are well equipped to face the burdens we ignore. Don’t take life and spin in circles; go forward! Shake the dust off your feet! We need to put behind us the things that trip us up, and do God’s will with all of our heart. Even if you are not noticed! Our compassion needs to increase! There are people out there that need help, and YOU have the power within your means to help them. Whether it be a song, kind word, good deed, whatever…you have something to give that is important and meaningful.

Matthew 28:18-20

[18] And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
[19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
[20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Believe that you can make a difference in your house and your church. By the words of the great commission, Jesus spoke the promise that he is with us always! That could quite possible be the most reassuring thing that we have of hope to hang on to. Don’t lose hope! You are going to make it! Say those words to yourself and believe it!

Giving Back To God

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1st Samuel 1:26-28

[26] And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD.
[27] For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:
[28] Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

The following passage was the words spoken by Hannah, who which God gave a child to. In her prayer, she told God that she would dedicate her son to him for his whole life. In short, she made a commitment to God to give something back in return for her desire. The key part of this that was brought out very well in the lesson was the fact that with Hannah there was more selflessness and less selfishness. In the day and age that we live in selfishness is often justified with our own version of why we need something that allows us to do nothing back in return. This is totally the wrong attitude to have if we are to be a loving, selfless people. One part of even my life I notice daily is that everything is so important in the very moment that I’m in. What can we do to change that? First of all, we need to draw selfishness out and replace it with selflessness. We have always heard that it is better to give than to receive. Our attitude towards God needs to get away from “What can you do for me” and more towards “What can I do for you”. Our relationship with God is a two-way road, and we need to always remember to give back to God by using the gifts and talents that he has given each and every one of us. It should become normal to want to give back, not to retain without giving.

So the question you need to ask yourself is, what am I going to give to God today?

1st Samuel 17:23-26

[23] And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
[24] And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
[25] And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.
[26] And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

When all of the men of Israel retreated in fear of Goliath, David stood around them and had the boldness to say “that he should defy the armies of the living God?” This statement showed a clear display of faith to believe that our living God could conquer all that is ahead of us, no matter the size of the trial to come.  Even in the days of Davids youth, he faced things like killing lions, which would have been considered one of the more trivial tasks to carry forth. David had many tough jobs, and in our day we all have many tough things to face. Let your youth be youth once again, and remember to carry the zeal and energy that God has placed within you. With boldness in your resolve to believe in our living God, there is no trial that you cannot conquer!