By REV. TIMOTHY L. MELTON, PASTOR
CHEROKEE PENTECOSTAL HOLINESS CHURCH
Read 1 Samuel 17:1-58 for the whole story of the battle David fought with Goliath. Memorize David’s fighting words, a 17-year-old, to his ‘giant’ in verses 45-48a (and it came to pass.) Overcome each attacking ‘devil’ you have encountered. Everyone has some, in this life, and there are no exceptions. Learn how to fight them.
“No matter if you are in a battle to win over a health situation, an addiction, a work situation, or any private struggle, know Who your God is, and know Whose you are and belong to today. As a young person, with a health issue, or as a young man working in a fire department when a house caved in and collapsed down on us, we each must learn how to fight and win each private battle for ourselves or for our families. We must learn how to be a successful Warrior. If we are still here, we are ‘somebody’ and we have been made to come through some things for ourselves and for others.
“David’s father, Jesse, sent David, the youngest of eight brothers to the encampment of his older brothers to give them bread and cheeses to supplement the army fare.
“Giants were sent in as Philistine ‘champions’ to take on the army of Israel. David arrived just as one of the largest giants began his daily taunting of the Israeli army. It had been a war of words with their enemies up until then. David heard what they were saying and their words served only to make him mad. Showing no fear, David knew and had spent much time worshipping and singing, making music to His God after years of taking care of his father’s sheep. In verse 23, we see that the commands of the devils made a mistake in issuing a bullying challenge to someone so unafraid of them. David, who had spent much of his time protecting his father’s sheep, had learned not to fear even the lions or bears looking for a lamb to eat, but had honed his skills with much practice with stones and a slingshot,” explained Rev. Melton.
(The Israeli army was always considered to be the human contingent, and still a also a part of the angel armies of the Lord. The Church of today should also consider themselves now as the praising and praying arm of the Lord’s army, against devils, demons, while casting down strongholds, principalities and powers. Many American soldiers are believers after reading the accounts of the Israelis who fought in the ‘Six-Day’ War in the Middle East. Professing to believe what is written in the Holy Scriptures, Old Testament, makes all of it undeniable. Never will you meet a soldier who hasn’t prayed to God while forced to hunker down in a foxhole on some battlefield.—Myra Colgate.)
“There were to be the rewards of the spoils, family taxes paid, great riches, even a royal marriage to the king’s daughter, for anyone who would fight the giant Philistine of Gath and win. David had already proven the faithfulness of the Word of God and what He would do, many times before this.
“Although rejecting the sword and armaments offered to him by King Saul, David gathered five smooth stones from a brook. One for Goliath and four others for his four brothers. He planned to take care of all the giants. He knew the fear of the other men for the giants in the land, so he thought to end their reign of terror and fear. The devil rules by fear. (There has been the same kind of fear as that of this virus we must face today.) His practice in all those years, wasn’t arrogance, as he knew with the Lord’s help, he would not miss the mark with any of them. The Peace of the Lord shall rule in our hearts, and ends in victory,” added Pastor Melton. “God sets us up to be able to fight and says, “Stand still, therefore, and see the Salvation of the Lord.”
“Imagine David, with the responsibility of the sheep, looking for a leaf in a tree over there, working the stone to aim it true and hit that leaf, or that broken branch above it. ‘Praise the Lord! A giant with a head this big.’ ‘Look,’ he adds, ‘I can’t miss!’”
“Spend time in the Presence of the Lord and your enemy will fall. Keep running your enemies out of Cherokee. God grants us the power to take down our ‘giants’. We’re still here!”
