David And Goliath: What Was He Thinking? by Rob Marshall
Imagine that you are standing in the middle of a valley. On the hill in front of you are thousands of enemy soldiers all shaking their fists at you and hoping you will die. On the hill behind you are thousands of your soldiers, all scratching their heads because they think that you are crazy. Right in front of you is a heavily armed, very angry giant that is twice your size, and he wants to kill you.
And there you are, all alone, with nothing in your hands except a sling and a few lousy pebbles, and the thought that keeps going through your mind is: What was I thinking?
I don't know if that's how David felt, but I know that I've felt that way a number of times. There I was just following my heart and doing what I thought God wanted me to do, and all along the path to my dream were giants, one after another.
Maybe you've also felt like that on the way to your dreams. Not only do the problems not go away, but they also seem to get bigger and bigger. You wonder if you've made a mistake, and if anyone will notice as you quietly slip away, go back to your "day job," and forget the whole thing.
People have asked me what I thought David was thinking as he stood there facing Goliath. The Bible doesn't really tell us, but I would imagine that he must have had some doubts. But we know from how the story ends that David didn't allow his doubts to stop him.
Throughout our lives we all face "giants" - problems and struggles that stand in our way. They loom large on the path to our dreams and make us feel like the difficulties we are facing are greater than the rewards we hope to gain.
But because of David's example, we have hope - not that the problems will disappear, but that the problems we're facing can be overcome. Regardless of what others may think, we know from our own experiences with God that the victory doesn't go to the one who seems strongest but to the one who is willing to believe.
What was it about David that enabled him to defeat Goliath? Jesus gave us the simple answer to that question when He said, "Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22). But as simple as that answer may seem, putting that statement into practice and living a life that exemplifies faith in God isn't always as easy as it sounds.
In order for us to overcome the "Goliaths" that we will face as we pursue our dreams, we will need to learn how to deal with our doubts. We all have them, and circumstances will continue to happen in our lives that will cause our doubts to surface and even stop us dead in our tracks. But like David, we can't allow our doubts to keep us from taking action on our dreams.
When we have doubts, thoughts that keep nagging at us and causing us to question God, we need to take control of our minds. We should fill our minds with God's promises. God spoke to Joshua and said, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
Like David, we can overcome any giant of a problem, if we will simply allow the word of God to speak to us when our minds are filling with doubts and fears. When we "meditate" on His word, it means that we repeat it to ourselves. We stop the doubts by reminding ourselves of God's faithfulness. He will never fail us and we don't have to let our doubts rob us of our dreams.
The same faith that helped David defeat Goliath is in everyone of us. In "Taking On Goliath - How To Unleash The David In All Of Us," author Rob Marshall shows you how to unleash your faith, overcame any obstacle, and live your dreams. Get two free chapters of "Taking On Goliath" when you sign up for the Faith-Full Life newsletter, just visit:
http://www.TakingOnGoliath.com
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
Showing posts with label goliath. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goliath. Show all posts
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
David and Goliath: How To Become An Overnight Success
David and Goliath: How To Become An Overnight Success by Rob Marshall
The story of David's victory over Goliath has inspired millions of "little" people to believe that, even though the odds were against them, they could win. It is the story of a young shepherd boy who no one had ever heard of, but who defeated a giant with a single stone from his sling, and who rocketed to fame, fortune, and success.
We might think that David was simply lucky. Maybe he just happened to be at the right place at the right time. But are there things we can we learn from David that will help us do what he did? Can we learn from David's victory over Goliath how we can slay our own giants and become overnight successes?
Build Your Confidence - Face The Daily Challenges
When the king told David that he would not be able to defeat Goliath, David answered, "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; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." (1 Samuel 17:34-37)
David's confidence that he could defeat Goliath came from having overcome similar challenges while simply working for his father. Because David had learned to trust God in his day-to-day life, just doing his job, he had developed the faith to overcome any problem.
Becoming an overnight success requires that we have confidence when our big opportunity comes. That confidence is built over time as we learn to trust God and overcome our daily challenges.
Don't Give Up - Face The Criticism
In 1 Samuel 17:28 it says, "When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, 'Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.'"
When we realize that Eliab had just spent forty days being afraid of Goliath, it's easy to understand why he got so upset when his little brother said, "I'll kill him." Eliab was embarrassed that David had more faith and courage than he did, and it was Eliab's doubt and fear that made him so angry with David.
In order for us to become overnight successes, we will have to learn how to face criticism. And even if the people closest to us are the harshest critics, we need to understand that the fears that have kept them from pursuing their dreams can cause them to be hard on us.
Use Your Creativity - Face The Giant
When David first announced that he would kill Goliath, he probably didn't know how he was going to do it. As we read the story we see that he tried to wear the king's armor, but realized that it would not work (1 Samuel 17:38-39).
But something that we learn from David through this incident is that it's OK to make mistakes, as long as we don't go too far. Once we realize something isn't working, we need to change what we're doing. We don't have to give up on our dream; we just need to change how we have been trying to reach it.
We will need to be creative and use our strengths if we want to become overnight successes. The king's armor would have been fine for the king, but not for David. Instead, David looked at his experience and skills, trusted in God, and found a solution to his gigantic problem by using his sling.
Prepare For The Long Haul - Face The Facts
I once heard about an interview with a famous rock musician who had catapulted to success after releasing a live album. The interviewer asked, "What was it like to become an overnight success?" The rock musician replied, "For me it was carrying my equipment in and out of dingy, smoke-filled bars, night after night for fifteen years, until we released that album."
David's goal was to become the king of Israel. His victory over Goliath played a major role in helping him accomplish that goal. But defeating Goliath was not all that he had to do.
Many people have big dreams for their lives, but few of them see those dreams become a reality. The time and effort that it takes to overcome the problems and obstacles that every successful person must face, the Goliaths that they have to defeat, seem to be too great.
Everyone who wants to be successful will have to build their confidence, stand firm in the face of criticism, find ways to use their strengths, and commit to reaching their dreams no matter how long it takes. Because the simple truth is, it takes a long time to become an overnight success.
The same faith that helped David defeat Goliath is in everyone of us. In "Taking On Goliath - How To Unleash The David In All Of Us," author Rob Marshall shows you how to unleash your faith, overcame any obstacle, and live your dreams. Get two free chapters of "Taking On Goliath" when you sign up for the Faith-Full Life newsletter, just visit:
http://www.TakingOnGoliath.com
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
The story of David's victory over Goliath has inspired millions of "little" people to believe that, even though the odds were against them, they could win. It is the story of a young shepherd boy who no one had ever heard of, but who defeated a giant with a single stone from his sling, and who rocketed to fame, fortune, and success.
We might think that David was simply lucky. Maybe he just happened to be at the right place at the right time. But are there things we can we learn from David that will help us do what he did? Can we learn from David's victory over Goliath how we can slay our own giants and become overnight successes?
Build Your Confidence - Face The Daily Challenges
When the king told David that he would not be able to defeat Goliath, David answered, "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; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." (1 Samuel 17:34-37)
David's confidence that he could defeat Goliath came from having overcome similar challenges while simply working for his father. Because David had learned to trust God in his day-to-day life, just doing his job, he had developed the faith to overcome any problem.
Becoming an overnight success requires that we have confidence when our big opportunity comes. That confidence is built over time as we learn to trust God and overcome our daily challenges.
Don't Give Up - Face The Criticism
In 1 Samuel 17:28 it says, "When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, 'Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.'"
When we realize that Eliab had just spent forty days being afraid of Goliath, it's easy to understand why he got so upset when his little brother said, "I'll kill him." Eliab was embarrassed that David had more faith and courage than he did, and it was Eliab's doubt and fear that made him so angry with David.
In order for us to become overnight successes, we will have to learn how to face criticism. And even if the people closest to us are the harshest critics, we need to understand that the fears that have kept them from pursuing their dreams can cause them to be hard on us.
Use Your Creativity - Face The Giant
When David first announced that he would kill Goliath, he probably didn't know how he was going to do it. As we read the story we see that he tried to wear the king's armor, but realized that it would not work (1 Samuel 17:38-39).
But something that we learn from David through this incident is that it's OK to make mistakes, as long as we don't go too far. Once we realize something isn't working, we need to change what we're doing. We don't have to give up on our dream; we just need to change how we have been trying to reach it.
We will need to be creative and use our strengths if we want to become overnight successes. The king's armor would have been fine for the king, but not for David. Instead, David looked at his experience and skills, trusted in God, and found a solution to his gigantic problem by using his sling.
Prepare For The Long Haul - Face The Facts
I once heard about an interview with a famous rock musician who had catapulted to success after releasing a live album. The interviewer asked, "What was it like to become an overnight success?" The rock musician replied, "For me it was carrying my equipment in and out of dingy, smoke-filled bars, night after night for fifteen years, until we released that album."
David's goal was to become the king of Israel. His victory over Goliath played a major role in helping him accomplish that goal. But defeating Goliath was not all that he had to do.
Many people have big dreams for their lives, but few of them see those dreams become a reality. The time and effort that it takes to overcome the problems and obstacles that every successful person must face, the Goliaths that they have to defeat, seem to be too great.
Everyone who wants to be successful will have to build their confidence, stand firm in the face of criticism, find ways to use their strengths, and commit to reaching their dreams no matter how long it takes. Because the simple truth is, it takes a long time to become an overnight success.
The same faith that helped David defeat Goliath is in everyone of us. In "Taking On Goliath - How To Unleash The David In All Of Us," author Rob Marshall shows you how to unleash your faith, overcame any obstacle, and live your dreams. Get two free chapters of "Taking On Goliath" when you sign up for the Faith-Full Life newsletter, just visit:
http://www.TakingOnGoliath.com
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
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