The fear of the Lord enables us not to fear the giants. No there may not be a giant in the form of a person in your life but there will be giants in the form of strongholds and the attacks from the enemy. When Israel disobeyed and did not believe that God would give them the land, it was the giants whom they feared more than they feared God. They did not believe God would defeat their enemies even though God said He would. When they went into the land it was as God said it would be. Numbers 13:27 “They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.” Here is where they should have stopped and said what Caleb is about to say but they did not and they stirred up the people. They then continued with their report. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.” We are to be like Caleb when he “30 silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
This is where those who did not fear God swayed the others. Yesterday we talked about running away from those who are going in the wrong direction; those shouting crucify him. In this case there were only two that believed God and feared him, Joshua and Caleb. Numbers 13:31 continues “But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” As I read yesterday there are so many in the church today that have only a form of godliness but yet deny His power. This belief is the same belief that these people had. God responds to them saying, Numbers 14:21 “Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” Don’t think that God will respond any differently to those who do not believe in His power and have swyed others to believe the same.
David who was filled with Holy Spirit (1 Samuel 16:13 “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David) came upon the giant who had been saying, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other. 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.” The David comes along. “20 Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear. 32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him. 33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth. 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 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. 36 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. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” This was a young man who believed in the power of His God. Are you not getting tired of hearing men and women, leaders in the church defy (openly resist or refuse to obey) the power of the Holy Spirit?
As the giant taunted David, “45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.”
Nothing should be different today, as Jesus has given us power and authority over the evil one but so many naysayers who believe in the doctrines of demons over the word of God have swayed many believers and have caused them to turn from the word of God. They refuse to believe the word of God because they have never seen it happen. These people refuse to believe the mighty power of God is available for us to day and refuse to humble themselves accordingly. The truth is they will not defeat and will continue to be defeated by the giants. We are to be like these great warriors. 1 Chronicles 5:20 “They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.” 2 Chronicles 20:15 “This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” We serve a mighty saviour. Don’t listen to these men who only have an 2 Chronicles 32:8 “arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” Joel 2:11 “The Lord thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys his command.” Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.”
If you have been told God does not move in power today and that his power was only available for the early church and that the same gifts the early church had are not for today, turn and run as you do not want to associate with that crowd. We serve a risen Saviour who promised the power of the Holy Spirit, the same power that flowed through David so this boy could kill a giant with a sling and a stone. Don't wait to see it, believe it because you read it. Do you really want to be part of that army that stands quaking in fear of the giant or do you want to be part of the army of God? Do you really want to serve in an army that only talks of power or be part of an army that is sent out in the name of the Lord? Luke 9:1 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Instead of running in fear from the giant taunting you, turn from your wicked ways and believe in the power of God so that once again he will turn his face to shine upon us. If you are part of the seduction and doctrines of demons, get out and run as fast you can back to scripture. You cannot defeat this enemy with an arm of flesh.
