David was a shepherd boy. Jesus went often to the mountains to pray.  We begin by separating ourselves from the world.  We need to make contact with God.  Unless we receive God, unless we are filled with the Spirit, unless we experience the anointing, we are just ordinary people and incapable of dealing with Goliath.  Our first choice must be God.  We must seek the face of the Lord and be willing to make any sacrifice for his favor.  David believed that circumcision made him stronger than Goliath.  Having defeated the lion and the bear, Goliath was no match.  He was fearless and unmoved by natural facts.  He was sure that victory was certain.

    If we have received the Spirit, we should believe like David that Goliath is no match.  Spending time with nature, spending time alone with God helps to shape and mold our faith.  Intimacy with God is very important.  Being distracted by the world, being diverted from time with God undermines our faith and leaves us ill-prepared to meet the enemy.  If we do not make God our number one priority we are no match for Goliath.  If we begin to build our faith, then poverty, sickness, disease, whatever our Goliath will be defeated.  So getting in touch with God is very important.  Then we must build our faith.  How do we do this?

    Saint Paul tells us to live in the Spirit.  That means we do not live in the flesh.  We do not evaluate our strength purely on natural considerations.  When we are in the flesh we have fear.  We may be anxious.  We may be depressed.  So unless we mortify the flesh we are no match for Goliath.  David wasn’t bigger or stronger than this uncircumcised heathen but he believed that his anointing, his circumcision had the backing of all mighty God, and because of his faith, he defeated Goliath.  Believe in God, believe in God in you.  Mortify the flesh and get in the Spirit.  Confess it!  I live in the Spirit.  I walk in the Spirit.  God lives in me.  Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.  I am strong.  I am confidant.  I am courageous.  If we begin our day in victory, we will be victorious the entire day.  We build our faith by getting in the word.  We build our faith by praying in the Spirit.  We build our faith by singing psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs.  Build your faith! 

    If you begin to build your faith, God will bring about opportunities to test your faith.  David was confronted by a lion and a bear.  By being faithful in those things, David was able to meet the challenge of Goliath.  Overcome fear.  Overcome peer pressure.  Overcome human logic.  If you have separated yourself from the world, if you have received the Spirit, you must learn to obey the Spirit.  You must learn to dismiss natural considerations and yield to the Spirit of God.  Be faithful in little and then you will be faithful in much.

    David was a shepherd boy.  He was separated from the world and in communion with nature, spent quality time with God.  Be at it for God.  Make it a commitment to get in the Spirit as you start your day, every day.  Live by faith.  Live in the Spirit.  If you do, your Goliath will be defeated and you will live in victory.

Amen