In the last message we talked about taking a "small step of faith" and how this terrifies the enemy. We want to continue on this topic. In 1 Samuel Chapter 17, David faced a champion named Goliath. Maybe you are facing a "Goliath" in your life. Your "Goliath" could be an incident from the past. It could be that you were assaulted. It could be a situation where someone stole money from you. Whatever it is, you need to face it with faith, knowing that God can bring the good out of it. You need to confront your "Goliath" and believe God to remove the effects of this incident from your life once and for all. In 1 Samuel 17, David knew that all he had to do was take a step of faith in the situation of Goliath and the Philistines and God would do the rest. He remembered how God had killed a lion and a bear through his hands when they came against his sheep. He knew how powerful God was. He knew that God would back him up when he confronted the lion and the bear. This experience with God prepared him for this Goliath confrontation.
Everybody else in the army of Israel was afraid of Goliath, including Saul. This fact didn’t stop David, as he had his own personal relationship with God. He depended on nobody but God. That is the problem with a lot of Christians today. They overly depend on their Pastors and other saints, to such an extent they are afraid of making a decision by themselves. They don’t know God for themselves! It is important to have a covering of a Pastor, but no Pastor should ever come between the relationship of God and one of His children. This relationship that David had with his God enabled him to run towards Goliath, with no fear. With his "small step of faith" God anointed the rock that he slung against Goliath and it killed him. You see, David knew that the battle was not against him, but God. Goliath was cursing His God. We have to learn that the battle is about God, not us. We need to do the small things that He asks us to do and let Him do the rest.
Esther just had to show up at the King’s house and go through a purification process that eventually enabled her to be Queen. When her people, the Jews, needed her to go before the king, she was in position to do so as Queen. She took a step of faith and "tried out" to be Queen and God poured out His favor on her and did the rest.
Gideon was told by God to overhear what the enemy had to say about him (Judges 7 v. 13, 14). This was a step of faith as he went towards the enemy at night and overheard them. He too had to "just show up." He recognized their fear, after hearing a dream that one of them had and ordered his men to attack. He knew that this fear would spread around the camp of the enemy. They were greatly outnumbered. They only had 300 men, but they were hand picked by God. Imagine how Gideon felt around hundreds of thousands of enemy soldiers with only 300 men. It took faith to even go near that many enemies. Maybe somebody reading this is concerned about facing your enemies on the job. They think that they have you surrounded, but in reality you and God are surrounding them. You always have the advantage when God is with you, even if you are outnumbered in the natural. God gave them a simple plan of surrounding the enemy at night and surprising them with trumpets and the sudden breaking of pitchers (Judges 7 v. 18-25). The enemy was totally defeated because Gideon took a small step of faith.
Joshua was looking at Jericho and wondering how he was going to conquer it, when God appeared to him and gave him the plan (Joshua 5 v. 14 – 6 v. 1-27). He was supposed to go around Jericho once a day for six days and 7 times on the seventh day, a total of thirteen times. So many people think the number 13 is "unlucky." Luck has nothing to do with Christians. We are blessed! When you take the number 6 which means man and add the number 7, which means God’s perfection, to it you get 13. God is perfecting mankind (those who allow Him to) by His Spirit inside of them! Joshua did this simple thing by faith and God did the rest! Go around your Jericho today, in the spirit and believe that this thing that is in front of you will come down by the power of God! Joshua and his people didn’t even have to climb over any rocks. God’s angels pushed the walls down flat! God will push down your Jericho like it was never in the way! Just believe what I am saying right now and be in agreement, in Jesus Name!
Caleb was 85 years old and conquered Mount Hebron when every body else was afraid. Moses had told him that this mountain was his 45 years ago when they spied out the land (Joshua 14 v. 8-14). He didn’t look at the natural. He knew God was bigger than the enemy and "WHOLLY FOLLOWED THE LORD."
Nehemiah refused to come down for the work that he was doing in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, when the enemy was trying to stop the work (Nehemiah 6 v. 3). He stood strong against the enemy and stayed close to His God, no matter who or what was coming against him. This step of faith on Nehemiah’s part was what God needed to complete the building of the wall through him and his men.
As I mentioned in the previous message, you are waiting on God to do what He said that He would, but it could be that He is waiting on you. Take that step of faith that He is asking you to do and watch what He does. Bless your enemies and watch how God deals with them! Get out of the way between God and them. Don't get caught in the line of fire. Don’t be like them in their games of slander and strife. Take a step of faith and submit the situation to God and resist the devil and his two-legged devils. God will come through for you and prepare a table for you right in their midst!
In Mark 5 v. 25-34, Mark tells of the lady with the issue of blood. She took a step of faith by even touching Jesus. She was considered "unclean." She was made whole by her step of faith.
In 1 Kings 17 v. 9 -15, during a famine, Elijah asked a widow lady for her last bit of food. She did what he asked and she miraculously had food for her and her household through the whole famine. That was a mighty step of faith!
In Genesis 26, even though the Philistines were stopping up every well that Isaac dug, he dug another well one more time. This small step meant a lot with God as He made sure that the enemy couldn’t come against him this time (v.22). He dug one more well! The enemy even came and surrendered to him after Isaac did a "small" thing by building an altar to God, in thanksgiving for this well (v.25). Do again what God said to do, no matter what the natural looks like!
Listen to God and take the steps of faith that He is impressing on your heart. This enables God to come through mightily for you.