đź‘Š Your David and Goliath Story

đź“Ł Plus, training and nutrition news plus tips to help you navigate faith and culture

Author

Will Knecht
October 19, 2024

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Happy Saturday - Good morning, my fellow warriors for Christ! This morning, we're following up on what we learned last week: the realization that we are in a war, Satan is our enemy, and he wants to destroy and kill us. That was the bad news.

This week, we'll look at the good news in this war: the fact that we don't have to fight it in our own strength. God has given us the ultimate power source to do the fighting for us.

Also, this week, we're bringing some new value to our newsletter and the fraternity we're building together, including:

  • A verse of the week

  • A link to a great worship song that ties into our learning each Saturday

  • A featured men's ministry resource

  • A beefed-up curation section where we're scouring the web for the best info, gear, books, and stories of the week for us Christian guys.

Let’s go!

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MIND SET
Your David and Goliath Story

We all know the story of David and Goliath from the Old Testament. It’s popular not only in Christian circles but has been adopted in the sports world. When an underdog team beats the heavy favorite in an epic battle, sports announcers trumpet that David has beaten Goliath. And often, we cheer.

You know these stories: the thrill in 1980 when the US Hockey team shocked the world by defeating the Soviet Union at the Lake Placid Olympics; Coach Jim Valvano and his NC State Wolfpack stunning the Houston Cougars to win the NCAA basketball championship; Vanderbilt beating mighty Alabama in one of the biggest upsets in recent college football history.

All David and Goliath stories. But the original is the most improbable of all. A young shepherd boy with nothing but a few stones and his slingshot slays the mighty giant Goliath, saving the Israelites from humiliation and impending defeat at the hands of the powerful Philistine army.

It’s crazy when you think about it.

Until you actually read the account and understand what was behind David's courage as he entered the battle. One verse in that chapter jumps out:

“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.”

David knew he didn’t have to fight Goliath in his own strength. The battle was God’s, and He would fight for David and give him the ultimate victory. All that was required of David was the courage to trust that God was for him and then take the next step of obedience by walking onto the battlefield.

The Modern Battlefield

Like David and the Israelites, we're fighting a war for our souls, our families, and our world. Our enemy is Satan himself. Do you and I fight with the same courage that David did?

In this war against Satan and the battles of despair, greed, lust, addiction, and loneliness, God is with us and wants to lead us, just as he was with David. As we fight the “I’m not enough” or “I'm not worthy” skirmishes in our minds, God is with us. He promises to never leave us (Joshua 1:9, Hebrews 13:5).

Not only will He never leave us, He has provided us with unique Power to fight the enemy on this side of the resurrection, our key to winning our battles and ultimately the war being waged against us.

Our Source of Power to Wage and Win the War

I remember when I first read John 16:7. It’s Jesus’ last night with His disciples, hours before Judas will betray Him. He's sharing His final thoughts with His guys and says:

“But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”

“But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”

If I were one of the disciples, this would freak me out. Our leader tells me He is going away ... and that it's a good thing? Who is this Counselor He's speaking of?

A mentor explained this glorious truth to me. The Counselor is the Holy Spirit, God Himself, a member of the Trinity. All-powerful, all-wise, all strength, all truth. All love. All peace. And not only is He with you, He lives in you.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God?”

God lives in me. He lives in you. At the moment we surrender our lives to Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. And He wants to fight our battles for us, just as He did for David and the Israelites when He defeated Goliath and the Philistines.

Unleashing God's Power in Our Lives

My brother, amidst your wars, struggles, pain, and challenges, you don't have to wage war in your own strength or power. God living in you, the Holy Spirit, wants to fight for you in His unfathomable power. And He wins every time if we, like David, have the courage to let Him fight.

You do not have to live a life of despair, dread, loneliness, addiction, or pain. He can fight for you and change you from the inside. Your circumstances might change for the better. Or maybe they won’t. But regardless, you already have victory because of what Jesus has done, regardless of your circumstances.

We'll unpack more of that next week, but for this week:

  1. Read the account of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, focusing on verses 37 and 45-47. Ask God to show you clearly David's source of victory.

  2. Write down the Goliaths in your own life—the battles you fight in the war: your pain, suffering, addictions, where you need help—in the journal you bought for last week's assignments.

  3. Daily, ask God to deliver you from your pain, heartache, struggles, and addictions—whatever is holding you back from being the man God has called you to be, regardless of whether the circumstances change.

  4. Listen to or watch the worship song “Battle Belongs” by Phil Wickham.

Until then, my brothers, live in the power of the Holy Spirit, and be More the Man God has called you to be, for His glory!

THIS JUST IN
đź“Ł NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB đź“Ł 

Note that our providing these links does not constitute an endorsement of the writer’s or publisher’s perspective. We try to filter out propaganda but sometimes good information is laced with bias. As with everything you read and watch, process with a critical perspective.

Training

Fancy Italian pathophysiologists confirmed that inertia reigns in the realm of exercise. Their research showed that our bodies burn more energy getting moving than they do staying in motion. Take-away? If you want to get the most out of  your exercise investment, exercise in short, intense bursts rather than long, mild sessions. Courtesy Phys.org 

You may have seen that crazy Dutch guy Wim Hof run through the African desert without water, up Everest without supplemental oxygen and then jump into ice-covered water and thought to yourself, “Nah.” But, before you write off cold water immersion as a ritual of the clinically insane, check out this Stanford study that unpacks a laundry list of benefits. With the cold weather rolling in, 2024 might be the year you give it a try. Courtesy Stanford Lifestyle Medicine

Nutrition

We’ve known for a while now that the Food Pyramid is a triangular-shaped pile of trash but what replaces it? ZOE is an impressive personalized nutrition service available in mobile app form. ZOE boasts impressive research and thousands of positive customer reviews but be prepared to open your wallet. ZOE’s initial testing (required to develop a personalized plan) costs between $294 and $684 with ongoing monthly membership plans ranging from $29 to $39 monthly. But that might be a small price to pay if you suffer from food allergies and weight management.

Culture

What is a “sigma male”? Aside from being the latest stupid idea social media is selling to young people, the concept has just enough substance to make it seem plausible. Invest a few minutes to familiarize yourself so you are prepared to help young men you know navigate around this iceberg. Courtesy WORLD News Group

Reading

In keeping with this week’s theme, 19th-century American evangelist D.L. Moody’s book Secret Power is a classic on the subject of the Holy Spirit. Written in 1881 (and, as a result, available free), Moody explored the ways in which the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to live a life modeled after Christ. In addition to the importance and practicality of the subject matter, Moody was a gifted writer and Secret Power is an enjoyable read … reads a little like the works of his contemporary,  Mark Twain.

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