Fi

ghtYourBat
tl
es

Wef acebattl
esdaily.Thesebat tl
esemanat efrom ust ry
ingtoliv
eal if
einconti
nuous
pursuitofGod’
shear tandt r
yingt obefait
hfuli
nall t
hatwedo.Thesear ethekindof
battl
esweseeJosephandDav i
dexperi
encingalongt heirj
ourneysofwaitingonGod’s
promisesfortheirl
iv
es.Ourmostsi gni
ficantbattl
esar etheonest hatwagewaragainst
thegoodt hi
ngswear etr
yingt oestabl
i
shormai ntai
ni nourli
ves.Asy ouwaitonGod’s
promises,doi
ngt heheartwor kandbeingf ait
hfuli
nwhaty oudo, youwill
facebatt
les
thatcomeagai nstt
hesev eryt hi
ngs.

Josephhadanencount ert
hatrel
atedt ohi sintegrity,whichisahear ti
ssuebef oreitis
anactionissue.Poti
phar’
swifeapproachedhi mi nprivate,ent
ici
nghi mt ohaveanaf fair
withher–onet hatnoonewoul dhav epr obablyf oundoutabout ,ift
heywer ecareful.His
responseinExodus39:8-9highl
ightsthenodet hatconnect sbeingfaithfuli
nallthatyou
doandal soseekingtheheartofGod._ “Het oldher ,
‘Withmei ncharge, mymast erdoes
notconcernhimselfwithanythi
nginthehouse; ev eryt
hingheownshehasent rustedto
mycar e….Howt hencouldIdosuchawi ckedt hingandsi nagainstGod? ’
”_

Thesamel i
nki sseeni nDav id’
spr i
vatebattl
eswi t
hthebearandt helion.Manyt i
mes
I
’ver eadDav i
d’sdescriptionofhowhewr estl
edbearsandlionsaf tertheyhadcar r
iedoff
hisfat her’
ssheepi tnev eroccurredt omet hathisfat
herwoul dhav etotall
yunderstood
thesi tuati
onhadhecomehomewi thami ssinglambbecauseaf erociousanimal had
attackedt heflock.Itiseasyt oseehi sbraveryandattri
but
ei ttohim si mplybeing
fai
thf ulinhisdutybutt hiswentbey ondwhatwoul dhavebeennat ural
lyaskedofhi m.
Ther easont hatIthinkhewentbey ondhiscal lofdut
yisbecauseoft hekindofhear the
had-i tisanexampl eofGod’ shear ttowardsus.BecauseDav idpur suedGod’ shearti
n
themannerhedi d,hishear twast ransfor
medt oshadowt hatofGod, whowoul dgoto
theendsoft heear thtor escueev enonel ostpersontobri
nghi mt oHi skingdom.
Fighti
ngt hesebat t
lespr eparesusf orwhatl i
esahead.Egy ptr equir
edani ntegral l
eader
i
ft heywer etosur v
ivehedr oughtseasonst hatwoul dcomei nthef ut
ure.Israel neededa
manbr aveenought ofightGol i
ath,af earsomeadv ersary.Hi smast er’swi fetempt i
ng
him wasapr iv
atebat tl
ewhi chJosephov ercamet osethi m upf orhispubl i
cv i
ct ory.
Lionsandbear swer ethepr ivateadver sari
esDav iddef eatedwhi chsethi m upt odef eat
Gol i
ath.Yourpr i
vatebat tl
esmaybet hingsthatar einternal, pertai
ningt oyourchar acter
,
yourpastt rauma, yourment alhealt
h, yourstruggleswi thsi n,ory ourfaith.Theymay
alsobeext ernal-per taini
ngt oy ourcircumst ances,y ourenv i
ronmentoropposi tion
fr
om peopl ear oundy ou.Yourpr i
vatebat tl
eshav eapur pose.Yourpr ivatebat t
lesar e
preparingyouf orpublicv i
ctory.

I’
dlikey outonot ethatourprivat
ebat tlessomet i
mescomeatacost ,asisthecasewi th
Josephwhoendedupi nprison,butfailingt oovercomet hesebattlesi npri
vateset sus
upf oranev enmor ecostl
ylossint hefut ure.Alossinpr i
vateissomet hi
ngwecancome
backf rom, t
ryagai nandconquer .Alossi npubl i
coraf tertheappoint mentisonet hati
s
hardert orecov erf r
om.Thebat tl
eswei gnor ethemostar enottheonest hatinvolve
external adversaries.I
nter
nal bat
tlesandweaknessesar euniquel
yl ethalbecausewe
tendt oignoret hem sincetheyar ecov eredbyav eilofsecrecy.Howev er
,byignoring
them wear enur turi
ngthesesot heybecomeev enbiggerpr obl
emsi nt hefuture.“James
1:15–Then, afterdesir
ehasconcei v
ed, i
tgivesbirt
ht osin;andsin, whenitisf ul
l
-grown,
givesbi r
thtodeat h.”

TakeSamson, forexample.Hefai
ledt oaddr
esshisdesi r
ef orforeignwomen
(somet hi
ngthatwasagai nstHebrewlaw)afterhi
sf i
rstencount erwiththePhilisti
nes.
Thatledt ohi
mf al
l
inginlovewit
hDel i
lah.Hi
sloveforherl edtohi scaptureandI srael
’
s
defeat.Atthetimeofhi sfi
rstmarri
agetothePhili
sti
newoman, hewasnoti ndirect
confl
ictwiththePhili
sti
nes.Howev er,
hewast he“Phili
sti
nes’ MostWant ed”byt heti
me
hefellforDeli
lah.Hisdefeatwasnotjustcostl
ypersonallybutal soforthenationof
Isr
ael.Hisfal
lf r
om gracewaspiti
fulashediedasamanwhoseey eswer egougedout
byhisenemi esandwhooncewasaf i
ercewarri
orbutendedupasacl owni nthe
enemy ’scourt
.

Dav i
d’sbattl
ewithGol i
athshowsusanexampl eofwhatwecanest abli
shbyfight
ing
thesepr i
vatebatt
les,shouldthetimecomeforust of
acepubl
icbatt
les.Beari
nmi nd
thatthisbattl
ewast heonewhi chbr
oughtDav
idintopromi
nenceandwonhi m aspotin
Saul’
sar mies.Thev i
ctoryagainstGol
iat
hwasbuiltonthef
oundat
ionofDav i
d’spri
vat
e
vi
ctor
iesandoff
erstheselessonswecani
nferf
rom 1Samuel
17t
hatwecanl
ear
nwhi
l
e
wewai tonGod’
spromises.

“
TheLordwhor
escuedmefrom t
hepawoft hel
i
onandthepawoft
henear
wi
ll
rescuemef
rom t
hehandofthePhi
l
ist
ine”–1Samuel17:
37

Whi leSaul’swar ri
orswereaf raidofGol i
ath’schallenge,Dav i
dwasi ndignant,
notbecauseofaper sonal offencebutatGol iat
hdef yi
ng“ t
hear mi esoft he
l
ivingGod”( 1Samuel 17:
26) .Dav i
dunder stoodGod’ spowert orescuehi m
duet ohi spriv
at ebatt
leswr est l
i
ngt hebearandt heli
on.Whi leGol iathwasa
differentkindofadv ersary
, Dav i
d’sexperiencegav ehimt hecour aget ost ep
upt ot hechallengeandl ookagi antintheey e.Wewi l
lfaceourownv ersions
oft hebear sandl i
onsDav idf ought.Whet herexternalorinternal
, bigorsmal l,
theseenemi escanandwi llbedef eatedifwet r
ustGodt of i
ghtourbat tl
es.
Wegr owi nourcour agethemor eGodpr ovesHei sfai
thfulthrought he
victoriesHebr ingsusdur i
ngt hetimeofwai t
ing.Hewi l
lgiveust hev ictori
es
thatbui l
dupourcour aget of i
ghtthenextpr i
vatebattl
eandt hepubl i
cbat tl
es
tocome.

“ThenSaul dressedDav i
dinhisownt unic.Heputacoatofarmoronhim and
abr onzehelmetonhi shead.Davidfastenedonhisswordoverthet
uni
cand
tri
edwal ki
ngr ound,becausehewasnotusedt othem.‘
Icannotgoi
nthese,’
hesai dtoSaul,‘becauseIam notusedt othem.’
Sohetookthem of
f.
”–1
Samuel 1:38-
40

Wear eequi ppedwi t

huniquet oolsthatbestsuitusinbat tl
ethr oughdoing
theheartwor kandbeingfait
hfulinallwedo.AsIment ionedi nDoi ngThe
HeartWor k,whenweact i
velypursuet heheartofGod, wedev elopdisci
pli
nes
thathelpusi ndoingthehear twork.Justaswedowi t
ht hehear twork,
we
developt heseweaponsandbat tl
eski l
lsasweaskGodt ohelpust hr
ough
ourbattles.Theyareuniquet oeachi ndivi
dualandGodequi psusaccor di
ng
toourst rengthsandwhati sneededi neachbat tl
e.WhileSaul mayhav eseen
hisarmorast hebesttheIsraeli
tearmycoul dprovidetoDav i
d,thearmorwas
uncomf or t
ableandDav i
dwaswi seenought ogot obattlewi t
ht heweapons
Godhadequi ppedhi
m withwhenhef oughtbatt
lesinprivate.
Thesamemayhappent ous.Peopl emayof f
ergoodadv icethathashel ped
them int
heirownbat tlesbutsomet i
mesi tisn’tar i
ghtfitforus.Ourweapons
maybedespi sedbyot hersbutweknowt hatourst rengthisn’tbasedonour
dependenceont heweaponsweusebutr atheront heonewhoequi psus.
WhileDavidusedasl ingandast oneonGol iath,Samsonf oughtaPhi l
isti
ne
armywi t
hadonkey ’
sjawbone.TheI srael
itesbr oughtdownt hewal l
sof
Jeri
chowi thshoutsofpr aise.Davidsayst oGol iat
hi nverse45“ Youcome
againstmewi thswordandspearandj avelin,butIcomeagai nstyoui nthe
nameoft heLor dAlmighty .
”Fr om t
hisweseet hati
tisthenameoft heLord
thatwegowi thinbattle,holdingont otheweaponsuni quelydesignedby
Himt osuitusandt hebat tl
eaheadofus.

Whenwecommi tourbat tlestot heLor dandaskf orhi shelpinf ight i

ngthem,
welev eraget her elati
onshi pwebui l
dov erthecourseoft hesebat tlesto
developt hecour aget ofightbi ggerbat tl
es,eveninpubl i
c,usingt het rusted
methodst hathav ecar ri
edusi nt hepr eviousbatt
les.Weal sounder standt hat
thebat t
leswef acewhenwear ecommi tt
edtothelor dareHi st ot akecar eof.
Ourbi ggestweaponi nbat tleist henameoft heLor d.Victoryrest sinHi m and
aswecont i
nuet of ightthebat tl
est hatensueuswhi lewewai tont he
promisesofGod, wear er estassur edt hatwedonotbat t
leinv ain.These
batt
lest rainusf ort hebat tlestocome, t
heonest hatposi ti
onusf ort henext
phaseofourl iv
es.Remember ,donotl eav eanysecr ertbattl
eunaddr essed.I f
not,i
twi lldevel
opi ntoapubl icdef eatwithmuchbi ggerconsequencesal ong
theway .