Don’t Magnify Your Enemies

Don’t Magnify Your Enemies TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “...Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Did you know that when David faced Goliath, he never called him a giant? Other people did, but not David. He didn’t brag on the enemy’s power. He didn’t magnify the obstacle. He did just the opposite. He called him an “uncircumcised Philistine.” Not only did he not acknowledge who Goliath was, or his strength, his power, his experience, he took it one step further and diminished him. When he said, “He’s an uncircumcised Philistine,” he was saying, “This man is not in covenant with my God. He’s not in covenant with Jehovah.” In other words, “He doesn’t have the favor on his life that’s on my life. I know the favor of my God keeps my enemies from being able to defeat me.” So when he went to face Goliath he said, “This day, I will defeat you and feed your head to the birds of the air.” How could David, a teenager practically half his size with no military experience, go out with such confidence and face Goliath, a skilled warrior wearing a full set of armor? It’s because he understood this principle. David is the one that said, “The favor of God keeps my enemies from defeating me.” A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father, thank You for empowering me to overcome every enemy. I choose to magnify You over every obstacle I face. Thank You for paving the way to victory in every area of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen. God Says You’re Worth Being Found                           by Rick Warren “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NLT)   Some people believe calling someone spiritually lost is a put-down. But it’s not. It’s actually a great compliment to be called spiritually lost. There’s a difference between losing something and misplacing something. If I misplace something, it means it wasn’t important to me. But if I lose it, it’s valuable enough for me to try to find it. You misplace a bobby pin; you lose your glasses. People are only lost if they’re worth finding. Think of it this way: The value of a masterpiece doesn’t go down when it’s lost; it goes up. Human beings lose a lot when they aren’t connected to God. We lose our direction, God’s protection, our potential, our happiness, and our future home in Heaven — just to name a few. But there’s one thing we don’t lose: our value. God loved you enough to send his very best — Jesus. The most famous verse in the Bible says, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT). You matter so much to God that he underwent a rescue mission to come get you. He came to Earth as a little baby so that one day he could die on a wooden cross for your sin. Talk It Over For more on God’s love for you and to find out how you can have a relationship with God, watch the video “What Does It Mean to Follow Christ?” at rickwarren.org/know-god. How does the way you look at the spiritually lost compare to the way God sees them? What difference does John 3:16 make in your life? Who in your life is spiritually lost and needs to understand his or her value to God? How will you reach out to that person this week? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQByEUerXjU