9/24 Sermon on David, Part 2

Last Sunday at The Family Church here in Gainesville, senior pastor Philip Griffin continued his series on David, king of Israel.  This message's title was Life's Battlefields and focused on the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel, particularly chapter 17, verses 26-50...you can read it in the New International Version (or a different translation if you prefer) via the following link to Bible Gateway: [link].  The setting is the confrontation between the Israelites, led by King Saul, and the Philistines, championed by the arrogant giant Goliath...who is challenging anyone to face him: no one wants to.  David steps up, however...much to the consternation of his brothers...and tells Saul that it was God who rescued him from the bear and lion when he was herding his sheep, and that same God will protect him from the Philistine... 

Pastor Philip drew four important principles from this passage: listen to the right voice, use what God has already given me, focus on the size of God and not the size of the problem, and rely on God's power and not my own.  The setting in 1 Samuel was literally a battleground, but our lives have times in which we must either take a stand...or retreat.  Sometimes prudence is called for, especially when it involves discerning the significance of the "battle", e.g. someone out in traffic is overcome with road rage against me...discerning God's wisdom through the Holy Spirit will lead me away from any conflict of that sort.  But other times God will direct and empower me to stand up and face the adversary, be it human or situational...with the emphasis, of course, on God being the one in charge.   He will not ask of me anything that he hasn't already equipped me for: David was equipped with his life experience of fighting predators while shepherding, his sling, and stones....and more than anything, his faith in God...

You can watch the video for this message by clicking on the following link to the church's YouTube video website: [link]. The Family Church, located at 2022 SW 122nd Street, holds its Sunday morning services at 9:30 and 11 and invites you to attend.  There's the weekly sermon, inspiring praise music, friendly folks all around, and prayer and discipleship opportunities...and, of course, that delicious complimentary coffee...