David and Goliath

that good prayer. If you got your Bibles, let's go to probably the most familiar story in the Old Testament. It's the story of David and Goliath. We have arrived at this section in 1st Samuel chapter 17. I know over my 28 years, almost 29 years of ministry, I've preached several messages out of this. This is new. This is fresh. Pay attention. It's exciting because we're going to talk about that time when the valley seems bigger than the God who made the valley. So, get your Bibles. Let's turn to 1st Samuel chapter 17. I don't know, maybe we'll preach two or three messages out of this. You're in for a ride. This is good. Okay? Because if you've lived long enough, you've stood in a valley. Some valleys are medical. Some valleys are relational. Some valleys are emotional. Some valleys are spiritual. And some valleys get known for people like Goliath. And have you noticed how life has a way of introducing you to giants that you never ask for? Hello, John. Cancer. You know, you wake up thinking it's going to be normal Tuesday, but by 10:15, you're staring up at something that looks 9 foot tall and weighing 125 pounds of armor. So, y'all, the Philistines may not be gathering on your hillside today. Maybe it's not Philistines. Maybe it's medical charts, legal battles, broken trust, financial hardship, or regret, fear, shame, or the weight of the past, because those are absolutely giants. Here's the strange thing. It's it's in that valley that you can see and feel and get to know God in ways that you never can in any other place. We don't like it. We don't pray for it. We certainly don't schedule it. But here's the pattern of scripture that you cannot deny. God is with his people in places like the valley and his goodness becomes undeniable. So the good news, the good news is you don't need to know the outcome. You only need to know the God who holds the outcome. Because the valley is where God reveals both his nearness and his direction. So let's jump into 1st Samuel chapter 17. A story that even if you don't go to church, you've heard about. It's a story that we've learned in our childhood and we can never outgrow because it's more than a battle. It's more than a boy with a slingshot. It's more than a giant. It's the unveiling of a God who steps into your valley. Because in that valley, in your valley, God doesn't wait for you to walk to the other side of fear. He walks with you and ahead of you in your valley. Your victory isn't about what you bring to the valley. It's about who steps into the valley with you in your valley. Sometimes God lets the giants talk long enough until you get sick of hearing them and get into action. And in your valley, you don't grow when you avoid the challenge. You grow when you engage it with purpose. Because this is what scripture says. The Philistines in verse 16 drew near morning and evening. And the Philistine presented himself for 40 days. Y'all dig that? 40 days of intimidation. 40 days of fear. 40 days of listening to a giant run his mouth. That's 40 days. That's longer than most of us stick with our New Year's resolutions. Israel had quit on day one. We know the story. But God didn't because God had already prepared someone who was going to step into that valley. Do y'all hear that? God had already anointed someone who was going to step into that valley. So, we actually have hints of the gospel coming through. So, let's jump right on in. We'll start with verse two here because this chapter opens like a scene from a movie. You got two mountains, you got two armies, and you got one valley. Now, generally, you know, generally, if you're going to engage the enemy, you want the hillside. You want the you want the upper ground because it's a lot difficult for the enemy when they're having to walk up the hill to fight. You can roll stones down it. You don't have to strain yourself as much. So, the Philistines are on their mountain. The Israelites are on their mountain and neither one of them wants to budge and in between them they have the valley. The valley is going to be the the key place here. And it says, "And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and pitched by the valley of Eli and set the val the battle in array against the Philistines." So they were lined up to fight. They were just choosing not to fight because they were in a state of mind of fear. And it says, "And the Philistines stood on the mountain on one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, and there was a valley between them." Now, you would think, and you know, I would think, "Lord, please [laughter] put my people on the high ground and put the enemy in the low place." But God didn't do that because God allowed this valley to become a place of of deliverance. And today I say this because your valley might be your job. Your valley might be family conflict. Your valley might be medical reports or or past mistakes or fears. These are all valleys. But valleys, let me tell you something. It's where God does some of his most dramatic work. And verse four introduces us to the giant known as Goliath. And there went out a champion. Now, let's pause here because Israel had a king, but the Philistines had a champion. And what a champion is is someone who stands between the two forces. The champion on the one side and the champion on the other side will stand between the two forces. And they too will determine the outcome. And the Philistines knew something. It's a little bit of psychological warfare because if you can terrify an army, you don't have to fight them. So, out comes Goliath, moving skyscraper, wrapped up in brass, carrying weapons David could barely lift. Just so we get an appreciation for it, the Bible's going to describe the size of Goliath. His height is six cubits in a span. He had a helmet of brass. He had chain mill wearing 5,000 shekels, which is about 120 pounds. Dude's big. Hey, you see this column? That's about the approximate size of Goliath. And I am a stunning six foot three, right? But but David and the people back then, they're more like Marcus's size, right? So they're like right here against that. Even me I at that. Oh my. Goliath is huge. [laughter] In other words, Goliath doesn't just look scary. Goliath is scary. And I love the fact that God does not minimize the size of the giant. Scripture doesn't pretend that the threat isn't real. And listen to me, faith doesn't deny reality. It places reality under the power of a greater reality that your God is big and your God is good. And that's crucial because life's valleys. The 9- foot tall giants aren't fake. Your struggle that you're going through right now is not imaginary. That diagnosis that you fought with wasn't pretend and isn't pretending. That betrayal wasn't a small thing. That fear didn't come out of nowhere. In other words, your giant and was real is real. The danger was real. Is real, but so is God. So Goliath comes out. We know this from verses 8-10. He comes out daily. Twice a day. He comes out in the morning and the evening. And he's challenging up Israel. And it says, "And he stood and cried unto the army of Israel and said, "Why are you come out to set your battle in array? I'm not I am not I a Philistine, and you're the servants of Saul. Choose a man for you and let him come down to me. If he's able to fight and kill me, then we'll become your servants. And if I'm able to kill him, y'all become our servants." He does this for 40 days. And it says in verse 11, "And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistines, they were dismayed and greatly afraid." And this is where things begin to shift. Not because Israel changed, but because God was preparing and had prepared someone who didn't see the giant the same way. 40 days and 40 nights. But God sends deliverance through things that other people often overlook. Because, and I want you to remember this, because before David ever steps into this scene, before he ever faced up to the giant, he had been anointed by the prophet. But I want you to notice how ordinary the setup is in scripture. says in verse eight, I'm sorry, in verse 12, now David was the son of that Ephreite of Bethlehem Judah whose name was Jesse and he had eight sons and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul. So let's just take that first phrase because you can't miss this or you shouldn't. This is David anointed by Samuel, future king of Israel. And the only way that scripture introduces him is, and David was the son of the Ephraim, not warrior David, not future king David, not lion slayer David because he had done that. Just David. Dave, eighth son, youngest they overlook. I love this because God loves using people that the world doesn't vote most popular, most likely to succeed. And I love that because it shows that the outcome never has depended on human strength. And mind you, David wasn't on the battlefield because he heard a prophecy. David wasn't on the battlefield because he had some spiritual vision. David wasn't on the battlefield because he got some some mystical goosebumps. He was there verses 17- 22 because his bread his dad asked him to deliver some bread and cheese. Y'all get this right? I mean, imagine being a future king and still doing Uber Eats for your brother. You get it? Hey kids, here's a lesson for you. The destiny that you're praying for and the future that you want might be wrapped up in the daily chores that you're trying to avoid. David, go take some bread and cheese to your brothers on the battlefield. And David does it without complaining. by the way. So, let's go to verses 23- 27. Because David hears the giant, but let I I want you to notice that the way you hear the giant determines the way that you face the giant. Verse 23. And as he talked with him, behold, there came up the champion. David's not even in the army, but he hears Goliath's voice. And it's the same exact voice and the same words that Israel heard, but something different happens in David. The giant spoke the same words he always spoke, but when David heard them, a switch flipped. And I want to I want you I want to say it like this. Israel listened to the giant, but David confronted the message of the giant. And there's a difference between enduring intimidation and evaluating intimidation because your psychological state determines your perspective. And and in psychology they talk about psychological states. And if I and so you can be in a state of fear, you can be in a state of depression, you can be in a state of optimism and hope. And your psychological fear state is determined often by conditions uh around you. External conditions determined often by internal dialogues about what you tell yourself. It could be affected by external dialogues about what other people tell you. It could be affected by a whole bunch of different things like your perception. But the reason that your psychological state is so, this isn't psychobable, it's just common sense. The reason your psychological state is so important is because it affects your decisions and it's the foundation of your actions and decisions. So right now, this is what we know about Israel. Their state is fear. David's state is identity. an identity grounded in who God is, not who he was. I want to pause. What state are you in today? Because sometimes I can see people walking through the front door and I can say they're they're in a state of depression right now as we struggle through the medical diagnosis. I know that I was in a state of fear for never really realized it until the final good news. Your body just goes, "Man, the sunshine brighter. The birds were singing happier. My kids were happy. I mean, this is a good time. What state are you in today?" And I hope that through this story, we can identify some things that are affecting our state so that we can walk closer to God. Because look, this is what it says in verse 25. Because David's state, he is anointed king. He's grounded in who God is. This is what David says. He hears the exact same things that the Philist the Israelites are hearing. Here's this this Philistine is for 40 days and 40 nights have been taunting the state nation of Israel. But when David hears it, this is his response. Verse 25, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that should deny the armies of the living God? David reframes the entire situation because Israel saw a giant mocking Israel. But David saw a giant mocking God. For David, the issue isn't personal courage. It wasn't military skill. It wasn't positive thinking. It wasn't a motivational mindset. For David, this was a theological crisis because the size of your giant, hear me now, the size of your giant also reveals your view of God. Because whether the giant is this tall or that tall, it doesn't matter when your God is big and all powerful. And I want you to notice something. David doesn't minimize the size of his giant. You don't see in scripture where he turns to his Israelites and go that guy's nothing. He's only nine feet tall. You ought to see this guy no named LeBron. Anyway, he didn't say, and this is another thing David didn't say, I'm not strong enough. I'm not talented enough. I got this. He said God's name is at stake and God never loses. Israel asked, "Have you seen how big Goliath is?" David asked, "Have you seen how big God is?" two different world views standing on the same battlefield. And I want you to notice the battles that David had to fight because he had a good state. His mindset was good. He focused on how big God is. But he had challenges to his mind and we should too on a daily basis. But we have the same challenges that David did. I want you to look at something. Let's look at verses 28 and 30. Because sometimes the first giant that you have to face is the one in your own house.

Before David ever faces Goliath, he has to face Elab, his oldest brother, who should have been celebrating David's courage, but instead he questions his motives. And Elab saw David and his anger was kindled against him. What? probably because it reflected I I read this recently that your view of me is a reflection on you and my response to you is a reflection on you. So Elab why you getting all upset at David? Probably because Elab was scared was a but he says why came down there hither I know thy pride and the naughtiness of thy heart. I want you to pause and appreciate this moment because David hadn't even fought the giant yet and his brother is personally attacking him.

Isn't it funny how family seems to see the worst version of you? Usually during the holidays, but spiritually speaking, this moment matters because Elab represents the voices that try to talk you out of what God has called you into. try to speak insecurity into you. And and sometimes sometimes those voices that attack you are are the closest, the most familiar. Sometimes the people who know your histories are the ones that are least likely to let go of it, the least likely to to buy into purpose that you have because they were there. Elab was there. David was Elab saw the prophet pour the oil on David's head. Elab knew. And I want you to notice David's response. And David said, "What have I now done? Is there not a cause? This is not teenage attitude. This is spiritual clarity." David isn't defending himself. David isn't arguing. David isn't explaining. He's just simply saying, "Hey, my you're there is a purpose that is bigger than your criticism." In verse 30 says, "And he turned from him," which is probably one of the most courageous statements of the book of 1 Samuel. He doesn't get all up in his feelings and attack. It says, "And he turned from him towards another and spake after the same manner. And the people answered him again after the former matter." So they're all ganging up against him. And David just turns and walks away. Man, I learned I wish I'd learned that lesson long younger in life. Just David walking away from voices that misunderstood him towards a God who would deliver him. And I want Hey, if you've been I everybody pay attention what I'm about to say. You cannot fight Goliath when you're fighting Elab. Amen. Some of us would win more battles if we turned away sooner from negativity, from discouragement, from voices that measure us by who we are, not the voice of God. And so, here we go, verses 31 through39, because we're going to talk about God's Saul's failed armor because you you cannot win the battle wearing somebody else's identity. So David turns and he's brought before Saul the king, the tallest man in Israel, the one who should have been fighting Goliath. And Saul looks David up and down. And he says the obvious. Verse 33, thou are not able to go against this Philistine. So hey man,

we talked about things that can affect your state, right? One of the things that can affect your state, we just read about it, are silly battles that you shouldn't be fighting. My my I love my son Caleb. Caleb is my theologian. Of all my children, Caleb, I mean, all my children love God, but Caleb likes to get into the theological debate. So, he gets online and he's like, "Dad, this guy is saying this outrageous thing and blah blah blah blah blah." Like, "Dude, don't throw your pearls before. Don't don't waste your time. You're going to burn a lot of negative energy. Just focus on the good news. of the finished work of Jesus Christ. You don't have to win a debate between infilapsarianism and superapsarianism. It's it's useless. You don't have to debate about a lunar Sabbath. It's useless. Focus on what's good. If you want if you want to affect your state, engage in the crazy. So silly battles will affect your state. But something else that'll affect your state are the external voices that you listen to. Because this one's coming out pretty powerfully right here. So outside voices the king is saying this is the king and he says to David thou are not able to go against a the Philistine. Okay what psychologists would call that is a limiting authority figure voice and and some of y'all might have had that. I was blessed with amazing parents and I grew up thinking there was nothing I could not accomplish. There's nothing I could not do. But having served in juvenile court for two years and shephered 3,000 children through our justice system, I can tell you this. There are a lot of parents out there that suck. Bad parents. There are a lot of situations out there where there are no parents, an absentee father or an addicted mother. And those authority figures and their limiting voices and their limiting examples have affected generations. You want to know why America is going to Hades in a hand basket? It's because the family has broken down because the voices have been listened to because people don't know who they are in Christ. And that's the message of the gospel that we need to bring to them. This is the king telling David, you can't do it. There is an external dialogue, an external voice, something we all face. And it's the kind of phrase that kind of lodges you in your chest right there and stays there. But David, David doesn't blink. He shares his experience with the king. Hey man, your servant has fought the lion and the bear. David's not bragging. David's testifying about the goodness of God because God had delivered him before. God can deliver him again. And Saul, who is still uncertain, offers David his armor. Now, David, what? 5 foot five, something like that. Saul, tallest man in the nation. Putting on Saul's armor is kind of like putting a a toddler in dad's fishing fishing waiters. And this is what the Bible says. It says, "And he has said to go, for he had not proved them." Verse 39. So David tries walking in it. The brass is clanging. The helmet's oversized. The sword is dragging like a boat anchor. And David says, "Hey man, I I I can't use these." And I think about this because how often do we put on other people's armor?

How often do we shackle ourselves down with other people's expectations, with other people's methods, with with other people's strategies, with other people's opinion of how God should work? And but there's a deeper spiritual truth. If David had worn Saul's armor, the victory would have belonged to Saul. But God wanted the victory to reveal who he is, not who David is. Certainly not who Saul is. And if you're taking notes, think about this. God doesn't want your performance. God wants your dependence. Because you don't overcome the giants in your life by trying to be somebody else. Let me say that again. You don't overcome the giants in your life by trying to be somebody else. You don't overcome and win the battles by mimicking somebody else's strength. You don't break the chains by copying somebody else's style. God shows up in the valley through the person that he made you to be, not the masks of others that we want to put on or that the legalists among us want us to put on. Oh, perfect attendance. Yay. Perfect attendance is good, but it doesn't define who you are. So, five smooth stones, verse 40. And I love this section of scripture. We're going to pick up with verse 40. Because ordinary tools in the hands of an extraordinary God accomplishes great things. David steps away from Saul. He's relieved of all that heavy armor. He's relieved of all that burden. It's kind of like when y'all first discovered grace that you didn't have to earn God's love that he had already given for you. Isn't that refreshing? David steps away from all that stuff that was weighing him down. And it says in verse 40, "And he took the staff in his hand and he chose him five smooth stones out of the brook." This is the stuff that David had been doing all along. And some people, and we can touch on this because theologians have debated why five. And you know, 2 Samuel 21 says that Goliath had four brothers. Therefore, it's Goliath and you know, four more for his brothers. Other theologians think it was because David was preparing for more battles. But um some theologians have said, "Well, it's because God honors preparation." Scripture never explicitly says why David picked up five stones. But we do know this. David didn't pick up the stones because the stones were strong. He picked them up because God is strong. And this stone is not just a stone. And if you really think about it, it's kind of sermon all by itself because it's a reminder that God uses simple things to overturn the gospel. He used a staff for Moses. He used a jawbone with Samson. He used a pitcher and a torch for Gideon. Used a baby in the manger for us. And so, yes, he can use a stone for David. And yes, he can use anything in your life for you. And so David faces Goliath. We're going to go to 41 through 47 because this battle is not about David's skill. As David walks towards Goliath, this Philistines approaching him. His armor is beginning to his armor bearer in front of him. It's kind of comical when you think about it that Goliath who has 120 pounds of ars to help carry his stuff. His armor his armor weighs more than David. I mean, he can literally crush David by leaning on him. And yet, he needs a dude to carry his shield. Saw Goliath walking around like, I'm big and bad. Can somebody help me carry this stuff? So, but theologically seems that Goliath kind of represents a strength that still needs support. God represents a strength that needs no support. So, Goliath is looking at David. He begins to laugh. Verse 43. Am I a dog that thou comest to me with stave? And then Goliath curses him by his gods, threatens him, belittles him, mocks him. And David, young, unarmored, unout outmatched, outgun, replies with one of the greatest confessions of faith in scripture. Verse 45, thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield. But I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts. That's not bravado. That's not testosterone. That's not self-confidence. That's not Tony Rob. Who is it? Tony Robbins, you know, style of personal power. David's not saying, "I believe in myself." This is what David's saying. I believe in the one who sent me, the one who has anointed me. This day, he says, "The Lord will deliver thee into my hands." So, you notice how David's not emphasizing himself, but he's emphasizing God. He says, "This assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword or spear." Here we go. Love this phrase. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. And that is the centerpiece of the chapter. This is the hinge on which everything turns. That is the banner over every believer's valley. Not the battle is yours. Not the battle is your responsibility, not the battle is your burden, but it says that the battle is the Lord's. And I want you to see the impact because God does something extraordinary.

So something that's extraordinarily ordinary. It says in in verse 48, "David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistines." David ran. He didn't creep. He didn't tiptoe. He didn't wait for backup. Verse 49. And David put his hand in the bag and took then a stone and slang it and smokeote the Philistine in his forehead that the stone sunk into his forehead and he fell upon his face to the earth. That's it. No dramatic slow motion, no elaborate choreography, no intense military duel, just a stone thrown by a shepherd guided by a god who never misses. And then Goliath falls forward almost like he's bowing before David. So the one that truly and the one that defeated him. So let's go to verses 50 through 54 because God brings victory to completion in a way that no one can question. And verse 50 kind of summarizes the entire battle with startling simplicity. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone. Not David the mighty warrior. Not David the heroic fighter. Not David the prodigy. Just a sling, a stone, a shepherd, and a God who works through weakness. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore, David ran and stood upon the Philistine and took his sword and threw it out of the sheath thereof and slew him and cut off his head therewith. Intense. I love scripture. tense, graphic, honest, and it holds meaning because God doesn't merely knock your giant down. He removes the power to rise again. When when God brings deliverance, he brings it completely. He deals with the root, not just the symptom. Y'all, this is gospel language. Not self-effort, not partial victory, not temporary relief, but a finished work. And I want you to imagine y'all David bringing the head there. You know, y'all uh y'all believe me now? Meanwhile, Saul's like, "Uh, you got a bag for that?" [laughter] Then something unex I mean like, "Yeah, he's got a head. It's dripping blood, brain guts, and stuff like that." Then something unexpected happens. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. Now, hold on a second. The Philistines had the numerical advantage. They had the weapons advantage. They had the height advantage. They had the armor advantage, but they ran. Not because David looked intimidating, but because God had revealed himself. The fear that once paralyzed God's people that was now transferred to the enemy and paralyzed the enemy. And here's verse 52. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose and shouted. Isn't that fascinating? The army that couldn't move for 40 days suddenly finds this courage. Now, this teaches something that's kind of subtle, but it's beautiful. Courage is contagious, but so is fear. David's faith ignited a nation. And I want you to see the power that one life aligned with God can change the posture of thousands. This is a reminder that your faithfulness makes a difference and it can spark courage in people who who are watching you silently and waiting to see what God will do. So let's go to verses 55 through 58 because God works. When God works, people will try to define you, but only God gets to name you. Because this chapter ends with a scene that often goes unnoticed. Saul turns to Abn and he says verse 55. Who is this youth? Wait, Saul, you'd already met David just a chapter before. He's playing a harp for you. You loved him. What's wrong with you? David was your armor bearer. What? Why are you asking this question? Maybe Saul is not asking who is David as much as he's asking, "Hey, what what family does this young man come from?" Because the king had previously promised freedom from taxes and wealth to the family of the victor. Maybe Saul is asking for it because he's kind of stunned. The boy, the musician, the shepherd, the one overlooked is is now the giant slayer. But Abnner brings David before Saul, still holding Goliath's head like someone who hadn't figured out what to do with it. Saul says, "Who son art thou, young man?" Verse 58. David answers, "I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehem." No bragging, no flexing, no claiming a throne prematurely, no demanding re recognition. Just simple answer rooted in humility. And here's the deeper truth because David does not define himself by what he just accomplished. He defined himself by where he came from. And God's going to define him by where he's going. The giant's dead. The valley's behind him. The nation is changed, but David's heart remains anchored. Anchored. So, I want to uh start landing the plane a little bit because this story really isn't about David. It's about a greater shepherd who uh entered a greater valley, defeated a greater enemy. And if we stop the sermon right with David saying, "Hey, I'm son of Jesse the Bethamite." We are walking away with the wrong hero. Because while David's courage is inspiring, the point of scripture is never be like David. It's never gather your five stones. It's never believe in yourself because your heart is deceitfully wicked. Who can know it? There's none righteous, know not one. Uh yeah, believe you can mess up because that's true. So it's the point of scripture is never to be like David. Fi find your five stones, believe in yourself. The point of scripture is not face your giants. The point of scripture is not unlock your inner warrior. I mean that's all motivational, but hear me, it's not biblical. And you can find a thousand sermons and 900 of them are going to be you fought the battle. You face the giants. You pick it up. You get the stones. It's motivational. It's unbiblical. The true power of this chapter is that David foreshadows Jesus because David's victory became Israel's victory. Israel did nothing but they they won the day. And this is the heart of the gospel because we didn't win the battle. We didn't face the giant death. We didn't earn the victory. We simply received the finished work of the one who fought for us. And Jesus did not come to be your personal example of courage. He came to be your champion. And and our life is not about what we overcome for God, but what God has overcome for us. But the truth remains. Jesus is is is a better David. He entered our valley. He faced our enemy. He defeated death. He destroyed the giant sin. He cut off the head of condemnation and held it up in triumph. And and now the victory he won is freely given to his children. And so your hope is is not in your courage. It's in the God who steps into the valley with you. into the medical valley, into the family valley, into the financial valley, into the marriage valley, into the valley of fear, into the valley of grief and the valley of uncertainty, into the valley of of exhaustion, the spiritual valley that feels way too dark to navigate. And if you're honest, you feel like Israel, paralyzed, weighed down, unsure, shaking, hiding, wondering if the giant will ever stop shouting. one of wondering if the voices of cacophony will ever die down. But here's the truth from 1st Samuel 17. You will walk through the valleys, but you never walk alone. The God who fought for Israel fights for you today. The God who entered the valley with David enters the valley with you. And the passage doesn't tell you to find courage. It tells you where courage come from. It doesn't tell you to muster faith. It tells you who is faithful. It doesn't tell you to fight harder. It tells you who won the battle. So what 1st Samuel 17 means when the giant isn't 9 foot n but but your fear and your guilt and your exhaustion feel like it. We need this story because we we feel we don't need better motivation. We need better theology because look motivation wears off. Emotions fluctuate. Courage waxes and waines. Discipline helps but it never saves. And and and self-belief strengthens but it cannot deliver. The God's truth stands unshaken. The battle is the Lord's. So as we close out, let's have some just pastoral practical steps for walking through the valleys that you're in. Stop listening to the giants and start declaring who God is. Because giants talk loudly, fear talks loudly, but truth talks louder it if you speak it. Remember your faithfulness. Because David remembered the lions and the bears. And you have your stories, too. Moments when God met you. Remember them. Tell others about them because you can encourage them as well as yourself. Refuse to wear other people's armor. Stop performing. Stop pretending. Stop comparing. Walk in the identity that God gave you. Stop pretending. I was recently with a group of ministers and they were relating how they had been to a church and they had had an hourlong businessman and they were just elited just telling the story energizing how they had Robert's rules of order great perfect and and somebody made the statement yeah we should all have business meetings like that and I'm like we'll be passing on that again [laughter] because I'm not going to pretend that Robert's rules of order is the end all beall of measurement of your spirituality. You know what the measurement is? What does the Lord require of you? But to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. True religion is this and undefiled. To feed, to visit the fatherless, to feed the hungry, to clothe the poor. That's true measure of spirituality. So, we're not going to be wearing other people's armor. Stay small in your own eyes and big and have a big God in your in your eyes because David never made the battle about himself. He made it about a God who saves. And finally, keep walking. Keep walking even when you feel weak. Even when you don't know if you can make it up. David ran, yes, but there's some days when David looks like he's crawling. And both are still movement. Both are still faith. Both still lead to the God who fights for you. So, let me close out with this. I tell you a story I heard one time. Pastor visiting an elderly saint who was facing the end of life. She was weak. She was frail. She was tired. Valley deeper than any she had known. And the pastor said, "Are you afraid?" She smiled. Thin, weary, but calm. She says, "No, I'm not. Because the same God who walked me through every valley, he's going to walk me through this one. And if I step out of that valley, I won't see darkness. I'm going to step into his arms." That's the God of the valley. that that's the champion who fought for you and won. And I don't want to pretend your giants right now might be real, but so is your deliverer. Your valley may be deep, but so is his faithfulness. Your fear may be strong, but he is stronger. And your weakness may be great, but his love is greater. and your future is settled and secure and you were held by a God who ran toward the greatest valley of all and walked out with victory in your hand. So today here is a declarations over your life. You are not alone. You are not defeated. You are not abandoned. You are not powerless. The God of David, the God of the valley, the God who crushes giants, the God who sent his son, the God who conquered death, God who walks with you is the same God who stands with you now. and your giant will fall. Your valley will testify. Your story will shine. Your faith will grow. Your God will show up because he always has and he always will. If you'd like to serve him, we'll give you that chance as we sing him number him number 265. Let's sing the first and last stanza. Hymn number 265. Opening the doors of the church for anybody that wishes to walk with us as we serve our Lord.

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