Kristen Stanton: VICTORY IN THE VALLEY

I Samuel 17:26: “And David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel?  For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

In this passage, between I Samuel 17:4 and I Samuel 17:26 when David spoke these words, the Philistine giant, Goliath, had appeared each day for forty days, bestowing a challenge upon Israel to fight him.

In verse 24 we finally see just how Israel responded – “And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.”

Have you ever wondered just how long this stand-off would have lasted had David not appeared on the scene?  

Have you stopped to ask yourself why there was a stand-off in the first place?

The Philistines faced off against them, equally able to move from their mountaintop to advance towards Israel.

However, they didn’t pursue –they intimidated. Goliath appeared every day to remind them that they would have to face off against him.

Satan doesn’t want to fight you; he wants to scare you!   

If he fights you, he loses because he knows God has gone before you and fights your battles. If he scares you, he wins because he knows you have forgotten in whom to place your trust!

Victory begins with a change in your perception. Your mind is Satan’s battlefield. Remember, if he scares you, he wins.   

Stop looking at the weight you are carrying as a burden that is keeping you from moving forward. Instead, start thinking about it as an opportunity to grow stronger as you press on.

Stop looking at the valley as a place you don’t want to be. Instead, start thinking about it as a place of growth, a place of life, a place of rest.

Don’t forget the beauty of the valley in your hurry to get through it.  

The reality is that the mountaintop is great for looking back at where you’ve come from and to look ahead to where you are going.

David had victory the moment he said, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”   

He did not run in fear but spoke in faith. His mind was prepared, and his perception was that nobody would defeat God!

Goliath was satisfied in scaring Israel because it prevented them from moving forward.   

Satan is satisfied in appearing every day in your life to scare you because that fear prevents you from moving forward in your life to the place God has for you.

Learn from Israel—they cowered in the face of fear and for forty straight days accomplished nothing for God.    

Learn from David–his perception of Goliath was that God would handle him.

Which are you emulating in your own life?  Like David, you too, can find victory in the valley.

By Kristen Stanton

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