Pastor Lisa uses the film Miracle to emphasize the importance of focusing on the right battles. Victory requires intentional training and preparation, both spiritually and practically, to face life’s giants. Discover three keys to living a victorious life!
Notes 📓✏️:
MATTHEW 13:34 (NLT): “Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds.”
1) Fight the right fight
1 Samuel 17:25,26: “David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”
“The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!”
1 Samuel 17:28-30: “Now Eliab his oldest brother heard him when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why is it that you have come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I myself know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.” But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a question?” Then he turned away…”
Petty will always be easier than purposeful, but you are called to live a purposeful life.
Be sure that the patient remains completely fixated on politics. Arguments, political gossip, and obsessing on the faults of people they have never met serves as an excellent distraction from advancing in personal virtue, character, and the things the patient can control. Make sure to keep the patient in a constant state of angst, frustration, and general disdain towards the rest of the human race in order to avoid any kind of charity or inner peace from further developing. Ensure the patient continues to believe that the problem is “out there” in the “broken system” rather than recognizing there is a problem with himself. – C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters
2) Victory requires training
I Samuel 17:36-37: “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.”
The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
Spiritual battles require spiritual weapons.
3) Partner with God in faith!
But David said to him, “You come to me using a sword and two spears. But I come to you in the name of the Lord All-Powerful, the God of the armies of Israel! You have spoken against Him. Today the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll kill you and cut off your head. Today I’ll feed the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds of the air and the wild animals. Then all the world will know there is a God in Israel! Everyone gathered here will know the Lord does not need swords or spears to save people. The battle belongs to Him, and He will hand you over to us.”
As Goliath came near to attack him, David ran quickly to meet him. He took a stone from his bag, put it into his sling, and slung it. The stone hit the Philistine and went deep into his forehead, and Goliath fell facedown on the ground.
Discussion Questions đź“ťâť“:
- In the sermon, Pastor Lisa talks about how David chose not to engage in a petty fight with his brother Eliab, but instead focused on the real battle with Goliath. What are some ways we can discern between petty fights and purposeful battles in our own lives?
- Looking at 1 Samuel 17, how did David’s previous experiences preparing and training as a shepherd prepare him for his battle with Goliath? What does this teach us about daily faithfulness?
- Pastor Lisa mentioned that we can be “in Christ and in battle simultaneously.” How does this perspective change how we view our daily struggles and challenges?
- The sermon discusses how we often magnify the wrong things in our lives. How can we practically shift our focus from magnifying our problems to magnifying God?