A Tale of Two Kings part nine

From 1 Samuel 17 - David represents this generation, one that will challenge the Goliaths of our day and win, one that will seek God with all their hearts and obey Him. David represents the present day apostolic and prophetic people God is raising up. David goes to Saul, who will not fight Goliath and offers to fight him. Saul’s response? “Thou art not able to go against philistine to fight with them for you are but a youth”. Often today church leadership will offer doubt and unbelief to the young believers God raises up to bless us all with great victories. Often, they will despise the youth among them “thou art not able”, keeping them from going on to great spiritual victories while doing nothing themselves. Paul warned Timothy – “let no man despise your youth” and don’t you, young believer, let them do it to you. Yes, our young ones must add knowledge to their zeal but I’ll tell you something worse than zeal without knowledge and that’s knowledge without zeal. “Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who will no longer be admonished”. Young one, you must heed godly counsel and wisdom but if an elder or pastor tells you to do the opposite of God’s will for you, obey God and not man. Often they won’t oppose you but they won’t support you either, thinking if you are of God, you’ll prosper and if not you’ll fail, not realizing their wickedness in that parents are always supposed to support their children in any way they can.
Here, David convinces Saul he is worthy to challenge Goliath – hey, while you’ve been out here “playing church” I’ve slain a lion and a bear. I’ve been in spiritual boot camp, being prepared by God for just such a time as this. Saul’s next mistake, out of pride this time, is to put his armor on David. This is religion. You can’t make it without my blessing and protection, is the attitude of many a pastor. Charles Wesley, or Martin Luther, etc. was used by God once, so put on his mantle and do things exactly the way he did. Copy us exactly and you’ll be ok. Our way must be the right way because God did use us mightily once, 40 years ago. Most denominational churches are like franchises, exact copies of one another, with men building on another man’s foundation, doing everything exactly the way they saw some other man minister. They never dare to deviate from the norm. God’s ways are the opposite.
He’s infinitely creative. Look at the earth, with millions of living creatures, all different in some way. Look at the billions of people alive on earth, yet each one, barring twins, different and unique. His Body is the same way. We aren’t meant to be exact replicas of one another, copying some man who was anointed long ago, or even some man who is anointed now. We aren’t to be followers of men at all! Any true apostle or prophet will rebuke this, if he sees people exalting him above due measure. In 1 Cor: 3:4 Paul says “For while one saith, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal?” Look at the previous verse and see if it doesn’t describe modern day denominationalism – “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk as men?”. Verse 7 – “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase”.
Like David, today’s modern day warrior Bride will rise up and throw off the rusty old armor of the Saul’s of this world, those ruling with no anointing, who fear man and not God. So be yourself, be unique, be who God’s made you to be and pattern yourself after no man. The way you’ll be identical to others in the Body is in the fruit that you bear. We all have the same love, joy, peace, longsuffering for one another. Do learn from the godly example of mature men and women set before you, as any child would from their parents, but when you grow up, you fulfill God’s destiny for you, not even what your parents desire if it’s something other than God’s plan for your life.
So David took the armor and “put them off him”. From here on out, Body of Christ, let’s do it God’s way. His way will always be miraculous, a way that can only be done with His help. Religion says all things can be done through man’s strength and wisdom and we don’t need God at all. Often, to prove how mighty He is, and how we shouldn’t lean on the arm of the flesh, God will send us into battle, by man’s standards, seemingly ill-equipped or out-numbered. He did it with Gideon and he does it here. David goes into battle with only his staff, five smooth stones in a shepherd’s bag and a sling shot. It says he took
“smooth stones out of the brook”. These stones had spent a lot of time in the river, and so must we spend a lot of time in the river of God’s presence, in His Spirit, till our rough edges are smoothed out, till our sinful ways are removed, before we can be used by God to defeat our enemies. David was much like these smooth stones – prepared by God by spending time in His presence (as the many psalms he wrote testify) letting the wonderful flow of the Holy Spirit’s presence wash over him, cleansing him, refreshing him. No wonder he was full of faith and ready to confront Goliath.