Takeaways:
- Critical Moments Help You re-Define Your Dreams
- Nobody Will Dream and Fulfill it for You
- Defend And Protect Your Good Works
- Remember Your Former Victories In Life
- A Dream or Vision Does Not Know the Difference Between Gender And Age
Nobody Will Dream and Fulfill it for You
Keep in mind nobody will accomplish your dreams, visions, purpose and destiny for you. God will surely use people to assist you to fulfill your dreams, but they really won’t do it without you the dreamer. More precisely, people may come along your dreams or visions to help you fulfill them, but no one can dream and achieve it for you. Take the lead to the accomplishment of God-given expectations in life. This’ the time for you to break off the fear mentality, call, work and get your purpose and destiny done. The clock of your lifetime is ticking, would you still be where you are now in the next few weeks, months or years?
I would like to share one of my favorite stories with you; and maybe you have heard this before: A strange turtle family decided to go and have some fun, so they planned to have a picnic. You know turtles are naturally slow creatures and sluggish about things; therefore, it took them seven good years to prepare for their outing. Finally, the turtle family left home inertly looking for a proper place for their picnic.
During the second year of their journey after they left home, they found a place. For about six months, they cleaned up the area, unpacked the picnic items and foods and completed the installation. However, something was missing — They discovered they had forgotten the salt. Now, a picnic without salt would not be a good one, as they all understood. In effect, after some confabulation, they decided that the youngest turtle was to retrieve the salt from home. The little turtle felt sorry for himself and whined, cried, and wobbled. In obedience, he agreed to go and get the salt under one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. That sounded as a good deal for the rest of the family and they concurred as the little turtle left.
As they waited, three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. They thought perhaps he’s on his way back. Five years passed and they started losing hope as the hunger increased. Six years passed and they desperately wanted to eat. Then in the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no longer hold up his hunger — maybe he was feeling dizzy. He notified the family that he was going to eat and began to unwrap one of the picnic sandwiches.
Surprisingly, the little turtle suddenly came out from behind a tree shouting, you see, I knew you wouldn’t wait! Now I am not even going anywhere to get the salt. What a waste of time!!!
My friend, you see, don’t wait for people or somebody to take the initiatives of accomplishing your dreams or visions for you. Get up and do something about what you know needs to be done or you can do about your vision. While you are waiting for people to do it for you, it may end up being a waste of time. Start right where you are with what you have right now.
Defend And Protect Your Good Works
If you look throughout the life of David, you would discover another important quality for winning in life, it is the ability to defend and protect. If somewhere your dream or vision is not to serve, protect, defend and help people get better, you need to re-evaluate it. No matter how much your dream or vision would make you wealthy, happy and fulfilled, if it won’t help other people also at a point, it may not be Godly. While David was keeping the flock of his father, he fought to protect it against the lion and the bear and then, when he went to the battlefield and saw Goliath coming at the children of Israel as the lion and the bear, he wanted to fight and protect them.
It is not just important to fight for your dreams and visions in life, but it is also important to know how to fight to defend and protect them if you ever achieved them. Many people after realizing their dreams in life think they are at the apogee and lost focus and dedication to defend and protect their achievements. It would be a bad thing for you to make so many sacrifices to achieve your goals in life and not protect them. An action plan of how to protect and defend your achievements in life and make them an ongoing legacy must be must be one of your efforts and accomplishment. It makes no sense for you to spend your entire life to fight for a dream and fight for a cause and not think about how to defend and protect it against destroyers and destruction. Any great kingdom or nation always thinks not only about their offense system, but also about their defense system. Therefore, while you have your plans of offense and winning against all odds in your life and become who you are meant to be and do what you are meant to do, think about your defense, how you can protect your successful life, marriage, business, career, and ministry against lions and bears, I mean against the potential problems that could rise and attack. This it not to discourage you or reduce your faith in any way, but think about the day of confusion, lost, sickness, debt, death and many other trouble that could hit your life and wisely and Godly prepare spiritually, physically, psychologically, financially and materially to defend and protect your trophies or legacy of good works in life.
Remember Your Former Victories In Life
Notice David also reminded Saul of his former victories over the lion, the paw and the bear. He stated, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (I Samuel 17: 37). David believed the God who helped him kill the lion and the bear can still give him the grace, the anointing and capacity to face Goliath and kill him as well. Maybe you are at a crossroad now thinking you can’t overcome a particular situation in your life right now. Do you remember what God has already done in your life in the past? Remember that miracle, healing, deliverance or victory God has given you when you desperately needed it? He can do it again even today, even right now in your life. He can still help you to graduate from school, He can still save and heal your marriage or relationship, He can still save your child from drugs, He can still protect your business or ministry from falling. Trust Him and stand. Trust Him and fight the good fight.
Critical Moments Help You re-Define Your Dreams for the Best
The Bible says Saul dressed in his own armor to prepare him for the fight with Goliath but, David could not use them because he was not used to them. In effect, David just took his staff, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag, and with his sling in his hand, went to meet with the challenger, Goliath. It was a beautiful yet, scary motion picture to watch. But before we follow and image this movie, let’s consider these things: the staff, the five stones, the shepherd’s bag and the sling.
The Staff: Staff is frequently mentioned in the Word of God, and it has a spiritual meaning in Bible days and today, it means or symbolizes POWER. Remember, when God sent Moses to Egypt with only a staff (Exodus 4: 17-20). And with that staff Moses performed so many miracles including the waters in Egypt became blood (Exodus 7:15, 19, 20); when the staff was stretched out over the streams, frogs came up (Exodus 8:1-11); when the dust was smitten by the staff, it became lice (Exodus 8:16-20); when the staff was stretched out toward heaven, there was hail (Exodus 9:23); when the staff was stretched out over the land, locusts came up (Exodus 10:3-21); when his hand was stretched forth toward heaven, there was thick darkness over the land of Egypt (Exodus 10:21-22); when his hand was stretched forth over the sea, it was made dry land; and on again stretching forth his hand, the waters returned (Exodus 14:21, 26, 27).
In addition, when the rock of Horeb was smitten with the staff of Moses, waters flowed out (Exodus. 17:5-6; Numbers 20:7-10). When Joshua fought against Amalek, Moses said unto Joshua, “Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God [Staff] in my hand. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed (Exodus. 17:9, 11). Considering these Bible passages, it is clear that the staff or rod of Moses symbolizes power and, more comprehensible, it signified the power of the Most High God in the hands of Moses.
Even unbelievers or Gentiles know that a staff represents power, that is why even magicians use it. A staff signifies power…it is a support; for it supports the hand and arm, and through them the whole body; in effect, a staff takes on the meaning of the part which it immediately supports, that is, the hand and arm, by both of which in the Word of God symbolizes power. And David could not imagine fighting one of the greatest battles of his life without the power of God. Therefore, he took his staff (which symbolizes the power of God) with him. He knew the armor of King Saul could not help him fight against Goliath – but the power of God. The Bible says, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty (Zechariah 4: 6). Whatever is your dream, vision or goal in life, whatever you are fighting for in your life, know that the best way to win is to make use of the supernatural working power of the God Creator, Jehovah Elohim couple to your knowledge, wisdom and skills.
The Five Stones: The next things David took were five stones from a stream. The number five means grace, cross, atonement and life. The stream symbolizes life, and the stones represent truth. Putting these things together could signify the truths in the Word of God and experiences David had in life. That is why he could remind Saul of his experiences (exploits with God) when he killed the lion, the bear and paw by the help of the Almighty God. And the Bible says he put them in his shepherd’s bag.
The Shepherd’s Bag: The shepherd’s bag represents provision and valuables. Remember when the Lord Jesus Christ sent His twelve (12) disciples and gave them authority, He told them, “Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep (Matthew 10: 9-10, NIV). This even means David had all he needed in the spiritual realm to kill Goliath. When your dreams and visions in life are true, right and are from God, and not out of pride and selfishness, He will provide for what you need to win. If God call you to do what you are doing, He would surely provide for the needs sooner or later. He would surely give you the anointing and capacity to accomplish that which He has delegated you to become and do on earth.
The Sling: The sling of course is a weapon, but not one that someone could image killing a giant like Goliath with. This tells us that God can use anything or anyone to accomplish great things in life. The truth is, usually, a dream or vision is bigger than the dreamer. Your dream is bigger than you or what you have. The Bible says, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength — But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (I Corinthians 25-29, NIV).
A Dream or Vision Does Not Know the Difference Between Gender And Age
The Bible says when David was getting closer and closer to Goliath, he saw him and noticed he was just a boy (I Samuel 17: 41-42). No matter what is your gender or age, it should not be a measurement for your dream, vision and success in life. What is important is the fulfillment of that good dream. After all, whether you are female or male, young, adult or old, the question here remains the same: Have you fulfilled your dream or vision in life? Are you satisfied with where you are now and what you are doing right now on earth or in this world? Are you doing the right thing? Is that your purpose and destiny? Are you happy right now with your life’s condition? If the answer is no, then you must fight and continue fighting until you win and get there in life. And after you get there, don’t forget to continue to fight and make it till the end.
Goliath cursed David (I Samuel 17: 43). But the Bible says, “As the bird by wandering , as the swallow by flying , so the curse causeless shall not come” (Proverbs 26: 2). A curse without cause will not come to pass. David was coming against him legally according to the Word of God. Goliath has defied God and His armies. When your dream or vision is legal according to the Word of God, He will surely endorse it. David said to him, “– You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. “Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. “This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head” All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands” (I Samuel 17: 45-47). In other words, David was saying the Lord will hand over his dream or vision to him. What was his dream or vision at the time? Is killing Goliath. Are you ready to fight for the Lord to hand over your dream or vision in life to you? Yes, you can make it happen with God. Now let watch the end of the movie:
As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent. As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, O king, I don’t know.”The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head–. (I Samuel 17:48-58).
In short, David killed Goliath and cut off his heard, which demonstrates a complete victory over him and a trophy to show off. This victory gave David credibility to become the next king of Israel after the death of Saul (II Samuel 2: 4). Do you have anything to show off as your trophy in life or as the accomplishment of your purpose and destiny? If not, think one more time. This ancient account about David and Goliath shows us how the accomplishment of our purpose, destiny and success in life can be defying us, and it would only take courage, decision, determination, action to fight and win in life. David faced a Goliath, but your Goliath today may be your education or school, your job, career, business, ministry, marriage, relationship and many other things that can defy or challenge you in life. But if you can be courageous enough, you can decide, if you can decide, you can be determined, if you can be determined, you can take action, you can work it out, you can work hard and smart, and if you can take action, you can win, and if can win, you can surely possess your place in this world or planet. You can become who God created you to be and do what He created you to do in world.
Don’t forget to join me next time as we go deeper…, we will look at our next sub-title: “ESTHER: Where There Is Will, There Is A way”
Willie Yeboah
