Before we jump back in to our studies of “the Crucible,” let’s review how God makes a man or woman of God:

1. God is in control of the destiny of a life submitted to Him.
2. Steward your heart. Don’t allow unforgiveness, bitterness, or unbelief determine what is possible for you. Believe God no matter how audacious His direction for you.
3. Become a worshiper. Learn the Word of God. Become a person of prayer. Make God the focus of your plans and the determiner of your destiny.

When we left off last week, David’s relationship with God and his God given gifts had opened the door for him to be in King Saul’s service. Saul loved David. David’s relationship with God benefited Saul. Seemed all is going well. Then, a great victory changed what was happening in the crucible of David’s life.

³² Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

³³ And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵ I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

³⁸ So Saul clothed David with his ^[a]armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.

⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. ⁴¹ So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. ⁴² And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained^[b] him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. ⁴³ So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

⁴⁸ So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. ⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. ⁵¹ Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.

And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

/// 1 SAMUEL 17:32-51 (NKJV)

This was an amazing victory especially when you consider that David must have been younger than 20 years old when he faced Goliath because according to scripture, an Israeli male had to be that age to enter military service (Num. 1:3). There are some things to learn from this encounter that tell us how God creates a man/woman of God. A man/woman of God:

     1.     Evaluates outcomes by the size of their God.

Remember, King Saul told David “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” (1 Samuel 17:33) “You are not able” – anyone ever heard that? The mistake Saul made was that he evaluated David’s chances by looking at the different size, experience, and power of David and Goliath. To be a woman/man of God, you cannot evaluate this way! David evaluated based upon the difference between Goliath and his God! Never evaluate your success by an equation that doesn’t include God as the deciding factor! David knew what didn’t matter because he had killed both lion and bear and what won the victory there would always win it!

     2.     Don’t fight in someone else’s armor. 

When Saul finally agreed for David to face Goliath, he tried to dress David in his own armor. Saul figured that there was only one way to defeat Goliath – the conventional or practical way. This was why Saul’s evaluation was faulty from the start. David might take weapons in the field but he depended upon supernatural assistance for victory! David would win the battle in the way he was accustomed to – by the power of God! Saul’s armor would not win this battle but the armor of God would! Whose armor do you fight in?

     3.     David prophesied his victory before he won it!

Rhonda said Sunday that our words are very important. It is so true! Goliath did what the enemy always does – he spoke gloom and doom to David. “And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” (1 Samuel 17:44) Translation: “I will kill you if you take another step!” Anyone ever heard that before? So, David heard, “you are not able” from his own team, and then he heard “I am going to kill you” from the enemy. His own side and the camp of the enemy were in agreement about the outcome! What do you do when everyone but God says something is impossible? David prophesied the outcome of the battle before he entered it:

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” /// 1 Samuel 17:45-47

If your mouth doesn’t have enough faith to agree with God then your heart doesn’t have enough faith to win the battle!

So, what have we learned so far about how God creates a woman/man of God? A man/woman of God is created through knowing:

1. God is in control of the destiny of their life no matter the circumstances.
2. The heart must be free of unforgiveness, bitterness, and unbelief so that it can agree with God.
3. God is looking for those who will worship Him by knowing His Word, praying in His presence, and praising His name.
4. The possibility of success is determined by the power of God.
5. Supernatural victories are won through the armor of God not the ways of man.
6. Words that agree with God set up the conditions for victory. 

Today’s Scriptures:

•       1 Samuel 17:32-51 (NKJV)
•       Numbers 1:3

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