|
Asymmetric warfare I’m excited this week because I’ve experienced a great victory—because of your prayers. And that's what this message is about--great victory. In recent years, especially since 9/11, we have seen the emergence of Asymetric warfare. It has been manifested in terrorism. DEFINITION: Asymmetric warfare is a term that describes a military situation in which two belligerents of unequal strength interact and take advantage of their respective strengths and weaknesses. This interaction often involves strategies and tactics outside the bounds of conventional warfare. But asymetric warfare is not a new thing and neither is terrorism—fighting in a way that inspires great fear in order to paralyze the enemy. The most well known story of asymmetric warfare is told in the Bible. It’s about a mere boy doing battle with a huge and powerful bully—a giant. Most of us are familiar with the story of David and Goliath—at least superficially. David was a young man, really a boy, who looked like anything BUT a giant slayer. He would later become king of Israel but he wasn’t a king when he did battle against mighty warrior; he was a shepherd. He went by himself to fight against a giant—and he won the fight. But there is so much to this Biblical account that we don’t see at first glance. FIRST: WHO WAS DAVID? Did you know that David was the youngest and smallest in his family? He was the son of a man named Jesse. His bothers didn’t think very much of him and even his father didn’t consider him to be very important. God sent the prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse and told him that one of Jesse’s sons was to be the next king of Israel. So Samuel traveled to Jesse’s home and told him to call all his sons to appear before Samuel. 1 SAMUEL 16:10 (message )Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel. Samuel was blunt with Jesse, "God hasn't chosen any of these." 11 Then he asked Jesse, "Is this it? Are there no more sons?" "Well, yes, there's the runt. But he's out tending the sheep." Samuel ordered Jesse, "Go get him. We're not moving from this spot until he's here." WHEN GOD WANTS TO ANOINT YOU, IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO STANDS AGAINST YOU. GOD WON’T MOVE FROM THE SPOT UNTIL YOU ARE ANOINTED! Jesse didn’t even bother calling David because no one in the family thought that David could possibly be God’s choice. David was the smallest and thought to be unimportant. He looked after his father’s sheep which was a job no one else wanted to do. God looked past his size and appearance. He looked into David’s heart and He saw a king—a man who would love God and be a mighty warrior. DO PEOPLE EVER OVERLOOK YOU? OVERLOOK YOUR ABILITIES AND GIFTINGS? YOU’RE IN GOOD COMPANY. DAVID WAS TO BE A KING AND EVERYONE—EVEN HIS OWN FATHER—OVERLOOKED HIM. BUT GOD DIDN’T. When David appeared before Samuel, God said “This is the one!” David, the “runt” was chosen by God to be the next king of Israel. And boy was his family surprised—and jealous. 1SAMUEL 16:12 Jesse sent for him. He was brought in, the very picture of health— bright-eyed, good-looking. God said, "Up on your feet! Anoint him! This is the one." 13 Samuel took his flask of oil and anointed him, with his brothers standing around watching. The Spirit of God entered David like a rush of wind, God vitally empowering him for the rest of his life. Years later David would write “thou preparest a table before me in the presence of our enemies” His family was against him this time. Later it would be other enemies—but God would always prepare a place of blessing for him in the presence of whatever enemies came against him. David was anointed to be the next king of Israel---but not yet. It would be years before he would actually become king. GOD MAY GIVE US A WORD OR A PROMISE—OR A POSITION IN HIS KINGDOM—BUT WE MIGHT NOT SEE THE FULFILLMENT FOR A WHILE. DELAY DOES NOT MEAN DENIAL. David was anointed as king and what did he do? He went back to shepherding his father’s sheep. After awhile God brought David to the palace to sing and play the harp for King Saul. GOD WILL USE YOUR GIFTS TO BLESS PEOPLE. But then, the Philistines, one of the peoples that hated Israel, gathered up soldiers to go to war against Israel. Saul, who was the present king of Israel prepared for war. But one day, Israel was threatened by the Philistines and all of Israel was scared. Still, King Saul gathered the troops for battle against the Philistines.. 1 Samuel 17:1-3 1-3 The Philistines drew up their troops for battle. They deployed them at Socoh in Judah, and set up camp between Socoh and Azekah at Ephes Dammim. Saul and the Israelites came together, camped at Oak Valley, and spread out their troops in battle readiness for the Philistines. The Philistines were on one hill, the Israelites on the opposing hill, with the valley between them. The two armies faced each other and then a strange thing happened: Verses 4-7 A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath. He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armor—126 pounds of it! He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword. His spear was like a fence rail—the spear tip alone weighed over fifteen pounds. His shield bearer walked ahead of him. A giant stepped out of the crowd. He was huge and powerful and armed from head to toe. And he challenged all the soldiers of Israel: 8-10 Goliath stood there and called out to the Israelite troops, "Why bother using your whole army? Am I not Philistine enough for you? And you're all committed to Saul, aren't you? So pick your best fighter and pit him against me. If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you'll all become our slaves and serve us. I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!" WHO MADE GOLIATH THE RULER OF THE WORLD? When the armies of Israel saw him they were shaking in their boots. In fact the scripture says: 11 When Saul and his troops heard the Philistine's challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope. DO YOU REALIZE THAT This didn’t even make sense? THINK ABOUT IT. They had not hesitated to face a whole army of Philistines—giants and all. The suddenly, this one man challenges them and they lose hope and back down. They weren’t as scared of the whole army as they were of one man. And no matter how big he was, he was still one man. They could easily have overtaken him, but that didn’t even occur to them. WHY NOT? BECAUSE SATAN BLINDED THEM AND MADE THEM SEE THINGS IN A LOPSIDED WAY. ASYMMETRIC WARFARE. That’s how satan attacks us; he makes us see a big giant that we think we can’t handle, when really we have God’s power on our side. Is there someone you’re afraid of? Is there a situation in your life that seems impossible? Or a person who you’re afraid of? Is there a bully in your life? You don’t have to be afraid if you are a child of God. This week, I was attacked by fear. A year and a half ago, my apartment burnt down. I literally had to walk through fire to get out. I WASN’T AFRAID. BUT LAST WEEK A NAMELESS FEAR CAME UPON ME. FEAR FROM THE ENEMY—AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON. ASYMETRIC WARFARE. BUT THROUGH PRAYER AND WARFARE, GOD INTERCEDED AND DID A MIRACLE. THE SITUATION IS THE SAME BUT NO FEAR. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind. God’s perfect love cast out the fear. He’ll do this for all of us. When nameless fear comes upon you—go to prayer and if you know some prayer warriors, ask them to pray for you. But be prepared to stand alone if you need to. You won’t really be alone. When I walked through the fire, I had God and His angels with me. You will too. There was only one person in the whole country who wasn’t afraid of this giant, Goliath: David—the youngest son of Jesse—who was still a boy—a teenager. 12-15 Enter David. He was the son of Jesse the Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse, the father of eight sons, was himself too old to join Saul's army. Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to war. The names of the three sons who had joined up with Saul were Eliab, the firstborn; next, Abinadab; and third, Shammah. David was the youngest son. While his three oldest brothers went to war with Saul, David went back and forth from attending to Saul to tending his father's sheep in Bethlehem. What an amazing young man David was. Even though he was anointed by God and even though he sang for the king of Israel, he wasn’t too proud to go back and take care of his father’s sheep. He had a very strong sense of responsibility and he was humble. Sometimes, we want to take all the best jobs and we get insulted if someone wants us to do something “small” or boring, or that’s real hard work. How about you? David was willing to take on Goliath. He wasn’t being foolish. He already had experience fighting off creatures that were bigger and stronger than he was. 1 Samuel 17:34-35 David said, "I've been a shepherd, tending sheep for my father. Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I'd go after it, knock it down, and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I'd grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it. Lion or bear, it made no difference—I killed it. And I'll do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God-Alive. God, who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine." You might think that attacking a bear or a lion was pretty stupid—like jumping off a roof. But, David knew the God of Israel. He worshipped Him and believed in God’s power to save him. David also knew what God had called him to be---a mighty man of God. He knew that God would be with him while he protected the sheep. GOD GAVE HIM THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PROTECTING THE SHEEP AND SO HE KNEW THAT GOD WOULD GIVE HIME THE ABILITY TO DESTROY WHATEVER THREATENED THE SHEEP. GOD GIVES US THE ABILITY TO DO WHAT HE CALLS US TO DO. HE ALSO GIVES US THE SPIRITUAL POWER AND AUTHORITY TO DEFEAT THE ENEMY WHEN THE ENEMY COMES AGAINST US OR AGAINST OUR CALLING. Because He knew God’s power and protection and had a very strong sense of what was right and wrong, God was going to use David to defeat Israel’s enemies and save his own people. All the armies of Israel were going to stand helpless and defeated while this boy, David faced ALONE what Israel’s army and king would not face: ONE MAN. 11 When Saul and his troops heard the Philistine's challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope. But little David never lost hope. He wanted to fight him. And, by the way little boys grow up to be men and they’re not so little anymore. David would be a powerful soldier when he got just a little older. But David was a powerful warrior RIGHT NOW—while he was still a boy---because He believed in God and in the cause he was fighting for. 32 David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." AND HE DID. HERE IS HOW IT HAPPENED. 33 Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." DAVID EXPLAINED THAT HE WASN’T AFRAID and why. 34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 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. 37 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." SAUL SAID “go” 37 Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you." 38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. AND HE TRIED TO GIVE DAVID HIS OWN ARMOUR—BUT DAVID REFUSED IT! HE PREFERRED TO GO WITHOUT ARMOUR RATHER THAN WEAR ANOTHER MANS ARMOUR—ARMOUR THAT WOULD NOT FIT HIM. HE KNEW IT COULD NEVER SAVE HIM. We can’t wear another person’s armour into the battle. WE HAVE TO PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD FOR OURSELVES! We have to have our own way of fighting. We have to have our own prayer life..our own authority in God. We can’t always depend on others to fight for us and we can’t use the weapons and armour that others use. IT WON’T FIT US AND IT WILL TRIP US UP. ARMOUR WAS WORN TO PROTECT THE WARRIOR. MAN HAS DEVELOPED MANY WAYS TO PROTECT HIMSELF. People are so afraid these days that they purchase elaborate alarm systems. There’s nothing wrong with that—except one thing—it can’t protect them. If someone ruthless enough wants to get in badly enough, he’s going to get in—no matter what kind of alarm or security system you have. UNLESS GOD PROTECTS YOU. HE IS THE ONLY INFALLEABLE SECURITY SYSTEM. The only protection David wanted was GOD’S protection. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. SOME PEOPLE THINK DAVID USED A SLINGSHOT. HE DIDN’T. HE USED A SLING AND TOOK FIVE STONES WITH HIM. HE ONLY NEEDED ONE. David was so confident in the Lord that he didn’t wait for the giant to come get him. He approached the giant. Goliath saw David and mocked him because he saw what the world saw: a boy! He cursed David in the name of his false gods and boasted of what he would do to the boy. 41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" DAVID WAS TOTALLY UNIMPRESSED AND UNAFRAID! He made it clear that he was fighting in the name of the Lord God of Israel—the only true God. 45 David said to the Philistine, "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. AND HE LET HIM KNOW THAT HE HAD DEFIED NOT ONLY GOD BUT GOD’S PEOPLE!!! And little David threatened big Goliath. These were not empty threats either. David was about to do exactly what he said he was going to do. The big and powerful man had only seconds to live and didn’t know it. 46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. 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. 47 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." AND DAVID WASTED NO TIME. HE TOOK HIS SLING AND PUT A STONE IN IT—SWUNG IT, SLUNG IT—AND KILLED GOLIATH! Goliath had ONE vulnerable spot and God guided that stone to exactly the right place. It hit him right smack in the head and killed him on contact! 48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 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. TALK ABOUT ASSYMETRIC WARFARE! THIS WAS IT! 50 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. WARS ARE NOT WON BY MIGHTY WEAPONS. WARS ARE WON BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD! Not by might or by power, but by my Spirit sayeth the Lord! THE BATTLE WITH GOLIATH WAS WON BY DAVID. AFTER HE KILLED GOLIATH, HE CUT OFF HIS HEAD—AND HE TOOK HIS SWORD! 51 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 AND NOW THE PHILLISTINES—GIANTS AND ALL—RAN LIKE COWARDS! They still ouTnumbered the Israelites. They still had much more weapons. There were still giants among them. But the victory of one boy who had the faith and courage to believe and trust in the Name of the Lord—gave them all the courage to stand up and fight. ONE VICTORY—YOUR VICTORY—IN THE FACE OF INSURMOUNTABLE ODDS MATTERS. IT IS NOT JUST FOR YOU. IT GIVES COURAGE TO EVERYONE WHO SEES AND HEARS ABOUT IT!
STAND UP TODAY AND BE A HERO IN GOD’S ARMY! GOD LOVES ASYMMETRIC WARFARE AND SO SHOULD YOU, BECAUSE THE BIGGER THE GIANT, THE GREATER THE MIRACLE AND VICTORY. Prayer requests: Doe for healing, Penni for healing, Rhonda for healing. And all to be free of pain. CHECK OUT DOE’S WEBSITE--you'll be blessed: |
|
|
