Hear ye! Hear ye! Have you heard what God has done? Well, the Bible is packed full of records about exactly what God has done for men and women throughout the ages. Hearing about what God has done for others and remembering what He has done for us in the past, helps us build godly confidence to act on the Word in the present. A great Biblical example of someone who had godly confidence to act on the Word is David. He faithfully acted on the Word and saw great victories as God backed him up.
Even when facing big, life-threatening situations, David had unshakable confidence to act on the Word and trusted in God’s ability to deliver him. A well-known part of his life was his encounter with Goliath. Chapter 17 of I Samuel records the events leading up to and including that monumental encounter. The army of Israel was facing the army of the Philistines, and Goliath went out from the Philistine army, provoking the Israelites for forty days that they would send out a champion to face him in a one-on-one duel. The young man David, visiting the camp to bring provisions for his brothers, heard Goliath’s provoking words. David did not need much time to think about his course of action, because his thoughts were already settled that God would bring the deliverance. David voiced his outrage at this Philistine’s mocking of the armies of the living God, and when King Saul heard of this, he sent for David, who volunteered to face Goliath.
I Samuel 17:33,34,36,37:
And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.
At first, King Saul was unsure that David could meet this challenge, but David rehearsed for him the other times that God had mightily delivered him. He wasn’t relying on his own ability, but was bold and fearless because of the strength and ability of the living God, Who was on his side.
I Samuel 17:45,48-50:
Then said David to the Philistine [Goliath], Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him….
David did not hesitate. He ran toward the challenge! Just like David, we can confidently act on God’s Word without delay. We don’t have to give doubt or other distractions time to hinder us in claiming God’s promises.
David had built godly habit patterns of thinking God’s Word, so he was confident that as he faithfully acted upon the Word that he knew, God would back him up, and God would bring the victory. David’s heart is beautifully expressed in the following verses.
II Samuel 22:23-25:
For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.
Therefore the Lord hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.
David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), and it is clear to see that God took care of him. Our habit patterns of thinking and acting on the Word help us to build confidence and boldness to carry out God’s Word in any situation, like David. As we take believing action, God brings His Word to pass, and this gives us confidence for walking even more dynamically for Him.
The record of David and Goliath is only one of many records that have been preserved throughout thousands of years to be an example for us as to how we can live our lives. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change (Malachi 3:6), and He can do great and mighty things for us right now. Each time God brings us deliverance, we can build our believing to see even more deliverance in our lives. We too can have confidence and trust in God and His abilities to the point where we faithfully act on the Word and see the victories.