This article first appeared at Charismanews.com you can read it here
Serious giants are facing off against the American church at this moment. Abortion has claimed more than 50 million casualties and counting. Terrorism is no longer isolated to foreign fields. Secularism is advancing through society and infiltrating the sanctuary, and radical agendas no longer hide in secret—they’re written into law.
The church has the spiritual weapons within its arsenal to take these giants down, so why do they still stand? Sunday after Sunday we come together to celebrate, singing “How Great Is Our God” and “Nothing Is Impossible.” We sing and shout about it while the giants continue to defy it. Sound familiar? (See 1 Samuel 17.)
No doubt we could debate for countless hours about what needs to change. I believe there is one thing we can all agree must change: It’s time to stop slinging stones at the saints and start saving them for the enemy!
Stoning the Saints
When David stepped foot onto the valley floor, he did so with five stones in his hand but one target in his head. David knew something we must be reminded of: Stones are for taking down giants, not one another!
Friendly fire is far easier than facing your foes. Engaging the enemy means leaving the comfort of your barrack to engage the enemy on the battlefield. That is why many opt to throw stones at their fellow saints. It makes them feel better for doing something rather than doing nothing.
However, this is a religious exercise that accomplishes little. The enemy knows that a house divided cannot stand, so he welcomes the infighting while he plunders the land. While we bruise our brothers, we embolden the enemy.
Websites, social media and message boards are not the place to settle disagreements, air out offenses or attack one another. There is a proper way to deal with these things (Matt. 18:15).
When a major Christian leader was grieving over the tragic loss of a son, he should have been able to trust his Christian family to grieve with him. Most did. Yet at the same time, the negative backlash was so viral it made headlines in major news outlets across the nation. The church didn’t win.
If you’ve ever slung a mean-spirited word toward a brother or sister in Christ, how is that any different from the Pharisees, who were always ready to fling stones at offenders, whether they be adulterers or apostles?
David could have remained in his greener pastures, surrounded by his little fold, blogging away about “The Great Saul, the Great Sinner.” He had been in Saul’s inner circle; he knew the king’s dirt. He could have turned his focus on his popular elder brother, asking, “Eliad, Hero or Zero?” After all, why hadn’t this heroic warrior gone toe to toe with Goliath?
Learn from David. He saved his stones for the enemy!
Jesus prayed in John 17 that the Father would make us one so “that the world may believe that [the Father] sent [Jesus]” (v. 21). Jesus then laid down His life so that we could be one with Him and each other. He has done His part; now it’s our turn.
Our unity is essential to the world seeing Jesus through us. It is vital to our success! It’s time we start to lead with our love and let that be image the world sees in the church.
Save Your Stones
When David picked up five stones, every one of them was for the enemy. Are you paying attention? It’s time to save our stones for the giants we face. Let me give a few examples.
Abortion. The liberal media finally woke up to one of the most horrific cases of infanticide ever practiced at an abortion clinic. For three weeks, the case against Kermit Gosnell was hidden from the public eye. That changed as informed Christians began to let their voices be heard. The hashtag#Gosnell began to trend on social media as the story was shared.
This is a stone worth slinging and proof that there is power in the unity of our voices. Let’s spend less time concerning ourselves with the latest gossip in the church or leader down the road and start getting informed about how the enemy is ransacking the land. There are great resources available to keep your eyes focused, your prayers sharp and your voice clear.
Redefining marriage. The number of politicians, public figures and even preachers coming out in favor of redefining marriage is accelerating. People are being swayed by public opinion.
But our convictions are not based on something as slippery as polls that change from day to day. They’re based upon the solid principles of God’s Word, which remains the same yesterday, today and forever. Now is not the time to sit down in the defense of the sacred institution of marriage. Standing strong in this moment is another stone worthy of slinging.
Terrorism. Several of my friends were present at the Boston Marathon finish line when the bombs went off. The wife of our associate pastor was fulfilling a lifelong goal of completing the marathon and crossed the finish line sheer minutes before the explosions. We are all grieving and praying for the families affected.
I am not willing to accept that this is the new normal. America needs the church to stand upon the watchtower and intercede on her behalf. I am not just praying that revival invades our land but that God would begin to speak to our prophets in such clarity that names, times and locations of attacks would be revealed. Don’t doubt. Elisha prophesied the secrets of the enemy to the king. I believe our lack of unity is preventing such lack of revelation. Who wants to sling some stones with me?
One Person Can Make a Difference
Can one individual make a difference? Ask David. He stepped onto the battlefield alone but was soon joined by an entire army after the first giant fell. It just takes one.
Are you willing? Change begins in you. Make up your mind that you will save your stones. Don’t sling them at one another; let’s strive for unity. Never forget, we are admonished to encourage one another, to edify one another and to strengthen one another in the faith (1 Thess. 5:11). So don’t drop your stone—just start slinging it in the right direction!
You and I may never face a giant such as Goliath, but we face giants of another kind in our daily life. We face giants such as fear, insecurity, loneliness, and failure. How can we overcome those giants that want to defeat us? These five stones can help us to remember the story of how David defeated the giant he faced. They and also help us to know how we can defeat the giants which we face.
a. Young David had spent 7 years in Saul’s palace and will now spend 4 years being hunted by Saul, then another 4 years at Ziglag until he dies on Mt. Gilboa. These 8 years can be broken down into two sets of four years: The first four years Saul hunts David until he enters Gath the second time and then lives at Ziklag. This is the main four years when Saul hunts David. The second four years is when David lives at Ziklag until the death of Saul on Mt. Gilboa.
They could have been enemies and rivals, yet they set aside jealousy, resentment, bitterness, competition and lust for power, choosing instead to become the closest of friends. They knew how and when to laugh together, cry and show their emotions together, sharing hopes and dreams, thereby cementing their friendship forever. They were real men, able to show the true, proper and right love of a brotherly friendship, willing to lay down their lives for one another. So great was their friendship that at one of their partings, “they kissed one another, and wept one with another, but David more so” ( I Sam. 20:41 ; NKJV).