Here’s your chance to show the world what God can do through you.
love scary movies. Not the ones with blood, guts, and a psycho, but the ones with suspense, mystery, and a twist at the end that hits you upside the head out of nowhere. You know, like the last ten minutes of The Village. Or the final minutes in The Sixth Sense. And, of course, the full hour and a half of one of the greatest mystery movies of all time, Scooby Doo—the one where the mystery gang reunites on an island to investigate strange occurrences. Don’t play dumb … you know you watched it.
Anyway, though you may not be a Scooby Doo fan, I bet you’ve seen a few movies that have left you freaked. But it’s not just movies that scare us. Real life can be pretty frightening too. Choosing to live as a stander rather than a sitter will mean there’ll be a lot of times when you’re afraid—moments when it seems like you’re the only one standing for what’s right.
Obviously, God knew this would happen. That’s why 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power” (ESV).
However, sometimes it’s hard to know that spirit is there. Look at what one guy wrote to me:
Jeffrey,
You spoke at my summer camp last year. I have never been challenged by anyone the way that you challenged all of us there. I am trying to apply the things to my life that you encouraged us to do. But the fact is, it’s difficult to live a life that honors God, especially at school. It seems like there aren’t very many people in my school who say they are Christians. And even the few who say they are don’t really live like it. I know that taking a stand for God is what is right, but sometimes it feels like I am the only one standing.
Sadly, this will be the case more times than you’d like. When I was younger, there were a lot of times when I felt like I was the only person in my school standing for what was right. Have you ever felt this way? I bet you have a time or two … or three hundred. And if you haven’t yet, get ready, because living out God’s purpose for your life will inevitably lead to some stand-alone moments.
It really stinks to feel like you’re standing all by yourself on the right side of the fight with everyone staring at you like you’re crazy. But you won’t be the last to do it—and you definitely won’t be the first. The Bible is chockfull of stories about people who stood up for God when no one else would. And the one you probably know best is the story of David and Goliath.
We all know about David, how he conquered Goliath with a slingshot and became one of the greatest kings in the history of Israel. He was a mighty warrior, a strong leader, extremely wealthy, and greatly respected by many. But long before any of these accomplishments became a reality, David was just a teenager, waiting to live out his purpose. You may’ve heard this story a million times, but this time let’s focus on who David was when he walked out onto that field with a rock in hand. Because he was just a normal kid when God called him. Just like you.
There are lots of ways people might describe David. Because he’s one of the Bibles greatest heroes, people imagine him as a handsome Brad Pitt type, but with more muscles, like a pro wrestler or something. Or they think he’s quick and smart, like Peyton Manning is on the football field. But when David puts a dent in Goliath’s skull, he’s really none of those things. If I could think of a contemporary example, I wouldn’t pick any handsome, suave, perfect guy. I’d pick Napoleon Dynamite. Yes, you read that right—Napoleon Dynamite.
Like Napoleon, David was underappreciated by those who knew him as a teenager, even by his brothers and his father. He spent a lot of time writing songs on his harp while tending his sheep, so he probably didn’t have a ton of friends. Oh, and also, David did a crazy dance in front of everyone (and his wife made fun of him for it). Check out 2 Samuel 6 for the details on David’s moves.
So what about this David and Goliath story? It almost seems too cliché to have any relevance for you. But if you really try to imagine David as a guy like you, a little awkward, maybe uncool or even nerdy, the story starts to look a little different. First Samuel 17:4, 8–11 gives us a clear picture of the scene before young David steps in. From this description, it sounds like no one can save Israel, especially not a kid like him—or like you.
The Philistine army had a hero named Goliath who was from the town of Gath and was over nine feet tall.…
Goliath went out and shouted to the army of Israel:
Why are you lining up for battle? I’m the best soldier in our army, and all of you are in Saul’s army. Choose your best soldier to come out and fight me! If he can kill me, our people will be your slaves. But if I kill him, your people will be our slaves. Here and now I challenge Israel’s whole army! Choose someone to fight me!
Saul and his men heard what Goliath said, but they were so frightened of Goliath that they couldn’t do a thing. (CEV)
So King Saul and the Israelites are camped on one side of the hill in the Valley of Elah, and Goliath and his boys are on the other. The Bible says David shows up at the battle site to check on his brothers, who are warriors in King Saul’s army. David isn’t old enough or strong enough to be a soldier himself, but when he hears Goliath running his mouth, he talks like he’s the leader of the army.
“Your Majesty,” [David] said, “this Philistine shouldn’t turn us into cowards. I’ll go out and fight him myself!”
“You don’t have a chance against him,” Saul replied. “You’re only a boy, and he’s been a soldier all his life.”
But David told him:
Your Majesty, I take care of my father’s sheep. And when one of them is dragged off by a lion or a bear, I go after it and beat the wild animal until it lets the sheep go. If the wild animal turns and attacks me, I grab it by the throat and kill it.
Sir, I have killed lions and bears that way, and I can kill this worthless Philistine. He shouldn’t have made fun of the army of the living God! The Lord has rescued me from the claws of lions and bears, and he will keep me safe from the hands of this Philistine.
“All right,” Saul answered, “go ahead and fight him. And I hope the LORD will help you.” (1 Samuel 17:32–37, CEV)
Up until this point in his life, David was a nobody. Just a weird kid who hung out with sheep. Yeah, one day he’d be a great king, but he wasn’t even close to wearing a crown when he basically said, “Watch this! I can kick this humongous guy into next week!” Where did he get the courage to say stuff like that, anyway?
When Goliath saw that David was just a healthy, good-looking boy, he made fun of him. “Do you think I’m a dog?” Goliath asked. “Is that why you’ve come after me with a stick?… Come on! When I’m finished with you, I’ll feed you to the birds and wild animals!”
David answered:
You’ve come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But I’ve come out to fight you in the name of the LORD All-Powerful.…
Today the LORD will help me defeat you. I’ll knock you down and cut off your head, and I’ll feed the bodies of the other Philistine soldiers to the birds and wild animals.…
When Goliath started forward, David ran toward him. He put a rock in his sling and swung the sling around by its straps. When he let go of one strap, the rock flew out and hit Goliath on the forehead. It cracked his skull, and he fell facedown on the ground. David defeated Goliath with a sling and a rock. He killed him without even using a sword. (1 Samuel 17:42–50, CEV)
David was able to be so brave because he knew he had God on his side. And talk about confidence! David was freakin’ fearless. He stared Goliath in the face and declared war. Before he ever threw his first rock, David knew he’d won because he trusted the Lord that much.
When you’ve accepted Christ, you’ve already won too. You might not defeat guys way bigger than you—that might not be God’s plan for you. But you’ve always got the winning hand, even when it looks like you’re losing. Why? Because, just like David, you have God on your side. David was the youngest and, for most of his life, least respected in his family, but all that time he was winning, because God was preparing him for great things. God was pulling for David. And he’s pulling for you. David wasn’t afraid. And you don’t have to be either.
Everyone on that hillside had been shaking in their tents for the last forty days. Verse 24 says that “when the Israelite soldiers saw Goliath, they were scared and ran off” (CEV). But not David. His faith made him fearless. And he was the only one willing to stand for what was right that day.
Living as a man in pursuit of God’s will for your life can be a scary thing. I know. I’ve been there, done that, read the book, and seen the movie. When life seems unfair, or things don’t go your way, or it seems as though no one else in your world gives a rip about God, this is when Satan works fast and furious to scare you into doing the wrong thing.
In a moment of fear, the lies are near:
• “Don’t stand. You’ll be the only one.”
• “Go ahead, join in. It’s just this one time.”
• “If you don’t join them, you’ll be left out.”
• “You don’t really think you can stand up, do you? Don’t do it—you’ll lose.”
In these moments, it can be easy to question God’s intentions and wonder why you’re the only one willing to stand. Sometimes the circumstances of your life may seem unfair. And there’ll be times when you’re faced with a question about life’s circumstances that doesn’t have an immediate answer.
But remember: Being fearless doesn’t mean you’ll have all the answers. It just means that you’re willing to step out in the midst of questions because you trust that God has all the answers.
give it a shotThe next time you feel like you’re the only one willing to stand, remember that there could be many more sitting around, wanting to stand too, but they need someone else—you—to take the lead. Give it a shot and stand.
David stood when no one else would. He seized the opportunity. He didn’t shy away from it. And victory would soon be his.
No one believed that David had it in him to conquer Goliath. Even his own brother made fun of him:
David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him talking with the soldiers. Eliab was angry at him and said, “What are you doing here, anyway? Who’s taking care of that little flock of sheep out in the desert? You spoiled brat! You came here just to watch the fighting, didn’t you?” (1 Samuel 17:28, CEV)
King Saul questioned his abilities too:
“You don’t have a chance against him,” Saul replied. “You’re only a boy, and he’s been a soldier all his life.” (1 Samuel 17:33, CEV)
It could be that there is someone in your life, maybe even a close family member, who doesn’t recognize the many strengths you possess. Don’t let their lack of belief in you keep you from believing in yourself. David didn’t let his brother or the king shake his confidence. Living fearlessly is about living in confidence and having faith that God has your back. This book has given you a list of qualities that define you as a man. In moments of doubt and times of temptation, use that list to remind yourself of who you are. And then believe it.
believe itYou are:
• a stander
• not a sitter
• an image bearer of God
• good
• a man of responsibility
• not a hider
• a man of commitment
• a man of purpose
As a freshman in high school, I didn’t weigh very much. I was skinny and covered in pimples, and my nose seemed to grow at a much faster rate than the rest of my body. I wasn’t very athletic, and throughout high school I had to work hard to make average grades. On the other hand, my older brother was the coolest kid on campus—he was popular, smart, and very athletic. He lettered in basketball, football, and track every year of high school. He was vice president of his senior class and was chosen Mr. Robinson High School his senior year. I, on the other hand, graduated high school as a very underconfident man. I was already partway through college when I began to truly understand who I was:
You are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. (1 Peter 2:9–10, MSG)
David was dwarfed by that great giant from Gath. Unlike his brothers, who were much older and were warriors in Israel’s army, David’s daily responsibilities amounted to nothing more than running around a field, taking care of sheep. Up until this point in his life, David definitely wouldn’t have been asked to appear on the cover of Israelites Illustrated. And had you lined up all the warriors in Saul’s army that day, David would’ve probably been considered the most unlikely candidate for the job. But none of that stopped David from living fearlessly. He knew who he was, and he was ready to fight for what he believed in. And he didn’t allow others’ perceptions of him, or the fact that he didn’t possess a strong résumé, to get in the way of God’s using him to do something incredible with his life.
As we’ve discussed often throughout this book, you have to do your part. You’ve got to be proactive. David didn’t wait alongside his brothers, King Saul, and the rest of the wimpy warriors in the Israelite army. He stood fearlessly. And the rest is history.
You may be thinking, Yes, but come on, Jeffrey, this is a story about a guy who did right and God rewarded him. My story isn’t so pretty. I haven’t always honored God with my life.
Well, if you’d read on about the story of David’s life, you’d see that David did some pretty disgusting things. Later on, he lusted after another man’s wife, had an affair with her, got her pregnant, tried to trick her husband into sleeping with her so that he would think it was his baby, then eventually had him killed to try to cover up the whole thing. Yet, of all the great men whose stories fill the pages of the Bible, David is the only man God says is “a man after his own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).
Whoa! Stop the press. Rewind. Could this be true? God actually said that a lusting, cheating, lying, deceiving murderer is a man after his own heart? Yes. It’s true. On the battlefield in front of others, David was the man. In his private life, behind closed doors, David made some horrible mistakes. But God still chose to use David to do great things for him. The point is, if God can use David, even after all the mistakes he made, God can use you too.
Remember, the ultimate goal of being made into the man God desires isn’t perfection. It’s about becoming a man after God’s own heart—someone who wants to be more like God every day. David’s life story shows that God’s not in the business of using perfect people. God’s in the business of using imperfect people to fulfill his perfect plan. People willing to set aside their fears—and stand.
Are you a man after God’s own heart?
If yes, in what ways?
If not, what can you do to change that?
A heart like God’s:
• chooses God’s ways, even when they’re not popular
• looks for a way out in a moment of temptation
• strives to please God in all things
• wants to reflect Christ in everything he does
• realizes his mistake, confesses it to God, and gets back on the horse and starts riding again
There’re so many things in this world I don’t understand. I don’t get why there have to be mosquitoes or why people get zits or why the dobsonfly exists. (What’s the dobsonfly, you ask? It’s a weird little bug that stays in a dormant larval stage for years, and then when it hatches, it dies just a few days later. How can anyone make sense of that?) And I’ll never, ever fully understand girls—even though I have a family full of them now.
I don’t understand why God let Herod kill so many innocent babies in the Bible or why Adolf Hitler was allowed to murder millions of Jews. Why does he allow tornadoes to take innocent lives, child molesters to get away with what they do, and thousands to die in terrorist attacks? It’s all a mystery to me.
But there’s one thing I do know. God does have all the answers, and if you trust him, then you don’t need to know it all—because you know that he knows. There’s no one better to have on your side than the One who knows everything. Awkward, forgotten little David knew that. And that’s why he stepped out and conquered Goliath, even when everyone thought he was just plain delusional.
When you’re a man after God’s own heart, every day the doubters of the world will try to keep you from standing. Immorality will try to trip you up and make you feel unworthy. And there’ll be giant-size odds staring you in the face, telling you there’s no way you can win.
So what’re you going to do? You can sit comfortably on the sidelines, and it may seem easy and safe there. But it’ll also be dull—and unfulfilling.
Or you can be like David and realize you were made for more.
Anyone can be a sitter. And you can probably find a million reasons why that’s all you should be. I’m sure David had a long list of reasons why he couldn’t defeat Goliath. But he traded that in for the one reason he could—God.
You haven’t been called to sit. You’re a stander. So stand up and step out. Don’t look back. Look forward. Get ready to show everyone what God can do through you.
And be freakin’ fearless when you say:
“Watch this.”