Learn to Use Your Spiritual Authority Instead of Facing Your Goliath in Someone Else’s Armor
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We all have our Goliaths, our own giants to face in life. We all have spiritual battles to fight with a very real enemy who wants nothing more than our utter defeat. Do you recognize the spiritual authority given to you as children of God?
The Bible tells us to put on the full armor of God but do you often find yourself facing your Goliath in someone else’s armor feeling much like David did as Saul had him wear his?
Well, as David did, you can rely solely on the power of God to fight the power of the enemy in your own life! Read on to learn how to exercise the full authority God has clothed you with through the Name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit!
Spiritual Authority of a Shepherd Boy
David was just a young shepherd boy, the son of Jesse. He had three older brothers who had gone to war alongside King Saul against the Philistines.
When it came to the Philistines, Goliath was their champion.
He was a giant who would come out each day and taunt the Israelites, including David’s own brothers. He would challenge them to send someone to fight him. But not only would no one step up to battle this giant, but they also fled.
One day, David’s father Jesse asked his young son to bring some food to his brothers on the front lines.
David left his sheep in Bethlehem in the care of a shepherd and took off to the Valley of Elah to bring the grain and bread to his brothers.
David Meets Goliath
David arrives and he hears this giant Goliath taunting the Israelites. So he asks what will be done for the man who can defeat Goliath.
He is told the King, Saul will give this man great wealth, his daughter in marriage, and his family will be tax-exempt.
David apparently thinks this is worth the battle, so he tells King Saul that he will fight this giant.
Saul essentially laughs him off because, after all, David is a mere child.
But David was not about to be laughed off. He basically reads Saul his resume and tells him of the time he killed a lion and a bear to protect the sheep.
He says this “uncircumcised Philistine” is just like a wild animal and that the same God who helped him defeat the lion and bear will allow him to defeat Goliath.
David did not put his faith in his own abilities when he told Saul about his conquests. He wasn’t bragging. He knew it was not his own authority that mattered and neither was it King Saul’s. He was informing Saul that God had been with him in the past and he knew God would be with him now.
He knew he had spiritual authority given by God which was the only power he needed, and this enemy was no match for the Lord God of Israel.
So Saul agrees and then proceeds to dress David in his own armor.
Saul’s Armor
Now it’s important to note that King Saul was a VERY tall man and David was a teenage boy. So Saul’s armor was nowhere near ideal for David. Also, David was a shepherd boy, not a warrior. He was not used to this kind of equipment. These were strange things to someone like David.
1 Samuel 17:39 says:
Saul’s armor would not work for David because it was too big and far too bulky for a shepherd.
It was not meant for David, it was meant for Saul.
David tried to make it work because well…Saul was the king! But spiritual authority doesn’t come by forcing someone else’s armor to fit you in battle! The weapons of our warfare come from the authority of God, not man.
Saul's armor would not work for David because it was too big. It was not meant for David, it was meant for Saul. David tried to make it work because Saul was the king! But spiritual authority doesn't come by forcing someone else's… Click To TweetAll David wanted or needed was the 5 smooth stones he picked up off the ground, his slingshot, and the blessing of the Lord.
David took out Goliath with one shot and cut off his head with his Goliath’s own sword.
David didn’t need Saul’s armor. He only needed to put on the full armor of God, the Holy One of Israel.
His armor was his faith in God!
And in spiritual warfare our armor cannot come from anyone else the Lord Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. You cannot fight evil spirits with man’s authority. No preacher or teacher can take a position of authority over the Word of God.
To battle the power of the devil you need the Lordship of Jesus Christ, not some clunky armor built for someone else.
What does this mean? Well, let me explain.
Put on the Full Armor of God for Spiritual Authority in Battle
In the world today, are you trying to solve life’s problems and battling the enemy the way someone else advises or the way someone else handled a similar issue, or are you going to God and putting on the only armor you need; the full armor of God?
What happens in the lives of believers and how God works through their battles doesn’t mean that is what He would have YOU do.
Their lesson in their trial is for them. God may be trying to teach them a lesson for a reason and a season and while they may share some important truths with you, those truths might have been for THEIR situation and God may have a different road He wants you on.
While the full armor of God may be the same for believers, each piece might look a little different for each of us depending on our battles.
My sword of the Spirit might look different than yours. God may have different scriptures for me and the ones He gave you may not be the ones He wants me to find for my trial.
And my armor might even look a little different for various trials in each area of life.
I cannot battle Goliath in Saul’s armor.
The Full Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-18:
Test Everything
David tried on the armor Saul gave him and found it didn’t fit. He knew he could not battle his enemy in armor not meant for him.
God doesn’t want us doing things the way other people have. Sure, we should seek godly counsel but at the end of the day, we have to be sure it is what God wants for us.
We need to seek Him in His Word and in prayer.
Everything must be measured up against the Word of God.
1 Thessalonians 5:21:
Facing your Goliaths means that, like David, you have to give the battle to the Lord. Let the Lord go before you into battle!
This is not a physical battle but a spiritual one, and your spiritual authority doesn’t lie in your own power or someone else’s solutions. It is found in God alone!
Are you going up against your giants in someone else's armor? Click To TweetDavid did not want to wear Saul’s armor, not only because it was too large but because it was untested in the battle for him. Put on the full armor of God, not the armor of man! Trust the Son of God to go into that battle with you.
Test everything! Don’t assume because something works for someone else that it will work for you! God’s authority is all you need to see you through your spiritual battles.
Don’t try facing your Goliath in someone else’s armor! Let the Lord lead you!
Be sure to get your FREE Prayers and Scriptures for Effective Spiritual Warfare below!
CJB – Taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern. Copyright © 1998. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 6120 Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029. www.messianicjewish.net.
Tree of Life (TLV) – Scripture taken from the Holy Scriptures, Tree of Life Version*. Copyright © 2014,2016 by the Tree of Life Bible Society. Used by permission of the Tree of Life Bible Society.
We are neighbors today at Crystals! I came ove to comment on your post-LOVE IT- and found your link up!
Thanks for hosting. And, I love your post.
Thank you for visiting Tammy and so glad you found the link up!!
I loved this post and the title was fabulous. You have given me lots of food for thought. Sometimes I do face my giants in someone else’s armor and it doesn’t work out to well. I have shared and tweeted. I hope you share this on Friday with Grace & Truth. Thank you!
Thank you so much Maree! I most certainly will!!
I have chosen this post to feature this week on Grace & Truth Link-Up. I have pondered all week this post. I realize I am so guilty of trying to get others to wear my armor when they fight their battles. Of course it doesn’t fit them.
Thank you so much Maree!! I’m so glad the post resonated with you! You have blessed me so much!!
This is such an important message! For much of my life, I looked to others to show me how to act and respond to various situations rather than looking to God. It took a crisis of faith for me to recognize who Christ is for ME, and that He is the only One I should look to. Thank you for this post!
Thank you Julie! I’m so glad you found it helpful!
This is such a wonderful read…I like your writing style
Thank you so much!!
What a great insight into this passage, Diana! I’ve often thought about David not needing Saul’s armor but fully trusting in God’s protection, but never really took it to the level of applying this to me or others. It’s so true that we can feel like we need to use someone else’s strategy (armor) to get something done, when God wants us to fully rely on Him. Thanks for this! Pinned and tweeted!
Thank you so much!!!
What an interesting perspective on David and Goliath. So often the focus is in David and Goliath, but a lot can be learned from the interaction between Saul and David. Love the wisdom here.
Thank you so much Crystal!
Wow, I’ve honestly never thought of the story of David and Goliath in this way. Thank you for the reminder that I need to fight with the armor God has designed for me instead of trying to fit into someone else’s!
Thank you so much Sierra! I am glad you enjoyed it!
Really love this! I read it this morning but did not get the chance to comment. God has given us a specific set of skills, insight, and experiences that He needs us to use to fight our individual battles for His glory.
Amen!! Thank you Brittany!!
This was a GREAT read! The title swallowed me in like a tornado. I hope to read much more like this. Was one of the best put together pieces I’ve read.
Thank you so much Sam! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Love this advice. “Are you trying to solve life’s problems and battling the enemy the way someone else advises or the way someone else handled a similar issue, or are you going to God and putting on the only armor you need; the whole armor of God.” Something I tend to forget. The other thing I do is sometimes I try to keep solving the problem in the same way I have done in the past. Yes, the way that didn’t work.
I do that same thing!! Then I always wonder why it didn’t work THIS time lol