Pick Up Your Stones

One of the beauties of reading the Bible is that you can pick up something different every time, depending on your current life situation.  I've read the story of David in Goliath numerous times.  I've heard it taught from elementary through adulthood, and yet I get a different lesson out of it nearly every time.  I truly believe that every little detail in the Bible is there for a reason.  It is those details that add that different lesson to each reading. 

This week I was reading through the story once again when something occurred to me that I hadn't thought of before.  Why did David pick up five stones?  If you understand the training that he had undergone, you would know that he would have complete faith in himself to make the hit with the first stone.  There would be no doubt that he would achieve enough velocity to easily strike down the giant that stood before him.  Yet, he selected five stones. 

How many times in life do we face an individual battle?  There's a reason for the saying "when it rains, it pours".  I believe that one reason that David chose five stones, was because he knew the enemy rarely used a single attack, and he was prepared to face the next enemy, should he choose to attack. 

I believe, like David, we need to pick up our five stones, because the enemy will rarely send a single attack, and we must be prepared for each one.  Here are five stones that I believe are essential to our battle readiness.

1) God's Word.  This is our battle plan.  This is where we will receive our instructions for battle and learn to understand our enemy. 

2) Prayer.  It is one thing to read the battle plan, but there is much more to be said for spending time with the commander.  It is through prayer, which is simply conversation with God, that He will bring to light an understanding of what we have studied in His word. 

3) Worship.  Worship is so much more than music.  Worship is a way of showing total reverence to God.  It is a celebration of who He is and a reminder to us of the battles He has already lead us through.  It is an anthem to let the enemy know that we are celebrating his defeat before the next battle even begins.

4) Protective measures.  We all have our battles that we face.  When you have a weakness in war, you would be foolish not to create a barrier or put in place a plan to protect you from the vulnerability of that weakness.  For some, this will be a blocker on your internet that only your spouse has access to.  Maybe for you it is complete vulnerability with your finances with someone you trust.  It may even be to professional / clerical counseling to deal with anger or struggles from your past.

5) Brotherhood.  This is an often overlooked, yet essential part of facing our battles.  As men, we tend to believe we're alone in our battles, no one else will understand what we're struggling through.  We must find a few guys that we can trust and share our battles with one another. 

As David did, let's pick up our stones, study our enemy, and charge into battle.