I go after it [the lion or bear] with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.  (1 Samuel 17:35)

Dear People Who Keep Company with God,

David had the courage to challenge Goliath as a shepherd boy because he had already faced and defeated a lion and a bear. In this world, we have enemies around us, the lion, and within us, the bear. Like David, we have or will meet these adversaries alone and out of the sight of others. In these internal battles, we either experience the power of God and victory over Satan and his world system or continually struggle with spiritual mediocrity. We may not realize that God is preparing us for an even greater foe and promotion through facing and overcoming the lion and bear.

The Apostle Peter warned about the one that goes about like a roaring lion: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) The hunger of a lion for its prey is symbolic of the insatiable desire of the enemy to destroy us by any means possible. The devil would love nothing more than to hit us with disappointment, discouragement, and loss that instills fear, distress, and apathy. The activity of the enemy should never be our primary focus. But we need to stay aware of his schemes, live alert in this world, and continue enriching ourselves through a genuine relationship with the Lord.

The other adversary we face is the one that is within each of us. That is the bear. Years ago, I had a dream in which I was in the backyard of my childhood home. I saw my brother lying dead on the ground. A grizzly bear had mauled him, and I knew the bear was stalking me. I tried to escape, but it caught me. The dream ended with the bear standing upright, gripping me around the neck, holding me above its head, and roaring furiously. I woke up panicked, but once I settled down, the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He told me the bear was my broken soul. And if I didn’t allow Him to heal and restore me, I would destroy those I loved and eventually myself. Incidentally, one of the meanings of my name is bear.

I heard an older preacher say, “Jesus may be in your heart, but your granddaddy is still in your bones. Jesus has some company in you.” Some of the most significant battles of life are in our inner, private world. Just as the fight is on the inside, so are the bleeding, the loss, and the hurt. Yet over the years since the dream, the Holy Spirit has worked tirelessly, untwisting my thinking, healing insecurities, taking away shame, and softening my heart. He made me know how loved I am. David captures this so powerfully when he wrote, “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3)

There was no immediate promotion for David after defeating the lion and bear. Life went on as usual for the shepherd boy. But God was going to promote him, as He desires to do for us. We must first face our Goliath. The power of Goliath was in his ability to strike fear in the hearts of the Israelites. His great size, impressive armor, lethal weapons, and bullying taunts made even the bravest soldier shrink back. Goliath is often the thing that you are most afraid to face. 

There is only one way to meet and subdue your Goliath. You must move against it with the weapons of faith and love. “Perfect love cast out fear.” (1 John 4:18) “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) Knowing you are deeply loved and remembering that God has already conquered the lion, bears, and giants in your life at the cross will give you all the faith needed to take down your worst fears.

Many Blessings, BW

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