"The eye is the lamp of the body; If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light."- (Matthew 6:22)
Growing up in the bustling NorthEastern United States, just outside of New York City, many axioms of conduct and rules of social behavior were imparted to me. One of the first laws of survival was simply "Keep your head down and never look anyone in the eyes". In a city fraught with veritable maniacs on the verge of violent explosions from the pressures of a life without a horizon line, this made intellectual sense. At any given moment, someone who was a maniac, demoniac or a normal person harboring too much stress could attack... Or at least, that is what the paranoid masses believed. And I was throughout my youth a registered member of the paranoid masses of society. For many years, that is how I lived... Head down, eyes averting contact with anyone. The enemy loves this non-committal, passive approach to social behavior. It divides us.
Only in the past few years have I been given access to the revelation of the truth of the matter. God WANTS us to look each other in the eyes. He wants us to remain connected, just as He is connected to us. "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the Earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him".-(2 Chronicles 16:9) We are made in His image, and therefore are made to do as He does. God WANTS us to look at Him, and to Him at all times. "My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare".-(Psalm 25:16) Catch this principle, it is powerful.
The eyes are truly the windows of the soul. When we shutter those windows or avert our "soul to soul" contacts, we close communion or communication with our neighbors. People crave and need love. "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart".-(Proverbs 15:30) When we offer our eyes to another, we operate as Christ did here on Earth. Jesus did NOT avert His gaze to anyone. On the contrary, He was filled with utter compassion at all times, and for all people, even as He hung on the cross. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.". -(Luke 23:34) We cannot have compassion for the lost, dying and hungry of this world if we do not see them as they truly are. That only comes from seeing them completely, inside and out. I encourage you to not feel convicted right now... It happens to every single one of us. The enemy tries to convince us and condition us into the belief that we are somehow "safer" or "protected" when we insulate our gaze. While I believe that to be true for the sake of guarding our eye-gates from sin, I know that it is not God's will that we should be divided by our defenses. The adversary is intent on dividing us by any means he can. "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand."-(Mark 3:24) Even the very word "division" means "split vision"or "di (meaning two) visions". Think about it. Try looking at someone with the eyes and mind of Christ Jesus, and see what happens. The hurt and wounded will be moved by your contact. Hope will be instilled and perhaps healing can begin. The insecure may avert their eyes, but at least they will see the love in yours. Keep in mind, this may actually scare some people because it has become an almost totally foreign concept. After all, we have been operating under the misunderstanding that we are to be a society of islands unto ourselves. When in truth, the Lord wishes us to be completely connected and in one accord, in Him.
One of our dear friends and an incredible teacher of Personal Mastery and trainer of "Compassionate Samurai", Brian Klemmer teaches a very powerful concept called "Being with". Mr. Klemmer uses an exercise where he has pairs sit facing each other and simply look into one another's eyes. Not merely for a moment, but for long periods of time. Why does this exercise matter? Because in today's society, we have become so self-centered that the power of simply "being with" someone else without spouting our own agendas or touting our accomplishments or venting our complaints is alien. We have forgotten, as a race, how to look INTO one another. Without words, some laugh, others become confused, and some even break down into tears. It is a walled and veiled area of our hearts and minds that was never meant to be as such, but has been trained into that state. Your spirit-man can SEE and be SEEN both in the spirit and the natural. When you dare to connect with another, you make yourself vulnerable and see into their vulnerability. Remember, this is ONLY if you are filled with the Holy Spirit and have the compassionate heart and mind of Christ. If you have evil within you, or fear, you have no protection from the repercussions that may ensue. But on the other end of the spectrum, if you are filled with the Love of God, that is what makes "your eyes good" and "your whole body full of light". And the Love of God is the most powerful creative and defensive force in existence.
While this paramount truth will impact the lost and hurting surrounding us, it is also an effective weapon against the forces of evil. I mentioned early that Jesus the Messiah did not avert His gaze to anyone, in that, I also believe that He NEVER looked away from those who were His enemies either. We are taught from an early age never to make direct eye-contact with dogs. It is widely taught that dogs will attack if they feel threatened by your gaze. But in truth, I believe that it is not the direct stare that causes the attack, but rather the smell of fear. The enemy, like a dog, can sense and smell the spirit of fear. It comes from him. The spirit of fear is NOT of God, and therefore smells like Satan himself. When the enemy or his minions sense that familiar scent, they attack, just like a wild animal or a dog... I have received what I consider tremendous revelation regarding this. You see, not only does it aid the wounded to look into their eyes and thereby their spirit-man, but it will crumble the greatest of foes to pierce their hearts with the inward gaze of that same Love of Christ. When someone filled with evil, be they demonized or simply heartbroken, angry, and lashing out, see the absolutely pure Love that comes from the Holy Spirit LIVING within you, they have no authority over you. When you walk in the boldness of the authority of the blood of Jesus Christ, you cannot be beaten in a good vs. evil staring contest. Evil will always blink. Beware that when they do, you may have some who press the matter further with queries like "Whattayoulookin'at?"; I advise you to use the standard reply for the Sinner and Saint alike: "Jesus Loves You".
This is a basic, powerful principle that is a necessity to become your authentic self. God never designed us to be hermits. Quite the contrary, He created us for fellowship. Why would the Creator make us to be reclusive and self-existing when He himself sought to have communion with us? Therefore, we were made to commune not only with God, but with our fellow man. I believe the most powerful relationships, whether they are marriages of love or purpose, are those where there is absolute connection and thereby, TRUST. Imagine if you will, a couple who, (although blessed with perfect eyesight), never gaze into one another's eyes. They will be, no matter how close they ever become, incomplete. We were made to "see" into each other. Your eyes are a LAMP! I believe that when the Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world", it meant that His light would shine before men through us. YOUR EYES ARE A LAMP. If He is within you, He will enlighten you. That is they key to all of this.
In order to be the "light of the world", you must have Him dwelling within you. To truly and effectively touch others by looking into them and to look through our adversaries, we need Jesus to be looking outwardly from inside of us. That can only be if you welcome Him into your heart, soul, mind and surrender your spirit and life to Him. You need His saving blood, His working power and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of the Living God. If you do not have the gift of salvation, or know that Love of God, receive it RIGHT NOW. It is the greatest gift of all creation, and it is FREE. Ask Jesus the Messiah to come into your heart, into your life and allow Him to be your EYES... TODAY, and see the world and other people in a different light.
Pastors Brian and Jeni Stivale travel the globe spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and ministering with signs and wonders following through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Their ministry of preaching, teaching, prophetic, and worship reaches millions throughout the world via Churches, Conferences, Internet and Television. www.StivaleMinistries.org
Showing posts with label Fear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fear. Show all posts
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Fear & Fear
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."-(2 Timothy 1:7)
A wise man once told me "Fear is the Mind-Killer." This is an absolute truth... But it would have edified my growth as a believer exponentially, if they had taken the time to dissect the veritable dual-meaning behind the noun itself. Fear, for our purposes of investigation, has two very different meanings by the English definition. First, it is identified as "a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. Second, it is identified as "reverential awe, especially toward God". Fear in the former sense is the same fear the Apostle Paul identifies in 2 Timothy when referring to the "spirit of fear" which would keep us from spreading the Gospel. The latter identity is essential, if not all-empowering to our journey and development in Faith. To be a relative semanticist and honor my God-given affinity and mechanical need for etymology, I believe the responsible approach, before we delve into the value of scriptural understanding, would be to scrutinize the Greek and Hebrew forms that were originally intended. The Greek "PHOBEO" is cited as "fear, extreme fear of; morbid, excessive, irrational fear, or terror of something or someone", the Hebrew word (transliterated as "YIRAH") which can possibly mean fear in this same sense, but ALSO means awe, reverence, respect and devotion. When the Word was translated into the Greek, something very interesting happened. The word which means "reverential awe" in Greek "Eulabeia", and the Greek word "Deilia" which means simply "cowardice" were inferred into the use of "PHOBEO" without specific differentiation applied. Whew. Now, if you are still with me...
The FEAR which we teach as being "a disease" and "a Mind-Killer" is very clearly the terror of impending danger, evil or pain and distress. But there is incredible power in the reverential awe or "FEAR OF GOD". "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever."-(Psalm 111:10) In the English Standard Version, the precise phrase "fear of the Lord" occurs 27 times. There are a plethora of other passages which refer or allude to the reverence or "fear" of God. The Spirit of Fear which is mentioned in Paul's epistle, is the same type which is referred to over 366 times throughout the King James Bible when variances of the words "FEAR NOT" are employed. Which leads me directly back to the unction pressing the purpose of this assignment through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I heard in my spirit while praying regarding this quandary, "The FEAR of the LORD is the weapon that destroys the spirit of FEAR that the enemy is attacking My people with". Pondering and absorbing that, it struck a vibrant chord in my spirit-man. In order to "Fear not", we must understand in Spirit and Truth, the FEAR OF THE LORD. There is POWER there.
I was then drawn to the famous example set by Franklin D. Roosevelt in his inaugural address when he iconically stated: "Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." Later into the address, he identifies very clearly how to defeat said fear: "In this dedication of a Nation we humbly ask the blessing of God. May He protect each and every one of us. May He guide me in the days to come." He shows that self-same FEAR OF THE LORD which defeats the spirit of fear. "If God is for us, who is against us? "-(Romans 8:31) When we cast aside fear, and embrace the reverence of our powerful God, we literally disarm the enemy. "In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; YOU WILL HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you." -(Isaiah 54:14) God promises us that when we are founded IN HIM, through His righteousness, fear is banished. Consider it an evil exile to which you have been given the King's authority to cast hence to the outer bounds of existence, never to encounter again. Yet, we are the only border guards with sentry-like authority to patrol the outer boundaries of our territories who will either stave off the return of the exiled fear, or foolishly allow it to breach the sovereignty of that which the Lord has declared trespass.
Sadly, the adversary infiltrates delicate and ill-prepared minds, poisoning the valid understanding of the Fear of the Lord. The forces of evil would confuse every thought in regard of the true understanding therein, and mislead these dear ones to gather that God often acts as the perpetrator of an attack in order to bring witness to His authority. But the wiles of the wicked one are transparent to God's Armed force of hearers and doers of the Word. "If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you."-(Isaiah 54:15) God will not be the dispatcher for the attacks of the spirit of FEAR on His righteous; moreover, He promises that whoever encroaches and attempts to rend harm will literally bow in surrender to you. Remember- this is when we are grafted into the rock of revelation that God is to be reverently "feared". We activate His power in our defenses when we recognize His Glory. And God then grants the advocate to crush the enemy who spews the spirit of fear on our behalf. "See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc; NO weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD."-(Isaiah 54:16-17)
Every time you defy the spirit of fear by operating in faith, no matter the prior circumstances, nor the environment of oppression that may cloud the truth of God's power, you gain ground back to the fortitude of the throne. Following their exile, the Israelites, who were in captivity for 70 years in Babylon, returned to rebuild the Temple. They had most definitely faced and stewed in the spirit of fear. In spite of their blessed exodus out of captivity, they no longer had the protection of the wall which had previously guarded Jerusalem. They had no vineyards, no crops and no army. They were practically sojourners at that point. All they did possess was what they brought out of Babylon and their faith... Their Fear of the Lord. "Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening burnt offerings.-(Ezra 3:3) They defied the spirit of fear and instead focused on their reverence and obedient worship of God. In their obedient sacrifice, they re-established and re-acknowledged the revelation that NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST THEM WOULD PROSPER. The Fear of the Lord had superseded and nullified the creeping fear of re-invasion that could have crippled them.
While we, who are the redeemed of the Lord through Christ Jesus have no need for burnt offerings, we must instead build tabernacles of obedience and altars of sacrifice unto God within our very hearts. The reverence of God is our answer to the spirit of fear. The gap to the foot of the throne is bridged by power, love and a sound mind which are the tangible rewards granted by the blood.
Bear in mind, that we need an advocate to stand in this gap for us before the awesome power of God the Father. We could not commit to be in His reverential presence in our sin nature. We must understand that the true Fear of the Lord is as unfathomable as our inability to conceive His incredible, glorious POWERFUL person in this, our temporal consciousness or flesh. WE NEED JESUS. He is the only one worthy to stand before the Father and claim our benefits. And in His Lordship, we are bound to the dynamic truth of our FREEDOM. You see, Christ did not fulfill the Law and the Prophets, stand accused unjustly before the Sanhedrin, Pharisees and Sadducees, suffer mockery and flagellation at the hands of the Romans under Pilate at Antonia, walk the Via Dolorosa and willingly be nailed to the same cross he carried to the Skull so that we should FEAR. "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we were healed."-(Isaiah 53:5) The punishment which brought our PEACE, our strength and resilience to the spirit of fear was literally purchased by our savior. Jesus paid for us to be freed from fear. "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, FEAR NOT; I am the first and the last."-(Revelation 1:17)
So beloved, as you charge on in the name of Jesus Christ today, receive His freedom. Activate the liberty granted at calvary through His nail-pierced hands and feet. His blood is to be revered, His sacrifice and atonement must not be ignored. If you do not know Him yet or if you do and still live under the weight of the spirit of fear- Cast aside every weight and embrace JESUS. Knowing that "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!"-(John 8:36)
A wise man once told me "Fear is the Mind-Killer." This is an absolute truth... But it would have edified my growth as a believer exponentially, if they had taken the time to dissect the veritable dual-meaning behind the noun itself. Fear, for our purposes of investigation, has two very different meanings by the English definition. First, it is identified as "a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. Second, it is identified as "reverential awe, especially toward God". Fear in the former sense is the same fear the Apostle Paul identifies in 2 Timothy when referring to the "spirit of fear" which would keep us from spreading the Gospel. The latter identity is essential, if not all-empowering to our journey and development in Faith. To be a relative semanticist and honor my God-given affinity and mechanical need for etymology, I believe the responsible approach, before we delve into the value of scriptural understanding, would be to scrutinize the Greek and Hebrew forms that were originally intended. The Greek "PHOBEO" is cited as "fear, extreme fear of; morbid, excessive, irrational fear, or terror of something or someone", the Hebrew word (transliterated as "YIRAH") which can possibly mean fear in this same sense, but ALSO means awe, reverence, respect and devotion. When the Word was translated into the Greek, something very interesting happened. The word which means "reverential awe" in Greek "Eulabeia", and the Greek word "Deilia" which means simply "cowardice" were inferred into the use of "PHOBEO" without specific differentiation applied. Whew. Now, if you are still with me...
The FEAR which we teach as being "a disease" and "a Mind-Killer" is very clearly the terror of impending danger, evil or pain and distress. But there is incredible power in the reverential awe or "FEAR OF GOD". "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever."-(Psalm 111:10) In the English Standard Version, the precise phrase "fear of the Lord" occurs 27 times. There are a plethora of other passages which refer or allude to the reverence or "fear" of God. The Spirit of Fear which is mentioned in Paul's epistle, is the same type which is referred to over 366 times throughout the King James Bible when variances of the words "FEAR NOT" are employed. Which leads me directly back to the unction pressing the purpose of this assignment through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I heard in my spirit while praying regarding this quandary, "The FEAR of the LORD is the weapon that destroys the spirit of FEAR that the enemy is attacking My people with". Pondering and absorbing that, it struck a vibrant chord in my spirit-man. In order to "Fear not", we must understand in Spirit and Truth, the FEAR OF THE LORD. There is POWER there.
I was then drawn to the famous example set by Franklin D. Roosevelt in his inaugural address when he iconically stated: "Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." Later into the address, he identifies very clearly how to defeat said fear: "In this dedication of a Nation we humbly ask the blessing of God. May He protect each and every one of us. May He guide me in the days to come." He shows that self-same FEAR OF THE LORD which defeats the spirit of fear. "If God is for us, who is against us? "-(Romans 8:31) When we cast aside fear, and embrace the reverence of our powerful God, we literally disarm the enemy. "In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; YOU WILL HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you." -(Isaiah 54:14) God promises us that when we are founded IN HIM, through His righteousness, fear is banished. Consider it an evil exile to which you have been given the King's authority to cast hence to the outer bounds of existence, never to encounter again. Yet, we are the only border guards with sentry-like authority to patrol the outer boundaries of our territories who will either stave off the return of the exiled fear, or foolishly allow it to breach the sovereignty of that which the Lord has declared trespass.
Sadly, the adversary infiltrates delicate and ill-prepared minds, poisoning the valid understanding of the Fear of the Lord. The forces of evil would confuse every thought in regard of the true understanding therein, and mislead these dear ones to gather that God often acts as the perpetrator of an attack in order to bring witness to His authority. But the wiles of the wicked one are transparent to God's Armed force of hearers and doers of the Word. "If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you."-(Isaiah 54:15) God will not be the dispatcher for the attacks of the spirit of FEAR on His righteous; moreover, He promises that whoever encroaches and attempts to rend harm will literally bow in surrender to you. Remember- this is when we are grafted into the rock of revelation that God is to be reverently "feared". We activate His power in our defenses when we recognize His Glory. And God then grants the advocate to crush the enemy who spews the spirit of fear on our behalf. "See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc; NO weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD."-(Isaiah 54:16-17)
Every time you defy the spirit of fear by operating in faith, no matter the prior circumstances, nor the environment of oppression that may cloud the truth of God's power, you gain ground back to the fortitude of the throne. Following their exile, the Israelites, who were in captivity for 70 years in Babylon, returned to rebuild the Temple. They had most definitely faced and stewed in the spirit of fear. In spite of their blessed exodus out of captivity, they no longer had the protection of the wall which had previously guarded Jerusalem. They had no vineyards, no crops and no army. They were practically sojourners at that point. All they did possess was what they brought out of Babylon and their faith... Their Fear of the Lord. "Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening burnt offerings.-(Ezra 3:3) They defied the spirit of fear and instead focused on their reverence and obedient worship of God. In their obedient sacrifice, they re-established and re-acknowledged the revelation that NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST THEM WOULD PROSPER. The Fear of the Lord had superseded and nullified the creeping fear of re-invasion that could have crippled them.
While we, who are the redeemed of the Lord through Christ Jesus have no need for burnt offerings, we must instead build tabernacles of obedience and altars of sacrifice unto God within our very hearts. The reverence of God is our answer to the spirit of fear. The gap to the foot of the throne is bridged by power, love and a sound mind which are the tangible rewards granted by the blood.
Bear in mind, that we need an advocate to stand in this gap for us before the awesome power of God the Father. We could not commit to be in His reverential presence in our sin nature. We must understand that the true Fear of the Lord is as unfathomable as our inability to conceive His incredible, glorious POWERFUL person in this, our temporal consciousness or flesh. WE NEED JESUS. He is the only one worthy to stand before the Father and claim our benefits. And in His Lordship, we are bound to the dynamic truth of our FREEDOM. You see, Christ did not fulfill the Law and the Prophets, stand accused unjustly before the Sanhedrin, Pharisees and Sadducees, suffer mockery and flagellation at the hands of the Romans under Pilate at Antonia, walk the Via Dolorosa and willingly be nailed to the same cross he carried to the Skull so that we should FEAR. "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we were healed."-(Isaiah 53:5) The punishment which brought our PEACE, our strength and resilience to the spirit of fear was literally purchased by our savior. Jesus paid for us to be freed from fear. "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, FEAR NOT; I am the first and the last."-(Revelation 1:17)
So beloved, as you charge on in the name of Jesus Christ today, receive His freedom. Activate the liberty granted at calvary through His nail-pierced hands and feet. His blood is to be revered, His sacrifice and atonement must not be ignored. If you do not know Him yet or if you do and still live under the weight of the spirit of fear- Cast aside every weight and embrace JESUS. Knowing that "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!"-(John 8:36)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The Winepress Giant
"And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.
And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, 'Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? Am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.' And the Philistine said, 'I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.'"-(2 Samuel 17:4-10)
While traveling recently, I was praying and distinctly heard in my spirit "Champion". Now immediately, I began to pray broadly for my dear friend's infant son, whose surname is Champion. In the midst of focusing on my contemporary's progeny, I felt a tug of correction and then almost involuntarily turned my eyes toward the newspaper in the hands of the man diagonally across the aisle from me, and the first thing I saw was the word "CHAMPION" in bold capital letters. There it was again. Stark and bare to my gaze in a newsprint black and white. At that point, my prayer became a request for revelation. I was quickened to my bible, where I went directly to the concordance to find in both the King James and the New King James Versions, only ONE entry for the word "Champion". It is the mention of the Philistine Giant who has became the proverbial picture of the adage "The BIGGER they are... The harder they fall". The use of the word is singularly assigned to the mammoth brute who held the self-same role of "champion" for Philistia. It can be deduced through the description in the text that, Goliath stood at a great height. By way of Hebrew measurement, he stood six cubits and a span tall, with a Hebrew cubit equalling roughly 18 inches and a span being the equivalent of about 9 inches, that would set his height roughly at an impressive 9.5 feet. His armor, weighing in at an anthropologically estimated 125-194 pounds and his spear's head at 20-30 pounds, indicates that he was not merely a giant in stature, but rather a hulking beast of physical strength and stamina. Goliath was built for destroying his opposition.
But the physical description of the "champion" of the pagan Philistines is not what pulled me deeper into the Word. His name simply means "Great" or "Very Large" in most translations, and such has the legend given value to his name and size, coining in itself a descriptive quality of massive men and challenges. We see that his name is followed immediately by the disclosure of his birthplace. "Goliath, of Gath". Gath (or in Hebrew "Geth") of the Philistines' was one of the five Philistine city-states, established in northwestern Philistia. It was a city about midway between Bethlehem and the Mediterranean Sea. It means "Winepress". What an amazing God we serve that He allows us to glean immense revelation from even a detail such as this. The "Winepress" is such a vital place of metaphorical and practical significance throughout the scripture and in God's Plans. After all, it is in the winepress that the grapes of wrath are stored... "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."-(Revelation 19:15) And it is the winepress which serves Jesus' parable of the wicked vinedressers or tenants as the metaphor for the "fruit of the Kingdom". "And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it."-(Matthew 21:34) It also sets a vivid vision in one's mind of the wine or spirit being pushed, crushed or transformed under the pressure of change and challenge of transfiguration that the process of making wine is often defined by. A great wine must be crushed into juice at the correct time, and with the appropriate pressure, or it will spoil the outcome of the fermentation, thus destroying the destiny of the grape itself. The beautiful use of Wine as sacrament in the eucharist and symbol of the Blood of our Lord is deserving of an individual encounter, and must be focused upon with consecrated attention; however, we do recognize the importance of the foreshadowing. Jesus is of course, from the line of David. And so, we come to it. David was fighting the Champion of The Winepress. I imagine that at that particular moment, no one identified the immensely symbolic meaning of it all, but rather with great trepidation, saw a nine foot tall madman who ate Hebrews for lunch. But David did not.
David saw only his destiny. It was a challenge that he had been training for. He had slain a bear. He had killed a Lion. He was faithful and willing to die for the God of his fathers. He was so whole-heartedly committed to being the willing hand of the Lord, that I believe heaven and the earth and it's fullness stopped for that moment and peered upon the occasion with awe. Prior to this dynamic milestone, David had been anointed by the Prophet Samuel upon the command of the Lord, out of the sons of Jesse. The Spirit of the Lord came upon David and left Saul that day, creating an opportunity for the young shepherd to minister to the now demon-plagued King with his renowned musical skills. I find it poetic that the presence that was removed from Saul was the only thing that could soothe his trouble. It was through this union that God divinely prepared the opportunity for David to step forward and volunteer to smite the giant on behalf of Israel. The Lord God was most certainly with him. David also recognized the great reward awaiting any who slew the beast. The divine time had arrived. Goliath had come day and night for forty days to taunt the armies of Israel. No man was of the mettle to meet the challenge and face their champion. By appearances no man was the clearly chosen "Champion" of Israel. But appearances were never what God had in mind with David. "Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to."-(1 Samuel 16:12) But the Lord was not concerned with his outward visage. "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."-(1 Samuel 16:7) And his heart was ready.
The fullness of the showdown is marvelous and rich. David is given Saul's armor which is too heavy and "unproved" by him and so discarded. Instead, he takes only his sling and five smooth stones with him. The giant mocks him and he rebukes the Philistine. "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel."-(1 Samuel 17:45-46) And he does just that. The renown of David grows, built upon his victory against the impossible through the intercession and hand of God upon him. David becomes great. David, the musician and shepherd boy, becomes the CHAMPION of the God of Israel.
He faced the Winepress Giant and utterly defeated him. But the purpose behind this meditation is not to merely revel in David's victory and profess that "we all have giants to face and conquer through preparation and a heart that is after God". While that is absolutely true, it is incomplete. For you see, David did become great, King and perhaps the most feared King-General that Palestine and the Middle-East had ever seen, but he had great human error. His failures teach us more than his successes ever could. It speaks to me that we all learn more from our failings than the moments of greatness, as the moments of greatness often are borne out of the training we receive falling on our faces. David would be known as an adulterer, a murderer, and the ruler of a reign of blood. But this day, I was drawn to the mistake he made in fleeing from Saul to the land of the Philistines. Ironically, he not only returned to Philistia, David went to the winepress itself. "But David thought to himself, "One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand." So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath. David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him."-(1 Samuel 27:1-4) While Saul discontinued his search for David, it was to be, in broad perspective and in my opinion, a poor decision on David's behalf. Before this, he actually attempts to flee there and upon arrival at the city gates acts as a madman. "That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said to him, "Isn't this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their dances: 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'? David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard."-(1 Samuel 21:10-12)
It was FEAR that drove David to Gath, and FEAR which made him to feign insanity. It was also FEAR of Saul that leads him there again 6 chapters later to hide under the cover of Achish thus making David and his men into raiders for that season. Do not misunderstand my tone; I do realize that God made the best of all of his shortcomings and failures. However, FEAR is never of God's will. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."-(1 Timothy 1:7) Fear is a spirit, and it is a contagious disease. I have witnessed fear destroy men and women's lives. I have unfortunately also witnessed the enemy use fear to destroy entire churches and labors of the Kingdom. It was not to condemn that God brought me circuitously to this re-revelation. You see, we all must face fear and either fight or fly. Fear is inevitable in our walk. But it is not final. We have been delivered from fear from the very stripes and crucifixion of our Lord, Jesus Christ. "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."-(Matthew 8:17)
FEAR IS A DISEASE. If you do not believe me, look into the fruit of fearful leaders. Look into the Word and witness what fruit comes of fear. David's examples of failure root inevitably out of fear and insecurity. Yes, he lusted for Bathsheba, but is not lust a condition and sympton of insecurity, and thereby fear itself? I believe it is a sister spirit to that of fear, and that perhaps, all sin roots from our vanity. Fear is a spirit that roots like a tick into the fabric of a person's insecurities and vanity. When we are entirely committed to seeing the assignment of the Lord completed, we fear nothing. Rather, we embrace everything, counting it ALL JOY. "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;"-(James 1:2)
Fear is a disease. Insecurity is a condition wrought out of selfishness. Jesus bore our grief, our fear, our doubt- Do not re-crucify Him. Whatever befalls you, do not return to dwell in the land of the evil that you previously defeat. Do not remove that same mantle that God bestowed unto you as "Champion" over a challenge by delivering yourself to the birthplace of the enemy's weapons. Although the Lord uses all things together for good, it is preferable that we get, attain and use WISDOM. With wisdom, we can avoid "failure-based learning" altogether. When you go to the battlefield and face and through the favor and anointing of the God of Israel, decimate your "Winepress Giant", keep his head as David did. I assure you that the souvenir of victory will bar you from falling into the hands of the enemy as easily as forgetting it would. Above all else, seek the Lord when you are tempted to run out of the spirit of fear from that which He allowed to stretch you and make you a "Champion".
And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, 'Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? Am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.' And the Philistine said, 'I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.'"-(2 Samuel 17:4-10)
While traveling recently, I was praying and distinctly heard in my spirit "Champion". Now immediately, I began to pray broadly for my dear friend's infant son, whose surname is Champion. In the midst of focusing on my contemporary's progeny, I felt a tug of correction and then almost involuntarily turned my eyes toward the newspaper in the hands of the man diagonally across the aisle from me, and the first thing I saw was the word "CHAMPION" in bold capital letters. There it was again. Stark and bare to my gaze in a newsprint black and white. At that point, my prayer became a request for revelation. I was quickened to my bible, where I went directly to the concordance to find in both the King James and the New King James Versions, only ONE entry for the word "Champion". It is the mention of the Philistine Giant who has became the proverbial picture of the adage "The BIGGER they are... The harder they fall". The use of the word is singularly assigned to the mammoth brute who held the self-same role of "champion" for Philistia. It can be deduced through the description in the text that, Goliath stood at a great height. By way of Hebrew measurement, he stood six cubits and a span tall, with a Hebrew cubit equalling roughly 18 inches and a span being the equivalent of about 9 inches, that would set his height roughly at an impressive 9.5 feet. His armor, weighing in at an anthropologically estimated 125-194 pounds and his spear's head at 20-30 pounds, indicates that he was not merely a giant in stature, but rather a hulking beast of physical strength and stamina. Goliath was built for destroying his opposition.
But the physical description of the "champion" of the pagan Philistines is not what pulled me deeper into the Word. His name simply means "Great" or "Very Large" in most translations, and such has the legend given value to his name and size, coining in itself a descriptive quality of massive men and challenges. We see that his name is followed immediately by the disclosure of his birthplace. "Goliath, of Gath". Gath (or in Hebrew "Geth") of the Philistines' was one of the five Philistine city-states, established in northwestern Philistia. It was a city about midway between Bethlehem and the Mediterranean Sea. It means "Winepress". What an amazing God we serve that He allows us to glean immense revelation from even a detail such as this. The "Winepress" is such a vital place of metaphorical and practical significance throughout the scripture and in God's Plans. After all, it is in the winepress that the grapes of wrath are stored... "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."-(Revelation 19:15) And it is the winepress which serves Jesus' parable of the wicked vinedressers or tenants as the metaphor for the "fruit of the Kingdom". "And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it."-(Matthew 21:34) It also sets a vivid vision in one's mind of the wine or spirit being pushed, crushed or transformed under the pressure of change and challenge of transfiguration that the process of making wine is often defined by. A great wine must be crushed into juice at the correct time, and with the appropriate pressure, or it will spoil the outcome of the fermentation, thus destroying the destiny of the grape itself. The beautiful use of Wine as sacrament in the eucharist and symbol of the Blood of our Lord is deserving of an individual encounter, and must be focused upon with consecrated attention; however, we do recognize the importance of the foreshadowing. Jesus is of course, from the line of David. And so, we come to it. David was fighting the Champion of The Winepress. I imagine that at that particular moment, no one identified the immensely symbolic meaning of it all, but rather with great trepidation, saw a nine foot tall madman who ate Hebrews for lunch. But David did not.
David saw only his destiny. It was a challenge that he had been training for. He had slain a bear. He had killed a Lion. He was faithful and willing to die for the God of his fathers. He was so whole-heartedly committed to being the willing hand of the Lord, that I believe heaven and the earth and it's fullness stopped for that moment and peered upon the occasion with awe. Prior to this dynamic milestone, David had been anointed by the Prophet Samuel upon the command of the Lord, out of the sons of Jesse. The Spirit of the Lord came upon David and left Saul that day, creating an opportunity for the young shepherd to minister to the now demon-plagued King with his renowned musical skills. I find it poetic that the presence that was removed from Saul was the only thing that could soothe his trouble. It was through this union that God divinely prepared the opportunity for David to step forward and volunteer to smite the giant on behalf of Israel. The Lord God was most certainly with him. David also recognized the great reward awaiting any who slew the beast. The divine time had arrived. Goliath had come day and night for forty days to taunt the armies of Israel. No man was of the mettle to meet the challenge and face their champion. By appearances no man was the clearly chosen "Champion" of Israel. But appearances were never what God had in mind with David. "Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to."-(1 Samuel 16:12) But the Lord was not concerned with his outward visage. "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."-(1 Samuel 16:7) And his heart was ready.
The fullness of the showdown is marvelous and rich. David is given Saul's armor which is too heavy and "unproved" by him and so discarded. Instead, he takes only his sling and five smooth stones with him. The giant mocks him and he rebukes the Philistine. "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel."-(1 Samuel 17:45-46) And he does just that. The renown of David grows, built upon his victory against the impossible through the intercession and hand of God upon him. David becomes great. David, the musician and shepherd boy, becomes the CHAMPION of the God of Israel.
He faced the Winepress Giant and utterly defeated him. But the purpose behind this meditation is not to merely revel in David's victory and profess that "we all have giants to face and conquer through preparation and a heart that is after God". While that is absolutely true, it is incomplete. For you see, David did become great, King and perhaps the most feared King-General that Palestine and the Middle-East had ever seen, but he had great human error. His failures teach us more than his successes ever could. It speaks to me that we all learn more from our failings than the moments of greatness, as the moments of greatness often are borne out of the training we receive falling on our faces. David would be known as an adulterer, a murderer, and the ruler of a reign of blood. But this day, I was drawn to the mistake he made in fleeing from Saul to the land of the Philistines. Ironically, he not only returned to Philistia, David went to the winepress itself. "But David thought to himself, "One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand." So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath. David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him."-(1 Samuel 27:1-4) While Saul discontinued his search for David, it was to be, in broad perspective and in my opinion, a poor decision on David's behalf. Before this, he actually attempts to flee there and upon arrival at the city gates acts as a madman. "That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said to him, "Isn't this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their dances: 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'? David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard."-(1 Samuel 21:10-12)
It was FEAR that drove David to Gath, and FEAR which made him to feign insanity. It was also FEAR of Saul that leads him there again 6 chapters later to hide under the cover of Achish thus making David and his men into raiders for that season. Do not misunderstand my tone; I do realize that God made the best of all of his shortcomings and failures. However, FEAR is never of God's will. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."-(1 Timothy 1:7) Fear is a spirit, and it is a contagious disease. I have witnessed fear destroy men and women's lives. I have unfortunately also witnessed the enemy use fear to destroy entire churches and labors of the Kingdom. It was not to condemn that God brought me circuitously to this re-revelation. You see, we all must face fear and either fight or fly. Fear is inevitable in our walk. But it is not final. We have been delivered from fear from the very stripes and crucifixion of our Lord, Jesus Christ. "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."-(Matthew 8:17)
FEAR IS A DISEASE. If you do not believe me, look into the fruit of fearful leaders. Look into the Word and witness what fruit comes of fear. David's examples of failure root inevitably out of fear and insecurity. Yes, he lusted for Bathsheba, but is not lust a condition and sympton of insecurity, and thereby fear itself? I believe it is a sister spirit to that of fear, and that perhaps, all sin roots from our vanity. Fear is a spirit that roots like a tick into the fabric of a person's insecurities and vanity. When we are entirely committed to seeing the assignment of the Lord completed, we fear nothing. Rather, we embrace everything, counting it ALL JOY. "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;"-(James 1:2)
Fear is a disease. Insecurity is a condition wrought out of selfishness. Jesus bore our grief, our fear, our doubt- Do not re-crucify Him. Whatever befalls you, do not return to dwell in the land of the evil that you previously defeat. Do not remove that same mantle that God bestowed unto you as "Champion" over a challenge by delivering yourself to the birthplace of the enemy's weapons. Although the Lord uses all things together for good, it is preferable that we get, attain and use WISDOM. With wisdom, we can avoid "failure-based learning" altogether. When you go to the battlefield and face and through the favor and anointing of the God of Israel, decimate your "Winepress Giant", keep his head as David did. I assure you that the souvenir of victory will bar you from falling into the hands of the enemy as easily as forgetting it would. Above all else, seek the Lord when you are tempted to run out of the spirit of fear from that which He allowed to stretch you and make you a "Champion".
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