OPEN HEAVENS

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY
DEVOTIONAL. TUESDAY, 21ST
JANUARY, 2014 THEME : A
LESSON FROM GOLIATH

MEMORISE:
Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little
folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy
poverty come as one that travelleth, and
thy want as an armed man.
Proverbs 6:10-11

READ: 1 Samuel 17:41-43
41 And the Philistine came on and drew
near unto David; and the man that bare
the shield went before him.
42 And when the Philistine looked about,
and saw David, he disdained him: for he
was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair
countenance.
43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am
I a dog, that thou comest to me with
staves? And the Philistine cursed David by
his gods.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 THESSALONIANS 5,
2 THESSALONIANS 3 and PSALM 20

MESSAGE
At the first sight of David, Goliath
despised him. He was amazed that the
children of Israel could find no man to
fight him but a young boy. As if that was
not enough, Goliath did not see any
conventional weapon of war on David. So
he asked, “Am I a dog?” The first lesson
we have to learn from this story as
Christians is that we must never
underestimate our enemies. A small
snake can be full of potent poison. In
Joshua 7:2-6, the Bible tells us that after
the fall of Jericho, Joshua relaxed, thinking
that since they were victorious over
Jericho, a small town like Ai would pose
no problems. He underestimated the
enemy and lost thirty-six men. Any
overconfident person will fall; so, be
careful that you don’t fall. It was
overconfidence that destroyed Samson
according to Judges 16:6-21. Delilah
asked him outright about the secret of his
strength and how he could be bound and
tormented. The intent was clear enough
for him to take caution, but Samson
underestimated the power of a woman
and he fell. You better not underestimate
your enemy. The Bible says that we
should beware of little foxes in Song of
Solomon 2:15. These are things that we
think are not very important or too bad.
For example, a little exposure of your
nakedness can make you a victim of rape
as a woman. Also, a brief glance at
pornographic pictures on the internet can
weaken your power of resistance against
illicit sex and you could become a victim
of sexual perversion. A little indulgence in
idleness and pleasure seeking could make
you poor perpetually according to today’s
memory verse.
Goliath came to the battle with swords,
bow and arrow while David came in the
Name of the Lord of Hosts. One said he
would do it on his own while the other
said the Lord would do it for him.
Another lesson we must learn from
Goliath is pride which I describe as a
dangerous relative of overconfidence.
Overconfidence leads to pride. When you
are too confident of yourself, you will feel
you do not need God. God says in
Proverbs 6:16-17:
“These six things doth the LORD hate:
yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands
that shed innocent blood,”
Goliath never thought David could come
near him, not to talk of defeating him.
Many of us boast that nothing can stop us
from getting to Heaven. We relax and
become overconfident, forgetting the
warning of 1 Corinthians 10:12. If you do
not remember that your standing in the
faith is not by your ability, then you are in
danger. I pray that God will not resist
you.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, help me not to fall prey to the
spirit of pride, overconfidence and
careless living.

by Pastor E.A Adeboye.