Get Your Strategy Right
[ Preached by Pastor Kenneth Chin at Campus City, Acts Church Malaysia – 3 November 2017 ]
Read 1 Samuel 17:1-51
Here are three strategies you can apply in dealing with challenges from different people in your life.
Firstly, you need to identify who you are dealing with? Is it :
FAMILY
Family is really important. Family can be our close friends. Sometimes, our close friends can also be our family. And family knows us better than outsiders, that is why their discouragements can get to us!
David replied Eliam’s disapproval to defeat Goliath with a cause.
When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” 1 Samuel 17:28-29
Through every persecution, your purpose will be tested. When you are clear enough with your cause, your parents will be more relief to let you continue on with your journey.
Reflection:
What do you stand for? What do you believe in? Do you have a cause?
AUTHORITY
Authority can be in the form of a teacher, pastor, prime minister or even your parents. And sometimes, our authority figure may not believe that we could achieve our dreams.
King Saul said to David that he could not fight the battle.
Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 1 Samuel 17:33
When dealing with an authority figure, you always present your case with stories, achievements, experiences and personal testimonies. Do not give up the chance when someone gives you a menial task. Instead, do it with great excellence because these will build your testimonies.
Reflection:
Can your authority figure see the testimony in you? Is your work conducted in an excellent spirit?
ENEMY
Do not mess around with the enemy. Do not entertain him. Kill the lust, kill the sin, kill the temptation.
David approached his enemy in the name of the Lord of Hosts.
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17:45-47
Sometimes, we adopt the wrong strategy by being confused that our family or authority is our enemies and we hurt the relationship further. Some of us think the enemy is our family and shared with him our cause, only to have the enemy destroying our dreams.
Reflection:
Have you been treating your family or your authority as your enemy?
By identifying the parties in your situation and by shortlisting the right strategies, we can then deal with our challenges better!
Summarised by Acts Writers Ink
Edited by Hailey Chung