The greatest enemy in change is you. The fear to oppose someone who is wrong. The fall to tolerate a thorn in a relationship. The drawback to tell the truth.
You are not alone. Many join these ranks. It’s why the word “revival” is cliche. It’s why it’s easier in life to recline in the ways have been to risk to challenge things to be the way they should be.
Tolerance is a disease. You see a problem. You know something needs to change; but you rather “go with the flow” than risk to lose your reputation of being “cool”.
It’s standing up for the small things, that the great events in history are written.
Look at David. His fight didn’t start with Goliath: it started with his countrymen.
Goliath is Israel’s newest bully on the block. From day one, Goliath mocks the army of the Living God with no shame.
“I defy the armies of Israel”, he cried. For 40 days, he came up and challenged Israel.
Lucky for us, we aren’t the first generation plagued with the disease of tolerance. Israel heard Goliath’s rants, but they did nothing. While the Philistine heap hate speeches against God’s chosen people, the Israelites found it easier to tolerate him than to stand up for their rights.
Then enters David. Youngest of his family, David is sent to feed his older brothers who were soldiers in the army.
“Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them” (1 Samuel 17:23).
It was as if someone drop a glass in the antique shop. Like dropping a weight on your foot; however you would describe it, something snapped inside David. He became enraged:
“Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, ‘What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?'” (1 Samuel 17:26).
David wasn’t the little shepherd anymore; now he was the steel-toe boot stepping on everybody’s toes. He went to and through, demanding a reason for why this Philistines mocked God’s people and he still had his head between his shoulders.
The “cool” thing would have been to stay within your click and rave how to resolute the “giant” problem: just talk about it. David didn’t feel satisfied with just talk.
The forest burns by one spark of a flame. David was like everyone else there on the Valley of Elah: they all knew Goliath was guilty of death for defying them; but unlike everyone else, David purposed to change the situation.
“Then David said to (King) Saul, ‘Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.'” (1 Samuel 17:32)
Moments later, Goliath laid on the Valley of Elah, dead and beheaded. David turned hero overnight and later became Israel’s favorite king. He is a legend that echoes down the ages; yet it all started when he piped up in a crowd.
Don’t bend to challenges. Don’t conform to silence. Don’t tolerate sin. Pull out from wherever you sit and take a stand. Watch and see how God may turn the tide to change history.
FOLLOW THE SON 