The Element of Audacity

The Element of Audacity
Words of Faith 10-25-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Samuel 17:48-54
[48] As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. [49] Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. [50] So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand, he struck down the Philistine and killed him. [51] David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. [52] Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. [53] When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. [54] David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put the Philistine's weapons in his own tent.

The actual battle between David and Goliath was very short. Goliath began his move, drawing closer toward David. The language describes a sort of careful movement, like a fighter slowly coming out to test an opponent. Some might have been cautious at this point, but David broke into a full sprint.
While running faster and faster toward the enemy Goliath, David took a stone from his bag. He skillfully began the rapid spinning motion required to gain momentum and release the stone as a projectile. That spinning motion will make a whirring sound that must have created an eerie scene. We don't know how far David had to travel at top speed, but the stone was released in another instant. There would have been no other sound but a sharp pop as the stone was imbedded into Goliath's forehead.
Goliath may have staggered before falling face down. It appears, however, that he was not yet dead. David finished off the giant with Goliath's own sword and then cut off his head. Nothing could have been more devastating to the Philistines' morale than seeing their champion fall.
The men of Israel and Judah surged forward, united in this great moment of victorious elation. They defeated and plundered the Philistines. David brought Goliath's head to Jerusalem, and he kept the weapons of the defeated giant in his own tent.
So what do we make of this? More than a children's story, isn't it?
The truth is that some enemies must be approached boldly and swiftly. Posturing and prepping do no good when on a battlefield like the Valley of Elah. David knew that he had to charge ahead. It was not so much the element of surprise as the element of audacity. He gave Goliath no opportunity to react, respond, or reposition. He gave himself no chance to retreat, rethink, or recoil. It was now or never, and the charge was on.
We have enemies like that, too. Some of them seem huge. It may be a particular temptation or sin that must be killed, or a decision that must be made to finally find victory. We may have to run straight at an enemy in order to defeat that enemy. Often, an enemy is "Goliath" primarily because of how we have built it up in our minds, but once we realize the decision that must be made, it is time to run. There is no other way to run full sprint with sling whirling, knowing and trusting the mighty Name of God.
Are you facing a giant... a Goliath? Once you are convinced that the Lord is Your victory, you have no choice but to hurl yourself toward that victory. Pursue it. Run into it.

Father God, give me the courage to sprint into the victories You have planned for me in the power of Your Name. Give me that element of audacity. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.