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1. Fear. We can all relate to fear.
2. Whether it’s COVID-19 or some new variant, wars or rumors of war, inflation or recession, inflated fuel prices or empty grocery store shelves, we can all relate to fear.
3. Whether it’s sharing the Gospel with a non-Christian or standing up for what is true when it’s unpopular to do so, we can all relate to fear.
4. Or on a more personal level, whether it’s spiders or snakes, never getting married or getting divorced, finding a job or losing your job, failing health or the death of a loved one, the relative who won’t talk to you or an in-law who still hasn’t gone home after their Christmas visit; again, we can all relate to fear.
5. We might not have the same fears or go through the same trials, but all of us have experienced fear, especially when trials come; when our “What ifs” or “Worst case scenarios” become a reality.
6. Tonight, we are going to study a passage that is familiar to many, if not all of us – the epic battle between David and Goliath.
7. But we’re not going to study David’s actual defeat of Goliath.
8. Rather, we’re going to look at the epic battle before the battle to discover some of the enemy’s tactics as well as some critical principles from God’s Word to help us live victoriously When Trials Come.

1 Samuel 17:1-11, 16

Context
1. By the time we come to 1 Samuel 17, it’s important to note that Israel’s first king, Saul, had been rejected by God because he had disobeyed God’s command when he failed to completely destroy the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15).
2. So, God had found someone to replace Saul, a man after His own heart, a young shepherd from Bethlehem by the name of David.
3. In fact, at this point, the prophet Samuel had already anointed David as king (1 Samuel 16:13), but David did not begin to reign until much later (2 Samuel 2).
4. God allowed Saul to reign as king to reveal that:
a. Saul was disqualified and rejected as king.
b. David was qualified and anointed to be the next king.
c. In many ways, this trial with the Philistines was God’s way of introducing David to Israel, a divine message that God’s favor was resting upon their next king, David.

Transition – With this context in mind, the first biblical principle to help us live victoriously when trials come is. . .

I. We Must Stand Our Ground (1-3)

• Unfortunately, many Christians give up ground when trials come; perhaps you can relate.
• But when trials come, that is the time when we must stand our ground.

A. Satan is always trying to steal ground from us (1)
1. Notice where the Philistines set up camp.
a. The Philistines set up camp in a town called Socoh. (1)
b. Where was Socoh located? In Judah.
c. Who gave Socoh to Judah? God.

Joshua 15:20-21, 35, This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah according to their families. Now the cities at the extremity of the tribe of the sons of Judah were. . . Socoh and Azekah

2. When the Philistine set up camp in Socoh they were declaring to Israel that Socoh now belonged to the Philistines.
3. At first glance one might ask, “Socoh was just a border town. Why did it matter?”
4. It mattered because strong border towns are essential for the stability of any nation.
5. If a country is unable to protect its borders, then it won’t be long before its capital is vulnerable as well.

APPL – Spiritually speaking, “stealing ground” from God’s people is a common tactic of the enemy.

John 10:10a, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy

• The enemy will look for vulnerable areas first.
• Then, little by little, the enemy will take and occupy as much ground as each Christian is willing to give up.
• The enemy seeks to steal our vision to destroy our hopes and dreams.
• The enemy also seeks to steal our testimony and destroy our witness.

ILLUS – Do nations, companies, or relationships fail overnight?

Pastor Rich Jones
Pastor Matthew Dodd
Rich Jones Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel Worship Center
Calvary Chapel Hillsboro
Calvary Chapel Oregon
Calvary Chapel Beaverton
Calvary Chapel Portland

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