Powerful Archives – Brewing Ground

Giant Life

Well, let’s face it, life happens. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes awful, and sometimes full of giants. Now, I know that there has been or will be giants in your life. Whether it is a giant mountain you have to climb, a giant illness, giant situations, giant decisions, giant changes, or an actual giant. My point is…giant will happen. This is our Brewing Ground. This is where God’s refining fire and life come together for our good. To refine us like silver and create a beautifully, unique masterpiece; hand forged by God Himself. So, when giant happens what do we need to know? Let’s learn from the story of David and Goliath.

David and Goliath is one of those Bible stories that we learn as children. When I went back and actually read the story, God pointed out several small but very significant details that don’t necessarily get mentioned in the story we hear as children. These details were the ones that God used to whisper his message.

David Enters the Picture

Saul is currently king over Israel. Throughout his reign, he has continually sinned and rejected God. Now, God has rejected him and his line of descendants from being king over Israel any longer. As 1 Samuel 16 begins, God puts His plan into motion to change the reign of Saul’s line as king. God sends Samuel to declare and anoint the new king.

“16 And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.” 1 Samuel 16:1 KJV

So, Samuel went and looked at each of the sons and rejected each. He asked if there was any other son. The youngest was in the field with the sheep; Samuel told the father to bring him. This is where David makes his debut in the Bible.

“¹²And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. ¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.” 1 Samuel 16:12-13a KJV

God allowed Saul to remain king until his death. God used this time to prepare David to be king.

David’s Wisdom

Now, a war began between Saul’s army, the Israelites, and the Philistines. War strategy then was to have each army send its strongest warrior to fight each other. The Philistines had a giant in their army, Goliath; he was 10 feet tall. The war was at a standstill because no one from the Israelite army would fight him.

David’s brothers were members in the Israelite army while David remained home to tend to the sheep. David’s father sent him to the battle to take food to his brothers and the other troops. Once he arrived, he found out what was going on. David responded,

“…or who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 1 Samuel 17:26b KJV

David was the only one who seemed to remember that they were God’s army. He told Saul that he would go and fight the giant. Saul responded by saying that he could not win because he was only a boy. David responds,

“³⁴Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: ³⁵And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. ³⁶Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.” 1 Samuel 17:34b-37 KJV

David’s Battle

So, Saul tried to lend David his armor and swords; but they were too big for him. David knew they would be the death of him and removed them. David once again used wisdom by going into battle with what he was proficient with, despite the opposition; he took 5 smooth stones and his sling.

After being threatened by Goliath, David responded.

“⁴⁵Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. ⁴⁶This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee;” 1 Samuel 17:45-46a KJV

And, the battle began. As the giant headed for David,

“⁴⁹And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. ⁵⁰So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. ⁵¹Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

” 1 Samuel 17:49-51 KJV

Well, it was over and before it even began! However, did you catch the fact that the stone actually sunk into Goliath’s forehead? Think about the force and power needed to make a small stone actually crush skull and sink into the bone with a sling shot! Only divine assistance could produce these extreme results.

Facing Giant Life

So, when giant happens – here’s what we need to know?

David KNEW that God was with him so he would not fail. God is with us!
Even though David was young, he knew that God had PREPARED him. You may think the lion and bear are the giants, when in reality, these are only the preparation. Either way, rest assured that God will prepare you.
Even the smallest things can be so powerful and have a huge impact when used by God.

Can you remember a time when God prepared you for a giant or used something small in a very powerful way? Comment Below!

If this Monday Brew has blessed you please share!

Let Brew in Victory!

Will You Meet Me For Coffee?

Hello sweet friends! Will you meet me for coffee? Let’s chat! Sometimes we forget or underestimate how much power even the smallest things can have. A hug, a kind word, a coffee, a listening ear, a prayer, a note, even just a smile. When used by the Holy Spirit, the smallest of gestures have the potential to impact people in a very powerful way; ways we may never know or could even imagine. These gestures hold great power and potential to have a profound impact on someone’s day or maybe even their life. I’d like to tell you a story about a friend and one of these gestures.

God has truly blessed me. He has given me the privilege of teaching with a great group of Godly individuals. People that I truly enjoy. Not only do I get to work with these lovely people, I also have the privilege of calling them friends. Throughout my years of teaching at this school there have been so many prayers, smiles, hugs, kind words, and so on. This is what we do for each other. Recently, God reminded me of a single powerful sentence that a sweet friend said to me one time. This was one of those small underestimated things that the Holy Spirit used in a powerful way.

A Look Back

I have been in a war on my Brewing Ground for years now. It has been the longest and hardest war I have ever had to fight; and, it’s still not over. Almost 2 years ago, there was an extra intense battle that begun in this war. On a particularly rough day, one of my sweet teaching friends came into my room at the end of the school day. She knew nothing about my situation or what was going on; however, she could tell that something was off. All she did was walk up to me and say, “I’m praying that whatever is falling apart will start falling back together.”

This was a powerful moment for me. My friend may not have realized it, but God used this gesture. To her it was probably just a small thing to let me know that she cared and was praying. However, God used this brief moment. For one, He used this to remind me that He is always with me. He also reminded me that I have the support of friends and family. I also believe this was God’s way a giving me a prayer warrior for my situation; even though she didn’t really know what she was praying for. Since then, I have been reminded of this friend’s sentence a few times. A sentence that held underestimated power. I doubt, at the time, she thought I would still be thinking about this sentence almost 2 years later. In fact, if I were to ask her about it today she may not even remember this. Little did we know at the time, but God was also planting a “revelation” seed in me.

Powerful Revelation

“I’m praying that whatever is falling apart will start falling back together.”

This was the prayer of a friend almost 2 years ago. More recently, my battle has intensified and it has felt like everything is actually falling apart and God brought this prayer to my mind again. THEN…the other day I stumbled upon a quote. There are times when you read a quote and it is just a quote. Then, there are times when you read something and the Holy Spirit grabs your heart and you know that it is much more than a quote – it’s a message. This was one of those times.

“Sometimes when things are falling apart they may actually be falling into place.”

A powerful moment, a message for me. When I read it, God used it. He immediately brought back to mind that prayer and put the two together with my situation and His word for a powerful revelation. It was almost as if God said, “OK Vanessa, we are now entering ‘Phase 2’ of this battle. It’s time to change your thinking and strategy. You can do this. Everything is actually falling into place. Remember My truths…”

^“7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. ⁸The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever.” Psalm 138:7-8a KJV

“Next…”

^“28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 KJV

“And…”

^“9Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:9 KJV

Powerful! I claim it in Jesus name!

The Ending

Well, I have no idea yet when or how this is going to end. I do know that it’s not going to be easy; I am still in the midst of the battle. There is no way to tell what God is going to do in “Phase 2”. I’m sure it will be something that I never even thought of. But, God already knows the ending! I claim that the pieces are actually falling into place! Whatever the ending is, it will be glorious!

God, thank you for my Brewing Ground, and your refining fire. Thank you that I will emerge from the fire victorious!

So, I challenge you this week to not pass up the opportunity to share those small gestures with those around you. You never know when one might be used by the Holy Spirit and turned into a powerful life changing moment.

Let’s Brew!

Has God ever used a small gesture that someone did for you in a powerful way? Comment below!