When David went into battle against Goliath, he understood that it was a spiritual battle and not just a physical one. He said, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” (1 Samuel 17:45)
We can learn much about how to win as a spiritual warrior in the marketplace by looking at the example of David as he faced Goliath. Here are a few things that we can observe:
- David understood the nature of the battle. It is easy for the entrepreneur to think that their battle is the practical one; competition, pricing, markets, difficult employees, etc. The successful warrior is the one who never forgets to battle on their knees because the war is a spiritual one and won in that dimension first. David understood this and won because he did.
- David remembered his earlier wins. God presented him with the opportunity to fight a lion and a bear and, in winning those battles, he was confident that God would be with him no matter the nature of the enemy. God takes the Kingdom Entrepreneur through lesser battles, tests of their faith, so that when the big battles come, they are ready to face them and win. The key is to remember: if God has brought us through before, He will do it again.
- David knew that God could win with what was already in his hand. He rejected King Saul’s offer of sword and armor and went against the fully armed Goliath and his shield bearer with only a sling and a few stones. It was enough! Too often we look at what is in our hands and feel like we don’t have what we need, especially when we feel like WE are not enough–not smart enough, not able enough, just not enough. We must know that where God calls us, He provides everything we need to succeed. Remember, the battle is His, not ours. Our job is faithfulness–to do what He has called us to do.
- David was aggressive. Scripture tells us that he ran towards Goliath to engage in battle. How often, when faced with a business challenge that is really a spiritual battle, do we run the other way? How often do we look for a way to avoid the confrontation rather than engaging it with love, power, grace, and understanding from God? Successful spiritual warriors are willing and ready to engage when the time is right and God has called us into the engagement.
When David won this battle, it was not just for him. The rest of Israel’s army overwhelmed the forces aligned with Goliath. When we are willing to engage and fight the spiritual battle God has called us into in the marketplace, we win for our employees, our customers, our suppliers, and our community. Remember that we are not in this battle just for us. These conflicts, like Kingdom Businesses, have multiple bottom lines; broad ranging effects. Let’s be like David and be the hero God has called us to be, not just for ourselves but for others as well.
– posted by Randall Sanford