You cannot fight God’s battles wearing what God never gave you.
“And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it… And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.”
— 1 Samuel 17:39
David arrives at the Valley of Elah. The battle is set in array. For forty days the giant Goliath has mocked the God of Israel, and not a single soldier has stepped forward. Until David. And with holy resolve he says, “Is there not a cause?”
David wasn’t interested in comfort. He was consumed with cause.
But before he stepped into the valley, Saul tried to put his armor on him. It looked impressive. It seemed logical. It was what warriors wore. But the Bible says David “assayed to go” — and he couldn’t. It had not been proven. It didn’t fit. It would have hindered him more than helped him.
So David cast it off.
He took his sling, his stones, his staff — what God had already used in his life — and he went forward. And the giant fell.
Sometimes the flesh does the same thing to us. It tries to add things to the Christian life — even to the church life — that have nothing to do with winning the victory. Things that look impressive. Things that feel strategic. Things that promise strength.
But if they do not serve the cause of Christ, they only slow us down.
We don’t need Saul’s armor.
We need God’s power.
There is still a Goliath in front of us — a world that needs the gospel. And anything that does not advance that mission must be discarded. Anything that distracts us from the cause must be removed.
Declutter.
Get back to the basics.
Pick up what God has already given you.
And go forward for the glory of God.
