147 Cardio: A Bold Heart, Pt. 2
Every one of us would love to exhibit the kind of giant-killing courage David had as we deal with our own Goliaths. So, how does that happen? How do you develop a bold heart?
1. You develop a bold heart by consistently facing up to everyday challenges.
It takes time to grow a bold heart. David had already slain the bear and he’d already faced down the lion. He was ready for the giant.
It was in everyday moments when nobody was watching in an unglamorous job as a shepherd that David, day after day, built this very bold heart. If he’d waited until he faced Goliath, David would have backed down like everybody else. But he’d seen God’s faithfulness as he’d stood up to the lion and the bear.
That’s the first way you build a bold heart – by facing up to everyday challenges in God’s strength. So start there. Stand up to the lions and the bears. Ask for God’s guidance. Pray for God’s strength. Face them down in God’s power. And your heart will get bolder.
2. You develop a bold heart by wisely handling criticism and opposition.
David’s brother, Eliab, a soldier in Israel’s army, didn’t like being shown up by his little brother. He criticized and judged David. But David didn’t let it deter him.
Friends, whenever you decide to stand up to your giant – whether it’s illiteracy or alcohol or anger – you will be criticized. “So, you think you’re better than the rest of us?” Many times, those words will come from folks who won’t face the giant themselves…even family.
You could give up and lose heart. You could get defensive and spend the rest of your life trying to straighten them out. Or you can say, “As best I can discern, this is what I think God is calling me to do. I need to stand up to this Goliath.”
3. You develop a bold heart by confidently resisting human strategies.
The scene is almost comical as David tries on Saul’s armor. The helmet slides over David’s eyes. The tunic drags on the floor and the armor is cumbersome. But David said, “I cannot go in these because I have not tested them.”
You will never defeat the giants in your life with human weapons. Only Christ can give you the supernatural capacity to slay the giants of your life.
4. You develop a bold heart by courageously trusting God in the crisis moment.
David knew that when he went to face Goliath, he would stand alone. Just him against the giant. And yet, he knew he wasn’t truly alone. Perhaps as he walked down into the valley of Elah, he remembered the words he had written years before: “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for thou art with me…”
So, what’s your next step?
Identify your giant.
Be in relationship with Jesus.
Do what only you can do. For David, that meant giving the stone a fling. For you, it might mean confessing to your small group or seeking out a counselor or mentor.
Pour on the prayer. Fight with the weapon that makes giants tremble: prayer.
Text: 1 Samuel 17
Originally recorded on May 7, 2006, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN.