Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. How we use the talents God gave us will determine the answer to whether we are a casualty or a success.

I think our desire is to always be successful, but we all know that won’t happen 100% of the time. Sometimes we allow our weaknesses to get in the way of succeeding. Our dependency on ourselves and our past experiences often get in our way.

Let’s consider the example of David and Saul’s army as they faced the giant, Goliath. The story is familiar to most everyone, and you can refresh your memory by reading First Samuel 17. In this story, we have both casualty and success.

The story begins with the Philistines on a mountain on one side and Israel on a mountain across from them with a valley between them. Goliath stood as the champion, one to be feared.

Goliath was equipped with a helmet of bronze, a suit or armor, armor on his legs, and a spear like a weaver’s beam. He obviously was well trained in the methods of war, and he stood fearless as he taunted the people of Israel. First Samuel 17:33 says Goliath had been a man of war since he was a youth.

When the young man, David, appeared it was for the purpose of checking on his three brothers who were soldiers of Saul. He was a shepherd bringing gifts to his brothers and the commander of their regiment. He had no idea he would leave a hero.

While David was talking to his brothers, Goliath appeared and called out to the Israelite army. Their response was to run and hide.

Now these men were trained soldiers. Some of them might have been new to this army, but Saul surely had many trained men with him. They would have been equipped with helmets, armor, swords, spears, and shields. They would not have gone into battle without being dressed appropriately.

So what was the problem? The men of Israel had the equipment. They had the training. They had the leadership. They even had an added incentive. “And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel” (First Samuel 17:25 ESV). Yet with all of these incentives, no one would go.

David stepped forward with these words. “Let no man’s heart fall because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine” (Verse 32). He offered to risk his life for the army, but Saul tried to talk him out of going.

David persisted, and this was his reasoning. He had killed both lions and bears, and this Philistine would fall like they did. The way he knew this would happen was that this Philistine had defied God.

 We know the rest of the story. David did not use the heavy, unproved armor of the king. He used what he knew—a sling and five small stones. He succeeded in defeating the enemy because he had the right armor and faith in the God of heaven.

Why didn’t Goliath succeed? Goliath had a strong army behind him. He had the best armor. He had the training. He was physically bigger and stronger than any man in the army of Israel. He was confident, and he had done this before. His sole purpose was to win. Goliath didn’t succeed because he depended on his past successes.

Aren’t we all a little like Goliath? We depend only on our past successes. We become overconfident in our own abilities, and we are content to do things in the same way we have always done them.

So, you may say, “Isn’t that what David did? Didn’t he rely on past experiences with the lions and the bears?” The answer is no. The difference was the source of his strength. “And David said, ‘The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine’” (First Samuel 17:37).

David had confidence in God, not himself; however, he used the abilities God gave him. He didn’t depend on past successes, but he depended on his faith in a power greater and stronger than a Philistine giant. He depended on God.

Would you rather be a Goliath or a David? Since you know the outcome of the story, I can guess what you would say. Just know that to succeed like David, we can’t rely on yesterday’s solutions to today’s problems. We can’t wait for opportunities to serve to always present themselves to us; we must look for them. We may not be able to fight the devil in the same ways we have always fought him. We can’t do what we have always done or use the tools in the same way that we have always used them.

The apostle, Paul, tells us what we need to do. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-12).

We need the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and shoes for our feet, which are the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and prayer (Ephesians 6:13-18).

We need to use the Bible in the same way David used his sling. He chose five smooth stones to go with his ever-present sling. We may need to use acts of kindness to go with our “sword,” the Word of God. Use what is available; and be a success like David, not a casualty like Goliath.

Sandra Oliver