Fighting in Sauls Armor

In one paragraph

The sermon this past Sunday worked through the story of David and Goliath, focusing tightly on the moment David tried on Saul's armor, found it didn't fit, and walked back out to fight Goliath with a sling and five smooth stones. Brian used that picture to ask a pointed question: are you trying to fight a battle God has called you to while wearing someone else's armor? The conversation was wide...

Read together

1. 1 Samuel 17:32-51 main passage read aloud by the congregation, the story of David and Goliath
2. 1 Samuel 17:38-40 zoomed-in focus passage on David refusing Saul's armor and taking his sling and stones
3. 1 Samuel 17:46 David declares the Lord will deliver Goliath into his hand and all earth will know there is a God in Israel
4. 1 Samuel 17:47 the Lord saves not with sword and spear, the battle is the Lord's
5. 1 Samuel 17:48 David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine
6. 2 Corinthians 10 powerful God tools for tearing down barriers and smashing warped philosophies, quoted from The Message
7. Psalm 37 put your hope in the Lord, travel steadily along his path, referenced as a verse spoken over the church in January
8. Psalm 90:2 before anything was created God was, used to affirm God's unchanging nature
9. John 10 no one can pull me from the Lord's hand, cited in connection with whose hands we are in
10. Revelation 3 believers protected in tribulation, not removed from it
11. Ezekiel God says he does not want to see the wicked perish but to turn from sin and get a new heart
12. 2 Corinthians 9:8 God will provide all you need with plenty left over to share, used in the tithing appeal

What was said

• Think about one area of your life where you have been trying to fight a battle using someone else's approach, and ask God to show you how he has specifically equipped you for it.
• Before the week gets hard, spend time now building your confidence in who God is, because as Brian said, the day of battle is not the time to train.
• If you are not already getting texts from Tribe about what is happening, fill out a connect card and hand it to Brian or a staff member.
• Look into the Wind River Reservation VBS trip running June 25 through 28 and write your name and number on the sign-up sheet on the fridge if you want more information.
• If mountain adventures are your thing, check out the Tribe Mountain Adventures schedule for this summer and find a rock climbing day that works for you.

Talk about it

1. Brian talked about David refusing Saul's armor and going to fight with what he already knew how to use. Where in your own life have you found yourself trying to fight a battle using someone else's approach, and what did that feel like?
2. Several people in the room noted that David's confidence came from specific past experiences with the lion and the bear. What past experiences has God used to prepare you for something you are facing right now, even if those experiences did not seem like preparation at the time?
3. Brian said the day of battle is not the time to train for battle. What does it look like practically for you to cultivate your relationship with God before a crisis hits, not during it?
4. David's one act of stepping out in faith apparently broke something open in the whole Israelite army. Colleen's public repentance at Tribe had a similar effect on the congregation. Have you ever seen one person's obedience or courage set something in motion for a whole group? What happened?
5. Brian closed by saying that some people in the room might be in a season that feels awkward or ill-fitting, not because of their own deficiencies but because they are trying to fight in someone else's armor. If that resonates with you, what would it look like to set that armor down and lean into how God has actually made and equipped you?