1 Samuel 17:36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
“The battle is lost or won in the secret places of the will before God, never first in the external world.”
— Oswald Chambers
The training to win battles and defeat giants happens in the secret prayer closet. David learnt the skill of defeating the lion and the bear in obscurity. He had no audience to applaud when he tore open the mouth of the ferocious lion and saved his baby lamb or was he appreciated when he fought the grizzly rapacious bear to save his flock. David might have shared the excitement when he got home but his mean brothers would have shunned or ridiculed him. But God was training him in secret.
The tears, prayers and struggles alone in our prayer closet will not be watched by human eyes; they will only witness the redeemed family member, recovered health and reestablished business. Day and night I cry, and tears are my only food (Psalm 42:3a). The world does not get to peep into our secret prayer closet to watch the battles of fear, doubt and insecurity that we fight and overcome in covert. Before we face the giants in public we must first win the battles of fear, envy and insecurity in the secret place.
The devil and his demons cannot read our thoughts; they can only inject terror and toxin in our mind. When the demons deride, demean and depress you with negativity, speak back to the voices in your head. The greatest battles you will ever fight in your life are between your ears. Win the derogatory noises with the promises of God. The only weapon to silence the enemy is with the sword, God’s Word.
Battles in secret are training grounds to win the giants in the open:
1. Rebuff: Reject pessimism. David did not even entertain the company of negative people. He turned away from his brother who tried to discourage him. Refuse to engage with those who would insinuate doubt and disbelief. The thoughts that we don’t actively reject will become deposits of fear that erode faith.
2. Retort: Retort back faith statements to the screaming demons. It is not abnormal to talk to yourself. The simple way to break the train of negative thoughts is to confess faith. Resist the dreadful thoughts and the demons will flee. If not, the negative thoughts will be internalized, ingested and digested and push us into depression. Reject unconstructive thoughts.
3. Renew: Renew your mind everyday in the secret prayer corner. Write down your vision for the next 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years and confess it every day. Ask God to breathe over your dreams and He will blow the dread and doom away from you.
The secret of overcoming your giants is winning your battles in the secret place.
Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, train me to win the battles of my mind so I may defeat every giant who comes my way. Amen.
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