Have you ever been opposed by someone who is also opposing God? Did you feel overmatched by their arguments? How did you respond? Did you give up and walk away? Or did you ask God to be with you and give you the response He wanted you to provide?
There are times in our lives when we encounter people who directly oppose God. I don’t mean a friend who politely declines your offer to come to church with you, though they are problematic as well. I’m talking about someone who is downright offensive and doesn’t care.
When we face someone completely offensive and opposing God, our typical first thought is, “I don’t know enough to counter their statements.” In many cases, we may be right. So, what do we do about it? Might I suggest the first thing we do is prepare ourselves now for the encounter before it happens or happens again. Spend time reading God’s Word, attending Bible studies, and attending church. Spend time reading Christian authors, especially those who explain Scripture in a way you understand.
However, if we are caught unaware and feeling unprepared, there is something else we can do. We can spend five seconds in prayer and pray something like this, “God, you know how you want me to respond. Please reveal it to me now.” And trust God!
You see, God has been preparing you for this encounter, whether you realize it or not. You might be very surprised how much of those children’s stories you remember from Sunday School when you were six or eight or ten. Not only that, but you have heard others talk about God, Scripture, and Jesus at various times throughout your life. God can bring those memories right back to the forefront by the time you finish that five second prayer. He can also bring them back one at a time as you continue the encounter and as the perpetrator makes another point.
I can tell you this happens. I have personally experienced it. In fact, I have experienced God giving me the right thoughts when I needed them, even though I don’t remember ever hearing anything related to it before. We must remember, God put His Holy Spirit inside us. There is more power there than we know.
Just as David went against Goliath out of his faith in God, we can go against those who oppose God as well. It is all about our faith, trust, and reliance on God to provide what we need, when we need it. So, go forth and slay the giants put in your path.
I pray we all rely on God to provide what we need when we need it. I pray we take time to prepare ourselves for the unforeseen battle. I pray each one of us commits to spending time reading God’s Word, attending Bible studies, and going to church on Sunday mornings. Trust God. Increase your faith. Rely on God to provide. Ask God to help you prepare.
1 Samuel 17:45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
Marty Pressey 