The Alex McFarland Show-Overcoming Trials-2

The spiritual condition of America, politics, culture, and current events, analyzed through the lens of scripture. Welcome to the Alex McFarland Show. One thing that we all need sooner or later is encouragement. Hi, Alex McFarland here.

Welcome to the program. And you know, I was reading the news prepping for this recording, and I noticed how they said that the Asian stock markets have fallen the most severe drop in Chinese and Japanese stocks in nearly three years. Here in America, the stock market has tumbled 900 points just this day for the most severe drop in the stock market in about two years. And vandalism is up and they're worried about new variants of the COVID virus on the horizon. And I remember reading in a journalism class many years ago that they say bad news sells, apparently, because people tend toward being pessimistic. But I want to give a word of encouragement today from a very familiar passage of scripture, because Christians of all people have reason to stay encouraged, even in hard times. And look, in this fallen world, there's always going to be stresses and problems. And Jesus said in this world, you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, he said to those who are his followers, be of good cheer.

I have overcome the world. Hey, the Bible talks about that evil triumvirate, the world, the flesh and the devil. And let's remember the Lord Jesus Christ conquered the grave. Jesus came out of the grave alive. And if Jesus can conquer sin and death, you know that he can help you overcome whatever problems you may be facing at this moment.

And indeed he will. And I want to read from a passage and then give you just several principles about being an overcomer. And there are passages of scripture that have such a familiar meaning.

And I'm going to quiz you for a moment. If I said John chapter three, well, chances are you would probably know of John 3 16, For God still loved the world. Well, if I said 1 Corinthians 13, well, you might think, okay, the chapter on love. Some of you astute Bible scholars, you would know 1 Corinthians 15, that's all about the resurrection of Christ. Most people would know Psalm 23, the shepherd's Psalm, the Lord is my shepherd. But some of you, if I said, now here's an Old Testament passage, 1 Samuel 17.

Do you know what that is? 1 Samuel 17. I guarantee that 99.9% of everybody listening knows the story because 1 Samuel 17 contains the story of David and Goliath. By the way, this is literal history.

This is not just a great story, though it is. In a place called the Valley of Ashkelon, David, who was a shepherd boy, and he would become the greatest king of Israel, he fought Goliath of Gath. Now, Goliath was eight feet seven inches tall. The Bible says that the weight of his armored coat was 5,000 shekels of brass. That's 250 pounds. Imagine a man that could wear armor weighing 250 pounds carry a javelin that was seven feet long plus, and his javelin that he could throw probably weighed at least 48 to 50 pounds. I mean, this is a big guy.

David at this point in his life is probably a teenager. Now let me set this up, and I want to talk about overcoming the Goliaths in your own life, the giants in your own life. And one of the things that we humans have in common with each other is we all face challenges.

I don't care who you are, how stable in life you might be, wealthy, whatever. I mean, we all face issues, health issues, financial issues, emotional, psychological, spiritual issues, relationship issues, husbands, wives, children, family issues. We all face many of the responsibilities that can potentially bring us joy and satisfaction can also bring us heartache and stress. And this is a time when I was just reading this week on TheAtlantic.com, which is a journalism and news site that I read, there was an article, Why Are American Teenagers So Depressed? And the article talked about the fact that many teenagers and young adults, 20-somethings, they just don't feel any hope. There is among all demographics that, you know, adolescents and above, people that are, you know, thinking about the world, there's a sense of hopelessness. Well, this message is designed to give hope because in the biblical worldview, we serve a God who overcame the world, the flesh, the devil.

He can help you overcome as well. You know the story of David and Goliath. The armies of Israel are held hostage really for 40 days by the armies of Philistia, the Philistines. And today we would say Palestine, the Palestinians, one of Israel's perennial enemies from time immemorial. 40 is a biblical number of testing. You may recall that the Lord was in the wilderness 40 days and 40 nights. Well, Israel has been held hostage for 40 days. And the armies of the Philistines are taunting, mocking, they're blaspheming the God of Israel. And it's almost like, you know, we're going to massacre you, we're going to kill you, and until we do, we'll humiliate you and we'll taunt you. And David comes and Eliab, his brother, his older brother, this is 1 Samuel 1728, Eliab was angry, says his anger was kindled against David. He says, what are you doing? I know you've just come down here to watch the battle.

And by the way, who's watching those sheep back home? Now David, as you know, famously is going to pick up five smooth stones and with one stone slay this giant. People have said, why did he pick up five? If he trusted God, why didn't he pick up just one rock? Well, David knew that he was going to successfully prevail over Goliath of Gath, but he had four extra stones because there were dozens of Philistine soldiers and maybe Goliath had four brothers, many have said. But here's the thing, David has more than just five smooth stones, he has five powerful words. He says to Eliab, his brother, who just publicly rebukes him. Now keep in mind, the armies of Israel, they're not doing such a great job. I mean, they're huddled away in fear for 40 days while God is being blasphemed and they're being taunted. David comes actually to bring water. He's doing a good deed. And Eliab goes, what in the world are you doing down here?

You ought to be back on the farm, punk. And David says, is there not a cause? Is there not a cause? The answer is yes, of course there is a cause. When we challenge you to be a witness, we say, pray for America, speak up about truth, take a bold out front stand.

You say, well, people might misunderstand me, people might be critical. Yeah, is there not a cause? You bet. There was a cause then in David's time. There is a cause now. God wants you to be a part of the cause. So when we come back, we're going to talk about the Goliaths that you might be squared off against.

The Goliaths that you've got to face, and how joyfully, confidently, consistently, fruitfully, successfully, you can be a giant slayer and stand victorious with God. Don't go away. We're back after this. Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland a religion and culture expert. Stay tuned for more of his teaching and commentary after this. Hello, I'm Tony Perkins with the Family Research Council in Washington, DC, and I'm inviting all men to join me and General Jerry Boykin at our next men's conference in High Point, North Carolina on May 6th and 7th. It's called Stand Courageous, and we focus on what it means to be a man of God in today's culture. We don't apologize for being men. In fact, we embrace God's call to biblical masculinity. Men, you have the ability to change our country, one home, one community at a time.

But to do so, we have to be the men that God has called us to be. So I invite you to join us on May 6th and 7th in High Point, North Carolina for our Stand Courageous men's conference. To find out more and to register, go to standcourageous.com. That's standcourageous.com for our Stand Courageous conference, May 6th and 7th. I hope to see you there.

He's been called trusted, truthful, and timely. Welcome back to the Alex McFarland show. Welcome back.

Alex McFarland here. So honored that you're listening. We're talking about slaying the Goliaths in your life. You know, we all love the stories of overcomers. I do.

I love the story of people that have been victorious over things. And I just read something that Franklin Graham wrote. He said that of the stresses people are facing, you know, in the age of COVID, crisis, oppression, violence, infections, disease. Well, let me tell you what Franklin Graham said. Let's change that acronym.

COVID. Christ overcomes. Victory is done. I like that. Christ overcomes. Victory is done, says Franklin Graham. And he's right about that. You know, I think about if you feel like your best days are behind you or maybe you've stumbled and, you know, there's no comeback. You've heard of so many stories.

I could do the entire broadcast on the stories of people that were, you know, ruled out down for the count. You know, I think about John Bunyan, one of the great Christian writers of all time. He spent the majority of his adult life in a prison cell.

He was vehemently persecuted for being a Christian. And he worked just piecemeal here and there on a book, Pilgrim's Progress. They say one of the great pieces of writing in world history has been continuously in print since 1678. Isn't that amazing?

Never out of print in almost 400 years. You know, we're all inspired by the stories of people who overcome adversity and they succeed even though maybe they've faced circumstances that would have caused other people to quit. I love Thomas Edison, the great inventor, who late in life he had been working on trying to invent the light bulb. And some of his assistants mocked him behind his back and began to make fun of him. He was getting older. He'd failed hundreds of times, but he later invented the incandescent bulb. And he said many of the failures are on the part of people who didn't realize how close they were to succeeding.

So Edison and hundreds of other examples are reminders that we shouldn't quit. So let's just be honest about life. I mean in this fallen world there's going to be trouble. And even as a born-again Christian you are not immune from trouble.

Now I think we have joy, we have victory, we have every reason to be confident, but even the most godly of people can face some very hard times. So the first fact I want you to know is you will face Goliaths in life. You might be facing one right now.

Don't be surprised. People react to their Goliaths in different ways. I mean they can ignore the Goliaths, they can get angry, they can give up. Maybe you've felt all of those emotions.

Do you know some people are actually energized and it's a shot of adrenaline to face a challenge. But don't think that God has abandoned you. Don't think that something's wrong. Now if there is willful, deliberate sin in your life, that's one thing. You need to confess that and turn away from it. But I mean search your heart and if to the best of your knowledge you're trying to live for the Lord and you're being ethical, you're being godly and yet you've got Goliaths, well don't just ignore it and don't be angry and for goodness sakes don't think that the Lord has abandoned you. He has not. Remember in Hebrews chapter 13 the Lord Jesus, he said I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Never. Christ will never abandon you. So you're going to face Goliaths in life. Secondly, a Christian does not have to be intimidated by the Goliath he is presently facing. Look, do not be intimidated by the size of your Goliath, do not be intimidated by the threats of your Goliath, and do not be intimidated by the length of time you've had to face the same Goliath.

Now understand that there is a pathway to victory. And maybe it's even things like emotional Achilles heels that are forever causing you to stumble. I've talked with people who have anger issues. I've talked with people who have unforgiveness.

I've talked to people that are on the one hand they're always beating themselves down and demeaning themselves and then other people that are kind of like narcissists and they think too highly of themselves. You know I think about the Apostle Paul. He said I am what I am by the grace of God. You know Paul could have beaten himself down and said oh you know I've persecuted the church and I ordered a hit on Stephen.

Oh God couldn't love me, God couldn't use me. But Paul didn't say that. Or you know Paul could have been conceited and said well you know for goodness sakes I wrote half the New Testament.

I must be somebody. Now Paul said I am what I am by the grace of God and I die daily. And Paul said he lived that Christ may be glorified in his life.

And you know think about it 1900 years after the fact and we're still talking about the life of the Apostle Paul. And so you do not have to be intimidated or beaten down by the Goliath you're facing no matter how long you feel like you may have faced that Goliath. Thirdly, now listen carefully please, the Goliath you slay today may not be the same Goliath you have to face tomorrow. Victory, triumph over a giant over a Goliath may not necessarily mean the elimination of all the Goliaths or of that Goliath. You know there are external Goliaths and internal Goliaths externally whether it's a health issue, a financial issue, a relationship issue or my goodness the fallen world of the 21st century those are some external pressures right.

I think far more tenacious probably are the internal Goliaths that we face. Regret, what if, what if. Let me say this folks there is not a one of us that can rewind the tape and go backward. But right this moment presently you can start where you are hand in hand with Christ the Lord and move forward. Now I want to say this we're going to have to take a brief break and then I've got a couple of more thoughts about overcoming the giants in your life but please listen to this and this was a revolutionary realization in my own life. Time is a non-renewable resource. You think about it, if you lose money with God's help you can make more money and if you go through a season of illness you can come back and oh my goodness it's been my privilege to know some amazing people that have overcome physical limitations but I want you to know all the time you waste or all the time you lose time is something you cannot get back. The tape of life is always moving forward so please don't waste time. Even in business they talk about things that are you know that they'll sometimes talk about washed money or things that are gone and you just can't get it back and time is one of those so move forward and be an overcomer and the first step of your career as a giant slayer may be the realization that time is the most valuable resource we've got because you can't get any more of it. Stay tuned we're going to come right back after this and we're going to talk more about victory over the giants of life. Don't go away. Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland a religion and culture expert.

Stay tuned for more of his teaching and commentary after this. Are you tired of liberal agendas ruining our country but you don't know what to do about it? That's why Truth and Liberty Coalition was founded. We want to equip you to take back our country and impact the world. Here's how we do it. We educate through broadcasts, conferences and our website with resources that inform, equip and motivate. We unify by collaborating with like-minded organizations like the Family Research Council, the Family Policy Alliance and My Faith Votes. We mobilize by providing practical tools you can use to impact your local community.

As Christians we are called to make disciples of nations. Together we can change the course of our country for good. Join Truth and Liberty to connect with believers and organizations who not only want to see a change in our nation but a community that is actually doing something about it. Join us online for our broadcast and subscribe for relevant updates on our website truthandliberty.net. Hello, I'm Tony Perkins with the Family Research Council and I'm inviting you to join me in General Boykin at our next men's conference in High Point, North Carolina on May 6th and 7th. It's called Stand Courageous and we focus on what it means to be a man of God in today's culture. We don't apologize for being men. We embrace God's call to biblical manhood. Men, you have the ability to change our country, one home, one community at a time. Join us May 6th and 7th in High Point, North Carolina.

To register, go to standcourageous.com. He's been called trusted, truthful and timely. Welcome back to The Alex McFarland Show. Welcome back. Alex McFarland here. So glad you're listening to the program. And by the way, we have a newly redesigned website, alexmcfarland.com.

It's just my name, alexmcfarland.com. You know we're all about evangelism. We're all about equipping the church.

We're all about, well equipping people to defend the Christian faith. We've got a lot going on. My travel schedule is on the website. Even as we record this particular radio program, I'm packing a bag to head to East Tennessee State University to speak in Johnson City, Salem, Illinois, St. Louis. We're all over the country. And then we've got a couple of very special things this summer.

Now listen to this, folks. Every summer we do a youth camp. And this summer, the summer of 2022, our youth camp is July 17th through 22nd. Biblical worldview camp. We just got a major donation from a listener in Wisconsin who said, Alex, I'm scholarshiping 40 kids to go to youth camp.

Now our cost is $399. But think about this, folks. And you've got time. We are just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, July 17th through 22nd.

This is for middle school and high schoolers, teenagers. And we do all the fun camp stuff from hiking and horseback riding, campfires, memories for a lifetime. But we talk to kids about defending the Christian faith. And we also talk about America.

We talk about not being socialist. The camp is called Unashamed Building Your Biblical Worldview. And whether your teens have $399 or whether they have no dollars, I can scholarship 35 teenagers. So immediately, please hurry. Go to my website, AlexMcFarland.com. You may email me and it will come to me and to our staff, Alex at AlexMcFarland.com.

Alex, A-L-E-X, at AlexMcFarland.com. And I want to talk about how we can invest a week that will count for a lifetime. The other thing I want to remind you, and then we'll talk about giant slaying, is I will be at the Cove, the Billy Graham Training Center in Western North Carolina, July 8 through 10. It's going to be amazing.

We're going to be talking about First Peter. And this is for adults, but the Cove, T-H-E-C-O-V-E, the Cove.org. I would love to see you there, July 8 through 10. And then if you would like to do an event in your city, go to our website if you need to connect about God and country. We've got a wonderful network of friends and colleagues and fellow travelers all over America. And we're in it to win it. We're praying for revival in America and any way we can link arms with you for God and country.

Let us hear from you. But to recap about the giants in life, David goes out there and he says, the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And verse 45 of 1 Samuel 17, David goes out there. Goliath is big. He's loud. He's threatening.

And he's got an army backing him up. And David says to the Philistines, you come to me with a sword, with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. And Goliath fell that day and he drew near to the Philistine.

The Philistine drew near to him. Okay, notice this. You have to face the reality of your giants. Then you've got to face your reaction to the giants. You need not be intimidated. And know that the Goliath of yesterday may not be the Goliath you have to face today.

Now, know this. Number four, the Lord wants you to triumph over your Goliaths and he will make a way for this to happen. The Bible says that with every temptation, he'll make a way of escape. The Bible says God knows what you need even before you ask. Look, believe this. The God that created the universe, the God that rose Jesus from the grave, the God who is with you right now, he absolutely has a way for your problems to get resolved.

God's going to make a way and you need to believe God for his favor and his blessing. But know this, very key point. In order for the giant to be slain, that Goliath must be addressed. David walks out there and look, more courage was needed for this than for slinging that stone. David took his staff, verse 40 of 1 Samuel 17, and he drew near the Philistine.

He walked out there and guess what happened? The Philistine came, verse 41, and began to draw near to David. You've got to address, and folks, it may be admission of sin. Listen, if anger issues are destroying the relationships in your life, you've got to own that. Listen, you've got to call sin by its right name. The problems that are destroying your opportunities and your future, they're not bad habits, and don't say, oh that's just the way we are.

No. If sin is unconfessed and allowed in your life, it's going to destroy you. And you've got to admit that any good and any hope and any progress is going to happen only when you yield yourself to Jesus.

So don't beat around the bush, don't make excuses, don't try to legitimize deviant behavior. Address the giant in your life. Maybe it's a circumstance outside of your control and you just say, Lord I need your help. Lord I'm afraid of this diagnosis the doctor is about to give me. I'm uncertain. So address the giant, and then let God define what victory looks like. You know, when he's going to fight Goliath, they try to put him in Saul's armor. And David said to Saul, I cannot walk with these for I have not tested them.

He said, I can't fight in Saul's armor. And sometimes we try to run ahead of God, we try to just take things in our own hands, and you're going to have to let God define what victory looks like. It might be somebody you have to forgive.

It might be some friendships that you need to jettison. But with God's help, know this, there is life after the battle. I want to say this, there is restoration after a showdown. There really is. The NBA coach Rick Pitino, maybe you've heard of him, he said failure is good, failure is fertilizer.

Everything I've learned about coaching, I learned from making mistakes. You see there is life after the battle, and very often, just like when a broken bone heals, and the place where the bone broke but was healed is generally that bone tissue is going to be stronger than the tissue before the break. There's life after a battle.

So here's what we do. Determine what Goliath you're facing right now. And remember that God and His will are your first priorities. That's Matthew 6.33. And then approach with God's tools. Let Him give you the five smooth stones of your life, whether it be prayer, intercession, fasting. But victory in the moment of crisis depends on prior preparation. And look, whenever you're doubting or ever afraid, just remember what God has done.

What has He done? He has sustained you to this point, and He conquered the grave. You are a giant slayer in Jesus, not in your own strength. Go forward in Christ, may God bless you, and remember in Christ, you are a victor. You know, thank you for listening. I want to pray for you, and I encourage you if you haven't, pray to ask Christ into your heart. You know, we often say this, Jesus is as close by as a prayer, and maybe you want to pray something like this. Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. And I turn from sin to faith in you. Lord, please wash my sins away, save me, and help me to live for you. And you know, friends, if you pray that prayer and you meant it, God heard it.

In John 6.37, Jesus promised, the one who comes to me I will not reject. So turn to Christ, and if you've done that today, let us hear from you, and we'll send you some information to help you in your walk with Christ. Alex McFarland Ministries are made possible through the prayers and financial support of partners like you. For over 20 years, this ministry has been bringing individuals into a personal relationship with Christ and has been equipping people to stand strong for truth. Learn more and donate securely online at alexmcfarland.com. You may also reach us at alexmcfarland.com, P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404, or by calling 1-877-YES-GOD and the number 1. That's 1-877-YES-GOD-1. Thanks for joining us. We'll see you again on the next edition of the Alex McFarland Show.