Some of us are blessed to have a spiritual inheritance of faithful ancestors, even if this only applies to one generation before us. Others of us are the first to begin anew... Many of us also have powerful testimonies of God’s Goodness in our lives.. (Everyone has received from His Goodness, although they may not be aware.) Certainly, we all have a history of God’s blessings on our nation, through our covenant roots with Him. Although our nation has wandered far from Him, we have seen a turning back to those roots by hundreds of thousands, along with those of us who never left them. Our efforts have produced much fruit!
This morning I was rereading a post from Dutch Sheets’ first Give Him 15 devotional (Day 24). He delved into the original meanings behind words used detailing David’s experience fighting Goliath. We have certainly been fighting Goliaths in our time. Many of us, though greatly distressed, have felt insignificant and powerless against them. However, it has been modern day apostles and prophets who have helped many of us to rise up believing, and take a stand against them, both in our outward actions and, most importantly, through spiritual warfare, We have repented of our inaction and also rehearsed God’s past and present faithfulness, declaring and decreeing His will for us and for our nation. We have repented of modern idolatries and poured ourselves into rededicating ourselves and our country to Him, praying that His ‘Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven’, with very specific petitions and decrees concerning what we are facing.
I found Dutch’s unpacking of particular words in this account very eye opening and encouraging. You’ll remember that David gave his testimony of faithfulness before he took action against Goliath. According to the Hebrew meaning of testimony, it is more than just remembering. It literally means to repeat an action or do it again, releasing the same power into the present. [I will add that the same idea is communicated by Jesus when He said of what we now call Communion: Do this in remembrance of Me.] Neither involve simply ‘remembering’ that something happened, as we use it today.. It means to ‘re-member or put back together in the present. Our testimonies are full of power, affecting the present, building faith and effecting change.
Another insight from Dutch was the fact that David’s use of a stone to kill Goliath was symbolically tied to his tribe of Judah, as were both his drawing those from a brook and carrying his staff as he approached him.. In that time, staffs were often carved with symbols of personal history (a sort of testimony, like the killing of a lion and a bear). David also declared the testimony of God’s faithfulness, prior to his attack. Additionally, for the Hebrews a brook symbolized inheritance.. David drew the stones from his inheritance.
Finally, Dutch unwraps even more related to David’s tribe of Judah::
And yet, there is still one more connection to David’s history which played a part in this battle with the giant: his Judah nature, his DNA. Most Christians believe Judah means “praise.” That, however, is a derived meaning. In this pictorial language, the Hebrew word pictures the extending of the hand. It is because of this that it is a word used for “praise,” since raising the hands is a form of praise. However, because Judah means to extend the hand, it also means “one who throws a stone.” In his history, David was from “the tribe that throws stones!”*
So many nuggets to discover when we dig deeper into God’s unending wealth and layers of understanding. Understanding which informs our prayers, decrees, and declarations for our own families and for our nation. God is speaking through His modern-day prophets that He has more than we can imagine in store for us in 2025 and beyond.. However, He wants to partner with us to see it manifested. Let’s grab our staffs and our stones, drawing from the brook of our spiritual inheritance**, and courageously fight the giants of today, knowing that God wants us free to experience the abundant life*** he has for us, for our nation and for the world..
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**Give Him 15; an Appeal to Heaven Devotional, VOLUME 1 by Dutch Sheets
Other guidance in petitions, declarations, and decrees can be found through people like Tim Sheets (Oasis Church), Andrew Whalen, and many others (eg see ElijahStreams.com)
** Ephesians 1: 5: 1 John 2: 27; Romans 8: 17; Ephesians 2: 10; Isaiah 54: 17 (and so many more!)
***John 10: 10
Good Word. Check it out.
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