David relied on God’s protection and God’s, I might add, God’s providence. Saul said put my stuff on. By the way, by putting someone else’s gear one identified you with that person. “Put my stuff on David! Show Israel where you got what you got…if you win." David said, "it doesn’t fit." The only one who’s going to get the glory is God. David knew the giant was an abomination in God’s eyes, he knew it had to die, his obedience to God demanded that he killed it, and he attacked it with full confidence, and like the bear and the lion, he knew that God would give him this victory.

That’s faith. That’s the secret to unleashing the power of God in you. The book of Romans tells us that we are to use our spiritual gifts, that is the power of God in us, in proportion to our faith in him. You attack a problem worried, the opposite of faith, you’re not pleasing God (Heb. 11:6), and—you attack it without the Spirit. You attack it with full confidence in God—get back.

What happens when you refuse to walk in the ways of man? What happens when you apply the principles that David applied? Does you giant die? As you know, in this case, the giant falls. Eventually, all of them will. But I think that is irrelevant. You see, acting on faith means that you do what He demands regardless of the outcome.

It means saying that I don’t care if you throw me into the furnace, God will save me, O king; but even if he doesn’t, O king, know this: I will never bow down to a pathetic giant that is evil in God’s eyes. You got a giant in your midst that is evil in God’s eyes? Debt? Porno? Drugs? Hatred? As long as it lives, you’re a slave!

....Step back: David was going to be a king. But he started out serving our God as a shepherd. That speaks to his humility. The lowliest job in the land was the shepherd. What made David great as a king was that he was first faithful as a shepherd. Are you humble? I went to the bank yesterday and deposited my check from the cemetery that I do a little work for. The lady asked, “Are you a gravedigger?” I said, “No…I’m a pastor.” She said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Offend me? Am I better then a gravedigger? I was a gravedigger. I studied just as hard as a gravedigger then I do today. I witnessed just as much as a gravedigger then I do today. I ministered just as much as a gravedigger then I do today. I’m a pastor today because I was a gravedigger yesterday. If God calls me to be a gravedigger tomorrow, then I will serve Him as a gravedigger…regardless of what people think. We have to be willing to serve wherever he calls us.

I believe that if you wont serve Him in the mud, you cant serve Him on some man made perch. One thing I love about the military is that, for the most part, those that lead started out in the mud. That’s where you learn, grow, and develop. God uses the same training ground.

Think of David as the shepherd: Out there in the wilderness, in the rain, in solitude, obscurity, wind beating down on him, sun baking him, no one but him and some sheep. Talk about monotonous work. Sound’s boring doesn’t it? Not always.
David said, "….When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.

That’s amazing and let me tell you why: If David came back to his master and he was missing one sheep, no one would fault him from loosing one to a lion or a bear. Even if they did, David could’ve lied. Sheep died of natural causes. Could’ve justified that lie. Sheep died of natural causes is partially true: Lion ate the sheep, sheep died, naturally. So why in the world would David risk his life to save a sheep?

Simple, cause David was responsible for them. The sheep and his promise mattered to him. He does what is right, what ought to be done, even if no one is looking. We have a word for that: Integrity. And that is what was at the core of David.

Psalm 78 continues, “From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him, To Shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skilful hands.”

Before David was a king he had a spiritual heart, a servant’s heart, and a integrity in his heart. You don’t start with that…success is garbage; failure will ravish you, and you, like Saul, will fall. On the flip side, regardless of where your at now, you focus on developing a moldable heart, in solitude, the mud, monotony, obscurity, God will develop you for the battle tomorrow.
David learned to fight giants in the public because he fought bears when he was alone and it didn’t matter. And that, my brothers and sisters, is where we will start next week..

John Lennon challenged us many years back when he wrote:

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Let’s do that. Let’s imagine a Godless society where we can all live in peace and harmony.  The benefits are astronomical.  See, not only is there division amongst the different religions, there is also a moral law that impedes us...and yes, makes us unhappy.  If we could get rid of restrictions, we could increase our happiness.  I'm not suggesting that we get rid of morality, just that we change what we have morality for. 

Given the atheistic worldview, I believe we must conclude that morality is only used in such a way that brings about the most happiness now. I say now for one reason:  If there is no heaven above us, there is no "tomorrow" (after death), the now is all that's important.  Morality is what makes me happy now!  For example, don’t hurt me, take my money, or rape me because that behavior will make me unhappy. Or...let a person do the things that make them happy as long as that behavior doesn’t hurt others. Recognize this?  It is the new morality that is merging today. This is the new “moral law” that has come about because of the false a-priori that there is no God. And ultimately, this is a self destructive.

John Lennon asks for everyone to "join us..."  Why?  Because an atheist is only going to be completely happy in a world that overwhelmingly holds to this view. A world ruled by a religious majority will force the atheist to act in a way that does not make the atheist happy. That is, the majority will force their morality on the minority. The atheist must work to bring about a world that accepts the atheistic world view (and they are doing just that). Free living without religions fighting! Long live J. Lennon.

However, if the majority accepts the atheistic religion as fact, then the atheist can no longer appeal to a moral law based on happiness. Let’s face it, there are many people in this world who hurt, steal, rape, become dictators, or kill because that behavior brings them happiness--and yes, outside of religion too. To argue that their actions are wrong because it impedes another’s happiness falls short. I would simply argue that my happiness is more important then yours and your reasoning is only an attempt to deny me what I want. Is this not what we see now? Abortion is denying a person’s happiness (life) because it impedes on the happiness of the other. In that case, the more powerful acts in a way to ensure there own happiness. Might makes right.

One might argue that morality should then be based on what brings the most happiness to the most amount of people. Again, why? Why should my happiness be denied because of the masses? You cant appeal to anything. Furthermore, evolutionary ethics, which is the creation story of atheism, backs up this idea of the individual or the few surviving at the cost of the masses. Altruistic behavior maintains a species…it does not allow for “improvement.”

Stalin and Hitler, then, created the best example of what an atheistic society ought to look like. So…imagine there’s no heaven…it’s easy if you try. No hell below us. Above us only sky. Imagine all the people, living for today.

An atheistic society is self destructive. Far from the utopia that J. L dreamed of.