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In 1 Samuel 17, David, a young shepherd, stepped onto the battlefield to face the giant Goliath. While others trembled in fear, David picked up five smooth stones from a stream and placed them in his pouch. Though he only needed one to defeat Goliath, each stone can symbolize the spiritual weapons we need to face the giants in our own lives.

The Five Stones:

1. Faith – David believed that God would deliver him just as He had before. When we face challenges, faith reminds us that God is greater than any obstacle (Hebrews 11:1).
2. Trust – David didn’t rely on armor or weapons but trusted in God’s strength. Trust means surrendering our fears and believing that God is in control (Proverbs 3:5-6).
3. Courage – Though the enemy was fierce, David stood firm. Courage isn’t the absence of fear but moving forward despite it, knowing God fights for us (Joshua 1:9).
4. Obedience – David didn’t hesitate when God called him to act. Obedience to God’s will positions us for victory (1 Samuel 15:22).
5. Praise – Before the battle, David declared God’s greatness. Praise shifts our focus from the problem to the Problem-Solver (Psalm 34:1).

Just as David defeated Goliath with a single stone, we too can overcome life’s giants when we carry faith, trust, courage, obedience, and praise in our hearts. The battle is the Lord’s, our job is to stand ready with the right stones in hand.

What giant are you facing today? Trust God, take up your stones, and step forward in victory!

President Ronald Reagan led one of the most extraordinary lives of the 20th Century. A life which he sadly and progressively forgot in the last years of his life. His long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease acted like a cruel eraser. It removed recollections of what he had done and even who he was.

After Ronald Reagan’s death, we learned a lot more about what happened during his long journey into darkness. Memory of his years in Hollywood just disappeared, and then he couldn’t remember being Governor of California, and ultimately he lost all that had happened in his years of being President of the United States.

But one memory stayed alive almost until the end. In the office that Nancy Reagan set up for him, there was a picture on the wall, it was a picture of the Rock River in Illinois. When visitors would ask him about it, after most of his life was there no more, he would brighten and he’d say, “Oh, that’s where I was a lifeguard when I was 17. That’s where I saved 77 lives!”

Shouldn’t OUR most significant events to remember is, “who are we telling about Jesus?” I can’t think of anything more important than the lives being changed by Jesus because of our communicating the Gospel to those in our circle of influence. Jude 1:23 reads, “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

At the end of our journey, may we like, Ronald Reagan in a spiritual sense, look back and show the same excitement how the Lord used us to save souls.

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“I read this article this week from Ron Hutchcraft. It really spoke to my heart and reminded me to help others to win. Hope you enjoy it, as well.”

“You Win, I Win”

Joey’s story really touched me. Joey ran in the handicapped Olympics that were held in conjunction with the Olympics in Seoul, Korea some years ago. Of course it was at a separate location, and in his particular track event there were only two people competing.

Well, Joey got off to a good start, but of course because of his handicap, the other runner soon passed him and won the race. But here’s what happened next that really got to me. When the winner crossed the finish line, he turned around and saw Joey still struggling to finish. So he ran back, put his arm around Joey, and they crossed the finish line together.

Well, as Joey took the lead, his coach kept yelling over the sounds of a crowd who were basically dispersing for the day, “Come on, Joey, you’re a winner! You can do it!” And as Joey continued to increase his lead, he would chant and say, “Come on, Joey, that’s it! You’re a winner! You’re a winner!”

And then suddenly Joey stopped in his tracks. What happened after that melted that announcer’s heart, and actually mine too when I heard about it. Maybe you’ll be like me. Maybe you’ll want to be like Joey.

Much to the consternation of his coach, he turned to his opponent; the only other guy in the race and yelled, “Come on! You’re a winner too! You’re a winner too!” His coach ran out to the track and yelled, “No! You don’t want him to be a winner! You’re the winner!”

Well, no matter what the coach said, Joey waited for that other boy to catch up. And then they crossed the finish line together with their arms raised in victory. The announcer who had said at the beginning of the race, “Sure glad I’m not like Joey” at the end was heard to say, “I sure wish I was more like Joey” and so do I.

See, in a competitive, I’ve-got-to-make-it world; the real heroes are the people who make other people winners. Your Master was. He gave up His life for ours so we can win eternal life.

So, be like your Master. Enable someone else to be a winner. Look at the people close to you and quit trying to beat them, or use them, or to control them. Look at them and say, “Hey, if you win, I win.”

If you don’t mind, I’d like to give you a challenge today. As a parent, are you spending time with your child, preteen or teenager with a daily devotion? If not, let me strongly encourage you to start.

It will hopefully create in them a habit of doing the same when they are out on their own. Daily devotions will assist in spiritual guidance, a deeper walk with the Lord and in focusing on Godly living in everyday life.

Here are some pointers to remember:

1. Make it the best time! Find the best time to meet with them. Bedtime was the best time for me and my wife to meet with Courtney.
2. Make it the best material! Find devotion material that works and is age appropriate. We used a children’s picture Bible with awesome graphics till our daughter was in the seventh grade.
3. Make it enjoyable! Make the time with your children enjoyable, exciting, and entertaining. You don’t want to make it mundane, routine and dull.
4. Make it KISS! That means Keep It Short Sister! Your devotional time doesn’t need to be long. It needs to be substantive, clear and effective.

Don’t put it off. Start it today! Jeremiah 29:12-13 reads, “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

There are many spiritual principles in the Word of God, Old and New Testaments, that Believers should be applying in their everyday practical living. The Christian life should be a continual process of learning and applying Godly principles.

Jesus taught His disciples a very worthy principle and one we need to make sure is preeminent in our lives. It’s found in John’s Gospel in chapter 15, verses 1-5.

John 15:1-5
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

One who desires to live out the abiding principle will find the following five basic characteristics in their lives. You can remember them in this acronym: A.B.I.D.E.

A – Accountable: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)

B – Broken: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12)

I – Initiate: “Abide in Me, and I in you.” (John 15:4)

D – Disciple maker: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19a)

E – Evangelizing: “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5)

So, do you desire to A.B.I.D.E. in Christ? Have you made that biblical principle a consistent characteristic of your Christian walk?