Bible Recap Week 16

In this episode, we dive into how David stood before a giant with zero armor, zero experience in battle, and zero reason (by the world’s standards) to win… yet he walked forward with unshakable confidence. Why? Because his trust wasn’t in himself—it was in God.

David didn’t win because he believed in himself—he won because he believed in God.

We explore how so often we’re told to “believe in ourselves,” but what happens when we don’t feel strong, capable, or enough? David shows us a different way: a confidence rooted not in our own ability, but in God’s faithfulness.

Through real-life application and honest reflection, this episode will challenge you to shift your perspective—from self-reliance to God-reliance—and discover a deeper, steadier kind of confidence that doesn’t crumble under pressure.

Walk into the unknown not saying “I’ve got this,” but boldly declaring, “God’s got me.”

If you’ve ever felt inadequate, overwhelmed, or outmatched, this message is for you.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hey everyone, and welcome to the Water's Edge Bible Recap Podcast. This is Pastor Eric, and I'm really glad you're listening. This podcast is one of the tools that we're using this year as we read through the Bible together. It's a chance for us to think about last week's reading, what's standing out to you, what's confusing, what might God be saying to us along the way? One of the things that we are focused on in the reading is what does our reading say about God? We call them God shots. How is it helping you trust God? I believe relationships move at the speed of trust. So the more you build your relationship with God, the more you know God, and the more you trust him. My hope is that among this podcast and other tools that you're using, you're gonna grow in confidence. God is a missionary guy, which means he sends us out to live and to love like Jesus. So see this time as a workout, a workout that builds muscle so you can live like Jesus, love like Jesus. I love spending time in the Word with you like this, so let's get started. Hey everyone, thanks for joining me today. I want to start with the simple question. What do you do when you're facing something that feels bigger than you? Because if we're honest, we've all been there. Moments where the pressure is high, the fear is real, and deep down you're thinking, I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can handle this. And yet we live in a world that tells us, believe in yourself, trust yourself, you've got this, you can make it. But the question that I've been thinking about this week, especially as I read through the story of David and Goliath, um what happens when you don't feel like you can do it? What happens when you don't feel like you've got it? What happens when you don't feel like you can make it? That's what I love about this story and where we are today, because it's not a story of self-confidence, it's a story about having confidence in God. There's an old song that several people recorded it, even Elvis Presley recorded it. It says, I've got confidence that God is going to see me through. I want to suggest to you today, that's exactly what David had. Not confidence in himself, but confidence in God. So here's the moment we've we've looked at this week. The nation of Israel is facing the Philistines. And every day for 40 days, and 40 days is such a relevant number we could talk about it. I it's always the 41st day is a good day. But for 40 days, this giant named Goliath keeps coming out, mocking them, threatening them, defying them. And the Bible says the entire army of Israel is terrified by Goliath. These are trained soldiers. This is King Saul's army, and not a one of those guys will step forward. And then David shows up. He's not a soldier, he's not even supposed to be there. His dad said, Hey, go check on your brothers, and while you're there, uh you know, give them some food and tell them I'm thinking about them and bring me a report. And yet somehow everyone that should have confidence about what the Israelites were facing didn't, and the one person who shouldn't have had confidence as a soldier did. Why is that? Because David's confidence wasn't in himself. Listen to what David says in 1 Samuel 17. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? Did you catch that? David isn't focused on how big Goliath is, he's focused on what Goliath is doing. He's defying David's God. He's saying, I'm this is not right. You see, everybody else saw this giant, but David saw a problem for God's reputation. And he wasn't about to let someone destroy the reputation of his God. And when he saw that, it just changed every set thing. Let me say it this way: when your problem becomes bigger than your view of God, fear takes over. One of the first books I read as an undergrad ministry student was uh was uh a book by Phillips, uh J.B. Phillips that says, uh, When Your God is too small or your God is too small. And it was the first time that I, uh, as a 17-year-old freshman in college really thought about how big God was. Um, and and the times that I faced fear in my life were were times that my view of God was way too small. David, you see, David wasn't thinking, can I make it? David, David was he wasn't thinking, can I take him? Am I strong enough? He was thinking, how dare this person comes against the living God? That's where his confidence started. David says something really powerful. He says to Saul, King Saul, the Lord who delivered me from the lion and the bear will deliver me from this Philistine. I love that. David doesn't say, Saul, I can take him because I killed a lion and I killed a bear. He says, No, I can do this because the Lord, I already have confidence. I've seen God work, and the Lord delivered me from a bear. The Lord delivered me from a lion, and I killed them. David's confident is confidence is in God, but it's in his memory of all the things that God has done. That's why it's so important for us to remember things. That's the theme that we've been talking about for 16 weeks now. It's this idea that we need to keep a like a gratefulness journey, journal, and and just continue to write all the things that God has done for us, all the memories of how God has been faithful. I really think that's where a lot of us struggle. Um, we rehearse our fears instead of rehearsing uh or replaying the faithfulness of God. We replay our failures, we focus on our limitations, but but God, but David rehearsed what God had already done. Let me say this clearly. Confidence in God grows when you remember what God has already brought you through. Some of us, and I say us because I'm so guilty of this, some of us need to stop reviewing what we can't do and start remembering what God has already done. He's been faithful before. He didn't bring you this far to leave you. Then Saul tries to help David. King Saul, big King Saul. Um, and we know Saul is big because he was chosen and he was a handsome, tall, uh well-built man, and we know that David at least wasn't as tall and as big as his older brothers. But Saul says, Oh, if you're gonna go fight here, wear my armor, put put my helmet on, put my coat on, put my sword on, and David tries it on, and it he takes it right off. And he says, I I can't do this, I can't wear these. It's interesting. The armor, you we would think the armor would have protected him. We we would think that the armor would have helped David be strong. It made sense. It it's what everybody else would have wanted. But David knew I can't go face this giant with this armor because that's not where my confidence is going to come from. So he lays it aside and he faces Goliath and he says, You come to me with sword and spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord. That's it right there. Goliath trusted what he could hold, his sword. But David trusted in the one who had never let him down and who was holding him. This is where we have to be very careful because we live in a culture that pushes self-talk, self-love, self-power, self-confidence. But David didn't stand there saying, I believe in myself, I have the strength to do this. He stood there saying, I believe in God. That's a completely different kind of confidence. And then David says this this battle that we're gonna do, it's the Lord's. Don't miss that. David still showed up to the battle, he still ran towards the giant, he still used his sling and those five smooth stones, but David knew something. He knew that the outcome was not going to be placed upon his strength or his tools or his weapons. I can say it this way. You are responsible for obedience. God is responsible for the outcomes. That's where the peace comes from. That's where boldness comes from. Because you realize that no matter what you face, it isn't all riding on you. So let's I guess go back to that old song that I mentioned that Elvis Presley recorded and Andre Crouch and a number of other people. I've got confidence. God is going to see me through. That's not positive thinking, it's not hype, um, it's faith. It's faith. That's what David had. Not I've got this, but God has got this. And maybe that's what you need to hear today. Whatever you're facing, whatever giant is in front of you, you don't need more confidence. We need confidence in the God who has never failed us. David didn't win because he believed in himself. He won because he believed in God. So as you go into this weekend, or maybe you're listening to this at the beginning of a week, um I I want to encourage you, um, no matter what it is, don't walk into these next seven days saying, I've got this. Walk into walk into the unknown saying God's got me. And I think that we will find the faithfulness, as a matter of fact, I know we will find that that is enough. Our confidence needs to be in God and God alone. God bless you. Have a good week. Thanks so much for listening to the Water's Edge Bible recap. I look forward every week to walking in the Word with you. You can find more information about Water's Edge Church at www.watersedge.faith. And you can listen to our weekly message on any platform under the Water's Edge website or by downloading the Water's Edge app.