Defeat the Lions and Bears before you have to face the Goliaths

By Jim Ennis

Before you can fight the occasional Goliaths in your life, you must first overcome the Lions and Bears that you will face on a daily basis.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9798385018147

Jim Ennis

Jim Ennis has been in ministry since 1989. As a bivocational minister, he has also been a funeral director for over 25 years. As a part of his ministry, Jim has been a law enforcement chaplain for over 18 years and serves several agencies.

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Copyright © 2024 Jim Ennis.

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This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.

ISBN: 979-8-3850-1815-4 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-1816-1 (hc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-1814-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024902377

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/09/2024

CONTENTS

Introduction

Background and Principles

LIONS

L—Lack of Love

I—Inconsistency

O—Overcoming Yourself

N—Negativity

BEARS

B—Boasting

E—Envy

A—Addictions

R—Rebellion

GOLIATHS

G—Giants

O—Offenses

L—Liars

I—Instigators

A—Acceptance

T—Taskmasters

H—Hindrances

Conclusion (but Not Really)

INTRODUCTION

And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. (1 Samuel 17:32–37)

David is primarily known for conquering Goliath; however, very little is said about the lion and bear that he fought while caring for his father’s sheep. David learned from his battles and was not afraid to declare that the same God who gave him the power to defeat the lion and bear would also empower him to defeat Goliath.

This book addresses the LIONs, BEARs, and GOLIATHs we will face in our lives.

The lion and bear David fought represent internal conflicts, emotions, and feelings we face within ourselves during everyday life. In contrast, Goliath represents the external battles we will meet that are not part of our daily routine and may appear without much notice.

I pray that you will learn the characteristics of the lions and bears and be proficient in defeating them before you face the coming Goliaths.

Please indulge me in some areas:

1. The Bible speaks of only one bear, lion, and Goliath. The reader will need to accept some latitude that there may have been many battles with multiple lions and bears, but the information that David gave King Saul summarized all the conflicts David fought while tending his father’s sheep.

2. The word defeat interchanges with control as we look at each aspect of the lions, bears, and Goliaths. Defeat does not always mean killing or destroying but may include setting a level of control or overcoming someone or something that once was a dominating factor.

Please take your time reading this book. It may expose issues that will cause you to reflect on past and current battles. You may want to consider battles that lie ahead and the principles that the Lord has given us to be victorious over our faults and enemies.

This is your book. This is your time to reflect, analyze, and plan. Make notes and write your testimony in the provided spaces. Someday, someone may pick up your book and read your testimony, and in doing so, you may be the one who helps them overcome their LIONs and BEARs before they have to face their GOLIATHs.

BACKGROUND AND

PRINCIPLES

David, as is any child of God, was a complex being. He was chosen by God and known as a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), yet he was also human, had conflicts within himself, and sinned against the Lord several times. As a result, he paid high prices for his errors. However, David had the concept of repentance down to a science. He knew how to pray by expressing remorse for his sin, desiring to please the Lord, and ultimately, how to praise and get back to God.

No matter how far you stray from the Lord, it is not His will that you should perish but repent. Repent. Repent. Repent. He wants you to be successful. Remember, there is no such thing as success outside God’s will, and there is no such thing as failure inside God’s will. Being a millionaire does not necessarily describe success. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? (see Matthew 6:36) Nor does being poor describe a failure. For example, the angels were pallbearers for Lazarus, who was a beggar when he died (see Luke 16:22).

While David’s brothers were away fighting the Philistines, David stayed behind to care for his father’s sheep. Even though there was not a lot of glory or respect in being a shepherd, David learned skills that he unknowingly would be using when he faced Goliath. David learned to be FAT—faithful, available, and teachable. The scriptures are silent, but the possibilities are excellent that David learned a lot about himself and the power of God that would come upon him in time of need (Psalm 46:1), all the while going about his daily routine of taking care of his father’s sheep.

Being a shepherd was considered by David’s brothers to be a menial task while they were out fighting the Philistines, the work of real men, and they let him know where his place was when he showed up on the battlefield. (Today, it seems that everyone knows what everyone else should be doing, but they cannot fight their own battles.)

The honorable points we see in David at the beginning of this passage are that he was taking care of his father’s sheep and being obedient to his father’s directions.

In our walk with the Lord, we must learn to fight our shortcomings and the demonic forces we will encounter. Our first strategy should be to prioritize what is essential (Matthew 6:33). Above all else, we should desire to be in our Father’s favor, with the ultimate objective being to hear Him say, well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things. I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord (see Matthew 25:21).

Our Lord’s business and His will in our lives is powerful; we should start each morning by thanking Him for another day. He chose to wake you up and do something for Him. It wasn’t the alarm clock, car horn, rooster, or anything else that woke you. The Lord allowed you to hear it, and this is the first sign that He has a plan for you—a blueprint for success that was drafted in the mind of God before your conception