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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for September 1, 2009
“Remember the Lion and the Bear”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
“You can’t do this. You are only a boy!”
That’s what King Saul told David when he volunteered to fight Goliath.
See, Goliath was an experienced warrior, and David was just a shepherd. Where on earth did David get the idea that he could face a giant Philistine?
Well listen to David’s reasoning. He started by looking back on his life and finding other instances where God had delivered him.
For example, there was the time when a bear came and carried off one of his sheep. In First Samuel 17 David said, “I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth.”
The same thing happened with a lion. David said, “When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.”
Now it sounds like David is conceited. In fact, that’s what his oldest brother said in verse 28, “I know how conceited you are…”
But in verse 37 David gives credit where credit is due. He said it was the Lord who delivered him “from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear.”
So David had great confidence going into that battle with Goliath. Why? Because he had already seen what God could do in smaller battles.
David remembered the lion and the bear, and that strengthened his faith in the Lord for the next big battle. He concluded, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine.”
Now what about you today? Are you standing in a valley, looking up at some Goliath? Are you nervous and afraid, not sure how it’s going to turn out?
Then remember the lion and the bear. Remember times in your life when God delivered you, when He provided for you and cared for you, when He came through in the clutch.
Last night my daughter sent me a text message. It was very good news, and at the end she wrote, “Yay! Jesus loves us, Dad!”
Now five or ten years from now she might forget all about what happened yesterday. She might forget how God provided in a wonderful way. And then when she faces a new challenge, she might lose heart. She might feel nervous and afraid.
What she will need to do is remember how God provided yesterday, and so many other days. She’ll need to remember the lion and the bear, and it will build up her faith for the next battle.
Jack Morris is a karate instructor in Tallahassee. He maintains a little black book of remembrance. He simply writes down the little miracles God does in His life, then he goes back and reads them. They are excellent reminders of God’s work in the past, which build up his faith in the present.
For me this often comes in times of thanksgiving. Sometimes when I’m praying I will take time to do nothing but give thanks. I will let my mind wander to all the things I’m thankful for.
The other day I started thanking God for allowing me to work in Christian radio, and I remembered back when I was trying get my first full time job at a Christian radio station. I was working at a country and pop station combo, and my convictions were running deeper by the day that I should get out of there and use whatever abilities I had for the Lord.
I sent out a couple resumes and figured the doors would just fling wide open.
They didn’t.
I wrestled with that for a few months, and it seemed like I would never get a job in Christian radio.
Then the door finally opened, and the other day I was just remembering how grateful I was to God at the time for that opportunity, for my job to be a full time ministry.
Then it dawned on me, that was over 23 years ago. I just turned 46, so I did the math and realized that I have now been in full time Christian radio over half my life.
And that’s funny because there were those few brief weeks when I thought I would never get into Christian radio, and now I’ve been in it forever.
God provided for me. He opened the door for me to work in the ministry full time, which was my heart’s desire.
And now I look back on that time and remember. My faith is built up for the challenges of today as I remember how God met the challenges of yesterday.
So what about you? Are you facing a great challenge? Is your faith withering in the shadow of the giant?
Then look back. Think back to what the Lord has done.
Now you might say, “Yes, but I’ve never faced anything like this before.”
That’s okay. David had never faced Goliath before. He had never faced any warrior before. But he built up his faith by doing this one thing, and you can do it to, and here it is.
Remember the lion and the bear.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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