The Game and Not The Gear

Shalom brethren!

Are you surprised by my greeting today? Hehe! It’s good to switch things up from time to time. Shalom is quite the interesting twist to my quintessential “Hey! Hey! Hey!” intros. I borrowed a leaf from the iconic Apostle Paul who often began his epistles by speaking God’s peace and grace to the recipients of his letters. Have a look at this:

To the Romans: “To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 1:7 NIV

 

To the Ephesians: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 1:1-2 NIV

 

To the Philippians: “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Philippians 1:1-2 NIV 

 

To the Colossians: “To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.”

Colossians 1:2 NIV 

 

Shalom means Peace; for those who may not know. So peace unto you my awesome readers! God loves you so much!

I really enjoy writing and I have a healthy imagination to boot. Now couple that with inspiration from the Holy Spirit and boom! 💥 you have an explosive article! For the record; you’re not reading this blog post by mere chance but by God’s divine plan. This message has been specifically crafted for you; so best believe that it’s going to change your life. 

I jotted down the title of this message after listening to a Steven Furtick podcast called, Are You Growing Your Gifts? In this podcast, Pastor Steven gives his story of how his son had just started playing basketball and as a parent, he was advised to hold off from buying his son any fancy sneakers before his son had developed the skill for the game. Rather, Pastor Steven’s focus was to be on the game (i.e. how his son was playing) and not on the gear (what he his son was wearing). That is how The Game and not The Gear title took root in my spirit and the writing commenced!

I’d like to presume that you’re conversant with the all-time legendary story of David and Goliath; if you’re not, please read 1 Samuel 17 to get the gist. The long and short of it is that a young boy (David) killed a mammoth giant (Goliath) using only a sling and a stone. Talk about improvisation! David did not use a stone because he had nothing else at his disposal; far from it actually. King Saul had given him the physical gear (his royal armour) but David was focused on the game (God Almighty).

‘“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.’

1 Samuel 17:32,38-40 NLT

David knew that when the Lord Almighty was with him, God would be all the gear he’d need, more than any armour could ever be to him. David’s confidence was not in the spear neither was it in the sword; his confidence was in the Lord.

‘“David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord ’s battle, and he will give you to us!”’

1 Samuel 17:43,45-47 NLT

Just look at the courage that David had! For forty days, Goliath taunted the whole army of Israelite warriors but it took ONE teenage boy to bring him down.

The famous American writer, Mark Twain, once said that it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog. This is quite evident in the David & Goliath story- the trained soldiers, armed with all the weapons of war, were shaking in their boots out of fear but David was different.

“When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.”

1 Samuel 17:11 NLT

David was not intimidated by the size of Goliath because he believed without the shadow of doubt that his God out-sized the giant!

As I wind down on this post, I’d like you to meditate on the Scripture below:

“It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Zechariah 4:6 NLT

If at all you feel as if you need to look, talk, feel, or even act a certain way in order to do mighty works for the Lord; let Zechariah 4:6 reassure you that it is not about what you can do; it is about what God can do through you.

Remember; it not about your gear, it is about your GAME!

So now I pose a question you; You Got Game? 

If you got no game, drop to your knees right now and repeat this prayer out loud:

Lord Jesus, I heed to your call in my life. I denounce the devil and my evil ways and I choose You to be Lord and Savior in my life. I believe in my heart that You died on the cross to set me free. I believe that You rose again from the dead so that I may have eternal life. I receive the life of Christ in me today. I am saved. I have been set free. I am born again. Thank You Jesus. Hallelujah! In Jesus’ Name.

Amen.

Did you just say Amen? Now you’re talking!! 😎 It’s all about the game as I’ve been reiterating throughout this post and I’d like you to know that reciting that salvation prayer above is the best decision ever! 🙌🏽

XO,

That Lady.