Focus: Winning Stones

Text: 1Sam.17:40

"And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine."

Battles are part of this life. The world is a war zone. Satan is our main enemy, and he is constantly recruiting agents from all walks of life to fight against the children of God - those who believe in Jesus Christ. This battle is raging on all fronts. Believers in Christ are constantly waging war in all directions and dimensions of their existence.

David had such a battle. It was a battle involving Israel and the Philistines. In this battle, David stood up for all Israel while Goliath stood up for the Philistines.

The Scripture tells us that David picked up a few stones for his bullets or weapons. He chose five smooth stones from a brook down the valley. His choice of stones was intentional and meaningful. 

Water is a powerful force. Over the years the waters have smoothened the rough edges of the stones, making them well-rounded and target-oriented. Isaiah talked about "the smooth stones of the stream," and Job said that "the waters wear the stones," and he also mentioned "the stones of the brooks" (Isa.57:6; Jb.14:19; 22:24). David saw too many stones with rough edges everywhere and in the brook, but he opted out for a few of the smooth ones. The reason is simple: while the wind would miscarry or misdirect the rough-edged stones, the winds would transport the smooth ones to their intended target. The smooth stones would hit their target as intended.

David had five of these smooth stones, and with just one of them he was able to win the fight. With just one stone he brought Goliath down and out. The smooth stone was a winning stone. He had five of them just in case…

The Lord God of Israel won that battle against the Philistines with one of David's smooth stones. 

God will always win His battles, but He wants smooth stones as His bullets, not rough-edged stones.

Have you ever wondered why God is not winning battles through your life? It is because you have not allowed Him to smoothen your life. You are still raw and rough. The wind of the Spirit is not succeeding with you because you have not allowed the water of the word to wash away your filth and mold you into a winning stone. 

Jeremiah says, "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" (Jer.23:29). The word of God is like a hammer, and with it God wants to chisel out of you all the roughness of your life, making a winning stone out of you. The word makes you smooth, and God wants to win with you and through you. 

Is God losing a lot of battles from your end, because of your roughness - rough character, rough attitude, rough tongue, rough spirit, and rough lifestyle?

Look at your life and find out where your rough edges are. Pride is a rough edge. Unbridled tongue is a rough edge. Moral flaws are rough edges. Unforgiving heart is a rough edge. Rough edges abound. Having them is not the real problem. The real problem is not allowing the transformative power of the word to work in your life. You must let the hammer of God's word do its work in your life. You should let the water of the word exert its energy on you. Indeed the wind of God's Spirit is waiting to use you to hit God's intended target. If you let God, He will reshape and smoothen you into a winning stone. I pray that you become a winning stone in God's hands.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter