Fortress! I have sang about it, heard it being thrown around as part of the church lingo, and also used it myself numerous times. It is so easy to fall into the trap of saying things for the sake of speaking "Chrstianese" or fitting in a church crowd. The real danger lays in not understanding the depth and underlying power that exists in knowing what words like this mean.
Naturally, though I should have looked to my concordance and bible dictionary, I did a quick google search because I am the "microwave pop corn" generation. Don't worry if you don't understand lol its an inside joke between one of my favorite preachers and I. So lets get to it...
Fortress - a military stronghold, especially a strongly fortified town. Also means a person or thing not susceptible to outside influence or disturbance - copy pasted from Wikipedia
What are we saying when we say His Name, A Mighty Fortress? By making use of the second definition we are literary saying His name is not susceptible to outside influence or disturbance! Wow!! Do you understand how amazing this is?! When you make His Name your Mighty Fortress you are under His protection. Although you might be subjected to the volatile natures of this world, you will not be impacted by it! Let's walk through a story in scripture together. This is a very famous one, the story of David and Goliath. We all know the story of the young David, who people mocked, knocking out the giant, Goliath. However, I want to focus on the verses right before that happened.
"4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him." 1 Samuel 17: 4 - 7
I am pretty sure these descriptions of Goliath were very accurate. Now imagine a person that big charging at you (INSERT WIDE EYED EMOJI HERE)! Goliath kept threatening the Israelites every morning and evening. He invited anyone from all of the men of Saul (the King of Israel at that time) to challenge him. How many situations in our lives shout at us every morning and evening? How many things in our lives scream death at us?
The threats worked! The Israelites were terrified and though they were trained warriors no one dared to take the challenge Goliath putout until David. David was a shepherd boy whom his father sent to the battle field not to fight, but to take food for his brothers.
"20 Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear." 1 Samuel 17:20 - 24
I love how it says "David ran to the battle lines" and also that it said "David Heard it". I strongly feel that we lack a bit of running to the battle fields and hearing what the Lord has to say about situations in our lives! I think some of our trials are for us to endure through while others we are for us to fight through! We are to wait, listen to the Lord's instructions and then charge! Sitting on the sidelines is not longer acceptable brothers and sisters, we have to fight (see Weapons of War)! let's continue reading the story...
"32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”
33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine." 1 Samuel 17: 32-40
David, the inexperienced warrior - the young shepherd boy, could not stand and watch God's people being defied! He could not stand there and listen to the insults Goliath was hurling at God's children. Brothers and sisters, we can not just watch when women are being reduced to nothing more than pieces of meat, when children are being abused, when the elderly are being cheated out of their whole life's savings, when our youth and young adults are being taken by additions, depression, and suicide! We need to do something!
The other beautiful thing was how David took off the full armor warriors at that time would normally wear, he said he wasn't used to that! We are in such times that rehearsed Christian responses do not get us anywhere! We need to truly rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In order to do so we need get used to having conversations with the Holy Spirit. We need to experience for ourselves what it looks like to be led by Him! One more section and we are done...
45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17: 45 - 47
We all know what happened next! I love David's confidence in the Lord! The name of the Lord was truly His Fortress, His Strong Tower!
We need to have confidence in Christ and in His Holy Spirit, in His ability to be enough, in His ability to guide us, in His ability to be our Mighty Fortress. We can not step into being instruments of change, at least effective ones, before that takes place in our lives! Jentezen Franklin often says said that one of the clues to our assignment on earth can be discovered by recognizing things that anger or sadden you - paraphrasing of course.
Please don't make the mistake of equating relying on the Holy Sprit with lack of preparedness. Because even the word says "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."
Be encouraged that you can do anything through Him who gives you strength!!! You have the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead inside of you! Woah!! I hope you get that!! LETS GO! No time to waste! #BeAWorldChanger #MakeADifference
Stay Blessed <3
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