1 Samuel: 41-47
With his shield-bearer marching before him, the Philistine advanced closer and closer to David. When he sized David up and saw that he was youthful, ruddy, and handsome in appearance, he began to deride him. He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his god and said to him, “Come here to me, and I will feed your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. David answered him: “You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have insulted. Today the LORD shall deliver you into my hand; I will strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will feed your dead body and the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field; thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a God. All this multitude, too, shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves. For the battle belongs to the LORD, who shall deliver you into our hands.”
Commentary:
David’s victory against the Philistine through complete trust in God is an example to the addict of how to defeat the addiction. The Philistine in many ways represents the false Gods we pray to with our addiction. David shows us that defeating our false Gods requires that we call upon the name of the Lord and allow Him to do the work through us. The addiction at times can feel like a Philistine coming at us with a sword and spear to feed our flesh. Our best weapon is to always to admit we are powerless and call upon the name of the Lord. Let us always remember the words of Paul from Ephesians 6 and take up our best battle gear: the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of truth, which is the word of God. This is the only way to win the warfare against our addiction.
Saint Joseph Men of Integrity Group 
So,so true…we all have the ability to defeat our “Goliaths.” I am only accountable for my choices and actions, and have to choose my weapons, wisely. 🙂
LikeLike
Interesting application. Priest at Mass today said he did not always believe in giants. Then he met three of them, alcoholism, depression and anxiety. And with the help of God and the tools of recovery, he has been able to see those three giants cut down to size, contingent on maintaining fit spiritual condition daily.
LikeLike
There’s something else here as well for me.
I wholeheartedly agree. I would be in the front ranks of those who say, “self-will and self-knowledge are of no value.”
But, I’ve found that in all my struggles with purity, I have gained a lot of “street knowledge” about my addiction and ways to lower the risk of, or even sometimes completely preventing a slip or lapse.
Oddly, the strategies might not be what “earth people” would expect. For example, when I see someone I’m triggered by, I don’t try to drive the emotions and physical reactions out or distract myself (strictly speaking) from them as many unexperienced people might suggest. Instead, I simply don’t engage; I let them run their course. They go away in a couple of minutes on their own. I was totally blown away when I tried this and it worked so much more easily and effectively than anything I had tried prior to this. Meanwhile, I do return to whatever it was I was there to do in the first place.
David would be expected to come against a mighty, intimidating veteran warrior with swords, armor and shields – and a shield bearer! He had none of these. He had the skills of s shepherd and the faith in a God who had already shielded him from the claws of lions and wolves. God’s grace worked through David’s skills and paradoxically, David’s skills were a result of God’s grace.
In the end, it really does come back to God.
LikeLike