Crisis! It's not a pleasant situation to be in. Think back with me to September 11, 2001. When we first heard about or saw the televised reports of airplanes crashing into the world trade center, we were confused. But when the reports came in that we were under attack by Osama Bin Laden and Al Quida terrorists, then we experienced a crisis of huge proportions. We were attacked on our own land and many were killed. We were gripped with questions of where would terrorists attack next. Then the anthrax letters hit the mail and more fear broke out. First, the enemy invaded us on our own turf and caught us off- guard. Then, the terrorists were calling the shots and defining the war. Their attacks imparted fear into our hearts. We experienced the reality of our vulnerability and that deep feeling of dismay shattered our preconceptions of being safe on the homefront. Remember what "crisis" feels like.

That's exactly what the Israelites were experiencing on the day that were invaded by the Philistines at Socoh in Judah. The Philistine invasions weren't new. They had been dealing with Philistine attacks for many, many years. These sea people who came in from the Mediterranean had already settled below Israel and continued to try to move north into their territory. But under King Saul's leadership the Philistines had been put to shame. It seemed that they were no longer going to be the threat they once were. Then came the Crisis - A BIG CRISIS - a nine feet tall crisis.named Goliath. This time when the Philistines attacked they pulled out a weapon that no one knew what to do about. It was like the plane that hit the world trade center. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. But there he stood - a giant of a warrior who marched out from the ranks of the Philistines into the valley between the hills where the two armies were about the face off.

(Read I Samuel 17:1-11)
You could hear his voice booming out - "Who will dare come and fight me? You send out your best man and we'll duel. If I win, Israel will become slaves to the Philistines. If your man wins, the Philistines will serve as your slaves. The enemy had invaded and caught Israel off-guard. What would they do? The enemies were calling the shots and defining the war. The very size of this giant imparted great fear and dismay says the scriptures. The Isarelites actually begin to see themselves as slaves to the Philistines. They saw themselves as doomed. This was a huge, imminent crisis!

The enemy became a stronghold upon Israel. They didn't know what to do to take on this threat. They were completely thrown off and they couldn't get a handle on a strategy. The elements of war had changed and they didn't have a clue as to their direction. Listen to how the scripture describes the situation:

I Samuel 17:11; 16

That's a stronghold. Strongholds are a Crisis of the heart- that threaten to defeat us. Satan is the master of strongholds. He knows how to use strongholds to completely threaten us and try to convince us that he will have the victory over us.
Strongholds are set up exactly in the way that the enemy attacked us on 9/11 and when Israel was attacked by Goliath. (1) The enemy invades us and catches us offguard. Satan invades our lives when we have let down our guard and aren't wearing the spiritual armor God has given us. (2) The enemy calls the shots and defines the war, making us believe we must play by His rules. Satan is a master at putting us into situations where we feel that we have no control and we give into his crafty manipulations. He wants us to experience failure, doubt, confusion, mistrust, and an inability to do what we know is right. (3) The enemy imparts fear into our minds and hearts. We become so afraid, we lose sight of what God has given us to defeat the enemy. It threatens to tear us down completely.
So what do you do about a stronghold? Well, you can try to take it on with your own strength and power, but…good luck…because that alone isn't gong to defeat the stronghold. A stronghold can only be defeated with spiritual weapons.

Strongholds can last for long periods of time. Israel had experienced this stronghold for 40 Days. 40 Days of fear. 40 Days of crying out "We're doomed!" 40 Days of hearts sinking. But there was also something else taking place on those 40 Days….

I know there had to be a lot of prayer taking place in the Israeli army camp about this stronghold. I bet Saul was down on his knees daily and a whole lot of other soldiers with him. Likewise, people in Israel were praying. I'm sure word had reached the civilians about the threat. Wives were praying for their husbands, children for their fathers. I believe the people were praying for God to send someone that could defeat Goliath.

God didn't let those prayers go unanswered. God is about defeating strongholds in His peoples' lives. He heard the prayers and he sent the answer - David, a little shepherd boy, arrived on the scene and said to Saul:

I Samuel 17:32-37

We already know the end of the story. But if you can, pretend you don't know it. Pretend all you know up to this point is that there is a crisis with this huge nine foot giant waving around a 125 lb. spear challenging the entire army of Israel. Then a small shepherd boy arrives on the scene and says he'll take him on. Who in their right mind would listen to this boy? It seems ludicrous. But what we don't see is that David is the anointed one! This is God's answer - the one God chose to bring down the stronghold.

That's how God works. God sends his anointed One into the world to bring down the biggest stronghold ever. He sent His only Son to take on our sin and the death that it brings. Helooks like a common man that ends up hung on a cross. And on Good Friday over 2000 years ago some people scoffed and said, "That's crazy! That can't be the way God's going to defeat Satan. Satan has won this round sure enough! Rome has their way again! We're doomed…"

But three days later….the grave was burst wide open. The stronghold was defeated forever by the anointed one of God - Jesus the Christ!
Here's the prelude to that anointed one….a shepherd boy named David who was anointed by God as the next king of Israel. He's not the official king yet….but God's going to give a sample to the people of what's coming. God chose David - a human being just like you and me - simply for his heart. Not for his warring, not for his skills, not for his leadership….but for his heart. And his heart is what shows when he comes to Saul and says, "I will fight this one who dares to challenge the chosen people of God." God desires for us to have that same heart - God anoints the heart that pursues the victory!

What do you see in that heart? We certainly see FAITH! Faith in God…not in the strength of people, but in the strength of the God who parts waters, sends plagues, and defeated one of the greatest Pharaoh of Egypt. That's the heart David had. He saw God not as some great victor of the past….but as the Victor present now…even before the victory was one. He had faith that God would deliver his people.
Isn't it amazing that David wasn't fearful of Goliath? Where there is great faith…fear is dispelled. I'm sure when he walked out facing Goliath and saw his size, his mind told him to beware and to be scared. But David had trained his mind to listen to his heart focused on God…that he didn't have to fear because his faith overcame his fear.

Second, I see a heart in David that trusts God totally. He didn't put his trust in the armies or even in King Saul. He didn't even try to wear the armor Saul tried to fit him with. He simply put his trust in the same God that had helped him defeat bears andlions in the wilderness. He believed God could defeat Goliath if he would step forward in total trust.

Third, I see a heart that obeys God. David put that faith and trust into action by actually doing what God told him to do. He went to the battle front in the name of God. He set his heart on what God wanted and God's will and he was an instrument of God's will.

Illustration: Our men's group that meets on Sunday evenings have been discussing the book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala. In that book Jim tells the remarkable story of how he agreed to be the pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle, a fledgling congregation in New York City. When he started as pastor there were only about 15 people regularly coming to church and they were renting an old theatre to meet in. However, they weren't bringing in enough money to pay the mortgage, much less to do anything else. Jim felt very anxious and didn't know where to turn to. This financial stronghold was a huge barrier to ministry. He took a trip with his family to Florida and while there he began to pray earnestly to God about the situation. He didn't know what he was going to do. But during that time with God, God told him to trust in Him and to call the people to prayer. Jim began a prayer service on Tuesday evenings to do nothing but pray. As people came to pray, it became a very powerful time because it was an open time for the Holy Spirit to lead. People began to not just pray about their own difficulties of being the church, but for and with one another. Other people came into the prayer service with needs and were prayed for. Jim describes it as a place where people began to experience the most powerful love in the world. Even though this prayer service didn't bring in the finances they needed overnight, the people began to change. Others came. There was the faith that God was going to take care of the need if they did what God called them to do.
The rest is history. The people formed a choir for their service that landed a recording contract that brought in many funds. They reached more people. Ministries began to spring up. The focus remained on prayer and letting the Holy Spiritlead and still does. Jim says their worship services last 2-21/2 hours because they don't want to rush through them. They allow the Holy Spirit to do His work. People give testimonies about the change God has made in their lives.
Today that church has thousands of attenders and members. They have 4 services each Sunday throughout the day. They took a huge Crisis to God and God sent them the anointing to answer the Crisis. Was it easy? By no means.

When we have the faith that God will bring the victory over the stronghold, then we must believe it and act on it every time. The people who came to prayer had faith, trust, and obedience in their hearts. Their faith was a mustard seed that moved a mountain. Their trust gave them the assurance that God would hear their prayers and honor their faith by bringing forth fruit from their efforts. Their obedience was their offering to God of their lives, abilities, gifts, and talents for God to use.

What strongholds are you battling now in your own life? What strongholds are we battling here in the church? You must realize something very important. Strongholds are not flesh and blood. Strongholds are principalities and powers….

Ephesians 6:10-12

The only way that God can defeat these strongholds is by having your and my heart that will pursue the victory. We must be willing to let God have our hearts and bring the victory through the heart that turns to God in faith, trust, and obedience. We must remember that the anointed one - Jesus the Christ - will come to us to defeat the stronghold if we will hold fast to the faith and fervently pray for the victory. God will not leave us abandoned. But there may be a time of testing that will threatened to rock our faith. Don't give in! Help is on the way. Hold fast and believe in God!

Now that Jesus has come, we have to have a different understanding of Crisis than we have ever had. The Chinese have a word for Crisis. I can't pronounce it, but I've written it up here on this board. This is the Chinese word for Crisis. But when you write or say the Chinese word "Crisis" that's not the full meaning of it. The Chinese word has two parts that actually mean DANGER & OPPORTUNITY. A reminder that out of danger cane come an important opportunity. That's what every stronghold is in our lives and the life of the church. It is a crisis as opportunity. We can never just see it as a crisis that brings fear and dismay and the possibility of defeat. With Christ we now see an opportunity - a door that swings open! We must turn in prayer, put on the armor of God, and face the giant head on. Help is on the way because the anointed one is going to tear down the stronghold and destroy it forever.
Illustration: In the recent movie Facing the Giants a coach has a huge stronghold to overcome. He has only a mediocre record for 6 years. One of his star players transfers to another school. The team is doubting their abilities. On top of this he is having financial struggles and he and his wife can't have children. He overhears a conversation among the parents of the boys on the team that they want to recruit a better coach. This huge crisis overwhelms him and he has no where to go but to God. He opens his Bible and begins to cry out to God for help. He has given his life to Christ, and he seeks Christ to carry him through and make him the best he can be. The next day after that night of prayer, he writes down a philosophy of being a team and calls his team together. He tells them that the most important thing is not just winning the game, the season, and getting the trophy. It's not in getting a scholarship. The most important thing is giving their best to God. That's what life is about and that's what playing ball is about.
He begins to challenge his players to give it their all. A lineman is challenged to carry a boy on his back for 50 yards, when previously he had only gone 30. As he is blindfolded to coach is continually pushing him to do his best, to give it his very best. He carries goes the whole field - over 100 yards when he only thought he would make 50. Another boy, named David, doesn't trust his kicking abilities. His longest field goal is only 39 yards. In the final state championship game of the season the game rests on him. He is challenged to kick a 52 yard field goal. He is doubting, but the coach reminds him he is
giving his best to God. "Do you believe you can do it for God?" he asks. The boy prays for God to help him and he kicks the ball and makes the field goal.
A once mediocre team defeats all the odds and wins the State Championship.

Now that's a movie, but there's a lot of truth in that story. It has happened over and over again in Israel's history and in our own history. God acts where people are submitted to him with hearts that are pursuing the victory.

In every Crisis there is an opportunity:

Psalm 60:12: With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.