Mensa Otabil - Coming In the Name of the Lord (10/28/2025)
This week, we are looking at God using people to do great works for Him-ordinary people. He used them to accomplish great works, and I believe He will do the same for you. The God of the Bible is still the God of our day; His word never changes, His promises never change, and what He did yesterday, He is able to do today. So trust Him that He’ll do great works through you and for you.
1 Samuel chapter 17, verses 45 and 46: Then David said to the Philistine, «You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you, and this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.»
This is wartime language. Goliath has spoken some words to David, and David is responding. War is brutal; war is bloody, and so this is a real war situation. It’s not a spiritual war; this is David facing Goliath, and Goliath is a real person. Goliath is a giant; the Bible describes him as such, which means he’s bigger than normal people. Not only that, the Bible also describes him as a champion. That means he has overcome; he has conquered normal people.
What do you do when somebody who is bigger than normal people, who has overcome normal people, takes you on? Many times in life, we also feel we are dealing with our own Goliath-something that is big, bad, and ugly; something that is coming against you and wants to take you out. You look at yourself, and you’re like David-you’re tiny, you have no experience, but you have God. And that’s the winning formula of David: I may not have much, but I have God.
What we have done as we waited on the Lord is say, " Lord, we hunger and fast for you. We don’t have much, but we have you.» Remember, when you have God, you have all things. So David acknowledged whom he’s dealing with; he says, «I come to you in the name of the Lord. You are a giant; you’re a champion; you’re a bully. Everybody is afraid of you; you crush people. In my own strength, I can’t deal with you, but I come to you in the name of the Lord.»
Remember, if you want God to do great works for you, you have to make Him the center of your life and go into battle with Him, trusting in Him, hoping in Him, believing in Him, anchored in Him. David said, «Because I come to you in the name of the Lord, He will deliver you into my hand; He will set me free. I will not become a victim; I will not become prey in your hands. My story will not end up like other people’s stories.»
Listen, I tell you today: Other people went through what you are going through, and they didn’t survive. But if you trust this God, you will survive. Your story will be different; the outcome will be different for you. Your testimony will be different. When people are telling their stories and discussing how hard life is, how difficult it is, and how impossible it is, you will tell a different story. You will say, «Yes, it was hard; yes, I faced the giant, but God was with me, and He was my deliverer.»
So I trust God that you will have a new story to tell. It will be a story of God’s presence in your life; it will be a story of God’s deliverance in your life. You may not have much in your hand, but the Lord is with you, and He will do marvelous things with you. Get ready, because the testimony will break forth from your life in this season that we are in.
Let’s pray: " Heavenly Father, fill me with a zeal for Your glory. Bring down every defying giant that stands in my way. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» He did it for David; He will do it for you. I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.