Keion Henderson - I'm In the Fight of My Life

First Samuel, Chapter Seventeen. First Samuel, Chapter 17, Verse 38: And Saul armed David with his armor. The first thing you’re going to have to do in 2019 is be careful who you let dress you. Be careful what you let them put on you. I don’t care if it’s a title; you look like you 're supposed to be a preacher-that ain’t my armor. You 're supposed to be a pastor-that ain’t my armor. Be careful what you let people put on you. And he put a helmet of brass upon his head; also, he armed him with a coat of mail. When I say «mail,» I want you to envision a chain, okay? All these little small chains are heavy, and they will keep the tip of a blade from being able to penetrate, right? So he put that on, and David girded himself with his own armor, and he went. Here 's what I want you to look at: Verse 39, and I’m going to be paraphrasing this because I want you to get it. There’s one word in there, and here’s what David said: «I cannot go with your stuff, for I don’t have to prove myself,» and he took it off. See, some of you are going to have to take off what they put on you, and you’re going to have to stop trying to prove yourself, but it’s not going to be easy. I want to talk on this subject today: I’m in the fight of my life. Touch everybody on your way down to your seat and tell them, «I am in the fight of my life.»

You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. Is there anybody here who has never heard of the fight between David and Goliath? I didn’t think so, because whether you are Christian or agnostic, whether you practice Catholicism or are an atheist, everybody knows this story. It has morphed into something more than a biblical narrative; it has become nomenclature for the underdog, right? The big guy versus the little guy. And all of us know some story, whether it’s in your own personal life or whether you’ve seen it on television or in a movie-there is always this conflict against power and a person, right? And you, right now sitting in this seat, I don’t care what degree you have, I don’t care what your savings account looks like, I don’t care how many stock options the company gave you, I don’t care if your window overlooks the Galleria or if you’re watching online overlooking some famous park in your city or town. Everybody gets to the place where you’re facing something so big that you need help to fight it. You could have been in church all your life-and I have been-but being in church your whole life is no proof that the church has been in you your whole life. Now let me just back up and say this: I know you want us to believe that you were saved the day you were born, but for some of us, we’re holding on by the hair on our chin and are so grateful to still be alive. Do I have anybody here today? I was raised in church; my mother was raised in church. But everybody gets to that place, and for me, it was around college. I was like, «Do I want to keep up with this thing?» I went to college and missed a Sunday. Once you miss one, it’s too easy to miss a month. «The Lord is my shepherd.»

I remember my mother called me and said, «Boy, you better get back in church. I raised you in church.» That was my excuse. But Mama, I can’t find one like the one we went to at home. She said something to me that changed my life: «If you find a church like the one back home, then you are the same person who left home.» Touch your neighbor and say, «You might have to try something different.» The church that I went to could fit inside this church. Some of the things we do were not allowed in the church I grew up in. I was raised in a situation where we knew doctrine but didn’t know the Holy Ghost. I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t beat my Goliath. I couldn’t find out why I couldn’t slay my giants because I kept throwing scriptures at them. But David did not defeat his giant with a scripture, for the scripture is the sword; he defeated him with oil.

See, the Holy Ghost can do things that your intellect cannot do. Has anybody ever prayed under the unction of the Holy Ghost? I mean, have you really? I’m talking about having one of those prayers where the Holy Ghost comes into that bathroom, or that bedroom, or that kitchen, or wherever you start praying, and before you know it, you’re shouting like it’s Sunday morning, crying like it’s Tuesday evening. That Holy Ghost is translucent; he’ll get in your car with you. You 'll be at a red light, shouting in praise and not even know it. The light turns green, and people are looking at you, wondering why you’re sitting still. They don 't understand-that’s what it means when the Holy Ghost arrests you; he will arrest your attention. It is my prayer today that you recognize that even though you might be small in the natural, if you start operating in the oil that God has poured on your life, your giants will recognize that it is not the size of your weapon, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but…