Be Yourself
“And David said, ‘The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’” 1 Samuel 17:37
In 1 Samuel 17:39, we learn a valuable lesson from David. When David volunteered to fight Goliath, King Saul wanted him to wear his armor. The verse says, “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.” You know what David was saying? He was saying, “This isn’t me. I can’t be you. God didn’t anoint me to be something I’m not. And I know my little raggedy slingshot doesn’t look as shiny and beautiful as your kingly sword, but this is what God gave me. This is the gift God gave me, and when the anointing’s on it, it’s powerful.”
God will anoint you when you are being you, not when you are being an imitation of someone else. You may see someone and think, “Wow, look how God uses them,” and then think, “If I could just be like them, then I could be used in a mighty way.” But giant killers get a revelation- “I don’t have to be something I’m not for God to use me.”
The enemy wants to make you feel insecure about who you are. To an outsider, David must have looked crazy, showing up there in shepherd’s clothes and carrying only a sling. He could have been tempted to put on the armor that the other soldiers were wearing to look like he knew what he was doing. But David stayed true to himself and said, “No, I’m just going to be myself. God has been able to do mighty things through me in the past, and He will do it again.” See, the true secret of David’s confidence was not that he believed in himself. It was that He believed in his God. He had seen God use him to do impossible things, things that no young boy should have been able to do. He learned that the source of his success was God having his back. When you have that assurance, you are secure in who you are.
Stop trying to be like someone else. David didn’t fit into Saul’s armor because he wasn’t meant to wear it. In the same way, you may not fit into the mold of a person you greatly admire, but that’s okay. God may have created you to wield a slingshot instead of a sword. You may not be able to be a doctor, but maybe you will change lives by being a teacher. You may not be the President, but you may influence thousands as a god-fearing athlete. You may not be a preacher, but maybe you will be the one to lead hundreds of homeless families to a better life. You can’t force yourself to fit into a box of someone else’s calling. There is only one you on this earth, and there will never be another like you. So go out and be the best version of yourself you can be, and with God on your side, you will be a powerful force in this world!
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