Being covenant minded!

Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
                                 (I Samuel 17:36)


                   Are you covenant minded? That is the question that I want to ask you today. If you are born again, whether you know it or not, you have a covenant with God. In the Old testament, a proof of a covenant was circumcision, which was done on the eighth day. (Gen 17:11) When David saw the Giant raging and challenging Israel, he had his mind focused on one thing--covenant! He was covenant minded and had his mind set on victory. 
                    Our covenant with God is baptism in water. When we get baptized in water, we are circumcising our hearts and burying the old man. In other words, we are getting rid of the old sinful nature through the waters of baptism. (Rom 6:4/Col 2:12) It is just like joining a gang, but it is a spiritual gang where the boss is God Almighty-Praise God! Growing up in New York City, I saw a lot of things--Good and bad. 
                   One thing that I will, always, remember is gang initiation. When you join a gang, you have to go through an initiation. Sometimes, it involves getting beat up for a couple of minutes. After you pass the test, you are accepted. So, that means if anyone picks a fight with you, they have to fight the whole gang. Why? Because you are in covenant with that gang!
                    David knew the power of covenant. He saw his God deliver him from the bear and Lion. He had his eyes set on bigger things, bigger goals and bigger rewards. Are you going through? Take some time to rehearse your past victories like David did.                  
                 When trials and testings come to you. Fear not! You have a covenant with God. We tend to get discouraged when problems overwhelms us, but think about it--Problems are stepping stones to a reward. When David defeated the Giant, he got rewarded with riches, the king's daughter and living in the land tax free! That, also, applied to his family, too. (I Sam 17:25) So, when problems start growing as Giants, rejoice in the Lord. You will be blessed and see great rewards come to you. 

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