1Sam.17:38-51---Here we have the account of David killing the giant, Goliath. I am sure you all know this story. But what I want to deal with is this: v38---And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

v39---And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not PROVED it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

v40---And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand; and he drew near to the Philistine.

To the world, what David did looked foolish; he refused what the world calls great protection and battling equipment. Then he picked up five smooth stones and his sling. Now, that sure does not look like much to go against a giant, covered with an helmet of brass and armed with a coat of mail; greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. He had a huge spear and shield.

But David had, with his bear hands, killed a lion and a bear; he had done this by faith. Faith was his weapon. This is what David had PROVED.

There are many trying to take us Christians away from the wonderful name that is above every name; the name JESUS. Now that is the name I have PROVED. I do not know this other name. I have not PROVED IT. I can not go to battle with this other name; I have not PROVED IT.

Now, it may work for others; as the stuff Saul tried to put on David might have worked for him. But it was not what David trusted in. He knew God would deliver him. God would give him the victory.

That is my faith. That is what I have PROVED.

Once, several years ago, my husband was doing some yard work. When I came around the house, he was standing directly in from of a diamond back Rattle Snake. The snake was coiled up right in front of him. I called to him to kill that rattle snake; he said, “I am not sure it is a rattle snake; I do not want to kill it if it is harmless�? They had been facing each other for quite a long while. I screamed for him to kill it; for I know the diamond pattern of the snake.

So, finally he killed it. He had faith in Jesus. God had protected him from the snake. It could have bitten him at any time; it was no more than a foot in front of him.

I grow a large garden each year. I did not this year; because of this ministry taking up so much time. About three years ago, I was picking beans in my garden. After the first three bushes were picked, I felt something causing me to not bend down again. I wondered what was going on. I was looking straight out; but I became award of movement at my feet. It seemed as if some POWER pulled my eyes down. There at my feet was a large diamond back Rattler. He was coiled up and looking up at me. I recognized him instantly. My body turned to ‘jelly�? I cried out Jesus save me. I turned and walked away, unharmed.

I was having some back-hoe work done. The man’s starter had torn up. He had laid some cardboard down under it the day before. I called him and told him about the rattle snake. He came out to my home with a gun to hunt the snake. When he arrived, I had gone somewhere. When I arrived home, he had left me a note saying the dead rattler was laying in my back yard.

When I looked at the snake, it was not a rattler, but a copperhead; just as deadly.

The man said he had started to lay down on the cardboard to work on the tractor; but because grease was on it, he picked it up to turn it over; there was this copperhead laying under that cardboard; if he had lain down he probably would have been bitten.

God had protected him; he too is a Christian with faith in Jesus.

There are so many other such glorious things that have been done in my life as a result of my faith in the name of Jesus. So, you see, this is the name I have PROVED. I know no other. I can not turn away from the name that is for me MY STRONG TOWER.

By: Jo Smith