TIPS ON JAVELIN DODGING

Javelin dodging is dangerous business. Javelins are big. Javelins are heavy. Javelins are sharp. There are many different types of javelin throwers. Bitter javelin throwers. Angry javelin throwers. Jealous javelin throwers. Grieving javelin throwers. One thing is for sure – javelin throwers are dangerous. If you are in a javelin dodging situation, you can learn a few things from David, the first recorded human javelin target in history. 1 Samuel 18:11 tells us, “And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.” David twice escaped the javelin of Saul. Here are three tips that David would probably give us on how to dodge the javelins in your life:

1) KEEP PURE

And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord. (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭24‬:‭5-6‬ KJV)

David had the opportunity to fight back against Saul. However, David knew that even though Saul sought to do him harm, he would not do well to fight against the leader in his life. I realize that it is hard to comprehend, but even if we fight against the man whose heart has went wayward from God, we are still fighting against the office that God has set up. We may be justified in our own eyes, but in the eyes of the people who don’t have all of the information, we are just rebellious and fighting a loosing cause. When we fight back we are not trusting that God will fight our battles for us.

2) KEEP QUIET

I once called a leader in my life, while I was in the midst of a horrible situation. As I talked to this confidant, he said, “David, I want you do do something, right now you are wounded and unfiltered. Don’t talk to anyone else until you have had a few days to process the situation and filter your emotions.” He was exactly right! I took a few days and filtered my emotions and my spirit and then was able to deal with the situation more appropriately, what this leader was telling me was that if I was not careful I would do irreversible damage to my reputation by talking about the situation with an unfiltered spirit. When I was pastoring, I would tell people, “Tell somebody, not everybody.“ You only need to talk to the people that are closest to you when you go through a javelin throwing season. During this time, David confided in Jonathon but no one else.

3) KEEP MOVING