Warren W. Wiersbe said it well when he shared: “People who walk by faith don’t see obstacles, they see opportunities.”1 The Christian life is a grand adventure that is constantly presenting us with obstacles to overcome by turning them into opportunities to use them to glorify God and bless others.
One of the greatest examples in all of Scripture of this principle can be found in the story of David and Goliath. Goliath was a great warrior and the champion of the Philistines. He was literally a giant in physical stature and in the natural, David was no match to defeat him. However, rather than look at Goliath as an imposing and impossible foe (a great obstacle), David trusted in the Lord to give him the victory. I believe, because the Lord saw David’s faith and his desire to use this fight as a great opportunity to bring glory to God that David was able to defeat Goliath.
We read how David turned this great obstacle into an opportunity to glorify God in (1 Samuel 17:45-47): “Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.’”
As Christians it is so important that we realize that if we are going to live by faith, then we can expect our faith to be tested by presenting us with obstacles to overcome through trusting Jesus and prayer. I believe that when we view these obstacles as opportunities to glorify God, that our heavenly Father takes delight in supplying us with the needed resources and strength to overcome whatever challenges we face in life.
So, the next time you face a difficult situation, trust God that he will use it to help grow your faith and give you the wonderful opportunity to glorify His name and bless others. Obstacles or opportunities – how will you view your next challenge in life? So, always remember that while fear looks at the obstacle, faith sees the opportunity!
1 TOP 25 QUOTES BY WARREN W. WIERSBE (of 89) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
When Faith Walks Forward: How God Turns Tests Into Testimonies……………………m.r.neveu
Warren Wiersbe once said, “People who walk by faith don’t see obstacles, they see opportunities.”
Curt’s devotional takes that line and breathes Scripture into it, reminding us that the Christian life is not a stroll through a manicured garden but a pilgrimage through terrain that shifts, surprises, resists, and—if we let it—transforms us.
The heart of Curt’s message is simple and sharp. Faith is not proven in the absence of obstacles. Faith is revealed in the presence of them. David didn’t become a testimony bearing king by avoiding giants. He became one by walking straight toward one.
Curt writes that David “trusted in the Lord to give him the victory,” that God honored David’s desire “to use this fight as a great opportunity to bring glory to God.”
That’s the hinge of the story. David didn’t deny the obstacle. He reclassified it.
Goliath wasn’t a wall. He was a doorway.
And David stepped through.
Scripture gives us David’s battle cry in full color: “You come to me with a sword… but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts.”
This is the spiritual judo of faith. The enemy arrives with weapons. The Christian arrives with worship. The enemy trusts his hellion strength. The Christian trusts God’s character. The enemy boasts. The Christian prays.
Curt reminds us that “if we are going to live by faith, then we can expect our faith to be tested.”
Tests are not interruptions to the Christian life. They are the Christian life. Every Biblical leader (and every person of faith and leadership in this life) who you admire carries a scar that became a story, a wound that became wisdom, a trial that became testimony.
There is no testimony without a test. No Goliath, no David.
No Red Sea, no Moses. No cross, no resurrection.
Faith is not the art of ignoring obstacles. Faith is the discipline of interpreting them through the promises of God. When we do that, obstacles become altars…places where God shows Himself faithful again and again.
Curt ends the devotional with a question that lands like a gentle challenge: “Obstacles or opportunities – how will you view your next challenge in life?”
Here’s the secret: the challenge doesn’t define the outcome.
Your posture before God does.
When fear looks at the obstacle, it sees danger.
When faith looks at the obstacle, it sees destiny.
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A Word for the Children
Hey kids! Did you know that every big problem is like a giant puzzle God helps you solve? David didn’t beat Goliath because he was the strongest. He won because he trusted God the most. So, when something feels too big, too hard, or too scary, remember: God loves turning your “Uh oh!” into “Wow!” He’s the best helper, the bravest friend, and the One who makes little people do big things.
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Faith doesn’t shrink the obstacle; it enlarges your view of God.
Thanks Curt! Nicely done.