Make It About God, Not About Me

Devotional

Day 1: Make It About God’s Glory, Not Ours

There is freedom when you decide this battle is about God’s honor, not your spotlight. David stepped into the valley speaking more about the Lord than about himself. He believed God’s reputation was on the line, and that confidence shaped his courage. When God’s glory becomes your priority, your gifts, limits, and outcomes find their rightful place. Today, dedicate your opportunities and obstacles to God’s fame, and watch how faith rises within you [02:18]

1 Samuel 17:45–47 — David said to the giant, “You trust your weapons, but I step forward under the authority of the Lord who commands heaven’s armies, the One you have mocked. Today the Lord will hand you over, and I will strike you down so the world knows Israel’s God is real. Everyone here will learn that the Lord saves, and it isn’t because of sword or spear; this fight belongs to the Lord, and he will give the victory.”

Reflection: Where are you most tempted to seek credit right now, and what concrete step could you take this week to redirect the praise to God instead?

Day 2: God Uses What Others Overlook

People may underestimate what you carry, but God does not. David refused Saul’s armor and chose the sling God had trained into his hands, proving that faithfulness beats imitation. Don’t dismiss the tools in your bag just because they don’t look impressive to someone else. When you offer your ordinary to God’s glory, he turns it into more than enough. Walk into your assignment with what God gave you, not what culture expects of you [03:07]

1 Samuel 17:38–40 — Saul tried to outfit David with royal armor, a helmet, and a sword. David tested it and said, “I can’t move in this; I’m not used to it,” so he took it off. He picked up his shepherd’s staff, chose five smooth stones from the stream, tucked them into his pouch, and with his sling in hand approached the Philistine.

Reflection: Which specific, “small” gift in your life has you been downplaying, and how will you use it intentionally this week for God’s purposes?

Day 3: Private Faithfulness Fuels Public Courage

Courage in the valley is born from faithfulness in the field. David’s confidence came from hours unseen—protecting sheep, facing down lion and bear, and learning that God shows up when no one else does. What you practice in hidden places will not disappoint you on visible stages. Build the muscle of trust in quiet rooms, and it will steady you when the pressure mounts. Tend your private altar, and you’ll find strength when you step into the fight [01:59]

1 Samuel 17:34–37 — David explained, “I’ve kept my father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear snatched one, I went after it and rescued the lamb. If the beast turned on me, I grabbed it and struck it down. The same Lord who delivered me from the lion and the bear will deliver me from this Philistine.”

Reflection: What hidden practice (prayer, Scripture meditation, skill training) will you commit to each day this week to prepare for a specific challenge ahead?

Day 4: God Provides What You Lack in the Moment

Sometimes the battle requires what you don’t currently possess—and God knows how to place it within reach. David felled Goliath with a stone, then used the giant’s own sword to finish the work, showing that even opposition can become provision. When you make the mission about God’s name, he supplies what the moment demands. Trust that the God who called you will resource you as you obey. Step forward, and watch how the needed tools arrive right on time [02:42]

1 Samuel 17:50–51 — David overcame the Philistine with a sling and a stone; there was no sword in his hand. He ran to the fallen giant, drew the giant’s own sword, finished the job, and cut off his head. Seeing their champion defeated, the Philistines fled.

Reflection: Where do you feel under-resourced right now, and what is one step of obedience you can take this week while asking God to supply exactly what is missing?

Day 5: Jesus, Our Pattern of God-First Living

David points beyond himself to the One who perfectly lived for the Father’s glory. Jesus chose the path of surrender, carried the cross, and entrusted everything into the Father’s hands. God answered that obedience with resurrection power and unmatched honor. When you follow Jesus in “not my will but yours,” your story becomes a stage for God’s victory and grace. Today, echo his surrender and let every outcome magnify the Father [04:05]

Philippians 2:8–11 — He lowered himself and became obedient, even to a cross-shaped death. Therefore God lifted him high and granted him the highest name. So that at the name of Jesus every knee, in heaven, on earth, and beneath, bends low, and every tongue openly declares that Jesus is Lord, bringing glory to God the Father.

Reflection: In one specific area where your will is strong, how will you practice Jesus’ surrender this week—what words will you pray and what action will you take to align with the Father’s will?

Sermon Summary

David and Goliath is more than an underdog tale; it’s a portrait of a heart determined to make God’s name, not personal acclaim, the headline. We turned to 1 Samuel 17 and watched David refuse to center himself. From the first words out of his mouth, he kept saying, “the Lord… the Lord… the Lord.” That posture reframed the battle: instead of proving himself, he was intent on displaying God. I challenged us to live the same way—to refuse to make life about our brand, our resume, our image. When God’s reputation matters most to us, God entrusts us with victories that testify to him.

We drew out three lessons. First, when it’s about God, what others overlook, he uses to help us overcome. David didn’t need Saul’s armor; he needed to be faithful with what God had already placed in his hands—a combat-grade sling and five stones shaped by the brook of Elah. Others misread them as primitive; God knew their precision and density were enough. Second, what you develop in private won’t disappoint you in public. David’s confidence didn’t start in the valley; it was forged in lonely fields, wrestling lions and bears when no one was applauding. Public courage is the fruit of hidden fidelity. Third, when the assignment requires more than you possess, God supplies the lack. David needed a sword he didn’t have—and found one in the fallen hand of his enemy. God can even convert opposition into provision when his glory is the goal.

Finally, we lifted our eyes to Jesus, the true and greater David. From the wilderness to the cross, he kept the Father’s glory at the center: “Not my will, but yours.” Because he refused to make it about himself, the Father vindicated him—raising him up and giving him the name above every name. That’s our pattern and our promise. If we will consistently give God the glory, he will faithfully place the right victories in our hands. So lift your head, steady your heart, and let every win read like a doxology.

Key Takeaways

1. Glory first, then God moves. When God’s glory—not our image—sits at the center, we become trustworthy stewards of victories that point beyond us. This posture isn’t self-erasure; it’s right-ordering—our gifts serve his name. God delights to act where he will be credited, not merely admired. Seek his reputation, and watch provision and power align. [75:03]
2. Overlooked tools can overthrow giants. David’s sling and five stones looked unimpressive to spectators, but heaven knew their capacity. Faithfulness often means refusing to cosplay as someone else and instead mastering what God actually gave you. The underestimated tool in your hand can be decisive when it’s yielded to God’s purposes. Stop apologizing for your assignment; steward it. [76:51]
3. Private formation fuels public faithfulness. The valley didn’t create David’s courage; the pasture did. Quiet battles with lions and bears built reflexes of trust no spotlight could counterfeit. If you will invest deeply where no one is clapping, you will not be empty-handed when everyone is watching. Hidden obedience is the truest stage. [83:06]
4. When lacking, God supplies abundantly. Sometimes the mission requires resources you don’t yet hold. When your aim is his glory, God has a way of placing provision at your feet—even repurposing the enemy’s sword to finish the work. Opposition can become instrumentation in the hands of the sovereign. Don’t panic at the gap; expect his supply within the battle. [91:50]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[63:04] - Praise, greetings, and honor
[65:37] - Journey in and turning to 1 Samuel 17
[66:28] - Scripture reading: 1 Samuel 17:48-51
[67:30] - Title and prayer: Don’t Make This About Me
[69:11] - Why David showed up at the valley
[72:10] - Israel’s fear vs. David’s God-confidence
[73:41] - “The Lord… the Lord”: David’s God-centered focus
[74:47] - Big idea: When God’s glory matters most
[76:35] - Lesson 1: Overlooked becomes overcoming
[78:56] - Sling, not slingshot: use what you have
[81:02] - Five smooth stones and real capacity
[83:06] - Lesson 2: Private work, public fruit
[84:43] - Lions and bears: the hidden resume
[88:43] - Lesson 3: God supplies what you lack
[91:50] - Using Goliath’s sword: provision in the battle
[93:51] - Jesus, the greater David: Father’s glory
[95:36] - Resurrection and the name above every name
[96:18] - Call to praise and trust
[124:33] - Benediction and sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- 1 Samuel 17:48–51

Observation questions

Read 1 Samuel 17:48–51. What specific actions does David take from the moment he runs toward Goliath until the Philistines flee, and what do those actions reveal about his priorities? [01:06:28]
David repeatedly names the Lord while explaining why he will fight. Where does David place God in his language and purpose as he goes into the valley, and how does that shape the scene? [01:13:41]
What items did David bring into the valley (and why), and how did others react to those items when they first saw them? What does the reaction tell you about how people judge readiness? [01:18:56]
David tells of killing a lion and a bear while tending sheep. How do those private experiences show up in his public confidence at the valley? [01:24:43]

Interpretation questions

How does making God’s reputation the primary aim reframe the meaning of a victory? In what ways does this shift change how a person is used in God’s purposes? [01:15:03]
In what ways can tools or gifts that look small or outdated to onlookers be especially suited for God’s work? What does this imply about how worth and usefulness are measured in God’s economy? [01:16:51]
How does private formation (training, small faithful acts, hidden tests) function as proof that someone is ready for public responsibility? What principle connects private fidelity to visible fruit? [01:23:06]
What are the theological implications of God supplying what someone lacks in the moment of assignment (for example, David obtaining Goliath’s sword)? How does that affect expectations about provision in hard assignments? [01:31:50]

Application questions

If the primary aim of an action is to make God famous rather than to build personal reputation, how would that change one recent goal or win in your life? Describe one concrete way you can make your next achievement read like a doxology. [01:15:03]
What overlooked skill, gift, or “stone” do you currently hold that others minimize? How will you steward and practice it this month so it is ready when needed? Name one specific practice or habit you will begin. [01:16:51]
Think of a season when you developed faithfulness in private (discipline, prayer, small struggles). How did that prepare you for a later public opportunity? What private practice do you need to restart or deepen now? [01:23:06]
When a calling requires more than you presently possess, what practical steps will you take to expect God’s provision rather than panic? (List one person to ask for help, one skill to develop, and one trust step you will take this week.) [01:31:50]
Whose approval or applause are you tempted to seek instead of seeking God’s glory? What one change can you make in how you speak about your next success so that God’s name is foregrounded? [01:14:47]
Are you trying to wear someone else’s “armor” (imitating another person’s methods or image) instead of using what God actually gave you? What will you stop doing and what will you start doing this week to operate in your own calling and tools? [01:18:09]

Sermon Clips

Friends, might I submit to you here that the problem is not just that Goliath is taunting Israel. The real problem is that Israel has lost its belief in its own God. From King Saul all the way down to the youngest soldier in the army, they have all allowed the size of their enemy to make them forget the strength of their God. And David sees this as a problem that needs to be solved. [01:12:18] (30 seconds) #RememberGodsPower

Verse 46, he is now talking trash to Goliath on his way to fight him. He says, today the Lord, somebody say the Lord. The Lord will conquer you and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I'll give the body of your men to the birds and wild animals. And the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. Somebody say God. [01:13:31] (20 seconds) #LetGodBeKnown

Verse 47, and everyone assembled here will know that the Lord, somebody say the Lord, rescues his people but not with the sword and the spear. This is the Lord. Listen as he talks and heads in the battle, not talking about himself, not patting himself on the back, not banging his own chest, but singing praises, honor, and credit to the God who's going to make it possible. [01:13:49] (30 seconds) #PraiseNotPride

So David, the most unlikely hero, now jumps into this battle, not to deal with Goliath, but to help people know that God is still alive. And when God sees that there's somebody who is willing to believe what he has said, God uses everything he has in an epic and an undeniable way. I came all the way from Nashville to give you a simple lesson. Here it is. I believe God wants us to take this home with us today. Here it is. That when you make God's glory more important than yours, you create space for God to use you in supernatural ways. [01:14:20] (41 seconds) #GloryOverSelf

Only problem is David can't do what he does looking like somebody else. David tries it on, but he said, I can't go. I can't go in this stuff because if you want to fail fast, try to look like somebody else. If you want to fail fast, you neutralize your gifts trying to use somebody else's. He puts it on, but it doesn't fit. And what's amazing to me is that this idea was that David actually needed to look like Saul in order to go fight and win. [01:17:54] (36 seconds) #AuthenticWins

Here's another lesson I'll give to you very quickly. Here's the second one. If you let God get the glory, God will give you the victory, but here's how He'll do it. What you develop in private won't disappoint you in public. If you let God get the glory, make it about Him and not about you, that what you develop in private, God won't let it disappoint you in public. What am I saying? I'm telling you, how you use what you have when nobody is watching is the real test of how you will handle it when everybody is. [01:22:01] (43 seconds) #PrivatePrepPublicVictory

Friends, confidence is not built when people are watching. It's too late to build it then. No, no, no. Confidence is built when you are by yourself. Confidence is built in your prayer closet. Confidence is built getting up shots when ain't nobody in the gym. Confidence is built early in the morning when everybody else is asleep and you training and getting yourself together. David is not just confident because of his experience in battle but confidence also comes because when ain't nobody watching, God is there. [01:26:41] (33 seconds) #ConfidenceInTheQuiet

Only problem is he ain't got no sword. Up to this point, he never needed a sword. Every time he dealt with enemies before, his sling was enough. He's a shepherd. He got a sling and he got a shepherd's staff and it conquered all of his battles. Even when he fought the lion and the bear, the Bible says, he clubbed them to death. But now, he's in a battle where he needs something that he doesn't have. Let me show you how gangster God is. David doesn't have a sword, but at this very moment, he is standing over somebody who does. David grabs Goliath's sword and cuts off Goliath's head. [01:30:49] (62 seconds) #VictoryBeyondWeapons

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