October 28, 2025

We prayed together and sat with the David–Goliath account as a living picture of spiritual warfare. We noted how “Saul’s armor” symbolizes the flesh and false teaching that never fits us, while God quietly prepares us in hidden places to trust Him. With the “sling” of faith and the “stone” of truth, we run toward loud enemies—fear, doubt, accusation—resting in Christ’s sufficiency. We affirmed that our Shepherd corrects, protects, and leads; His love is never tied to our performance. We need one local assembly where we become a “joint that supplies,” sharing the overflow of His love.

Topics

• God prepares us behind the scenes for intimacy and battle
• “Saul’s armor” = flesh/self-protection/false teaching that does not fit
• The sling of faith and the stone of truth overcome loud enemies
• Our Shepherd’s rod and staff: correction, protection, guidance, care
• Sheep reality: we cannot feed, guide, protect, or cleanse ourselves
• No condemnation in Christ; accusers fall silent in His love
• Cleansed conscience vs. defiled conscience activated by lies
• One local assembly: Christ the Head; we become a joint that supplies
• Love not tied to performance—He performs what He requires
• Trials soften our will so love can flow to others

Key Moments

• We refused “armor of the flesh” and ran in God’s strength.
• We pictured faith as a sling and Christ’s word as the smooth stone.
• We recognized how accusation tries to crush, but Christ defends and frees.
• We thanked God for fathering care and perfect timing in our stories.
• We closed with gratitude for our local assembly and asked for grace to rest in what He has already done.

Practice This Week

• When fear, suspicion, or irritation rises, pick up one “stone” of truth and answer it out loud in faith.
• Receive the Shepherd’s gentle correction; let Him inspect and heal hidden “injuries.”
• Supply another member: share one overflow of encouragement you received.
• Guard fellowship: keep fleshly substitutes and self-protection off the table.

Reflection Question

• Where am I still trying to make “Saul’s armor” fit, and what would it look like today to drop it and trust the Shepherd with the sling of faith instead?