David had seven brothers. When it came time to pick a king to replace Saul, Samuel thought any of them would make a better king than David. But God rejected all seven, because:

1) They had the looks but not the spiritual core. God explained to Samuel, ‘People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’ (v.7 NLT). David’s spiritual core was formed by years spent with God. His heart’s cry was, ‘As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God’ (Psalm 42:1 NKJV).

2) They had no personal experiences with God to fall back on. The lion and the bear were big, and Goliath was even bigger. But David wasn’t intimidated. ‘The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine’ (1 Samuel 17:37 NKJV). There are no insignificant battles. The little ones equip us for the big ones that shape our destiny, so we must stand on our ‘God experiences’. How we respond in a crisis is determined by the experiences we've had with God.

3) They were easily influenced by others. David’s brothers allowed the fears of those around them to wear away their faith. Fear is catching; if we listen to it long enough, we'll get infected by it. That doesn't mean we should isolate ourselves from the world, but we must be insulated against its negative influences. David’s brothers were frightened when they listened to Goliath, but his words didn’t frighten David. Who are you listening to today? Get God’s opinion and build your life on it; let His Word settle every issue.

What Now?

Think about the three points in today’s reading and how far (if at all) they describe you. Is God revealing any areas where you’ve built your life on something other than Him?