How do you respond when unfair situations come against you and people do you wrong? It’s easy to get discouraged and think that because it’s not working out, it’s not meant to be. But just because you have opposition doesn’t mean you’re not in God’s will. The apostle Paul said about his work in the city of Ephesus, “A wide door of opportunity is open for me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9). Anytime you have opportunity, anytime you’re about to move forward to the next level, there will be opposition. The people who reach their destiny aren’t moved by what’s not working out, and they don’t give up because they had a setback or because somebody did them wrong. They know that the setback is really a setup for God to do something greater. The adversity means the promotion, the healing, the new level are on the way.
When God sent Samuel to anoint David as the next king of Israel, no one else took notice and his own family didn’t celebrate him. They thought, “It’s just David. Pour all the oil you want on him, and it doesn’t change anything.” So David went back to the lonely shepherds' fields. Nothing looked any different. No friend encouraged him. King Saul didn’t say, “I see something special in that young man. Let’s give him a chance to learn to be king.” But David knew that with the wide door of opportunity of the anointing, there would be adversity to overcome.
When it came time for God to promote David from the shepherds' fields and give him the respect and influence of the whole nation, what did He do? God sent David an enemy…a giant enemy. David could have said, “God, I don’t understand. Samuel anointed me to be the next king, but he didn’t say I was going to face somebody twice my size, the enemy’s strongest, most experienced warrior.” Instead, he realized the giant had not been sent to defeat him but to show people the anointing on his life. That one victory over Goliath gave David instant respect from all the people of Israel and led to the throne.
No one likes difficulties, but keep the right perspective. That giant may be bigger, stronger and more experienced, but it’s no match for our God. The forces for you are greater than the forces against you. Don’t run away from the giant, run to the giant. Overcoming that giant is going to establish you and give you a new level of influence. If you stay in faith, you’re going to come out promoted to a new level of your destiny.