“When current fear comes and it is looming large in your life, then what we need to do is . . . remember what God has done, remember his past faithfulness. . . . Let his past faithfulness cultivate current faith in us in the present.” –– Courtney Doctor

In her keynote message at TGCW22, Courtney Doctor teaches from 1 Samuel 17 about the true champion in the story of David and Goliath.

Doctor says the battle between David and Goliath is actually about the King who has won the battle for us—King Jesus, in whom is our salvation and victory over sin and death. She teaches on three things about David that helped him win the battle and, if applied to our own lives, will help us in our own battle against sin:

1. Realize God’s greatness. David realized that coming in the name of the living God was more powerful than all the armor or weapons Goliath had.

2. Remember God’s faithfulness. Recalling all the times God saved him from danger in the past gave David faith in the present.

3. Represent God’s people. Those who were in David’s army won because he won. The same is true if we're in Christ—because he has won, we also receive the victory even though we didn't earn it.

Doctor closes with this reminder: “We are running after our Champion [Jesus] into a battle that has already been decided, so fix your eyes on the King of Glory, realize his greatness, remember his faithfulness, and keep running after him.”