Page: Victory in the midst of spiritual warfare

LITTLE ROCK – How to experience victory in the midst of spiritual warfare was the message Frank Page shared with participants in the evening session of the 2011 Arkansas Baptist State Convention Pastors’ Conference.

Page, president and chief operating officer of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, said a changed attitude is necessary for experiencing victory.

Beginning with 1 Sam. 17, which outlines a battle between the Israelites and the Philistines, Page said Saul and all the Israelites were “terrified and dismayed” by the taunts of the giant Goliath. 

He said the Israelites’ overwhelming attitude was one of defeat and lack of expectancy.

“Honestly, do we face giants like that today,” he asked. “The answer is yes.” 

Page said our enemy, Satan, has a “strategy” to destroy families, churches – lives.

Because of this very real attack, Page said, “We can adopt an attitude of defeat, of apathy, of fear. We can say ‘the giants are so great that we cannot do it.’”

“All across this land we see it – small groups of older white people holding on (in churches) ‘til the day they die or retire,” he said, noting, “(They are) hoping maybe Jesus will come back before those two things happen.”

He said he has witnessed an “increasing pervasive pessimism in our nation and churches – a paralyzing pessimism.”

However, Page said, there is another perspective found in 1 Chron. 20. In this passage, the Israelites are once again fighting with the Philistines.

But the attitude of the Israelites in this passage is very different.

Instead of terror, the Israelites kill giant after Philistine giant. “It’s as if everyone is in the giant-killing business,” he said. “It’s as if they lined up and said, ‘I’m gonna kill me a giant today.’”

Page noted in the first passage (I Sam. 17), the Israelite king was Saul. But in the second passage, the king is David.

“When God’s men and who are leaders become giant killers, God’s people are going to follow,” said Page.

Referencing the part of the I Samuel passage where David, who was not part of the Israelite army at the time, nonetheless killed Goliath through God’s power, Page said, “The battles we have to fight – the giants – will not be defeated with denominational sources, with intelligence … or other human factors.”

Page also said a positive mental attitude is not enough to defeat the enemy.

David’s victory came from his declaration to “come against” the giant in the name of the Lord. 

“The key to being a giant killer is not believing in ourselves, our denomination, our education or other good things. It’s believing in the power of the name of the Lord God Almighty,” said Page.

“Do you believe in that Name when opposition rises up against you?” he asked.

Page said Christians must “come to the point” that they believe in the power of the Name of the Lord God Almighty. “Then we will see giants fall.” 

“We will see a new perspective of urgency, of perspective, of victory,” said Page.

“We need giant killers in this land.”