Jayden was a rambunctious little boy with a spirit of adventure. Like the best actor, he would don his Superman cape, stand up tall, flex his muscles and become Superman, running around the house with his cape flying in the wind behind him. His little face was full of determination as he conquered every foe in his imagination.
With each step, his mind entered further into the realm of Superman until he firmly believed that he could fly and land wherever he wanted! Flying past the window, he saw his sister outside. Superman to the rescue! Running as hard and fast as his little feet would carry him, he headed straight for her without a thought about the plate glass window that stood between them. As Jayden hit the glass, it shattered. Shards of glass flew everywhere, including into his little body. Jayden found his kryptonite and learned the theory of gravity at the same time.” (Ruth Hendrickson, Positioned: How to be Aligned & Empowered to Walk in Your Divine Destiny, 15-16).
In the movies, Superman always had an evil villain who knew his weakness and continually plotted to get him near kryptonite. Exposure to kryptonite weakened the superhero, leaving him ineffective and powerless to fulfill his mission.
In much the same way, we have an evil force who wants to use our weaknesses against us, rendering us equally ineffective and powerless for the kingdom of God—unless we appropriate our divine equipping for victory.
“Be well balanced and always alert, because your enemy, the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8, TPT).
We can only keep the evil (demonic) forces at bay when we are sober, alert and cautious. We must not succumb to the worldly culture, allowing it to set the standard. Nor can we sit back, relax and hide as if there were no battle. Instead, we must keep our focus on Jesus and remember that Scripture is our plumbline.
The Type and Strength of Kryptonite
In God’s perfect plan, the Israelite people were to be His people, a people set apart who would worship only Him. They were to set the standard, thinking and acting differently than the culture around them. While Superman is a mere fictional hero using his superpowers to save people, as followers of Christ, we should set the standard of what it means to actively live and move in the power of God every day.
In 1 Samuel 17, the Philistines mustered their army and waged war against the army of Israel. Each army set camp on a hill with a valley between them. In the valley, we are most susceptible to the taunts of the enemy.
Saul and the Israelite army listened to the taunts of Goliath, the Philistine giant. As they looked across the valley, they saw his size, massive armor and weaponry. They also heard his booming voice, one that filled their ears and drowned out the voice of God.
Twice a day for 40 days the giant taunted the army, and in the process, Goliath successfully disarmed the army of God without using a single weapon other than his voice. As the Israelites allowed Goliath’s voice to fill their minds, unseen enemies were unwittingly ushered into the camp of Israel:
Fear.
Insecurity.
Trauma.
Because the enemy’s voice continued to speak, it resulted in:
Lack of identity.
Failure to inquire of God, hear God or remember the promises of God.
Unbelief—not taking God at His word.
When we give any voice more power than the voice of God, we effectively surrender our power to impact our culture for the kingdom of God. We become defined by the weakness of our kryptonite rather than by the power of our God.
A 2019 Pew Research article states, “the religious landscape of the United States continues to change at a rapid clip.” We see this played out in day-to-day decisions as the church is often impacted by the culture more than the culture being impacted by the church. When this happens, we automatically abdicate our God-given authority to a lesser power. But Scripture sets forth the truth:
Psalm 56:11 reminds us that when we put our trust in God, we do not need to walk in fear.
Second Timothy 1:7 reminds us that fear is not from God.
Philippians 4:6 reminds us not to walk in anxiety.
Fear and insecurity are destiny stealers.
Because of their fear, King Saul and the Israelite army focused only on the roaring voice of their enemy, allowing him to drown out every promise of God until they forgot both who they were and who God is. Believers, be assured: God simultaneously sees the past, present and future and weaves them all together for our good and for His purpose. We can trust that He understands how to slay the giants and disarm the enemy.
Fear and unbelief became a crippling kryptonite for Israel’s army in the valley.
What is the kryptonite in your valley? Are you listening to the roaring giant taunting you?
It is time to shift your focus. Do not allow your thoughts and beliefs to align with your kryptonite. Look up and believe the promise—God has a plan!
“Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]” (Phil. 4:8, AMP).
Immunity and Power
Superman has a fictional power that is not of this world, while we have a supernatural power that is not of this world. When we rightly exercise that power, we have the authority to combat all forms of kryptonite. When we align with God’s plans and purposes, we refuse to carry fear, anxiety and failure. As we grow in relationship with God, we begin to develop godly wisdom that increases our immunity from our kryptonite.
When we walk in this level of authority, the demonic cannot find a foothold; our identity cannot be swayed and our focus stays intact. The challenge is that this type of immunity does not come through a pill or a shot. It comes from spending time with the Father. It comes through worship, the Word and God’s training ground.
Out in the fields tending sheep was a young man named David. While the enemy easily intimidated King Saul, David’s brothers and the rest of the army, God had been preparing David in the training ring, readying him for more.
What seems like a regular, boring job is often training and preparation for slaying giants.
David’s father sent him to the battlefield to deliver food. I imagine he expected to witness the mighty army of Israel, but instead, he found them cowering in fear. In wisdom, David asked questions, seeking to identify the giant who was defying the army (see 1 Sam. 17:26).
How do you respond when you feel ridiculed and silenced by those around you? Are you asking questions of God to help you identify who or what the real enemy is?
When we allow ourselves to be silenced, we have effectively partnered with the enemy and forfeited our God-given assignment.
David, carrying the presence of God, came face to face with the taunts from those who could not see what He carried. Yet David did not allow himself to be silenced. He kept moving forward, asking questions, and eventually gained an audience with the king. While the king looked at David and saw only a boy, David shut out the distractions and intimidations, and looked at his giant through God’s perspective. This new way of seeing became the key to David’s immunity to the taunts of Goliath, his brothers, and even the doubts of the king.
David was capable of more than what the king could see because of the time he had spent alone in preparation and training with the Lord. He stepped into the moment with a bold confidence because he aligned his vision with God’s.
Your voice is designed to carry the authority of the kingdom of heaven, making the demonic flee. But that authority only comes with preparation. And preparation happens through worship and becoming intimately acquainted with God’s Word so you can align yourself with what He has said.
And so David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” (1 Sam. 17:34-37, NLT).
David had never faced a human giant, but he had killed lions and bears. David identified the camp to which the enemy (Goliath) belonged and aligned himself with the heavenly Father, just as he did tending sheep.
Looking from God’s viewpoint will always bring the enemy down to size.
Saul began to realize that there was something different about this young man. I think Saul recognized David was not succumbing to fear but carrying peace, power and authority from heavenly realms.
When you walk onto a battlefield, are you carrying heaven’s peace, power and authority?
Dressing for Battle
Superman had his famous cape. However, we cannot just put on that cape and become Superman. That is neither our armor nor our identity.
King Saul had the most modern armor available, and it fit him perfectly. However, Saul had compromised his relationship with God and the authority God had given him. This compromise not only impacted his life but the life of the entire nation as well. The moment-by-moment decisions Saul made allowed the enemy’s voice to carry authority throughout the land.
Before we cast a stone at Saul, we need to look at ourselves. In 2017, Barna looked at how the world was creeping into the culture of the church. The results reflect how often the body of Christ has donned worldly armor.
“Barna’s research shows that only 17% of Christians who consider their faith important and attend church regularly actually have a biblical worldview.”
What are you allowing into your camp? What is squelching your witness, power, authority, signs, wonders and miracles?
The article goes on to state that among practicing Christians:
Sixty-one percent agree with ideas rooted in new spirituality.
Fifty-four percent resonate with postmodern views.
Thirty-six percent accept ideas associated with Marxism.
Twenty-nine percent believe in ideas based on secularism.
We tend to point to the church at large and find fault. However, the church is made up of individuals. The starting place lies with each of us. We must steward our own belief system and conduct our lives in a way that glorifies God, do life His way and refuse to allow that relationship to be weakened. We must understand that the peace He brings far surpasses the momentary pleasures of the world.
“Put off your old self [completely discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful desires, and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude], and put on the new self [the regenerated and renewed nature], created in God’s image, [godlike] in the righteousness and holiness of the truth [living in a way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation]” (Eph. 4:22b-24, AMP.)
Have you allowed anything into your life that does not align with the Word of God? Are you self-styling religion rather than standing and battling God’s way?
Kings and Priests Lead
Are you leading?
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9, AMP).
David was on a journey to becoming a king. He had to make decisions along the way that not only impacted his destiny but also the destiny of those around him.
Saul offered to allow David to wear his armor for the battle. However, David understood that attempting to fight in armor belonging to someone else would hinder him. He stood his ground, walked in heaven’s wisdom and realized God had put him there for a purpose.
Ephesians 6 not only tells us to be strong in the Lord but also to put on His armor. When we wear His armor, we can successfully stand up against every giant and form of kryptonite that comes against us. The armor of the Lord squelches the demonic powers, and they cannot disarm us. When we are rightly dressed for battle, we become salt and light to the world. But the moment we take the world’s armor, we have compromised our faith and our witness. We’ve lost our focus, allowing the giants—and the kryptonite—to win.
Superman did not have the ability to dress to avoid the kryptonite that could take him down. But we can be assured that when we dress God’s way, we are protected.
David, an unlikely candidate by the world’s standard, picked up an unusual weapon, partnered with God and slew the giant. As the stone from his sling sank into the giant’s forehead, David sent fear and insecurity fleeing. He made way for peace to enter the camp.
One boy, one stone and the breath of God had the power to kill the giant. Using the enemy’s own sword, David cut off his head and silenced him once and for all.
With God, you are more than enough for any battle. Do you believe that?
Growing in Stature and Walking in Victory
When the Israelite army corporately partnered with fear, they also did so as individuals. But David modeled something different. David stood firm. Goliath could not sway him, nor could the voices, the king’s authority, his brothers or the odds. As David fixed his gaze upon God, He received battle strategy from heavenly realms.
The only way we can find freedom and immunity from the kryptonite that stalks us is to:
Spend time in the Word of God.
Spend time in prayer.
Spend time in worship.
As we consume a steadfast diet of the things of God, we grow into our positions as kings and priests. We discover that God’s plans and purposes for us are good! All we have to do is follow His path.
When we at RHM International minister to people in our Emotional Healing and Deliverance Ministry (click here to learn about Mashah Ministry), we have them repeat the truth that God speaks to them during their ministry session. God begins to transform their minds, and they start to think in alignment with God’s truth.
What made David so different? He had a heart after God’s own heart (see 1 Sam. 13:14, Acts 13:22).
What makes you different? Do you have a heart after God’s own heart? Never give in to the kryptonite—because you are created to:
Have a voice.
Bring heaven to earth.
Be salt and light.
Walk in your destiny.
You are here for such a time as this! (See Esth. 4:14).
Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal anything that holds you back from being the person God created you to be. Look at your kryptonite with a steely-eyed kingdom focus and speak truth into the area that has held you captive.
Today is your day for freedom. Today is your day to make a difference for the kingdom of heaven!
Ruth Hendrickson is an ordained pastor, itinerant speaker, ministry trainer and board-certified biblical counselor who has extensive experience in the development, training and oversight of emotional healing ministry teams, recovery ministries, prophetic ministry, prayer ministries and women’s ministry. She is a course facilitator for Patricia King Institute and Charisma courses. She writes for Elijah List and Charisma and has a podcast titled Real Truth with Ruth. Her books include: Positioned: How to be Aligned & Empowered to Walk Into Your Divine Destiny and Everyday Prophetic. Visit Ruth at ruthhendrickson.org.
Brian Barcelona 
Don Colbert, MD 
James Lasher 
