We live in a world where we face many “giants” in our lives. These “giants” can be losing a best friend, a dream job or a loved one. It could be marital struggles, debt or struggling to find purpose in life. No matter what the case may be, we all have faced or currently facing “giants” in our lives.
I am reminded of a story in the Bible in First Samuel, chapter 17 where a young boy had to face a real giant. A giant named Goliath taunted the Israelites for forty days straight, every morning and evening. “Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, ‘Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us’” (verses 8-9).
The giant was persistent and never failed to show up to mock the Israelites. If we think about how satan is persistent in showing us our flaws, worries, anxieties and fears, he never stops trying to change our thoughts to destroy us. It is a daily battle to overcome satan’s tactics. This is exactly what Goliath was doing to the Israelites every day. His number one goal was to make the Israelites feel defeated and have no worth.
Here comes along David, a young Israelite boy, who accepted Goliath’s request which was to fight him. In verse 4, it states that Goliath was “six cubits and one span” in height. In today’s world, Goliath would have been about nine feet and six inches tall. David was only about five feet and two inches tall. In comparison, Goliath was about four foot taller than David and much stronger than a young boy. In verses 5 through 7, the Scripture describes Goliath wearing “a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.” Now, if I was facing a giant four foot taller than me and wearing all this protected armor, I would have probably ran in the opposite direction fearing for my life.
Before David could fight Goliath, he must go to King Saul for permission. In verse 25, it states that “the king will give great wealth to the man who kills him [Goliath]. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.” After much persuasion, the king agreed to let David fight Goliath. David chose to wear no armor and decided to use a sling shot and five stones instead.
Now, here David is standing in front of the giant with no fear. His faith in God kept him focused on what was ahead of him. He held on to the promises that God would see him through this battle. He never looked around, fidgeted or second-guessed his decision. He had an unwavering faith that allowed him to see past the what-ifs and believed with just a sling shot and a stone he could kill the giant.
Goliath mocked David and was disgusted that the Israelites allowed a young boy to fight him. The giant “looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ‘Come here,’ he said, ‘and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!’” (verses 42-44). How many times have we been mocked for who we are or what we do? We do not live up to other people’s standards of us. We look different from the world. David was mocked for being young and not even the Israelites believed he could defeat the giant.
What is the “giant” in your life? The “giants” in our lives will hinder us and keep us from moving forward. It could be from past hurts that were never resolved. It could be from past failures that keeps us from trying something new. When God asks us to be on the battlefield with our worst fears staring at us, He will never desert us to conquer life’s struggles alone but He is with us by our side. In Isaiah 41:10, God says “do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” In Psalms 32:8, God also says “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”
Another “giant” most people face is worry. Worry serves no purpose. Worry only makes us feel defeated and anxious. It drains our energy and time. Andy Andrews, in the book The Noticer, said that “most people spend so much time fearing the things that are never going to happen or can’t be controlled that they have no energy to deal with the few things they can actually handle.” This quote is true for so many of us who worry about the unknowns in life or just always have what-ifs moments. Satan wants us to feel defeated. He creates pointless doubt and worry in our lives which produce negative mindsets. The devil has no control over our thoughts as long as we stay focused on God’s Word and His promises over our lives. First Peter 5:6-8 says that “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
God’s Word says that we should “not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7). It also says in Proverbs 12:25 that ”anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” Worry can destroy our lives. I encourage you to open the Bible and read God’s truth over your life. Do not believe the devil’s lies.
The story of David and Goliath is not a story of defeat but a story of victory. The story continues with David and Goliath on the battlefield. “As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him” (1 Samuel 17:48-50). David defeated Goliath with one stone. David accomplished a task that could only be accomplished through God. His faith in Christ brought him to victory.
I challenge you today to get out on the battlefield and conquer your “giants.” God is with you and seeing you through each victory. All you have to do is stay focused on Him, at all times, and believe that God knows the outcome.
I encourage you to write down the “giants” in your life and pray over them. Ask God to give you guidance and confidence to walk onto the battlefield to conquer the “giants” head on.
Faith.Hope.Love 