Facing a Giant?

You have a giant. It’s a big one and it is chasing you! You see it in your dreams, every time you are alone, or any chance your mind gets a chance to stop and think.

You try to push it deep down where it can’t bother you anymore. You try to shut out the voice, because after all, you know it’s not true. No matter how hard you try, it still manages to grab your attention and take you captive.

Yep, I have had my giants too. Good ones sent from God to make me better, and some sent straight from hell to make me forget who I am and who my God is!

If you find yourself facing a giant today, I want to help give you a battle plan to help defeat this Goliath.

Goliath. He was the giant that David had to face. A nine foot giant who had been a warrior since youth. A man trained to destroy whatever came in his path. A man who knew no compassion or sympathy; all except for himself.

If you grew up in church or know anything about the recounting of David and Goliath, you know that in the end David wins. David gains the victory, but how did a mere shepherd boy defeat this Philistine champion? Here are seven things he did that I believe you can use against your giant too:

1. David brings awareness to the problem. In 1 Samuel 17:26-31, we see David asking the current soldiers, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel?” Soon enough King Saul himself hears about David’s questions and sends for him. I believe if we are to overcome the giants in our lives, we need to call them out of the shadows (expose them) and let them know that we know it is only a matter of time before they come crashing down (Ephesians 5:11). For you personally, this might look like admitting to a friend that you are struggling (James 5:17), telling God about your struggle, or simply writing it all out so that you no longer have it hiding deep down inside of you.
2. David doesn’t waste any time. In 1 Samuel 17:32, David says, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” We see here that David wastes no time in coming up with a solution for destroying this giant. David is aware of the harm and distress this giant is causing. I believe that in fighting our own giants we must waste no time in figuring out how to destroy it (Ephesians 5:15-16). We must not “dilly dally” and let it have free reign over our lives; we must stop it before it grows and takes over our lives (Genesis 4:7).
3. David remembers God’s faithfulness. In 1 Samuel 17:33-37, we see David recalling how the LORD rescued David “…from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear…” David then declares, “(God) will rescue me from the hand of the Philistine.” If we are to face our giants head on, we must remember who our God is and all that He is capable of doing (Psalm 59:9). We must have faith in our God that just as He came through in the past, He will come through yet again (Psalm 26:3, 33:4)!
4. David uses what God has given him. In 1 Samuel 17:38-40, we see King Saul giving David his own armor, so that David may go and fight. However, David quickly realizes that the armor is awkward and uncomfortable. David finally declares, “I cannot go in these, because I am not used to them.” In verse 40 we see David taking up his own staff and going out to choose five smooth stones. The important thing to grasp here is that David used what God had already given Him. God had already given him a staff and had already gifted David with experience in slinging stones at beasts. We must do the same when facing a giant. We must remember that God has given us a spirit of love, power, and self-discipline, and not a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). God has gifted us with armor to fight off the enemy every day (Ephesians 6:10-18).
5. David says “no” to fear (Hebrews 10:38-39). In 1 Samuel 17:41-44, we see the Philistine, Goliath, getting closer and closer to David. The Philistine is looking David up and down, calling down curses, and boasting, “Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks? Come here, and I will give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” The Bible also states that Goliath was not alone. He had his shield bearer in front him to keep Goliath safe. David could have easily seen the nine foot giant approaching, with his shield bearer, and run away out of fear. However, David stands his ground and refuses to give into fear. David knows that there is something more important at stake. When faced with our own giants, we must remember that even though we are anxious, worried, and fearful, we must remember that Satan uses fear to keep us from seeing the hand of God work in our lives (Isaiah 41:10, 43:1-5). We can not allow fear to keep us from accomplishing what God has called us to do (Joshua 1:9).
6. David knows where his power comes from. In 1 Samuel 17:45-47, we see that David knows where his power comes from. It doesn’t come from how much experience he has in slinging stones, and it doesn’t come from how confident he is in his own combat abilities, or even his own eloquent comebacks. David’s power comes from the Almighty King in Heaven who has the power of life and death. Read what David says, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” Listen up, this is where our power comes from too! “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.” Wow! I love that so much. We see here how David’s confidence and faith is fully in the Lord. That is how we must also face our giants. We must believe that even when we do not understand how we are going to win the battle at hand, we have faith and believe that we will not win by our own strength, but by God’s strength. For the battle is not ours, but the Lord’s (Zephaniah 3:17)!
7. David conquerors his giant. Friends, we have made it! We have made it to the end of the battle. We have made it to where God declares victory for His people. In 1 Samuel 17:48-51, we see the Philistine move closer to attack David. David picks us his stones, and starts running toward his giant. David takes out one of his stones and slings it at Goliath’s forehead. The stone hits its mark, and the great hero of the Philistine army falls with a thud. “So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the the Philistine and killed him.” David runs over towards Goliath, pulls out Goliath’s sword, and cuts Goliath’s head off. David conquerors his giant. I believe we can and will have the same victory in our lives (Romans 8:37). God is faithful and good, He will not leave us to fight our giants alone. God holds the victory (1 Corinthians 15:55-58). Let Him fight for you today (Romans 8:31).

I have a secret. This blog is speaking to me too. I am currently fighting a giant I wish would just go away. It’s one of those giants that if I am not careful, it will start messing with my mind and may eventually take over my actions. Do you know what I am choosing to do with that giant? I am choosing to trust that God has me in is hands and has known about this giant before the creation of the world (Psalm 139). I am choosing to believe that if I simply trust Him, He will come through and prove Himself to be faithful yet again (Romans 8:28).

One verse I didn’t mention above that is recorded in 1 Samuel says something very interesting. Check it out, “When the Philistines saw their hero was dead, they turned and ran.” Did you get that? The Philistines ran out of fear when they saw that their “hero” was dead.

Guess what? Our Hero is never dead! When the enemy finally “succeeded” at killing our Savior, He just rose up again! We can find confidence in running towards Him knowing our Hero of Heaven is alive and well, and is fighting for our good and not our harm!

So, how about you? Will you choose to trust God with your giant today (Psalm 25)?

Alyssa (and your Heavenly Father)