I want to start off by telling you two stories about two different men from 1 Samuel 17
The story starts with a battle between the Israelites and the Philistines. Both are camped out on opposite hills and there is a valley between them. Every day a Philistine named Goliath came to the middle and challenged the Israelites to fight him. He was a giant and wore a bronze helmet and a coat of armor and had a sword. He would taunt the Israelites and undermine their God.
The first story is about a man who was a part of this historically very strong army. Their army had won countless battles in the past. However, this time they were facing an enemy that seemed too large for them to defeat. Whenever Goliath came out, this man would be terrified and run away in fear. He believed there was no chance that he could ever face and defeat this giant
The second story is about a man named David. He was a little older than a boy, and the youngest of 8 brothers. He was a shepherd and tended sheep. He came to the battle to deliver food to his three oldest brothers. When he arrived, He heard Goliath taunting the Israelites and his God. While the rest of the Israelites fled in fear, David did not budge. David wanted to kill this Philistine who defied the armies of the living God. Saul the king told David that he wouldn’t be able to defeat Goliath, but David knew that God would rescue him and deliver Goliath over to him. King Saul then placed armor and a helmet on David along with a sword. But David being a shepherd was not used to all that equipment and refused to take it. He took 5 stones from the stream and his sling and headed toward Goliath. When Goliath saw David, he laughed. Is this who they sent to defeat Goliath, the smallest boy out there. Goliath taunted David, but David responded by telling him that the Lord delivered Goliath into his hands because Goliath had defied the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the army of Israel. As Goliath moved closer to attack him, David ran towards him, took a stone from his bag and slung it at Goliath, hitting him in the head causing him to fall facedown to the ground. David then killed Goliath and cut off his head.
When the Philistines saw that Goliath was dead, they turned and ran. The Israelites shouted and pursued after the Philistines, they were no longer afraid!
What are the giants in your life? What are the things in your life that you feel you can’t face or overcome. This could be feeling like you’ll never be good enough, or living in bitterness because you can’t imagine ever forgiving the person who has wronged you. It could be letting the worries and fears in your life hold you back from doing things or going after your dreams.
Whatever your giant is, you have two choices. You can either run from that giant like the first story, or you can choose to fight like David and slay the giants in your life.
I’m going to share three ways to slay those giants!
1) Believe you are a giant slayer You have the power of God in you!
You were meant to slay giants! We are heirs with Christ (Romans 8:15-17 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ) Do you know what this means! God, who is the ultimate giant slayer, has chosen us to be His heirs. And being heirs, He lets us in on the top secret battle strategies to surprise the giants in our lives and slay them! They no longer have power over us! We don’t need to walk in fear, because we are giant slayers. Let’s say that out loud, I am a giant slayer!
2) Include your community
We are not meant to do life alone, and we are not meant to face our giants alone. In 1 Samuel, although Saul was hesitant at first, he believed in David and encouraged him. We need people encouraging us from the sidelines to slay those giants. Ecc 4:9-12 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Tell others about the giants in your life, the things you’ve struggled with. Ask them to come alongside of you to pray for you, encourage you, keep you accountable, and to celebrate with you once you’ve slayed the giant!
3) The Lord is on your side and is fighting with and for you!
David knew that that Lord was fighting for him and had already delivered Goliath into his hands. God has been fighting for you and me from the very beginning. Before we were even born, the Lord already knew all the mistakes that we would make, but He still loves us and fought for us. The relationship between God and us was broken when Adam and Eve sinned by eating the apple in the garden of Eden. But Jesus came to earth and lived the perfect life. He died on the cross for our sins so that we could have a relationship with Him if we believe in Him and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Because of His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection, He has conquered death. He and we are already victorious. There are still battles and giants that we face, but through Jesus we have already conquered them all. What would it look like for you to walk up to your giants knowing you’ve already defeated them. We need to have the confidence that David did when faced with our giants!
Figure out what the giants are in your life, believe that you are a giant slayer, include your community, and know that God is fighting for you and has already won the battle
