Facing Giant Problems In Our Familiy Series

“HAPPILY EVERY AFTER…” – PART FIVE

JACK & THE BEANSTALK –- FIGHTING THE GIANT PROBLEMS FACING OUR FAMILIES

1 Samuel 17 • Larry L. Thompson (June, 2002)

Introduction:

There are many people these days that live in a family full of fear. Fearful of health problems, fearful of failure, fearful of physical violence, fearful about relationships, fearful about finances, fearful about the future, fearful about marriage, fearful about our children. Psychologists tell us we are a nation that is riddled with fears. We all have our own GIANT FEARS. Most of the fears we encounter have names…and most of them are some type of phobia. Every kind of fear phobia from autophobia to xenophobia.

Xenophobia is the fear of strangers. Autophobia is the fear of self. There’s monophobia, some people are afraid of being alone. There’s automonophobia - afraid of being alone with yourself. All kind of phobias. Psychologists actually say there’s even chairophobia—chairophobia is the fear of having FUN. The fear of enjoying a good time. Sadly, some think, incorrectly, that Christians have that phobia. Tragically, you can’t tell they don’t just by looking at some of them.

David knew all about fears that face our families! The fears that are so large, they literally become giants in our life. In I Samuel 17 David is facing Goliath and he must have had at least a little bit of FEE-FI-phobia—which, of course, is the fear of giants. God will direct us through His word today regarding facing the challenge of overcoming our giants in our family.

You need to understand that WE ALL HAVE GIANTS in our life. The question today is not “Do you have a giant?” The question is, “How do you conquer the giant?”

Illustration: Bob Larson-Atlas vs. Christ child

Bruce Larson talks about his counseling ministry in his book, “Believe and Belong.” He states that many people come to him and tell them they are defeated by the giant problems in their life. His office was directly across from the RCA building in NYC and he would ask them to take a walk with him to this building. At the entrance of the RCA building there is a GIANT statue of Atlas, perfectly built man, holding the world on his shoulders and yet you can see he is about to collapse under the pressure. Then he would walk his client directly across the street to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and show them a statue of Jesus behind the altar. The statue is when Jesus was a boy, 8 or 9, and he is holding the world in one hand with great ease. “You have a choice when you face your giant. You can carry the burden into battle or you can give that giant to Christ and go in His power and strength.”

I know many of you are familiar with the story of David and Goliath. Let me just recall these essential facts. Israel was at war with the Philistines and Goliath was the Philistine’s #1 warrior. He would stand in the Valley of Elah with the Philistine army on one hill and the Israelite army on the other hill and he challenge Israel to send out their top warrior to face Goliath one-on-one in personal combat. The stakes were high! The loser and his nation people would become servants of the winner.

All the family of God was struck with fear…the fee fi phobia, fear of giants! They had a GIANT PROBLEM IN THE FAMILY OF ISRAEL! For 40 days they faced their giant, Goliath, as he stood in the valley and he shouted, mocked and ridiculed not just the Israelite army, but also the family of God as well as the God of Israel. That was THEIR initial problem. THEY FACED THEIR GIANT DAY AFTER DAY BUT NEVER HAD A BATTLE PLAN TO FIGHT THE GIANT BY FAITH IN THE POWER OF GOD.

One day a shepherd boy named David was sent by his father to bring some food to his older brothers who were soldiers in Israel’s army. He heard the voice of Goliath echoing throughout the valley and said, "How can you let this Philistine mock and blaspheme our God like this?" He said, "I’ll go. I’ll be the Israelite champion! I’ll face this giant and put a stop to his defiling and disgracing the name of our God."

David lived by one simple principle when fighting giants…HE HAD NOTHING TO PROVE AND NOTHING TO LOSE!

Everything he was and everything he had belonged to God. As he stood on the battlefield he was there directed by God and faced his giant in the power of God. David stood to fight, ALONE, because someone was defiling the name of the Living God. He had nothing to prove and nothing to lose. EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM BELONGED TO THE LORD!