Fighting The Giants In Your Life

Fighting the giants in your life

1 Samuel 17

Good morning everyone,

Glad that you have joined us…if you would turn in your bibles to 1 Samuel 17

The text this morning is a familiar story of David and Goliath-

The giant against the underdog.

The small nation of Israel against the larger territory of the Philistines.

The big obstacles that come up in your life that are bigger than you think you can handle.

The large and in charge against the small spit in the spot.

This week I read the David and Goliath story to my grandson, I picked up Malcolm Gladwell book on David and Goliath and the Lord seem to impress upon me at the last minute to look again at how David handled himself when God gave him a big assignment and everyone else is afraid to move into action.

This morning I want to ask you…

What giants are you fighting?

Are they new and occasional or are they the same old ones that you cannot get victory from? What are you doing with them? What are you doing about them?

Turn to 1 Samuel 17/ selected verses

Familiar verse and story we have probably heard. This morning let’s look at it not only as an event that happened to someone else, but let’s apply the lessons to our lives today.

It is about shepherd David fighting the soldier Goliath-

The underdog fighting and defeating a giant.

Fighting someone/something that was bigger than him and no match in any sense of the word.

How they both got there was not in this one battle. It was a nation fighting against God’s people and God showed up and showed his power.

David on the other hand was not just a soldier that was hoping to defeat His enemy but was trained, encouraged all through his life by God through the small events in his life. He defeated animals that had tried to kill the sheep that David was call to protect.

He was encouraged by a father that believed in him and showed him the way.

David was anointed by God early in his life to fulfill a purpose that was to come later in his life.

David one day, that is the way those unexpected giants show up- one day, he was following his father’s orders to go see how his brothers were doing, give them food, and report back to him. That was what was supposed to happen. He does what he is supposed to and in an instant he is now faced with a giant in his life.

No one wants to get involved- he decides he will get involved.

People give him all the reasons in the world why he can’t do it and they won’t do it.

He tries to prove to them that not only is he willing, but he has a shot at defeating the giant.

(32) “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine (giant); your servant will go and fight him.”

(26) “David asked the men standing near him, what will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel?”

The King will pour out great blessing!

Anybody want and /or need a great blessing from the King this morning?

So David is suddenly in the fight of his life with the giant of his life. He chooses to fill his bag with smooth rocks and heads into battle

The Philistine looks David over and despises that anyone would step up and challenged him- “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.”

Goliath cursed David by his gods, but king Saul had blessed him and said , the Lord be with you.

“David said to the Philistine, 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 defiled.”

“David struck down the Philistine and then ran over to him face to face- “David ran over and stood over him- he took hold of the Philistines sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.”

This a great story of victory- grotesque in nature, after all a man was killed and had his head cut off. But what can we learn today from this portion of scripture?

Give your giant a name- identify him.

Israel giant was a 9 foot tall Philistine named Goliath! He had a name. What is the name of your giant this morning?

Fear?

Anger?

Addiction?

Sickness?

Loneliness?

Pride ?

Poverty?

Divorce ?

Lust ?

A certain person ?

Name it this morning!