Facing Your Giants
1 Samuel 17
* One of the most familiar stories in all of God’s word is the story of David and Goliath. It is a story we tell our children to help them stand up to those who oppose them. Sadly, we seem to have relegated this story to a children’s story when the lessons and applications are far-reaching.
* Let’s consider some of the truths we can discover in this story. Instead of reading the chapter – we’ll simply lift out some truths which will help us in our daily Christian walk. There is one truth which we need to know, embrace, and understand; AS A CHILD OF GOD, YOU HAVE AN ENEMY! The enemy which we war against, while he may manifest himself in a person, is NOT flesh and blood. (Eph 6:12) In other words, our enemy is the same one which attacked Jesus in Matthew 4; it is the ruler, the authority, the world power of darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil. Simply put, Satan is our enemy. He is our THE giant in our lives. Now, he may use a person, he may use a physical condition, and he may even use our own weakness; but he will use it to the max.
* The question is “how can we overcome our adversaries, the enemy, and the giants who come against us.
1. A Perspective on our adversaries (The Giants) – Never under-estimate the power of the enemy. It would seem that the only thing God does which the enemy cannot duplicate is our salvation. In our salvation we gain the Holy Spirit who leads, protects, and empowers us. If we don’t have the Holy Spirit, we are not saved (according to the Bible).
a. They will come! – Make no mistakes the enemy will show up in our lives. Part of problem for many believers’ today flows from the fact that they do not expect opposition. Too many of us have seem to have come to the unspoken conclusion that “the world revolves around me so, everything should be done like I want it done.” The harsh is that the world does not revolve around us, no one really cares HOW we want things done, and we live in a fallen world which means evil is on the prowl. Here’s the deal; because of the “me” attitude we are actually surprised when we are attacked or someone opposes us or we don’t get our way. The first 2 words of Chapter 17 is the Clue; “The Philistines.”
b. They come to fight! – Verse 1 & 2 tells us that they gathered their forces for war and they set up camp! When your giants come against you, it is a rare thing if it is a short term assault. From the very first encounter, your enemy comes to fight! You have two choices, surrender or fight – there is no middle ground.
c. They send their best – The Philistines sent their champion because he was their best, the most feared, and the most successful one at battle. Satan rarely plays around. Jay Strack said, “We are playing games while Satan plays for keeps.” It was obvious that Goliath was the best of their best.
d. They try to intimidate you – With Goliath and the Israelites, this succeeded. Verses 8-10 tell us how he taunted the army of Israel and verse 11 shows he was successful. How often do we face an attack of Satan and lose our courage, lose heart, and become fearful.
e. They rarely come ‘alone.’ – This is a side note, but very important. When you face a giant in your life, more often than not, there will be an accompanying attack which almost gets under the radar. Kind like a parasite slipping in.
f. They come in all shapes, sizes, and forms! – The giant Goliath was not indicative of a regular, normal Philistine. For you and me, our giants come in and from places we don’t expect. Your giant can be a relationship, an emotional condition (depression, anxiety, etc), a past experience, or a character weakness. Literally, your giant can be anything or anyone which Satan can use to attack you!
g. You better recognize the real adversary! – When Satan is working his evil in your life, it is easy to attack the wrong enemy. If he is using a person, it is easy to attack them. When you do, Satan wins because that is exactly what he wants.
2. A Perspective on our alternatives – Every time we encounter the enemy we have a choice. We can respond OUR WAY or the RIGHT WAY. There is only one right way and that is GOD’s way.
a. You have a choice – Your choice says much about you and your relationship with God. Scripture says, “There is a way which seems right to man, but the end is destruction.” It never ceases to amaze me as to how God can do so much and then leave so many things which require us to respond.
b. Choose the right stressor – David’s stressor is clearly stated. The last part of verse 36 says, “He has defied the armies of the living God.” David was incensed at the attack on the people of God! Too often our stressor is more personal. We tend to come from together about ‘how this affects ME’ as opposed to ‘how does this affect God’s people.’ When the enemy comes, are you more stressed when it is a personal attack/situation or when it an attack on God’s people?
c. Choose the right side – The old story is told about Abraham Lincoln in the Oval Office during the low times of the Civil War. One of his aides said, “Mr. President, I hope the Lord is on our side.” The President wisely said, “I am more concerned if we are on the LORD’s side.” David clearly chose God’s side and the human odds were not in his favor. Think about it, a shepherd boy against a military champion. It’s kind of like you or me alone against the prince of the darkness. No contest.
d. Choose the right strength – Goliath thought sure he had the upper hand, but David levels the playing field when he places his complete trust in the name of the Lord God of Israel.
* Verses 46 and following tell the truth and show the turning point in this battle. (Read) When the giant comes into your life and possess the strength of the enemy of the darkness, he has played his hand and he will come up short and defeated.
e. Choose the right sword – Everyone tried to outfit David with battle gear for the world and David knew what God had used before. It could be a scripture, a mentor, a group, or other things to bring victory in your life. But to walk with God every day is to know what God is giving you to help you deal with the Giants. Choose HIS weapon. Second Corinthians 10:4 tells us that “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”
