Trials and difficult situations are facts of life. Many times, we find ourselves face to face with giants – problems that seem overwhelming to us. These could be problems at home, with relationships, or other difficult circumstances. We need to know how to respond to every threat by laying hold of the kind of victorious faith that looks beyond what we can see to what God sees. Tonight, we’ll look at what it took for David to defeat Goliath, and how to apply those principles to our own lives.
Now I know that for those of you that grew up in church then this is a story you are very familiar with, but let me begin by summarizing what is going on in our story up until where we will pick up:
The Philistine army had gathered for war against Israel. The two armies faced each other, camped for battle on opposite sides of a steep valley. A Philistine giant measuring over nine feet tall and wearing full armor came out each day for forty days, mocking and challenging the Israelites to fight. His name was Goliath. Saul, the King of Israel, and the whole army were terrified of Goliath.
Why did they wait forty days to begin the battle? Probably for several reasons. Everyone was afraid of Goliath. He seemed invincible. Not even King Saul, the tallest man in Israel, had stepped out to fight. Also, the sides of the valley were very steep. Whoever made the first move would have a strong disadvantage and probably suffer great loss. Both sides were waiting for the other to attack first.
One day David, the youngest son of Jesse, was sent to the battle lines by his father to bring back news of his brothers. David was probably just a young teenager at the time. While he was there, David heard Goliath shouting his daily defiance and he saw the great fear stirred within the men of Israel. David responded, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
Read 1 Samuel 17:31-39
David remembered all the times that God had delivered him from the brink of disaster. God had always given David the ability he needed to triumph; now he faced one of the greatest challenges of his life – a trained and well-armed warrior named Goliath.
David chose not to wear the King's armor because it felt awkward and unfamiliar. David was comfortable with his slingshot, a weapon he was very skilled at using. There’s a lesson to be learned here:
God is not limited as to what He can use to bring about victory. God will use the unique skills he's already placed in your hands, so don't worry about "wearing the King's armor." Just be yourself and use the familiar gifts and talents God has given you. He will work miracles through you.
Dressed in his simple clothing (no armor), carrying his shepherd's staff, slingshot and a pouch full of stones, David approached Goliath. The giant cursed at him, hurling threats and insults but that didn’t stop young David. As a matter of fact, he didn’t even hesitate for one second. Everybody else cowered in fear, but David ran to the battle. He knew that action needed to be taken. David did the right thing in spite of discouraging insults and fearful threats. The only opinion that mattered to David was God’s opinion.
Read vv. 45-49
Who’s Your Goliath? When David faced Goliath, it seemed like he was up against an impossible situation. What Goliath didn’t understand was that God was on David’s side. With God’s help, David was victorious. Remember that God is the God of the impossible. He specializes in making impossible situations possible!
The fact that I’m standing before you tonight as your pastor is a perfect example of God turning what many people believed to be, myself included, an impossible situation into reality. I spent the majority of my adolescence making a bunch of bad decisions that led to a lot of mistakes and a lot of failures in my life. Even when I sensed God’s calling in my life for me to surrender to ministry I doubted God’s plan. But God didn’t give up on me.
One of my biggest excuses was my fear of speaking in public but once I got around that, once I came to realize that it wasn't about me or my insecurities and inabilities and allowed God to work through me, He began to take all that away. You know, they call it “surrendering to the ministry” for a reason. That’s why I believe so many pastors fail in their ministries and can’t stay in one place longer than 18 months…because they’re allowing themselves to interfere with what God wants to do through them, they haven’t fully surrendered.
The same was true for David. His secret to success was his ability to trust and obey God. Had he merely looked at the giant challenge facing him, he would have turned around and run away, as did the rest of the Israelites. But through faith, David saw what the Israelites did not.
David defeated Goliath by hurling a stone at the giant. We will now look at a few stones we can use to slay the giants of our lives.
Stone One: Attitude (1 Samuel 17:32-37)
We can be stripped of everything in this life at any given moment except for one thing: that is the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose the path we will take.
A chaplain was speaking to a soldier on a cot in a hospital. “You've lost an arm for a great cause," he said. "No," said the soldier with a smile. "I didn't lose it--I gave it."
Spiritual victories are first one in our minds. If you give in to feelings of fear and doubt, you will lose every time. But when you focus on the truth of God’s Word, you will win every time.
David didn’t focus on the size of the giant, he focused on the size of his God!
Every challenge we are ever faced with presents an opportunity for God to display His faithfulness and love. So instead of yielding to thoughts of fear and failure, surrender yourself to God, trusting Him even when you don’t know what the next day will bring. Train yourself to look beyond what you can see to what God sees.
Stone Two: Faith (1 Samuel 17:45-47)
In times of extreme pressure, God stretches our faith and deepens our dependence upon Him. Without a strong, abiding faith, we can quickly yield to temptation and fear, especially when the trial or difficulty we are facing is intense or prolonged. God developed David’s trust until it became unshakeable.
David's faith in God caused him to look at the giant from a different perspective. Goliath was merely a mortal man defying an all-powerful God. David looked at the battle from God's point of view. If we look at giant problems and impossible situations from God's perspective, we realize that God will fight for us and with us. When we put things in proper perspective, we see more clearly and we can fight more effectively.
David’s foundation was his faith in the sovereignty of God; that’s why he knew he would not fail in his quest to defeat the Philistine giant. He knew who was in charge!
David knew that the God he put his faith in knew his heart.
We can come to church every time the doors are open and put on masks, pretending to be someone we’re not. But we need to remember that even though we can fool each other, we can never fool God. He knows the real us. Ask yourself, can others around me outside the church tell I’m a Christian? Can others inside tell I’m a Christian. Most importantly, does God know me by the way I allow Christ to live through my life?
David trusted in God’s strength, not in his own strength (see vv. 45-47).
One of my favorite Bible verses is Philippians 4:13. Not because it’s become the latest battle cry for modern Christianity, but because of it’s implications in my life as a believer in Christ. What most people fail to realize when they are quoting this verse to pass a test, win a ballgame, get a promotion at work, etc. is that Paul was suffering extreme persecution when he penned these words. He was beaten, he was jailed, but he knew that because of the strength he had living inside him through Christ that he would be able to endure. No matter what you face, and I doubt that it’s ever anything as serious as Paul faced, at the end of the day you’re going to be alright because of the strength that God provides through His Holy Spirit living inside each and every one of us as believers.
Stone Three: Action (1 Samuel 17:48-49)
David didn’t wait for Goliath to come to him. He faced the giant.
One of the things I enjoy doing in my recreational time is coaching soccer, I’ve been around soccer all my life and now I’m able to share this passion with Logan. Logan has turned out to be quite the goalie. One the things I’ve been teaching him is that when he’s faced with an opponent coming at him with the ball, if he just stands back and allows him to shoot then his opponent has pretty good chance of scoring. However, if he comes out a little bit and faces his opponent he puts pressure him, decreasing his chance to score.
Faith is the same way. Faith doesn’t retreat, faith is running head on towards your opponent.
David had a plan to defeat the giant.
You can’t go through life without a plan. The good news is that we’ve already been given a plan through God’s Word, we just have to execute it. Coming up with a plan is half the battle, the other half is carrying that plan out. We can’t execute the plan if we don’t know the plan. That’s why Bible study is so important for us as believers, not just individually but through Sunday School and Discipleship Training, or better yet…both!
David wasn’t afraid to go after the giant because he knew that God was on his side. You can face any circumstance with confidence and hope, because it’s not your strength, wisdom, energy, or power that brings victory. Victory comes from God’s ability, and when you place your trust in Him, you tap into an irresistible force that no one and nothing can successfully oppose.
God is big enough to defeat any giant that may come into your life. You can stand up and defeat any problem – no matter how big – when you are on God’s side. The battle belongs to God and He will fight for you!
Who or what is your Goliath today? Are you facing a giant problem or impossible situation? Stop for a minute and refocus. Can you see the situation more clearly from God's vantage point?
Do you need to take courageous action in the face of insults and fearful circumstances? Do you trust that God will fight for you and with you? Remember, God's opinion is the only one that matters.
Whatever Goliath you face, you need to bury one truth deep within your heart: God loves you, and when you place your trust in Him, He will not allow you to suffer defeat. You may go through times of failure. Life may not always turn out the way you planned – but ultimately, God will be glorified, and you will be blessed.
