WHAT ARE GIANTS IN YOUR LIFE
At one time or another in our lives we feel like we are facing giants that we just cannot overcome. Problems are so insurmountable that we just give in to them. Giants can come in all different forms and shapes. Alcohol, drugs, cursing, pornography, or any malady or road block can be a giant that keeps us from having that close relationship with Jesus Christ. Giants can keep us from our inheritance of riches according to His riches in heaven. David faced a giant that towered over him and no one thought he had a chance of defeating him.
Let us pray
1 Samuel 17:2-11
I. Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together in a war against the Philistines.
A. Saul and his army were terribly numbered
1. Satan is our giant
a. He comes in many different forms from one to another
2.We need to learn to depend on God
B.They were giving David little if no chance of victory
1. Let’s take at look at this situation:
2. David the youngest of 8 sons of Jesse
3. His job was shepherd boy
4. While his brothers were in the war
5. He was supposed to be taking food to his brothers in battle
C. 1 Samuel 17:2-11 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 3. And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. 4. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 6. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. 7. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. 8. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? Am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. 9. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. 10. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. 11. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
1. Verse 4 says six cubits and a span just over 9 feet tall
a. Problems tower over us higher than we can manage
b. Things control us with the power of evil and overwhelming size
2. Weight of coat 5000 shekels just over 150 lbs.
a. Problems weigh us down more than anything
b. Drag us down in the dirt
1. Spears head almost 600 shekels 19 lbs.
a. We get hit with the high of drugs
b. The high of the wining hand of gambling
c. That feeling of overpowering somebody
4. The sin and problems call us out to do battle with it
a. It knows it can overpower us because we are week
b. It says, “If I win you serve me….
2. But if you use God’s help the problem will serve you
1. We are constantly defied and taunted
D. The man that defeats this giant will get riches
1. 1 Samuel 17:25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? Surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel
2. Just as when we defeat our giants we get riches
a. Better job & better money
b. Les money spent on giant
c. Better acceptance and better circle of friends
d. Heal that broken marriage
1. Product of environment
3. Heavenly Father blesses beyond what you can imagine
a. Learn to depend on him for victory
1. Over drugs
2. Over alcohol
3. Over any giant
II. The giant has us beaten from the start
A. 1 Samuel 17:33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
1. We can be convinced by other we cannot win
2. Our negative and stinking attitude can lead to defeat
B. Like David we should remember other smaller victories
1. 1 Samuel 17:34-36 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35. And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. 37. David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.
2. We did not always give in to sin
a. The Lord was with us even when we did not believe in Him
b. He protected us nay times before
c. We just need to depend in Him
3. We just need to depend on God as David said in verse 47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.
4. In our cases it can be more of a spiritual war more than a physical war
C. Faith in God He will fight our battles for us
1. By leaning on His awesome power we can overcome anything
2. God can provide power to deliver us from things we can only imagine
3. 1 Samuel 17:48-50 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. 50. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
4. We don’t need physical weapons
5. Just simple faith in God almighty
6. I want to close with a story about God’s help I got from my son
a. A small boy was in his sand box playing and digging in the sand. He finally struck a rock as he dug in deeper. He kept on digging and found it to be a huge rock that he could barely move. He struggled and fought to get the rock out of the box. With one final effort he used all his strength to get the rock out of the box. All it did was roll back and smashed his fingers. So he just sat there and cried. All of a sudden he felt a big shadow come over him. As he looked up through is tear filled eyes he saw his dad. He explained to his dad that he used everything he had to get the rock out of the box but failed. His dad said, “You did not use everything you had. You did not ask me to help”.
b. That is the way it is with our heavenly father. All we have to do is ask for His help.
c. We can sue all our strength but it will never be enough to get us past the hard knocks of life.
d. In closing: What is the big rock in your and box?
Altar call and closing prayer.
