Overcoming Giants

By: Keefe Wilson

Saturday, October 19, 2024

David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." 1 Samuel 17:45 (ESV)

Do you have any "giants" in your life that seem impossible to overcome? One day on the school bus, my brother and I faced the biggest kid we had ever seen. He was a bully, and all the kids were afraid of him. One day he started poking me and demanding our seat. I was afraid he would beat us up, but my little brother stood up to him. When the bully started hitting my brother, I gathered my courage, stood up on the bus seat, and met him at eye level. As I started swinging at him mindlessly, my little brother attacked his knees and bit him! It felt like we were losing, but the bully tripped, and we pinned him to the floor. As our bus driver broke up the fight, we were amazed—we had successfully defeated a giant.

All Christ followers will eventually face a giant. They can be internal or external problems that seem too difficult or too big to overcome. Things like illnesses, finances, fear, doubt, past failures, or broken relationships. Life’s problems may seem too big to handle—but they are never too big for our God.

The David and Goliath story in 1 Samuel 17 illustrates how to overcome a giant. A shepherd boy named David faced Goliath—a giant warrior with superior strength and giant-sized weapons. From a human perspective, David didn't stand a chance. But David knew something that Goliath and the fearful Israelite army didn't: the battle wasn't his, it belonged to the Lord! David defeated the giant because of his faith in God’s mighty power.

How do we overcome our own giants? First, we must recognize the battle is spiritual (Ephesians 6:12). It’s not just about what we see... there are unseen spiritual forces behind those giants. Next, we arm ourselves with God’s Word, it's the sword we use to attack our fear, doubt, and temptation. Then, we completely rely on God’s strength, not our own (2 Corinthians 12:9). Give the battle to God and ask Him to fight for you. Finally, we must have faith and stand firm as we trust God to empower us.

Christ follower, God sees your problems! He loves you and He wants to help you overcome the giants in your life. To win the battle you must trust God and rely on the power and strength He sends through the Holy Spirit.