FACING THE GIANTS IN YOUR LIFE
At some point we all face giants. The giants of our lives come in different forms but they all have something in common; they try to rob us of our peace and joy. They are agents sent by the enemy whose main wish is to take away from us and to destroy our peace. He is the king of ruining lives and he is relentless. However, for every giant there is a solution. The solution is the Lord. Jesus is bigger and stronger than any giant that will ever come your way. The opposition makes sure that we forget how big our God is so he can magnify his negative agents. When David faced Goliath, he found himself face to face with a giant that many feared.
Was David afraid? You would think that the youngest son of a shepherd would be trembling in his boots but that wasn’t the case. David had no fear but the fear of the Lord. He knew that the giant was no match to his God. David knew that the battle belonged to the Lord and the Lord couldn’t be defeated. God gave the great power of faith to a simple and small young man. Now we know how the story ends and how David won against Goliath. David only had a shepherd’s staff with him and five stones in his bag. I am not sure why five stones and not more but I assume that God had shown him what He needed. Since David’s victory, there has been an event greater victory. Jesus conquered death. He slew all the giants that will ever exist through the crucifixion and through His resurrection. You and I don’t have to fear the giants of our lives because we have the best “giant slayer” on our side. Jesus is with us and He will always give us the victory when we stay in faith.
Have you ever identified the giants in your life? Fear, doubt, temptation are giants. Giants can be many different things. They are like I said earlier, agents that are trying to take good things and good attributes away from us. They are joy-killers and pain-givers. They can be baby giants at first that seem innocent and before you know it they are bigger than Mount Everest and it’s hard to get rid of them. Think about the giant of fear. As a baby giant it manifests as the fear of little things. At a young age we can develop those baby fears that eventually grow into major giants. People think that having some fear is good and I believe that if the fear is the fear of the Lord and it keeps you in line then it’s ok. There is also a fear that pushes us to do the right thing but if the fear you are dealing with is attacking your faith in a small or in a big way, it’s a giant you need to deal with. Giants are restless and they require effort and alertness on our part. It doesn’t matter how small we appear in front of the giants. What matters is that the Lord is with us. We are in His shadow. He is so big that we cannot get away from His shadow, from His presence. The giant in you is bigger than the giants in this world!
David used 5 stones to defeat Goliath. God led Him to do that. Your giants can also be defeated. God will show you what “5 stones” to use. Pray and ask Him to reveal those stones. One of them is definitely prayer. Prayer will slay any giant. The fervent prayer of the believer can bring down any walls and tear down any obstacle. The Word of God is another stone that helps a lot especially when you are dealing with a giant in your head. Push that giant out by using the Word of God. Gratitude is another stone that strengthens our spiritual core and helps us stay in God’s will. God wants us to thank Him in everything. The enemy hates gratitude toward God. Use that stone often. Another stone could be praise and worship. They are powerful and they bring the presence of the Lord into the scene. Staying in peace and being calm is a stone that derails the giants because they try to stir trouble and make us angry. Pray that you know what your stones are. When facing the giants of your life, use those stones and thank God for the victory!
Suggested reading: 1 Samuel 17:41–52; Deuteronomy 20:4; James 1:1–5
