In 1 Samuel 17 we read the account of David taking on Goliath, and not only taking him on, but defeating him with unwavering nerve.  David’s journey was one where he was prepared by his father, skilled with many gifts, and willing to do what was required to save his people.

When we look at David we should recognize Christ, and what Jesus did for us.  He approached the giants of sin and death.  He willingly took on the task to conquer them to save his people.  He was prepared by his father to do what needed to be done.

But when we look at Goliath, we should see the giants……the giants are the things I face in my life, and you in your life, that only Jesus can conquer.  Oh, by the way, everyone of us has a giant, maybe more than one, maybe giants that are different heights, and some louder than others.  Do we recognize them?

As you are reading this, you say “how can you say I am fighting giants, you don’t know me”? We are told in Genesis 8:21 “the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth”.  That scripture doesn’t exempt anyone – we are all guilty.  As for the giants, what could they be?

Do I/you harbor any hard feelings against others?  Do I/you have anger in my heart?  Do I/you worry?  Is my/your heart hardened?  Do I/you have a servant’s heart?  Etc…. all of us have giants, but all of us as well either have Jesus, or can have Jesus.  He will fight our giants for us, with us, along side us.

We have to recognize the giant(s) in our lives and begin to gather our “rock” which will defeat them.  The rock’s not in a sling, but in our heart.  We all will use the same rock to defeat our giants.

The church has a lot of giants within it, against it, and taunting the people who claim to be Christians – it’s time we get on with defeating them, and Jesus has to be there with us to do so.

Take time to think about your/my giants.  Would our list be the same as others that see our giants?  Are any of your/my giants secret giants?  Am I pushing the giants away, or are they taunting me every day?

There are no giants that God can’t conquer, and there are no secrets with God.  We need to recognize He sees our giants, He knows our giants, and by the way, He’s already conquered them – we just need to live our lives understanding that He has, embracing Him and allowing our faith and love for Him to carry us to His side.

Giants can’t withstand God’s strength, even when we can’t see a way past them, God is always there with us.

Take time to reflect on Psalm 23 – what does that Psalm say to you?  And what does that Psalm have to do with David and Goliath.  Thoughts on that next month.

 

Larry Bryant is an elder of the Tell City Church of Christ.