Slaying Giants
We all know the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel and how an unlikely boy conquers the giant in an unlikely manner. I love this story for so many different reasons. It not only is a really cool story, but it is an example of the power of faith, and conquering fear. It is also a beautiful picture of Jesus conquering sin upon the cross.
I can just see it in my mind. Like a scene out of Braveheart or Gladiator the Philistine armies were on the battlefield and the Israelite army in the area, but keeping their distance. They were paralyzed with fear and afraid to attack. They must have arrived at the battlefield with a full head of steam. They were confident in every way. Then they saw him. Goliath in all his glory! He was not only intimidating to see, but psychologically freighting to hear. He was a man who meant what he said, and said what he meant. €Send forth a man and I will feed him to the birds!€ In other I will chop him in pieces for the bird to eat.
I imagine they wanted to attack and let the chips fall where they may, but they just couldn't move. They had forgotten God. Goliath blocked their field of vision, and conquered their minds. They were frozen and faithless in an instance.
They were so totally defeated mentally that they were willing to send forth a boy to be slaughtered. David the armor bearer was willing. In fact, he was so appalled by what he was witnessing that he practically begged for an opportunity to defend the honor of his God. He remembered what the rest of the Israelite army forgot. God promised he would destroy any army who stood in opposition to the Israelite army. David had faith. He believed God and took Him at His word.
The rest is history, David slayed the giant with a sling shot and a stone. Of course the stone just knocked him down. The final victory came via sword when David boldly stood on the giant's chest and cut off his head. Now that is high drama! Can you imagine what the Philistines were thinking? They could probably barely breathe as they watched this boy savagely behead their hero. The God of Israel was the victor!
What the Israelites faced in Goliath we also face in various ways. Life can be stressful and sometime downright scary. We have humongous mortgages, rising inflation, job shortages, rush hour traffic, and paying for junior's college education. Not to mention health concerns, illnesses and dying. Wow, what a plate full of worries, and there's more where that came from.
This little story in 1 Samuel has a lot to teach us about being steadfast and not losing heart, because God is on our side. We have powerful promises from God about protecting us and providing for us. He said he would never leave us nor forsake us. See Deuteronomy 31:6 and Joshua 1:5
When the Israelite army seen Goliath they thought €He is so big, we can't win€, however when David seen Goliath he thought €He is so big I can't miss!€
Being victorious on life's battlefield requires extreme faith. We must have faith that there is power in God's promises and that He is a promise keeper. God is faithful and more powerful than any obstacles you may encounter. You can slay your giants with the sword of faith!
Here is a list of God's promises for you to hang onto:
ASSURANCE
€Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come fearlessly into God's presence, assured of His glad welcome.€ Ephesians 3:12 [NLT]
BELIEF
€ I have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.€ John 12:46
€ Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God.€ John 1:12
CHARITY
€ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.€ Luke 6:38
€ A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.€ Proverbs 22:9
COMFORT
€ God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.€ Psalm 46:1
€ I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world! €John 16:33
€ Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.€ Matt. 11:28
COURAGE
€ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak € Isaiah 40:29
€ Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine€ Isaiah 43:1
ETERNAL LIFE
€ I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.€ John 6:47
€ And this is what he promises us - even eternal life.€ 1 John 2:25
€ Jesus said: €I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies'€¦..€ John 11:25
€My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.€ John 10:27.28
FAITH
€Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see€ Heb.11:1
€You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus€ Gal. 3:26
€We live by faith, not by sight€ 2 Cor. 5:7
FAITHFULNESS
€Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.€ Deut.7:9
€Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be moved, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed.€ Isaiah 54:10
GUIDANCE
€ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.€ Psalm 32:8
€ I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them, I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.€ Isaiah 42:16
JOY
€ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy maybe complete€ John 15:11
€€¦but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.€ John 16:22
LONG LIFE
€ Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. € Isaiah 46:4
€ For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.€ Proverbs 9:11
LOVE
€ I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.€ Jeremiah 31:3
€ I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.€ Proverbs 8:17
€No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.€ 1 Cor. 2:9
MERCY
€€¦the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! € Isaiah 30:18
€ As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.€ Psalm 103:13
PEACE
€ Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.€ John 14:27
€ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.€ Phil. 4:7
PRAYER
€ Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.€ Jeremiah 29:12
€Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.€ Isaiah 65:24
€ This is the assurance we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.€ 1 John 5:14
PROTECTION
€The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord wi
I can just see it in my mind. Like a scene out of Braveheart or Gladiator the Philistine armies were on the battlefield and the Israelite army in the area, but keeping their distance. They were paralyzed with fear and afraid to attack. They must have arrived at the battlefield with a full head of steam. They were confident in every way. Then they saw him. Goliath in all his glory! He was not only intimidating to see, but psychologically freighting to hear. He was a man who meant what he said, and said what he meant. €Send forth a man and I will feed him to the birds!€ In other I will chop him in pieces for the bird to eat.
I imagine they wanted to attack and let the chips fall where they may, but they just couldn't move. They had forgotten God. Goliath blocked their field of vision, and conquered their minds. They were frozen and faithless in an instance.
They were so totally defeated mentally that they were willing to send forth a boy to be slaughtered. David the armor bearer was willing. In fact, he was so appalled by what he was witnessing that he practically begged for an opportunity to defend the honor of his God. He remembered what the rest of the Israelite army forgot. God promised he would destroy any army who stood in opposition to the Israelite army. David had faith. He believed God and took Him at His word.
The rest is history, David slayed the giant with a sling shot and a stone. Of course the stone just knocked him down. The final victory came via sword when David boldly stood on the giant's chest and cut off his head. Now that is high drama! Can you imagine what the Philistines were thinking? They could probably barely breathe as they watched this boy savagely behead their hero. The God of Israel was the victor!
What the Israelites faced in Goliath we also face in various ways. Life can be stressful and sometime downright scary. We have humongous mortgages, rising inflation, job shortages, rush hour traffic, and paying for junior's college education. Not to mention health concerns, illnesses and dying. Wow, what a plate full of worries, and there's more where that came from.
This little story in 1 Samuel has a lot to teach us about being steadfast and not losing heart, because God is on our side. We have powerful promises from God about protecting us and providing for us. He said he would never leave us nor forsake us. See Deuteronomy 31:6 and Joshua 1:5
When the Israelite army seen Goliath they thought €He is so big, we can't win€, however when David seen Goliath he thought €He is so big I can't miss!€
Being victorious on life's battlefield requires extreme faith. We must have faith that there is power in God's promises and that He is a promise keeper. God is faithful and more powerful than any obstacles you may encounter. You can slay your giants with the sword of faith!
Here is a list of God's promises for you to hang onto:
ASSURANCE
€Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come fearlessly into God's presence, assured of His glad welcome.€ Ephesians 3:12 [NLT]
BELIEF
€ I have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.€ John 12:46
€ Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God.€ John 1:12
CHARITY
€ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.€ Luke 6:38
€ A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.€ Proverbs 22:9
COMFORT
€ God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.€ Psalm 46:1
€ I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world! €John 16:33
€ Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.€ Matt. 11:28
COURAGE
€ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak € Isaiah 40:29
€ Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine€ Isaiah 43:1
ETERNAL LIFE
€ I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.€ John 6:47
€ And this is what he promises us - even eternal life.€ 1 John 2:25
€ Jesus said: €I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies'€¦..€ John 11:25
€My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.€ John 10:27.28
FAITH
€Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see€ Heb.11:1
€You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus€ Gal. 3:26
€We live by faith, not by sight€ 2 Cor. 5:7
FAITHFULNESS
€Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.€ Deut.7:9
€Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be moved, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed.€ Isaiah 54:10
GUIDANCE
€ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.€ Psalm 32:8
€ I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them, I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.€ Isaiah 42:16
JOY
€ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy maybe complete€ John 15:11
€€¦but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.€ John 16:22
LONG LIFE
€ Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. € Isaiah 46:4
€ For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.€ Proverbs 9:11
LOVE
€ I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.€ Jeremiah 31:3
€ I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.€ Proverbs 8:17
€No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.€ 1 Cor. 2:9
MERCY
€€¦the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! € Isaiah 30:18
€ As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.€ Psalm 103:13
PEACE
€ Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.€ John 14:27
€ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.€ Phil. 4:7
PRAYER
€ Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.€ Jeremiah 29:12
€Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.€ Isaiah 65:24
€ This is the assurance we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.€ 1 John 5:14
PROTECTION
€The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord wi
