Facing or Fighting Your Giants.
SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV), “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
1. INTRODUCTION
What is your ultimate goal in life?
God has a goal for all of us, Romans 8:29 (NIV), “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
The story of David and Goliath; 1 Samuel 17:17-52
Israel and the Philistines faced each other in battle. This is just one of the many battles recorded. Nothing strange, nothing new.
We also all face battles in life like negativity, fear, disappointments, inferiority complexes, a physical condition, a bad attitude, pride, anger, worry, debt, unforgiveness, weight, addiction to substance or pornography,
In order gain more territory you have to fight the battle in front of you.
Some people only face the battle while others will fight it.
2. THE GIANT FACTOR
Israel faced the battle with confident shouts and even a war cry. We’re going to win this one.
1 Samuel 17:20 (NIV), “He, David, reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry.”
But then Goliath appeared, a real giant, and the whole army ran away.
1 Samuel 17:24 (NIV), “Whenever the Israelites saw the man, Goliath, they all fled from him in great fear.”
Sometimes in our battles a GIANT will appear, often in the form of Satan himself but often giants grow out of unresolved challenges.
Don’t end up saying, “Well, this is just who I am…people must accept me as I am!” No, we can all change and must change.
Romans 12:2(NIV), “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
3. THERE WAS A HUGE REWARD FOR KILLING THE GIANT
1 Samuel 17:25 (NIV), “… The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.”
When we gain the victory over GIANTS there’s always a reward bigger than you realize.
In David’s case, he would live in the palace, have the hand of the princess, great wealth, access to the life style of being part of the king’s family and no taxes for your family.
Even your wider family is affected by your victory.
You kill your giant (impatience, unforgiveness, laziness, bad habit, temper, insecurity, lack of discipline, etc. it will change your life and positively affect your family.
You will move from being the ‘Lunch boy’ to the ‘Prince’.
4. ENGAGE IN BATTLE
Sometimes we tolerate things that we should be fighting.
It’s time to draw the line in the sand and say, “That’s it. It stops now.”
Vs 26. Something rose up in David who said, “Who’s this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
David knew who he was, a son of the living God
Who are you?
You are a son or daughter of the living God.
2 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV), “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”
Don’t just FACE your GIANTS. They can keep us from our destiny
Fight them!
Fight to overcome whatever your giant is.
5. THE OLDER BROTHER
1 Samuel 17:28 (NIV), “When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness?
On your way to your destiny people will try to discourage you and put you off.
It was those closest to him who tried to put him off,
“Who do think you are? It won’t happen. You’ve had this habit for so long.” Etc.
If you listen to the lies long enough you’ll start to believe them.
Even Jesus experienced it with His disciples
Matthew 16:23 (NIV), “Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
David didn’t listen to him because David knew that there was more in him than what people saw in him.
6. OUR FIGHT ISN’T IN HUMAN EFFORT ALONE
1 Samuel 17:45 (NIV), “David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
2 Corinthians 10:4 (NIV), “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
1Timothy 6:12 (NKJV), “Fight the good fight of faith…”
Fight your Giants until they fall.
The end result will be worth it. The battle will be tough but the victory will make it worth it.
7. CONCLUSION
Don’t underestimate your giant.
The longer you face your GIANTand not fight it the harder it will be overcome it.
Eventually you say, “That’s me, accept me as I am.”
We can change. We can be victorious. We are giant killers.
Maybe you’ve tried a few times before and failed. Don’t quit. Don’t just fight in your own strength. Use your spiritual weapons like ‘The Word of God, Faith, The Gifts of the Spirit, Love, etc.
Romans 8:37(NIV), “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
It all starts with a quality decision to change. Draw the line.
