“Conquering Giants”
Date: 8/17/2011
Speaker: Pastor Johnny Moore
Most everyone has faced “giants” in our lives. Giants come dressed in many different outfits and have many different names. Some giants come dressed as fear, worry, turmoil, confusion, pain, and heartache, as well as many other things. These giants daily intimidate us as they scream out how big they are and how small we are. In the Bible, we find a great story about a young man who faced a giant and was able to conquer him.
In I Samuel 17 verse 16, we find this giant, named Goliath, coming out every morning and every evening shouting his challenge to the armies of Israel. He did this for forty days. Talk about intimidating!
One day a teenage boy named David, on an errand for his dad, showed up at Israel’s camp. As he heard Goliath’s challenge, something rose up in him and he said, “...Who is this Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (vs. 26) David then went before King Saul and said, “...I will go and fight with this Philistine.”
Now, get a good picture of this: On one mountain stood Goliath, a Philistine who was a highly experienced soldier, standing approximately 9 1/2 feet tall with armor weighing approximately 200 pounds. Goliath was also armed with a bronze javelin holding a 25 pound spearhead. On the other mountain stood David, a teenage shepherd boy with glowing red cheeks and a beautiful smile. He was armed also, with 1 sling shot and 5 smooth stones. To the natural eye, David was no match for Goliath. What was it then, that caused this teenage boy to accept the challenge to meet this giant face to face?
#1—David Knew Who He Was: Because of David’s covenant with God, he knew that God was on his side. He had fought a lion and a bear, and God had brought him victory over them both. Therefore, he knew this giant would be no different. He knew that if he would show up, God would fight the battle for him. The same goes for us—if we know that we belong to God, we can face every giant in our life.
#2—David Knew What He Had: When Goliath saw David, he began to laugh and make fun of him. David also faced peer pressure from his family and friends (vs. 28). What did David possess that caused him to go on? He had confidence in God. David said to Goliath, “You come to me with a sword and a spear, but I come at you in the Name of the Lord
of Hosts…”
#3—David Knew Where He Was Going: David had a mission. He told Goliath exactly what he intended to do. He said, “The Lord will deliver you into my hand...I will smite you...I will take your head from you...All the earth will know there is a God in Israel… The battle is the Lord’s...He will give you into my hand…” (vs. 47) The very next verse tells us what happened, “And it came to pass…”
You can, if you are a child of God, face and overcome every giant in your life. Remember who you are, what you’ve got and where you’re going!
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