Facing Our Giants

There are many giants that can come into our lives. Many times, in our life we will come face to face with a giant and have to make a decision. A decision to face the issue or to run away from the issue.

Numbers 13: 31 - 33

But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”  And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.  There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

The children of Israel were waiting to enter into the promised land. Spies had been sent into the land so that their journey could be made from a good knowledge of what was ahead. There were a couple of them who cam back with a good report. There was also those who came back with a bad report.

Those coming back with a bad report claimed that the land would devour its inhabitants. They told stories of giants, that in comparison the Israelites were grasshoppers.  They were afraid to go forward and were painting a picture that suggested that they couldn't be successful.

There are giants in the land!

Are you allowing the giants in the land to stop you from moving forward?

I want to share another story of a giant, one that ended differently. I have spoken of it before in a message about standing in faith. This story has a strong faith message but it also gives us the image of a person uses their life experience to face an even bigger issue.

1 Samuel 17: 3-11

The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.

And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.  He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.  And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.  Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.  Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.  If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”  And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”  When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

Here is a great example of facing a giant. The Israelites are on top of a mountain on one side of a valley and the Philistines are on the top of a mountain on the other side of the valley.  The Philistines champion warrior, a giant comes out into the valley. The giant, we know is Goliath, stands in the valley taunting the Israelites to send out a warrior to face him.

The Israelites “were dismayed and greatly afraid.” Isn't that a description of how we become when we are having to face some form of giant in our life.

You maybe facing a financial or a health giant, it may be a giant brought about by the loss of a loved one, the end of a marriage or some other kind of giant. This is when all too often we become dismayed, anxious, worried and even greatly afraid.

What do you do when your are facing a giant?

We can wish them away, try drinking them away, or how ever we try to avoid them. Those issues don't just go away.

1 Samuel 17:16

And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.

Goliath kept coming back for 40 days. The Israelites just continued staring across the valley. They kept seeing Goliath daily, hearing him taunt them daily.

Isn't that very much like some of the issues that come into our life? The issues, the giants we are facing, don't just go away.

1 Samuel 17:26

Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

David had been sent to the camp by his father. He asks questions about who Goliath is, who is the person taunting us? Who is this person that they have sent to single-handedly challenge the army of the living God.

David who has had it said of him that he was a  man after God's heart. David is remembered for having a heart after God. He is remembered for his faith.

Acts 13:22

After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, A man after My heart, who will do all My will.’

This is where we should be, standing in faith, so that when the giants come into our life we have what is needed to face them and stand firm in our faith. We allow the world, the issues of life that the world throws at us change our focus. Satan wants our focus to be on the giants and be “dismayed and greatly afraid.”

The giants, the mountains become too big for us to handle in our minds and we become anxious, feeling the burdens that we allow the issues to become. All we want is for them to go away. But as we see in the passages above they don't go away. As we will see we have to face them, but our lives can help us to face them.

1 Samuel 17:32-37

Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,  I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.  Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”  Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

 And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

David comes “I will go and fight the giant.”  He is questioned about his age and ability. David tells of his past and the giants he successfully faced before. He tells Saul that as a shepherd he has had to face a lion and a bear. He tells Saul that He defeated both of them. David says that the Lord was with him and delivered him from the paw of the lion and the bear.

Here is a lesson we need to - we all face giants, lions, bears, mountains in our life. The victories of our past, our past successes help us to boldly face the bigger issues that come into our life.

David who was raised up, by God, to be king of Israel, wouldn'thave been so bold in facing Goliath if he hadn't faced the lions and bears in the past.

1 Samuel 17: 48-55

Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.   And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.

   Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand.   Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.   The men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the slain Philistines lay along the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron.   The sons of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines and plundered their camps.   Then David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.

David went down to the valley and faced Goloiath. Saul had tried to convince him to do so dressed in Saul armour. But the armour wasn't made for David. The armour didn't fit David, it wasn't his. David set the armour aside and went and faced Goliath as himself.

Goliath sees David and basically laughs at David, seeing Davids age, stature and realizing this was no warrior standing in front of him. The Israelites had sent a young man to face the warrior chanmpion of the Philistine army.

The giants may look at you and laugh, but they don't know you, they don't even know what you have gone through in the past. They are hoping that they can just scare you into submission, bring you to your knees in fear.

But just like David we can face those mountains and giants. David who looked at the Giant, stepped out in his faith in God and attacked! He surprised the giant and won. Goliath lost his head. Goliath was too confident and felt that there was no way he could lose. 

The lesson here is you have come through valleys in your past. You survived smaller issues, you have successfully defeated, lions and bears in your past. Look at this giant, remember that God is with you!

Romans 8: 28-31

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.   For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;   and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

    What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

Do you see that?  God will takes things and work them together for good to those who love God. For those who have a heart for God. 

The one thing I really want to point out is the closing part of that passage, “If God is for us, who is against us?”

“If God is for us, who is against us?” That is something worth holding onto. Remember your past victories with God. When those giants step into your life, stand in faith, stand on your vistories, don't be faced down, don't be taunted and know beyond any doubt, “If God is for us, who is against us?”

David knew he could win, he had to face the giant on his own, as himself laying aside all the things that could have hindered him. He went into battle with his faith in place, God in the forefront and the weapons he knew best. David was successful.

Matthew 17: 20-21

So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Unbelief will not bring success. It is faith, faith in God that will bring success. Faith as small as a mustard seed will move that mountain, that giant that is in front of you. Faith in God because with God nothing is impossible.

God tells us that there are times when  we need to strengthen ourselves by getting closer to Him through prayer and fasting. Faith in God is what it takes, and realizing that that faith makes all things possible. Speak to that giant, speak to that moiuntain, speak to that bear, that lion in the Name of Jesus and you will be successful.

Friends when you have issues that are mountain size, giant sized or what ever the issue, bring them to God! The Lord will help you to walk through that valley, He will bring you through. Just as Jesus tells us He will teach you how to deal with all of your burdens.

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.   Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.   For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

We can learn from Him how to handle our burdens.  Do face those giants alone, but don't run from them.

Face those giants down, for if God is for us who can be against us!