Encountering and Slaying Giants

Pastors Blake and Andrew Cromwell

Yet in all these things we are conquerors through Him that loved us. —Romans 8:37

Life is more about facing giants then we sometimes realize. This is because the giants in our lives don’t always have rotting, yellow teeth and feet the size of Volkswagens. And while our giants might not have the potential to be the poster child for Jack and the Beanstalk, they generally do threaten to knock us over the head with a pretty large club. It is for this reason that our giants are typically more threatening then anything that might come crashing out of the jungle.

Fear, depression, discouragement, divorce, financial setbacks, protecting our children from moral filth — these are some of the giants that we face everyday. Some of us live our lives in fear of these giants and what they might do to us and to our families. The truth is, though, if we allow ourselves to fall prey to these fears, then we have allowed ourselves to be defeated too easily. The giants we face, and we will face them, are to be confronted and slain. We must see ourselves as Giant-Slayers.

There are four characteristics of successful giant-slayers that we can take from the life of David (remember David and Goliath?). I believe these four principles will help you to overcome the giants in your life.

First, we must know that we are born to slay giants. We are created in the likeness of God. Within every follower of Jesus there is a Divine promise that we can slay the giants that attack us. Too many feel inadequate and suffer negative views of themselves. Facing the giants of marital conflict or raising kids to be safe from negative peer pressure are a few of the challenges for all of us. With God we can be victorious in this life.

David was the youngest in his family and the smallest. He was left out and excluded from family activities. Yet he was not marred by the rejection of others. He found his competence in knowing God. David remained faithful in the small things. He embraced the lowly job of watching the sheep. He brought God into his daily activities and learned of God’s power for daily living. When the sheep were attacked he slew the bear and lion by God’s power. The lessons David learned on the hillside with the sheep were lessons he applied when he faced Goliath, the giant. You and I need to see the place we are in as a training ground for the giants of the future. Single parents, couples in conflict, and college students all have many giants to slay. If they learn like David to engage God into the place where they are now then in the future when greater giants manifest they will be prepared. Someone once told me, “You shouldn’t attack a giant if you have never bagged a rabbit.”

Secondly, we must know that the reward is what keeps us in the battle. We all know the story of David and Goliath, but many of us never heard about the great rewards that David was promised if he defeated the giant. David was promised riches, the king’s daughter, and exemption from taxes for life! Anyone would be motivated by that list, and David was no exception. As he went out to fight the giant he encouraged himself with the thoughts of wealth and a beautiful wife. These were great motivators. Just as David did, we need to focus on the outcome instead of the problem when faced with our giants. If we keep our eyes on the goal, on those things that God has promised to us, then we can encourage ourselves to fight with confidence.

The single parent must focus on the rewards of great children and fight off the giants of loneliness and despair. The middle aged married man must not lose focus on the rewards of a good name when he is tempted by a giant impulse to have his last fling. The recovering addict must focus on the rewards of sobriety and not allow the giant of self-medication to overcome him.

Thirdly, we must know that we will face negative communication from others. Just as David was preparing to go and fight Goliath, he had to face two smaller giants along the way. These two giants came in the form of David’s eldest brother and King Saul. As older brothers will tend to do, this one decided he had to put David in his place. He used his position as a brother to try to manipulate David emotionally to keep him out of the battle. King Saul belittled David’s size and youth and thereby used his position to attempt to hold David down. But David would not allow these giants to defeat him. He refused to listen to the bitter words of his brother and the belittling words of Saul. There is no doubt that we will face similar types of attempts by others to hold us back from the battle. We must choose not to allow others to manipulate and belittle us. If David had allowed these things to convince him, he would never have made it to the real battle.

Finally, we must know that we can overcome the challenges that face us. Giant-slaying is not an easy task. This is especially the case when the giants in our lives begin to become aggressive or when they have a reputation. As soon as David went out to fight Goliath, he began to laugh in the young man’s face. He cursed and threatened. And had David backed down, it would soon have been over. But David had confidence in God and in himself. David knew that while this giant looked undefeatable, God was by his side. He knew this because of his experiences on that hillside where God had shown himself faithful so many times before.

The giants we face also have a reputation just like Goliath did. Addiction, cancer, divorce, financial collapse, mental illness — these giants loom larger then life. Just as no one had ever defeated Goliath, these things also seem impossible to overcome. Yet little David defeated him with only faith in God and a small slingshot. Our giants can be defeated in the same way.

Jesus said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Luke 18:27

Are you prepared to face your giants? You will be if you keep you passion for God alive, keep your eyes fixed on the rewards ahead, and have confidence in God’s faithfulness.

The pastors of Kings County would love to see you and your family in church this Sunday and help you face your giants.