We all will face giants at one time or another in our lives. By giants, I am speaking of what seem to be insurmountable problems and issues. We try to fell these giants, but often they seem to only grow stronger with the passing of time.
Today, maybe your giant concerns your marriage, a strained relationship with your children, or a broken friendship. Or, maybe you confront giants at work. Possibly, your giants are financial problems or health struggles. Whatever the giant, you probably feel like you are at the crossroads and enough is enough.
No giant, no matter where it resides or how large it seems, deserves control over your life. You were created for more… for a purpose.
God is going to give you tools you are going to use to challenge, confront and defeat your giants. You should learn to shout back at our giants and say enough is enough. The giants of anxiety, addiction, brokenness, burnout, and division have had their day.
Here are five tools:
- Draw a Clear Picture of Your Situation: A clear picture is critical in battling your giants. The picture must include detail, and it must be as complete as possible. Art scholars teach students that a great picture shows perspective.
- Sharpen Your Tools: God has given you many gifts—tools that can be used in any battle that you might face. They are uniquely yours and customized to fit your life and your battles. Your tools will work effectively only if they are honed and ready.
- Develop a Plan for Defeating Your Giants: David’s objective was to defeat Goliath and rescue Israel from impending destruction. He had formulated a clear picture of victory in his mind.
- Train for Victory: Most great athletes have one thing in common—they train nonstop. Our devotional lives, prayer time, and moments spent with God are training regimens that not only take us deeper into God’s Word but grow to stand up against our struggles.
- Run Boldly to Meet The Giant: David was ready for the battle. He did not hesitate. With abundant courage and amazing nerve, he ran boldly to meet the giant.
What a victory it was as David boldly defeated the giant Goliath, armed only with a slingshot and five smooth stones. The will of the Philistines was broken. The Israelites were reinvigorated. And it was all because a little shepherd boy answered the call of God and cut down the giant.
We read in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure”.
While it is true we all have giants, it is also true that every giant can be defeated. After all, giants rarely start out that way.
Goliath was not always a giant. He was not always 9-feet-6-inches tall. He was once a baby. And with the passing of time and the nurture of others, the baby became a child. And the child became a teenager. And the teenager became a man. And the man turned into a giant.
In the same way, giants often begin quite small. When we have a big sin in our lives, it started as a little sin that was allowed, nurtured, fed, and even encouraged, and then became a giant that taunts us. In time, little things become big things.
David told Goliath, “This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (1 Samuel 17:47 nlt). That is why giants defeat us again and again — because we face them in our own strength and we lose. We need to realize this is the Lord’s battle.
Goliath had come into the actual territory of the Israelites. He had crossed their line. He was taunting them. And if you tolerate a Goliath, he will take over your territory. He will come right up on your doorstep.
That is why you don’t run from giants. You don’t negotiate with them. You attack them. The Bible tells us, “As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him”. As the enemy drew closer, David ran right at him.
Whatever your giant may be, force it into the light of day. Stop rationalizing it. Stop excusing it. Realize you can’t defeat it in your own strength.
Call on God and pray for His power, and then attack it. Draw lines and be accountable to others. Stay away from people or situations where you would be easily tempted. And don’t let that giant back into your life again.
Finally, trust in the Lord. Don’t look at God in the light of your giant. Instead, look at your giant in the light of God.
[divider]
Pr Edith Kamese is a higher institution lecturer in Korea, mother of five (five) and wife to Praise Cathedral Ntinda senior Pastor, Godfrey Kamese.
