Let's NOT Be Afraid of the "Goliath's" in Our Lives


"Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied " ( 1 Sam. 17:45 )


Brothers and Sisters ; Faith and fear cannot exist together. Faith is described in Hebrews 11:1 as being "the evidence of things not seen." It is an absolute belief that God is constantly working behind the scenes in every area of our lives, even when there is no tangible evidence to support that fact. On the other hand, fear, simply stated, is unbelief or weak belief. As unbelief gains the upper hand in our thoughts, fear takes hold of our emotions. Our deliverance from fear and worry is based on faith, which is the very opposite of unbelief. We need to understand that faith is not something that we can produce in ourselves. Faith is a gift, (Ephesians 2:8-9 ) and is described as a fruit (or characteristic) which is produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). The Christian's faith is a confident assurance in a God who loves us, who knows our thoughts and cares about our deepest needs. That faith continues to grow as we study the Bible and learn the attributes of His amazing character. The more we learn about God, the more we can see Him working in our lives and the stronger our faith grows.

Now , admittedly , oftentimes "keeping the faith" is easier said than done , depending on the person and circumstances . What I have learned to do when Satan tempts me with "fear," be it with our finances , health issues , work and ministry problems , etc , is to ask God for the strength to just "let it go" and re-focus on His Word . And He has NEVER failed me or my family yet !

The story of David and Goliath is told in the 17th chapter of 1 Samuel . When they approached the Promised Land , most of the Israelites had been afraid to enter because of the giants living there ( Numbers 13:32-33 ) . King Og of Bashan needed a bed over 13 feet long ! ( Deut. 3:11 ) . Now Goliath , nearly 10 feet tall , taunted Israel's soldiers and appeared invincible to them . Saul , the tallest of the Israelites , may have been especially worried because he was obviously the best match for Goliath . In God's eyes , however , Goliath was no different than anyone else .

You see , an army often avoided the high cost of battle by pitting the strongest warrior against the strongest warrior of the enemy . This avoided great bloodshed because the winner of the fight was considered the winner of the battle . Goliath had the definite advantage against David from a human standpoint . But Goliath didn't realize that in fighting David , he also had to fight GOD !  ( Not too wise a move , as many of our atheist friends may find out , huh ? ) .

In verse 26 , David speaks to the men by saying , "What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel ? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God ? "

Now , what a difference perspective can make . Most of the onlookers saw a giant . David , however , saw only a mortal man defying Almighty God . Goliath was a target too big (and DUMB ) to miss ! David knew he would not be alone when he faced Goliath ; God would fight with him . He looked at his situation from God's point of view . Viewing "impossible" situations from God's point of view helps us put giant problems in perspective . Once we see clearly , we can fight more effectively .

Criticism couldn't stop David ! ( vv 28-32 ) . While the rest of the army stood around , he knew the importance of taking action . With God to fight for him , there was no reason to wait . People may try to discourage us with negative comments or mockery , but we must continue to do what we know is right . By doing what is right , we will be pleasing GOD - whose opinion matters MOST !

In verses 48-49 , we are told , "And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth."

David was able to move faster than Goliath because David carried no heavy weapons or armor . David was an expert marksman with a sling , and as he advanced on Goliath , he stayed out of range of Goliath's huge weapons . What made David effective , however , was more than his ability with a sling ; it was his courage and his faith in God . To fight like David we need David's kind of fearlessness . David had grown strong in his confidence by trusting God when he had encountered wild animals while guarding his father's sheep ( 17:34-37 ) . When we face towering problems , recall how God has helped us in the past . This is one thing my family and I personally do when facing our various "giants." Take heart because God WILL give you strength ! Use the skills God has already given you and move forward .

Lastly , my friends , the chapter concludes with verses 55-58 that tell us , "And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth ? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. And the king said, Enquire thou whose son the stripling is. And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man ? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

Although David had played his harp many times in front of Saul , Saul's question to Abner seems to show he didn't know David very well . Perhaps , since David was scheduled to marry Saul's daughter if he was successful ( 17:25 ) , Saul wanted to know more about his family . Or possibly Saul's unstable mental condition ( 16:14 ) prevented him from recognizing David .

In any event , we see that with God on our side - we can indeed conquer ALL our "giants."

Until next time , may God continue to bless and keep you all -

Yours in Christ ; Pastor Mike