Dealing with giants has been a popular topic with children’s Sunday School, a book by Max Lucado, and a movie by the Kendrick brothers. Two biblical passages give us a life lesson. In Numbers 13, twelve men were sent into the promised land to check it out.
They all came back talking about how great it was and also about the giants who lived there. Ten of the men infused fear into the Israelites that they could not handle it and get the land. Two of the men encouraged the people to rely on God and go in and take the land. The fear won.
Another passage is 1 Samuel 17, where the Philistine giant Goliath threw out a challenge to Israel, stating that he would battle a representative from Israel, and whoever won would have the other country as their servants. All of Israel, including King Saul, quaked in fear – except for an unknown shepherd boy, David. David fought Goliath with simple weapons of his familiarity and “in the name of the Lord.” David won.
We all have giants in our lives. These are not usually physical, but they are nonetheless significant issues that leave us fearful, worried, and sometimes, paralyzed. Borrowing from a Sunday School lesson about moving with confidence in God, we can face and overcome giants in these ways.
• We don’t know what a day holds, but we can start the day by giving it to God. That is like starting a trip with a full tank of gas.
• Our actions reveal the size of our faith. Joshua, Caleb, and David trusted God rather than themselves and gained great victory and blessings in life.
• Each time we see God’s help come through, it strengthens us for the next time – this keeps us from giving premature victory to the adversary before the battle. There is something to the adage to stay “prayed up and read-up.”
• Faith fighters know that God defends His honor and His name. The Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword. When we use God’s Word to fight our battles, we have more than just words. We have the power of God in those words.
Giants happen all the time, everywhere, and often in unexpected ways. That is a part of life. However, we have a choice of being paralyzed with fear or taking them on and winning in the name of the Lord.
