David and Goliath is a familiar story for most everyone; if you don’t know the actual story you have at least heard reference to it in sports or in work–when the tiny one (the one counted out, the weak one) conquers the thing that has always stood in their way. When we think of the story we tend to focus on how small David was and how big Goliath was and how David still somehow managed to find victory. But it was more than just “managing to find victory”. David had the Creator of the world on his side. And so do we.

When we call on Jesus and believe in His saving grace, the Holy Spirit enters us and exists within us. After all it is only because Jesus’ (the God-man) sacrifice that we can be saved. And once the Holy Spirit lives within us there is absolutely nothing that can stop us. Romans 8:10-11 tells us “Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.” It is no longer us who exist, but Christ, and thus victory, hope, grace, self-control aka the Spirit of God.

But, that comes at a cost to us.

Actually it’s more than just a cost–it’s everything. The only way to gain all of Christ is to subtract all of me. I can’t have both because a heart divided loses control eventually. In all reality it isn’t “me” anyways. “Me” is just a figment of who I think I am. It’s a makeup of all that the world tells me about who I am or how I should live my life. It is self (flesh, sin) desperately trying to find what only God can give: life. To give up my life means that I will take hold of the life that is truly life, one that is following Jesus and consumed by Him.

But we all have giants standing in the way of this redeemed life. Some might seem like smallish giants and some might seem like they are immovable. –Whether it is a porn habit, a problem with lying, self-hate, addiction of any kind (drug, alcohol, shopping, social media, etc.), or any other thing this world ensnares us with, they seem so BIG and so untouchable that it doesn’t even seem possible to dream about victory let alone actually discover it in our lives.– That’s what giants do. Just like Goliath (that name even sounds giant when I say it) stood in the way of the Israelite’s and mocked them and their God, our struggles come to stand in the way of our calling and come to belittle our very existence, often for a much longer time (years perhaps) than Goliath did.

They might feel and even look more powerful than our God, just like Goliath did to the Israelite warriors but I’m here to tell you that this life was not meant to be lived in fear of anything–not even our pain and trials. We are not meant to live a scared life, always worrying about how bad we are or how we will never be good enough for our God, or that our sin will always consume us. No way. God calls us time and again to live knowing we are His children. Children of the King. Children of the God who invented everything. A child of the Most High. (New things have come to us!–2 Corinthians 5:17; if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed–John 8:36).

David knew this too, and he came in fired up and pissed off that someone (or something) would even try to stand in the way of the Lord’s plan. “Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” Who does this guy think he is to make fun of my King? What is this addiction that it thinks it can run my life? How does this sin think it can be stronger than my God? Who is the devil that he thinks his schemes can really defeat my Jesus?–they can’t. Jesus proved it when he bore our sin (our addiction, our disgusting habits, our hurts AND even the shame and pain that comes along with all of our sins) on the cross and died in our place and then rose once again three days later, victorious. Even death could not steal Him away. Jesus is where we find our victory. When we call on Him he will surely come to our rescue.

I think that God wants to use our skills and our slings with stones to bring about triumph in our lives, too, just like He did with David. Everyone knows that those small stones that David had would never kill a giant that big. But because, and only because, he offered them up to God, he was victorious. It didn’t matter the size of the giant or the size of the stone, once God was given room to move, there was nothing stopping little ol David.We too have small stones in our pouch that can be used to defeat our giants! These small stones are the things that everyone (possibly even you) would never expect to be used by God to bring life-changing hope into our lives but they are the very thing that will do it! Just like David’s small stone was used to remove the oppression that was over the Israelite army, our characteristics, our skills, our very life can be used for BIG victory and then they can pave the way for a life of living for Christ! This all starts with joining up with the God of the universe.

–If you are struggling with giants in your life today then I encourage you to ask God to reveal the parts of your life that He wants to use. They might seem small, but trust in His power! It could be the weakest or smallest part about you, but the giants will fall when God is given room to work! It is only because we trust that God will bring victory that we will find victory.This will take time to transform your life and you might want to give up, but please don’t. God has to have all of you in order to change all of you. So give it to Him and continue to trust, day in and day out.–

“No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but healed instead.” Hebrews 12:11-13

No matter how dark the day is now, when you choose to believe in Christ’s power His light will always shine brighter.

There is a song by Casting Crowns called “What If I Gave Everything” that has been speaking power into my life recently. It’s the story of all of us: a soul on fire for Christ but afraid or anxious to move the mountains that God has called us to move–or, to take down the giants standing in the way of true life in Christ. What if we gave everything to Him? I believe the giants in our life would fall.

I want to share with you a verse that I have carried with me (or maybe it carried me) through all of my own struggles and giants of my own. John 16:33–“I have told you these things so that you might have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Stay encouraged in your fight today and every day. Jesus conquered it all for us already, so use His power today.

With love,

SM.

Here are some of the songs that have been inspiring me of lately, all that I used in writing this post.