David and Goliath: How to Beat Giants
The Bible passage about David and Goliath teaches important principles about how to beat giants today. You may not face an actual giant, but you can face overwhelming situations.
Just like David beat Goliath, you can beat those giant circumstances with God’s help. In this series of videos we are going to look at the principles that enabled David to overcome.
Other Videos in the series: David vs Goliath
Video Transcript for David vs Goliath
These videos are to help people understand the Word of God better, and because people have questions. They are facing challenges and want to know what God has to say about their situation.
We are going to look at some Biblical principles that will help you in your relationship with God and draw you close Him. They are important principles from the Bible that you can put into practice in your life, knowing they will work for you just like they worked for people in the Bible.
Facing a Giant like Goliath
Today, we are going to look at a passage in the Bible where somebody faced a situation that was a lot bigger than them.
- Have you ever faced something where you felt that there is no way you can beat it; no way you can overcome?
- Are you facing a situation that is bigger than you and, whatever you do, it feels like it is looming over you?
It may be a financial situation or physical health; something that makes you feel like there is no hope. Possibly overwhelming debt, challenges, or even bankruptcy. You could be facing court situations. Maybe there are people coming up against you or relationship issues.
These days, people are surrounded by big challenges. Things that are just too powerful for us, by ourselves, to overcome.
The good news is that God is on your side.
God’s Word, the Bible, gives us principles that we can put into practice in our lives, and they will work for us. The Bible is not just a book of historical events that happened to other people. God put these passages about the lives of other people in His Word because they show us principles that, if we will take and put them into practice in our lives, we can get the results that they got.
Just like in the Old Testament Israel overcame incredible odds when armies came against them and they faced battles where God moved miraculously.
One of the big questions people have is: How can I get God to move in my life?
That is what we are going to look at. We are going to examine principles from the Word of God. These principles repeat in different passages in the Bible. If you will take them and begin to put them into practice, you can get the kinds of results those people got. You can experience God’s power moving in your life.
Have you ever faced a situation that you feel is bigger than you?
Today, we are going to look at the passage about David and Goliath.
Goliath was a giant in the enemy army and they were attacking Israel. He was a huge man, an experienced fighter and a man of war.
David was about 17 or 18 years old. He had no experience with war or fighting armies and battles like that, but because he had confidence in God, he was able to beat the giant.
We are going to see some timeless principles from this passage that you can put into practice in your life to beat the giants you are facing.
1 Samuel 17:2-4
:2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistine.
:3 The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.
:4 And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
We don’t use measurements like that today, but Goliath was big. He was a giant.
1 Samuel 17:16
:16 And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.
Stalemate
For 40 days this battle was at a stalemate. Goliath would come out every day and would challenge Israel. It caused fear in them. You may be in a situation that feels like it is never moving. It may be at a stalemate or even that you are losing ground. You are not able to move forward or beat it, because it’s just too big for you.
That’s why this passage is relevant. It shows us that just because you are facing a giant, or a giant circumstance that is bigger and more powerful than you, does not mean that you cannot overcome when you trust God.
You can overcome, and we are going to see how.
On Israel’s side, there were two groups or individuals.
The responses of each of these groups to Goliath is important.
- Israel and king Saul
- David
Israel and their response
1 Samuel 17:11, 24
:11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
:24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.
Israel was afraid of Goliath. Fear gripped them because they were so overwhelmed by the size of the giant, the enemy that they were facing. They felt there was no way they could overcome him. He was too big for them.
That may be how you feel. Maybe what you are facing feels too big for you. Fear, stress and worry may have gripped you and be keeping you up at night.
Whatever the situation in front of you, possibly even multiple situations, it doesn’t make any difference, if you take these principles and put them into practice in your life, they will help you.
There is no need to run in fear and feel hopeless. With God there is always hope, there is always a way through.
Even if that circumstance is taunting you, saying, ‘You are not going to beat me. You are not going to overcome’, I’m telling you now that you can.
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David’s response
David was not in the army. He arrived at the battlefield to provide supplies for his brothers. When he arrived, he heard Goliath and he asked what was going on.
1 Samuel 17:26
:26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
This is amazing, because no one there was even considering anyone being able to kill the Philistine. They were convinced he was too big and they could not beat him.
It shows that David had a completely different perspective. He was seeing things differently.
David calls Goliath an uncircumcised Philistine.
Goliath did not have a covenant with God. Circumcision was the sign of the covenant. David was saying that it did not matter who he was, Goliath did not have a covenant with God. David did, and that was what made the difference.
It did not matter that David was small or young, or that he was not trained as a soldier. What mattered was that he had God on his side.
1 Samuel 17:32, 37
:32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
:37 Moreover David said, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”
David said they should not be discouraged or afraid. He declared that he would fight Goliath.
In the natural that must have sounded ridiculous. This little teenager, who had never fought a battle in his life, saying that he would fight the giant.
David was convinced, totally persuaded, that God would deliver him. He did not run into the battle with any uncertainty. His attitude was that he would go fight him, that God would fight with him and he would win the battle.
The difference between their responses
- Israel’s response was one of fear.
- David’s was one of confidence.
The difference between their responses was because of what they were focused on. This is what you need to understand. Whatever you are facing, it is all about perspective. We can become so focused in on the size of the situation, how big it is and how impossible it looks.
You might be facing powerful people who are trying to do things against you or you may be up against companies or systems, people pursuing you for debt. Whatever it is, it can feel like they are so much more powerful.
Who am I?
I’m just ‘little old me’, what can I do?
It’s about perspective and what you are focused on. If you are focused on the size of the enemy or the challenge that has come your way, then you are going to be afraid. What can you do?
Sometimes it feels like we do not have much power to do anything in the natural, but you don’t have to get so focused in on the situation. There is something else you can focus on. You can focus on God.
This is not a minor point! You can begin to realise that your God is bigger and He is on your side.
I have got the bigger One on my side.
I often compare this to children who are facing a bully at school. The bully may be a big, intimidating figure. Sometimes children say they are going to set their dad on the other kid. They talk about how their dad is bigger than the bully.
Watch out, my dad is ‘this big’ and if you don’t back off, I’m going to set my dad on you!’. A battle of words can take place, where each kid is boasting about how their dad is bigger than the other’s.
The wonderful news for us as Christians is that our dad really is bigger! He is bigger than any situation you could possibly face on this earth. You need to become focused on the fact that He is bigger. Become focused on His size.
You can focus so much on the giant that the giant just looks bigger and bigger in your eyes, or you can become so focused on God that you realise, in comparison to God, the giant looks small.
There is no body, no organisation, no disease on this earth that is bigger than or more powerful than God.
If you are a believer, you are in covenant with God. He is on your side. He is going to fight for you. You need to become focused on that. You can stir yourself and your faith up by what you are focused on.
Focus is so important.
If you are focused on your circumstance, you are going to feel afraid and overwhelmed. If you begin to focus on your God and look at Him, you can become encouraged and get to the place where you have confidence in God. You can feel assured that the greater One is on your side.
This is something you need to do. You have to be the one to make the adjustment of your focus.
How can you adjust your focus?
1) You need to look in the Bible.
There we see God helping people and overcoming things they faced. No matter what they faced, we see that God helped them through.
In the passage we are looking at, 1 Samuel 17, God enabled David and helped him to beat Goliath.
Look at the promises of God and what He has said about your life. He said that He always causes you to triumph and gives you the victory. Get your focus on to those promises rather than constantly on the circumstance.
You have to do this daily. It is vital to get your attention on God, His promises and His size, if you are ever going to get to the place where you believe it is possible to beat the giant you are facing.
Focus on what God has said, and on the passages where He brought people through impossible situations.
2) Speak it out.
It is important that it comes out of your mouth, because you hear it and it can encourage you. Begin to say that God is bigger, God is more powerful. I serve the God who is bigger than this situation, who makes this situation look small. From where I am standing, this situation may look big, but from God’s perspective, it is nothing.
As you get your focus more on God and begin to speak it out, you will find that it gives your faith something to latch on to. You start to feel more confident in God.
How Focus affected Peter’s Miracle
One example of focus is Peter walking on the water. In Matthew 14, Jesus was walking on the water. The disciples were in the boat and they saw Jesus. Peter said, ‘Lord, if that’s you, tell me to come out’. Jesus said, ‘come’, and Peter jumped out the boat and began to walk on the water.
As he was walking on the water, the Bible says that he saw the wind and the waves. He saw the storm going on around him and, as he did, he began to sink.
The only thing that caused him to stop walking in the miraculous and to shut down the miracle was that he changed his focus. He was initially so focused on Jesus that he didn’t think about the wind and waves that were there all along. His focus was on Jesus.
As he began to focus on the storms, he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on what was going on around him. Immediately, the miraculous shut down.
That shows how important your focus and perspective are. You have to remind yourself to keep your eyes fixed on God and His size.
Conclusion
If you are feeling overwhelmed, like your situation is just too big, then you need to remind yourself how big God is. Look at His size and the fact that He is more powerful. He is the greater One.
Your situation is nothing compared to God. No matter what it is you are facing, it is not more powerful than God. Get your focus on Him.
In other videos, we will look at some other points about how to beat giants, but this first point is an important starting point. Ask yourself what you are focused on. It’s about perspective.
If you are comparing the size of your problem to yourself, then the problem can look big. If you are comparing the size of the problem to God, who is on your side, then you will realise that the challenge is not as big as it looks. God is bigger than the giant.
Remember: it does not matter how big your circumstance is, if your focus is on God. You can beat Goliath.
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