David and Goliath is ranked as one of the most famous stories in the bible. The story provides a classic example of triumph against giant odds and it reiterates the fact that

You succeed not because of who you are but whose you are

In the name of the Lord, the boy David defeated Goliath the champion of the Philistine army with only a sling and stone.

Goliath was a trained warrior but his major tactic was intimidation. He was about 10 ft. tall, wore a bronze helmet and his chest armor weighed about 125 lbs.! He carried a javelin across his shoulders and the blade of his spear weighed about 15 lbs. Goliath had so much weight on his body that he could break a regular man’s bones by simply sitting on him! The guy was intimidating!

To make matters even worse, Goliath was experienced in verbal assault. With a booming voice, he shouted threats to the army of Israel every morning and evening. He asked for a volunteer to spar with him – WHAT? Who would face that…monster? The army of Israel endured his onslaught of physical and mental intimidation for 40 days!

Goliath’s strategy worked – the Israel army was incapacitated with fear. No one dared to fight him.

Facing giants did not end in bible days. Goliath the giant of intimidation is still active today and the strategy is still the same – intimidation.

The goal of the devil is to mount consistent pressure till you are terrified into inaction.

The devil will fight to keep you where you are because he is terrified of who you could become. However you can refuse to be held captive by fear and step out in faith to unleash the greatness in you.

If you succumb to fear, you will never know what you could have accomplished.

 

David realized that the strategy of Goliath was intimidation and he refused to capitulate to it. David said to the king “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” I Sam 17:32

When Saul realized that David was serious about fighting Goliath, he clad David in armor very similar to Goliath’s. However, David could not move because of the weight of the armor. He removed the armor, took out his sling and selected five smooth stones from the brook for the battle.

You cannot win by using the same strategy as your enemy.  

Then little David did the unthinkable, he did not keep a safe distance from Goliath, he ran towards him! He slung the stone and it hit Goliath’s forehead and killed him! As soon as the giant fell, the entire army of Philistine fled and the battle was over.

What made a boy run towards what the King and grown men were terrified of?

David could face Goliath because he had experiential knowledge of God and he knew God simply needed a man to face the giant in His name.

God is waiting on you to step out in His name.

God is on your side and He is saying “Come on, you can do this! Make the move, I am with you”

Stand on the word of God and face your fears. You have the assurance of victory in Jesus. Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. Let the smooth stone of the word of God penetrate the forehead of your Goliath and watch in delight as the giant crashes at your feet.

Run towards Goliath – do not play it safe or remain in your comfort zone. You are more than an overcomer through Jesus Christ and you have no limits.

However, you cannot succeed if you do not try. Take that bold step of faith. Do not let fear distract you or keep you paralyzed. Press in and expect the best in every situation. Never give up.

There is nothing to fear. Even the worst nightmare of failure can be a learning opportunity to fuel the desire to aim higher.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

2 Timothy 1:7

Don’t let any closed door intimidate you and don’t let fear hold you back. Let this be the week that you tackle the giants in your life.

What would you do if you knew you could succeed at anything? Go do it, you WILL succeed!