How to Take Down Goliath

If you want to be a warrior who takes down Goliath…start with being a shepherd and feeding the sheep.

1 Samuel 17:15 “But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.”

David was a servant before he ever stepped onto the battlefield.

1 Samuel 17:17 “Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp.”

Walk under authority even if you aren’t doing what you want to be doing. The only reason David was at the battle is because he was under the authority of his father.

1 Samuel 17:20 “So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle.”

Don’t let the fear in others make you afraid.

1 Samuel 17:23-24 “Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.”

Don’t let other people define you.

1 Samuel 17:28 “Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.””

1 Samuel 17:33 “And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.””

You can’t do it…it’s too hard…things will never change…you will just come right back to where you were

Win the smaller fights before you jump into the bigger ones!

1 Samuel 17:34-36 “But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.””

Luke 16:10-13 “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own? “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.””

Some people want God to promote them to bigger and better things, but they have resisted doing what He has already told them to do.

Some people feel like they are being held back… The truth is they are probably right. Take care of the things God has given you right where you are at before you start looking down the road!

Some people want to step into a bigger arena with the enemy to help others, but they are unwilling to deal with their own demons right in front of them.

The lions and the bears are your training ground for Goliath! You don’t get to just show up against Goliath without already having learned to submit and trust in God. And you should be thankful!

Walk in your faith (armor) not someone elses.

1 Samuel 17:38-39 “So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.”

Don’t let Goliath intimidate you.

1 Samuel 17:43-44 “So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!””

Make sure your motive is to glorify God and not yourself.

1 Samuel 17:45-47 “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.””

Make the enemy pay for how he has attacked you.

1 Samuel 17:50-51 “So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.”

Let others see your testimony and the victories God has given you.

1 Samuel 17:54 “And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.”

1 Samuel 17:57-58 “Then, 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 are you, young man?” So David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.””

Don’t be surprised when other people are jealous and resent you because they see Goliath’s falling before you.

1 Samuel 18:7-9 “So the women sang as they danced, and said: “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.” Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul eyed David from that day forward.”