The Power Of A Stone

Intro Story…

Talk about the UnKnown…

Have you ever feel like something is standing between you and the life God has for you?

Not something small or manageable—but something that feels massive. Intimidating. Overwhelming. It’s the thing you keep trying to ignore, hoping it’ll just go away. But every morning when you wake up… it’s still there. Looming in the background. Whispering that you’ll never overcome it. That you’ll always be stuck. That this is just how life is going to be for you.

We all have giants.

They don’t always carry swords or wear armor.

They don’t walk around shouting threats from mountaintops like Goliath did in the Bible.

But they still show up.

Sometimes in the form of fear that paralyzes us from stepping into what God’s calling us to do.

Sometimes it’s addiction—a pattern we can’t seem to break.

Maybe it’s insecurity that convinces us we’re not good enough.

Or a financial crisis, a broken relationship, a shameful past…

Whatever it is—it feels huge.

But here’s the good news:

God doesn’t just acknowledge your giants—He equips you to defeat them.

God is not waiting on you to be strong enough. He’s waiting on you to trust that He is.

We can easily underestimate the power of a stone!

God will equip you with exactly what you need when you need it.

Victory Over The Giant

1 Samuel 17:40 NLT

He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.

God will use the most unlikely tools for His glory.

1 Samuel 17:41–50 NLT

Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword.

God will what appears to be weak and ordinary to accomplish extraordinary victory.

God equipped David with the skill that led to victory.

Goliath underestimated the ability of a small stone because he underestimated what was behind the stone.

1 Samuel 17:34–37 NLT

But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”

Goliath underestimated who he was facing because he didn’t know where David had been.

God can take our past failures and make it a platform for His glory.

What about my giants?

We all have giants.

Your giant may not be 9 foot tall, but it is no less effective when it controls your thoughts.

When a giant is standing in front of you, you must have a plan.

Romans 8:31–32 NLT

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

Victory Over Your Giant

Luke 24:1–7 NLT

But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

Death underestimated what was behind the stone.

Defeat can quickly return to victory by the power that is behind the stone.

You can trust in God's ability to resurrect hopes and dreams that seem buried or defeated.

1 John 4:4 NLT

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

Don’t underestimate that greater is He that’s in YOU than any giant that you may face.

MIP: But we have to put on the full armor of God and fight – shield of faith & sword of the Spirit…

Where do you need to experience freedom today?

God can take your setbacks and create more purpose than you could ever imagine.

God can use your story to create mighty victories.

Your life matters more than you could ever imagine.

INVITE TO STAND - PRAY