The Anointing Removes the Giants

Introduction

In the book of Judges, we see a warrior named Gideon, a man called by God to deliver his people from the army of the Midianites. In Chapter 7, we see Gideon raise an Israelite army of 32,000 soldiers, trembling but willing. And before a sword is drawn, before a trumpet is blown, God speaks a word that makes no sense to the natural mind. In V.2, God says, “Judges 7:2 — “The people that are with thee are too many for Me…”

Church, Gideon is staring at an enemy army, the Midianites and their allies, spread through the Valley of Jezreel like locusts, covering the land. And God looks at Gideon’s already‑outnumbered army and says, “You’ve got too many.”

So God begins to subtract.

First, He sends home the fearful — the Word of God says 22,000 walk away. Then He tests the remaining men at the water. Do they lap the water like an animal or do they bring the water to their mouths - staring at the horizon, and Church all but 300 were dismissed.

Now Gideon stands with 300 men. No swords in their hands. No spears in their grip. Just pitchers, torches, and trumpets — because God is about to prove that the battle belongs to Him.

And then Scripture pulls back the curtain and shows us the size of the enemy they were facing. Judges Chapter 8:10 tells us that the Midianites and their allies numbered 135,000 fighting men.

Three hundred against one hundred and thirty‑five thousand. That is a ratio of 450 to 1!

But at the midnight hour — when those 300 broke their pitchers that were hiding the torches, and blew the trumpets. The Israelites created the illusion of a sudden, blinding army surrounding the Midianites. The Lord Himself moved through the camp. Confusion fell. Terror struck. And the Midianite army turned on itself until they were completely destroyed.

Not by numbers. Not by strength. Not even by strategy.

“For the LORD your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” — Deuteronomy 20:4 (KJV)

Preaching form:

Church, the LORD didn’t send Gideon into that valley alone — the LORD Himself went with him! The God who goeth with thee stepped into the battle! The God who fighteth for thee took the field! And the God who saveth thee broke the enemy to pieces!

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” — Zechariah 4:6 (KJV)

Preaching form:

Gideon didn’t win by might — he didn’t have any. He didn’t win by power — he was outnumbered 450 to 1. He won because the Spirit of the LORD of hosts stepped into the midnight hour and turned the enemy on itself!

"...lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." — Judges 7:2 (KJV)

Church, I believe, God will strip away every human advantage, every impressive number, every worldly resource, every piece of weaponry and armor — because He will not share His glory with the flesh. He will not share His glory with us!

Hallelujah!

Praise be the name of Jesus, a name above every other name. A name where every knee shall bow, and tongue confess, that He is King and Lord of All!

God has a habit of waiting until the numbers look impossible before He shows up — because when it's over, there will only be one explanation. That's not strategy. That's not talent. That's not a lucky break. That's the anointing of the Holy Ghost on a yielded life — and the anointing breaks the yoke!

Come on, Church, the anointing breaks the yoke!

Now in 1 Samuel chapter 17.

The army of Israel — God's covenant people, the chosen nation, the people of promise — was huddled in the trenches. The Word says they were sorely afraid. Every morning, twice a day, for forty days, a giant named Goliath of Gath would come down into that valley, and he was bellowing like a bull of Bashan — and everybody would shake and tremble in the trenches.

Goliath was nine feet tall. Coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels of brass. A spear like a weaver's beam. And for forty days that uncircumcised Philistine had been defying the armies a of the living God!

Forty days of taunting. Forty days of mockery. Forty days of the enemy saying, "There's nobody in your camp who can handle this!"

Maybe that's your story this morning. Maybe that is your story today. Maybe the enemy has been showing up at the door of your life, morning and evening, taunting you. Maybe it's a sickness the doctors don't have answers for.

Maybe it's a financial mountain that looks impossibly high. Maybe it's a broken family, a prodigal child, a marriage that's falling apart. And the enemy has been BELLOWING in your ear: "Nobody in your camp can handle this!"

But I am here to tell somebody this morning — the anointing destroys the yoke! Hallelujah!

POINT ONE - The Anointing Breaks the Yoke!

Now I want you to hear Isaiah 10:27. Write it down if you have to. Nail it to the door of your mind. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing."

Not because of your education. Not because of your connections. Not because of your strength or your cleverness or your best-laid plan. The yoke — that heavy, grinding, suffocating thing the enemy has put around your neck — shall be DESTROYED because of THE ANOINTING.

See David was anointed by Samuel: 1 Samuel 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.....”

David was an anointed man! Church, I am here to tell somebody that the anointing of the Lord God can and will shatter any yoke of burden in your life!

I want to present to the nation of Israel, which was under the yoke of the Philistines for 40 days, in that valley. Goliath was the mountain. Goliath was the yoke coming against Israel.

For forty days — forty days! — They had been bowed under the weight of Goliath's voice. The Bible says every man in that army fled and was sore afraid.

The yoke of fear had them locked down. The yoke of intimidation had paralyzed that whole army. Nobody was moving. Nobody was advancing. The people of the living God were crouching in the trenches while one man with a loud mouth held them hostage. Somebody in this room knows exactly what that feels like.

Can I get an Amen?

When old Goliath came bellowing down into that valley, David didn't feel what everybody else felt? The rest of the army felt the yoke tighten. David felt the anointing rise! The other men heard a threat — David heard an opportunity for God to break something!

Somebody shout Hallelujah!

You see, the anointing that God put on David didn't just change his confidence — it broke the power of every yoke that giant had over the camp of Israel! The moment David stepped forward, something in the spirit shifted! Forty days of bondage — forty days of that yoke grinding on their necks — and one anointed boy running toward the battle line destroyed it all!

And I want to tell somebody in this building today — that same Spirit that came upon David from that day forward is available to you right now! The yoke of sickness — the anointing breaks it! The yoke of fear — the anointing breaks it!

The yoke of addiction, the yoke of poverty, the yoke of depression, the yoke of a past that won't let you go —

The anointing breaks the yoke!! The anointing shatters the yoke!! The anointing destroys the yoke!!

POINT TWO - God Doesn't Need Saul's Armor — Trust What God Has Proved

Now here comes the part that I love. David goes to King Saul and says, 'Let no man's heart fail because of him — thy servant will go and fight this Philistine.' And Saul — bless his heart — tries to help. He puts his own armor on David.

Now Saul was head and shoulders above everybody else! He was the tallest man in Israel! And David's eyes just struck about the belt. He's swimming in this thing. The helmet's down over his eyes, the coat of mail's dragging on the ground, and David said — "...I have not proved these. And David put them off him." — 1 Samuel 17:39 (KJV)

"Get me out of here! I've not yet proved this. This is not my cup of tea. The God that delivered me out of the paw of the bear and the paw of the lion will also deliver me out of the hand of this uncircumcised Philistine!"

Hallelujah! Bless God!

David said, 'I'm going back to what works.' You see, David had a track record with God. Out in the wilderness, a lion came against the flock — and the anointing broke that yoke. A bear came against the flock — and the anointing broke that yoke. David didn't conquer in the power of his own flesh. He conquered because the Spirit of the Lord was upon him!

Now hear me, church. We can't lean on the methods of men and the things that men have concocted — we've got to lean on the Spirit of God and His operation!

Amen!

🌑 THE ILLUSTRATION — Story on the Native American Warriors' initiation into manhood!

Among certain Native American tribes, there was a rite of passage reserved only for boys on the edge of manhood—twelve, maybe thirteen years old. When the day came, the elders would lead the boy deep into the wilderness. No tent. No blanket. No fire. No weapon. No companion. Nothing but the clothes on his body and the darkness swallowing the trees.

When the sun went down, the boy was left alone.

Every sound became a threat. Every rustle felt like a predator. Every snap of a twig felt like death breathing on his neck.

He could not run home. He could not cry out. He could not quit. If he returned before sunrise, he was not only disqualified—he was exiled. He had to endure the night.

So the boy would tremble, pray, and wait for the sun. Hours felt like years. Fear felt like a living creature. The darkness pressed in until he thought it would crush him.

But then—finally—light began to break through the trees. The sun rose. The shadows fled. And as the boy stood up, exhausted but alive, he saw something he had not seen all night:

Just a few yards away, standing still as stone, was his father—spear in hand—watching over him.

The boy had felt alone. But he had never been alone. The father had been there the whole time, guarding the night, fighting off what the boy could not see, ensuring his survival until the dawn.

That was the moment the tribe declared him a man—not because he survived the night, but because he learned who had been keeping him through it.

THE MORAL — “STRIPPED DOWN TO TRUST”

This is what God does with us.

He brings us into seasons where every false protection is stripped away. No tent. No weapon. No backup plan. No human armor.

Not because He wants us to fail— but because He wants us to trust.

This is David standing before Saul. Saul tries to load him down with armor, sword, helmet, and strategy. But David knew something the boy in the wilderness learned:

“If I rely on what man gives me, I’ll never discover the God who keeps me.”

David refused Saul’s armor because he had already survived nights in the wilderness with nothing but God. He had already learned that the Father stands in the shadows with a spear. He had already learned that the battle is not won by equipment but by trust.

David didn’t need armor because he had a Keeper. He didn’t need a sword because he had a Shepherd. He didn’t need man’s strength because he had God’s presence.

Sometimes God removes everything you thought you needed so you can discover the One you truly need.

The boy survived the night not because he was strong, but because his father was near.

You may be in a night season.

You may feel abandoned.

You may hear sounds that terrify you.

You may think you’re one breath away from breaking.

But the Father is closer than you think. He is standing in the shadows with a spear. He has been fighting off enemies you never saw. He has been guarding you while you trembled. He has been keeping you alive until the sunrise.

Your survival is not proof of your strength—it is proof of His presence.

You know what some folks do when they face a Goliath? They run to every source except the right one. They put on everybody else's armor — the world's solutions, human wisdom, things that sound impressive but don't fit — and they stumble around wondering why they can't move.

Take all that off! Get back to what God has proved in your life! Get back to the altar. Get back to prayer. Get back to the Word. Get back to the Spirit of the Living God!

David said, 'I know what works. I've tried it. I've tested it. And I'm not walking into this valley in Saul's armor — I'm walking in with what God has already put on me!'

Power doesn't belong to me. The Bible said power belongs to God. But I'm a child of His power, I'm a child of His glory!

Hallelujah!

You hear some fellas say, 'I can do the job' — that doesn't mean that I personally can do the job, but oh — it's not I, but it's the power that works within me!

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

— Philippians 4:13 (KJV)

That's not a boast of the flesh — that's a boast of the Spirit! And that Spirit breaks every yoke!

POINT THREE: Pick Up Your Stones — Preparation Meets Anointing

Now don't rush past this part. When David put off the armor, he didn't walk into that valley empty-handed. He went down to the brook and he picked up five smooth stones. Five smooth stones and a sling.

Somebody said he was a coward — said if he hadn't been a coward he'd have just picked up one.

If he'd really been trusting he'd have picked up one. Well, if you read the Bible carefully, there were four more giants in the family, and he knew if he whipped one he'd have to take the whole family on. So he said, "I'll just get the equipment while I'm at it!"

Hallelujah! That wasn't unbelief — that was good Pentecostal sense right there! Glory!

Now here's what I want you to see. Those stones didn't come from a quarry. They were smooth.

You know how they got smooth? The brook had been running over them. The waters had been wearing away every rough edge, every jagged place, tumbling them over and over until they were perfectly shaped. Those stones were prepared by a process.

Maybe you've been in a process. Maybe you've felt the waters running over you. Maybe it feels like everything has been trying to knock you around. But God has been smoothing something out in you! God has been preparing you for this moment! The trials, the difficulties, the nights of weeping — He's been shaping your stones!

The anointing without preparation is presumption. But preparation without the anointing is just human effort. When you put them together — when a man or woman who has been prepared by God steps out under the anointing of the Holy Ghost —

That's when giants fall, and yokes get broken! Can I get an Amen?

David put that stone in the sling. He ran toward Goliath — ran, didn't walk! He was operating under a Spirit he couldn't contain! And that stone flew true, and there was only one place on that giant's body that was vulnerable — that was his forehead. That was the only exposed part of his body where he could be killed. Goliath had iron covering his legs, brass covering his chest, a javelin on his back — but that forehead was open. And the Spirit of God directed that stone to the only spot where victory was possible!

God knows exactly where to hit your giant!

Hallelujah! You just provide the faith, you provide the obedience, you run in the Spirit — and God will direct the stone! And when it lands where God aims it — that yoke is coming off! Bless

God!

POINT FOUR: The Name of the Lord Is Your Weapon

Now I want you to hear what David said when he stood before that giant. I want you to hear these words because this is the declaration that every blood-washed, Spirit-filled child of God needs to make over the giants in their own life:

"Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." — 1 Samuel 17:45 (KJV)

Hallelujah! Somebody shout!

You come to me with a diagnosis — but I come to you in the name of the Lord! You come to me with a collection notice — but I come to you in the name of the Lord! You come to me with a spirit of fear and depression — but I come to you in the name of the Lord! You come to me with a broken relationship — but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts!

Bless God!

David didn't say 'I come to you with talent.' He didn't say 'I come to you with strategy.' He didn't say 'I come to you with the best plan I could come up with.' He said, I come to you in THE NAME. Because in that Name is the authority of Heaven! In that Name is the power of the Resurrection! In that Name is the fullness of the Godhead! And that Name — that Name carries the anointing that breaks every yoke!

Hallelujah!

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." — Proverbs 18:10 (KJV)

That wasn't just true in the Valley of Elah. That's true in YOUR valley today! You can run into that Name! You can take shelter in that Name! And when you stand before your Goliath and you lift up that Name — the same anointing that broke the yoke off Israel's neck in that valley will break the yoke off yours!

CONCLUSION: Step Out Under the Anointing

I want to close with this.

That boy picked up five stones. He ran to the battle line. He spoke the Name. He slung the stone.

And Goliath — that nine-foot giant who had terrorized an army for forty days — fell on his face to the ground.

Not because David was the biggest. Not because David was the strongest. Not because David had the best weapons or the best strategy. But because the Spirit of the LORD had come upon David from that day forward — And the anointing breaks the yoke! Hallelujah! Bless God! Somebody give Him praise!

Somehow, I believe when the anointing of God comes upon us, we can go forth in the name of the Lord and do the work. Amen. The yoke shall be destroyed — not by might, not by power, but by the Spirit of God!

Not your education — though God can use it. Not your ability — though God will employ it.

Not your connections — though God may utilize them. But the anointing of the Holy Ghost on a yielded life — that's what turns trembling into triumph! That's what turns a shepherd boy into a giant-killer! That's what turns your valley of defeat into a valley of victory!

And I want to ask you right now — is there a yoke on your neck today? Is there something that has been grinding on you, morning and evening, trying to convince you that nobody in your camp can handle it? I want you to know — Isaiah said it, the Holy Ghost inspired it, and God means it for you today:

"The yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing." — Isaiah 10:27 (KJV)

But maybe you've never received it. Maybe you've been trying to fight your battles in Saul's armor — in human strength, in human wisdom, in the things that men have concocted. And it hasn't been working. It wasn't designed to work. You need the Spirit of the Living God!

I'm going to ask you to come. Come to this altar right now. Come and say, 'God, I want everything You have for me. I want the anointing. I want the Spirit. I want to stop trembling in the trenches and start running toward my Goliath in the name of the Lord! Break this yoke — right now — in Jesus' name!'

The battle is real. But your God is greater! The giant is big. But your God is bigger! The yoke is heavy. But the anointing is heavier! And when the anointing of God comes upon you — that yoke has no choice but to break!

Come on, church — let's pray!