Overcoming Our Giants and Obstacles

1 Samuel 17:38–50 NLT

Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. 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. 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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When we face the giants of our lives (spiritual, emotional, physical or a combination,) we often fear we are not enough or do not have the tools needed to face them head on much less win.

Scripture tells us that Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy. He is a roaring lion, searching for people, dreams and hopes to devour.

We also know that Satan has been mortally wounded, through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Like a wounded animal he is fighting out of fear and for his life, and you and the rest of mankind are his targets.

But not only do our attacks come from Satan but, they also come from own sinful nature. It can feel at times as though we are in hand to hand combat both within our own-selves and from forces outside of us.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our giants come in three forms

Spiritual opposition -

Self-inflicted –

Worldly Obstacles - (financial, emotional, relational, work-related, laziness, distractions, etc. Anything that is preventing you from reaching your full potential)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No matter what your obstacle, all obstacles have one thing in common –

They look really, big!

1 Samuel 17:4–8 NLT

Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield. Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me!

1 Sam 17:4-8

Giant sized obstacle

Giant sized obstacle

Giant sized obstacle

· 6 cubits and a span = 10 foot and 9 inches tall. (Royal Egyptian cubit)

· Chain mail – 5,000 shekels = 125 pounds

· Spear head – 600 shekels = 15 pounds

What obstacles are you facing today?

Fear, Unsaved family and friends, financial, work related, spiritual attacks on you or family members, all obstacles look like giants.

But all obstacles have another thing in common – they are meant to be overcome.

Helen Keller once said –

“All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming.”

Today I want to give you hope and the tools to overcome your giants.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Be adamant enough to trust what God has given you.

Adamant – Refusing to be persuaded or to change one’s mind.

Synonyms – Unshakeable, immoveable, inflexible, unwavering, unswerving.

What has God given you?

God has given you the Full armor of God

Ephesians 6:10–17 NLT

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Belt of truth- Truth holds all the armor together. The belt of truth is you believing firmly that Jesus rose from the dead and is Lord of all.

Breastplate of righteousness – We are the righteousness of God, not because of what we did but because of what He did. When the enemy comes to you reminding you of all your sins, failures, remind Him of the work of Christ and who you now are.

Shoes of peace – You are always ready to move and go and where ever you go you take peace with you.

Shield of faith – Not faith in yourself but faith in God and His provisions.

Helmet of salvation – The unshakeable knowledge that you are saved, reconciled to God.

Sword of the Spirit – The word of God, which is your weapon to defeat any and all spiritual attacks and to kill the sinful nature.

Be adamant enough to trust what God has given you

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David did not put his trust in Saul’s armor but rather he placed his trust in God’s armor and the gifts God had given him. So too can you!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

God has also given you unique gifts he made specific for you.

Spiritual gifts –

1 Corinthians 12:4–11 NLT

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

Natural Gifts – Wisdom, intellect, artistic skills, compassion, mercy, financial acumen, drive, strength, humor, hard work ethic, etc.

Be adamant enough to trust what God has given you

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David refused to wear the armor of someone else (Saul). He instead placed his trust in the tools God had given him.

We often hear that we should constantly work on the areas we are weakest. Sure, we should work to be better. But, I am suggesting that we should always work on the areas we are gifted in.

Our focus should be on our strengths, gifts – We should strive to invest in what God has given us until we get the greatest return from the gift he has given us.

(Parable of Talents)

Are you investing in the gifts and talents God has given you?

Or are you spending too much time focusing on your areas of weakness?

Leo Buscaglia wrote -

Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.

Be adamant enough to trust what God has given you

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You will never be the best in the areas of your weakness –

But if you focus on the gifts and tools God has given you, you can become excellent.

David, was an excellent shot with the sling – He was not an excellent swords-man.

By being adamant enough to trust God’s gifts and tools in his life, and not focus on what others had, he became excellent in what he had.

By being adamant enough to trust in the gifts and tools God gave him, David was able to face his giant obstacle and defeat it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5 Biblical Truth To Overcoming Your Obstacles In Life

Be adamant enough to trust what God has given you.

Exodus 4:1–5 NLT

But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back. Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand. “Perform this sign,” the Lord told him. “Then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you.”

2 Peter 1:3 NLT

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

God has already equipped you to overcome the obstacles you will face in life. You simply need to be Adamant enough to trust in His gifts.

God has already equipped you to overcome the obstacles you will face in life. You simply need to be Adamant enough to trust in His gifts.

He has given you the armor of God, He has given you Spiritual gifting’s, and he has given you natural talents and gifts. But most of all he has given you his very Spirit to dwell in you. Wherever you go, whatever you face, He is with you and His resurrection power to overcome is with you.

Put aside all sinful behavior.

Hebrews 12:1 NLT

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Some obstacles we face are self-made due to our own sinful choices.

Deal with strongholds in your mind.

2 Corinthians 10:4–6 NLT

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient.

Some obstacles that we deal with are not real. We have let fear, worries, and lies from others to create obstacles in our mind only.

Your dumb, you will never find a person to love and to love you back, you don’t know the Bible well enough to lead them to Christ, God won’t heal them if you pray, you are a loser you will never have a life, you’re a horrible parent, your past disqualifies your future, and on and on.

Lies and fears that create imaginary obstacles.

Know that nothing is too hard for God.

Jeremiah 32:27 NLT

“I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?

Sometimes we make such a big deal out of the obstacle that we think it is as powerful as God. Like a coin held to our eye as we look at the sun. The closer the coin is to our eye the bigger it looks in comparison to the sun. But once we move the coin out and see in in relation to the sun we see just how small it is.

We need to look at the obstacle in a true comparison with God and realize no obstacle is to big for the creator of all things.

God uses obstacles for his purposes and for our good.

,

Romans 8:28 NLT

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Genesis 50:20 NLT

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

Stop looking at your obstacle as your defeat and start seeing your obstacle as an opportunity.

Every obstacle you face is simply an opportunity for God to receive glory and for you to become more like Jesus.

---------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Every obstacle you face is simply an opportunity for God to receive glory and for you to become more like Jesus.

Be adamant enough to trust what God has given you!

Put aside all sinful behavior

Deal with the strong holds in your mind

Know that nothing is too hard for God

God uses obstacles for his purpose and for your good.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

God has already given you everything you need to overcome your Giant sized obstacles.

Stop living in fear, And be adamant enough to trust what God has given you!