Facing Your Giants - I

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. Check out Virtue, our website for Christian women. Go to harvest.org forward slash virtue. God's bigger than your giant, and God can defeat your giant because greater is he that is in you than he that is in this world.

This is the day, the day when life begins. People respond to challenges in different ways. To confront danger, they may arm themselves or study martial arts. In the legal arena, people may hire attorneys and put everything in a contract.

With their food, some go organic or gluten-free or lactose-free or salt-free or vegetarian or vegan. But what do we do with challenges in the spiritual arena? Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie brings good encouragement for when our challenge seems bigger than we are.

This is the day, the day when life begins. You know, we all have giants that we face in life. What do I mean by a giant? I mean what appears to be an insurmountable problem, issue, or difficulty. Something that may be dark and sinister prowling around the perimeter of your life or some challenge or difficulty that you don't see ever being resolved. Something that when you think about it, your heart just kind of gripped with panic and maybe it's what's going to come your way, maybe it's problems you're having at home, but there's something you're deeply afraid of or maybe you're just sort of a worry ward. What if this happens?

What if that happens? It's not even a rational fear, but it's real nonetheless. Or it might be a giant of some kind of a personal sin, a certain area in your life where you are weak, a sin that you fall into over and over and over again.

You'll have victory over it for a few weeks, sometimes even a month, but then it comes back with a vengeance. It might be pride or envy or gluttony or pornography or drinking or drugs or something like that, but it's a giant that taunts you day in and day out. Or it might be a giant of threat, and by threat I mean someone is threatening you. Maybe it's a physical threat. Maybe it's a threat of a lawsuit. Maybe somebody is bullying you online.

Maybe someone is writing or saying untrue things about you. Maybe someone has come and said they're going to kill you, but it's a real threat and it's a real giant. Or it might be a different kind of giant, a non-believing husband, a non-believing wife, a prodigal son or daughter. There are all kinds of giants we face in life. And I want to tell you how you can overcome your giant.

How you can defeat your giant. And to do that I am going to do a very familiar story. The story of David and Goliath. Hebrews 11.

Look at that with me if you would. Verse 32. David stands out in Scripture. Fascinating thing that not a lot of ink is given to David in Hebrews 11, but in other passages there is so much about him. Really remembered as the greatest king in the history of Israel.

And it is worth noting that Jesus Christ Himself said He was the son of David on more than one occasion. David. A man of contrast. He was a warrior and He was a worshiper.

Sometimes people say, I am a lover not a fighter. David was both. He was a fighter. He was a lover. He was a man after God's own heart. He was a sinner.

We all know his story well. But of course you may recall that he was one of the sons of Jesse. And Jesse lived in Bethlehem. And one day the Lord spoke to the prophet Samuel. And the Lord said, Saul is out and I am going to replace him with another king. And you are going to find that king in Bethlehem.

So go. So they told everyone, Samuel is coming here to this city. He is going to offer a sacrifice.

So everyone show up. It is a big deal when a prophet came to town. So in comes the legendary prophet Samuel. And he doesn't know where this new king is so he says, everybody bring out your sons. I want to meet them. And so Jesse proudly parades his seven strapping sons.

They truly were the magnificent seven. And so Samuel goes down the line. He is looking at each one. The Lord says, that is not the one. That is not the one. That is not the one. And one stands out above the other.

Eliab. One of the seven sons. And Samuel is taken with him because he is tall and handsome. And he thought, this is the one Lord. And the Lord said, Samuel will you stop already with judging by outward appearance. I look on the heart. He is not the one.

So he goes through the whole line. Ok. Wow. I knew it was going to come from the house of Jesse. Do you have any other boys? Jesse says, yeah there is one other. He is a little weird. Hangs out in the field. He is a musician you see. He sings songs to God. And I don't know. Well bring them in.

Ok. So he calls in David and David comes bounding in with youthful energy. The Bible tells us that he was ruddish. Which means he had reddish hair. So his coloring was different probably than any of the other sons.

We would call him maybe freckle face today. So he comes in. Here comes David. He is all excited and the Lord says, that is my boy. So the prophet Samuel anoints David right there.

You are the next king of Israel. Ok. Got to go. Bye. And he leaves town. David is like, what do I do now? Jesse says, go back and watch your stinking sheep. That is what you do. And they just kind of hoped it was some kind of an aberration.

But it was reality. So David is tending his sheep. And one day his father comes and says, son your brothers are out of the battle. They are facing off for the Philistines. I want you to go take them some food. I want you to take them some bread and cheese.

So David comes to his brothers who are part of the Israeli army who are in a face off with the Philistine army and dividing them as the valley of Elah. And so David arrives at the front lines with his well pizza delivery. I mean what is bread and cheese? It is pizza. So he is delivering pizza.

Right. How many of you love pizza? Raise your hand. How many of you hate pizza? You hate it. Get out. No.

There was like one person. Really you hate pizza? I can't imagine. I love pizza. Love pizza.

Anyway. So he makes his pizza delivery and his brother Eliab. That was the one that Samuel sort of favored. He says, oh did you leave your little bunch of sheep in the wilderness to come see what the big boys are doing? Meanwhile David hears some guy bellowing from the valley of Elah. And he goes up there and looks and there stands Goliath. Nine feet six inches of solid muscle. He was as wide as he was tall.

He was like a human tank. And he was covered head to toe in body armor. And he was yelling, send someone to fight me down here in the valley. And if I beat him, you Israelis can serve us. Hey but if he beats me, we'll serve you. And David's reaction was, who is this guy? And why is he allowed to get away with this?

Why is someone not going down there to fight him? So David volunteers to fight Goliath. Pastor Greg takes a fresh look at that confrontation between David and Goliath in just a moment. It's reassuring to hear when a listener has been impacted by the ministry of Pastor Greg. My story with Pastor Greg goes back 25 years to a Promise Keepers Conference at the L.A.

Coliseum. And Pastor Greg was speaking at that conference. I sat through most of it, but at the very end of that conference I made a commitment to live the Christian life. During that time, a hunger began to come into my heart to study the Word. I began to be very convicted by some of the things that I had been doing. Music I was listening to, movies I was watching, the way I used my language, all those things began to change. But yet I was still in a very difficult situation.

I was in my mid-thirties living in Southern California. And I was at the corner of Oso Parkway and the 405 and Pastor Greg had a message around lunchtime. I found his radio station and I was listening to him and he had a message about the battle between the flesh and the spirit.

And that message is exactly what I needed at that time. And so there's two events in a row where Pastor Greg came into my life. And that message that I heard at the radio really encouraged me and helped me to understand that I was going to be in a battle, but that Christ had the victory in that.

And so here I am 25 years later. My wife and I are involved in ministry and our church. Just want to thank you, Pastor Greg, for being faithful, blessings to you and your ministry. When we hear from you, it's not only a blessing, it also confirms that the program is touching lives. You can leave a message for Pastor Greg at 1-866-871-1144.

Once again, that's 866-871-1144. Well, today on A New Beginning, we're studying the familiar story of David and Goliath for good insights on how to face the giants in our own lives. Pastor Greg takes us to our text. Snearing in contempt at the ruddy-faced boy, he roared at David, Am I a dog that you come at me with a stick? And he cursed David by the names of his gods. Goliath yelled, Come over here and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals. I love David's response. David shouted in reply, You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord God Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Now look at David's faith. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. Then I'll give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know there is a God in Israel, and everyone will know the Lord does not need weapons to rescue His people. It's His battle, not ours.

The Lord will give you to us. Now notice this. As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him.

Notice that. He ran out to meet him. Verse 49, Reaching into a shepherd's bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it from his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled, and he fell face downward on the ground. So now David finishes the job. Verse 50, So David triumphed over the Philistine giant with only a stone and a sling. And since he had no sword, he ran over and pulled Goliath's sword from its sheath, used it to kill the giant, and cut off his head. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they turned and ran. Wow. What a story. And what a victory. The will of the Philistines was broken. The will of the Israelites was reinvigorated. So what do we learn in this story about facing our giants in life?

If you're taking notes, here's point number one. We all have giants. We all have giants. Whatever that I mean, we all have obstacles. We all have problems. We all have challenges. We all have threats. We have things that we face that, well, they're just a lot bigger than us. But I want you to know that whatever you're facing right now, you're not the first one, nor will you be the last one to face it. In fact, over in 1 Corinthians 10, 13, it says, Remember the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience, and God is faithful, and He'll keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it.

When you are tempted, He'll show you a way out so you will not give into it. Everybody has giants. So having said that, let me also add this. Though everyone has giants, it is also true that every giant is defeatable. Every giant is defeatable. And by the way, Goliath was not always a giant. When we say giant, we just mean a really big dude, okay?

Nine feet, six inches. He was kind of a freak of nature. There weren't a lot of people his size, but he was a human being. And that means he was probably the biggest baby you've ever seen, right? And then when it came time to change Goliath's diaper, I don't think anyone wanted, you know, the dad would say, I did it last time. It traumatized me.

You do it, you know. And then one day the giant baby became a giant toddler. Man, I would have hated to have seen Goliath in his terrible twos, right? And then the toddler turned into a young man and then he became an adolescent. And now he is an adult.

A massive man. And I bring that up because giants start small and then they get big. Sometimes there are things that we think we are managing in our life.

Let's take alcohol as an example. You know, maybe you like to have a drink, you know, a beer with the boys, a glass of wine with dinner. It was no big issue for you.

You said you have the liberty. It's great. But then you found that, well, you know, when you get home from work, you need a drink to kind of relax and unwind and then fast forward a little bit. Well, now you kind of need a drink to kind of get up and go in the morning. And, well, now you need a drink to get through the day. And one day you wake up and you have a problem with alcohol. In fact, you are a functioning alcoholic. Maybe not even functioning so well. And you're saying, how did this start?

How did this take place? And it's become a giant. So it's a problem.

And I'll tell you what. It's a big problem because I've seen a lot of lives ruined by alcohol. I mean, you all know I was raised in an alcoholic home. Frankly, I've never seen one good thing come from drinking.

Okay? Not one good thing. But I've seen a lot of bad things. I saw all the marriages my mom destroyed. I know what it's like to be raised in an alcoholic home. I know what it's like to find my mother passed out on the floor night after night and have to care for her. I've seen this stuff up close and personal.

But not just in my childhood but as an adult. You know, and a pastor. I've talked to people who've had issues with this. It's become a problem.

I know of two pastors in particular that lost their ministry because they ended up with a drinking problem. This is something we have to take seriously and be very careful of. And here's my approach to it. I don't want to be under the control of anyone or anything but Jesus Christ.

Nothing else. The Bible says don't be drunk with wine where there can be excess but be filled with the Holy Spirit. So we don't need the spirits.

We need the Spirit in our life. But maybe a little thing like that has become a big thing right now. Oh I can handle it you said. It will never get the best of me. Well now it has the best of you.

And that little problem just became a giant. You know at Easter back in my childhood a lot of stores would sell little bunnies and chicks and people would buy them for Easter. Which I always thought was a curious thing. I mean because chicks turn into chickens right. I mean did you want to pet chickens. They are not usually the best pets.

You know walking your chicken down the road with a little leash doesn't usually work out that way. And bunnies are pretty much the same you know. And so you know you got the little bunnies and chicks for Easter.

It was so cute and the kids loved them. And you know two months later you have chickens and rabbits and all of a sudden chicken McNuggets and rabbit stew sounding very good. Little things that were cute became big things that are not so cute. Or you might be facing a giant of another kind. Like a non-believing husband, wife, or child. And you have almost given up hope because you have prayed. And you have shared with them. And you have well nagged them. And you have pressured them. And you have done everything you can. And they seem to be getting worse and further from the Lord.

And you wonder are they ever going to come to Christ. So we all have giants number one. Number two David knew the battle belonged to the Lord.

Do you know that? Your battle that you are fighting. Your challenges that you are facing. Your temptations that you are experiencing.

Listen to this. The battle belongs to the Lord. Verse 47 David said to Goliath, It is his battle not ours. So the Lord will give you to us. That is why giants defeat us again and again.

Because we face them in our own strength and we lose. You know in Ephesians 6 it talks about the armor of God. So we can prevail in spiritual warfare. It talks about a helmet of salvation. A breastplate of righteousness. A shield of faith.

A sword of the Spirit and so forth. But before a word is mentioned about armor we are told this in verse 10. Finally my brothers be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. In other words before you do anything else you need to lean on the Lord. You need to trust in the Lord. Alexander McLaren a great Bible commentator made this statement and I quote, He who has the Holy Spirit in his heart and the scripture in his hands has all he needs. Do you have your Bible with you? Grab your Bible right now. Grab it.

Hold it in your hand. He that has the Holy Spirit in his heart and the scripture in his hands he writes has all he needs. You have all you need. God will never give you more than you can handle. You will never be tempted above your capacity to resist. So it is God's strength that we need to lean on. Pray about it. Turn your worries into prayers. The Bible says in Philippians don't worry about anything but pray about everything.

And the peace of God that passes all human understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. So this is how you approach a giant. And by a giant again an obstacle. A problem. A challenge. A temptation.

An addiction. Whatever. Look at it in the light of God. Don't look at God in the light of your giant. Look at your giant in the light of God.

Guess what? God is bigger than your giant. And God can defeat your giant because greater is he that is in you than he that is in this world. Great encouragement from Pastor Greg Laurie about facing the giants in our lives. And there's more to come as this study continues here on A New Beginning. If you'd like to hear any part of today's presentation again, you can go online to harvest.org.

Just look for the study called Facing Your Giants. Or call for a copy on CD. The number is 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24-hour number.

1-800-821-3300. And then we want to offer some help for families. It's on the subject of money.

But it actually goes much deeper than that. It's a hot topic, sometimes even a controversial topic. And this book is full of insight and practical help. We're talking about the book Thriving in Love and Money by Jeff and Shanti Feldhahn.

Jeff and Shanti are here with us today. You guys, why do you think this is such an emotional subject? You know, you can talk about so many things from the pulpit.

You can talk about faith and prayer, the importance of Scripture, the family, etc., etc. But the moment you bring up the word money, I think everybody impulsively grabs their wallet. Or they're going to ask us for money.

And it's very emotional. And people don't like to talk about this topic. Do you think it's because this is an area that they haven't surrendered over to the Lord? That they want control of? Do you think it's something else?

What is the thing? And, you know, as we know, Jesus spoke so much about money. So many of his parables dealt with money. The Bible is very straightforward on this topic, but for some reason we don't want to hear that message or we don't want to talk about that topic. Honestly, it comes back to what Jesus said.

It's where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. It turns out that a lot of us have treated it like a technical issue. Right, like it's about budgeting or getting out of debt or planning. And listen, all of that is important. That wasn't what we were studying. We were trying to figure out what's underneath all of that.

And that's the stuff that has to come before you can even be willing to talk with your spouse to be able to budget or plan. Oh, that's very good. You're listening to Shanti and Jeff Feldhahn. They've written a book called Thriving in Love and Money. And this is our special resource this month that we want to put into your hands. Folks, you know that when we offer these resources, it's because we want to help you. We want to encourage you. We want to strengthen you. And this is one of the most important that we've ever offered. And I would remind you that I'm offering this to you for your gift of any size.

Whatever you send, large or small, we'll get you your copy. But let me encourage you to invest in our ministry because this is a ministry that obviously teaches the Word of God. But it's also a ministry that calls people to Christ. And every year we see literally thousands of people make a commitment to follow Jesus Christ because we'll invite them to do so at the end of our program. So if you believe that people need to come to Jesus, if you believe people need to hear the Word of God, then we would appreciate your investment in our ministry. And we'll get you your copy of this book by Jeff and Shanti Feldhahn, Thriving in Love and Money, five game-changing insights about your relationships, your money, and yourself.

Yeah, that's right. And let me pass along our contact information. Thanks so much for your investment in this ministry.

It's an investment that changes lives. You can write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. We're here to take your call around the clock, seven days a week.

So dial 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to Harvest.org. Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here inviting you to join me every weekend for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a church service, it's a worship service, it's a Bible study, and it's wherever you want it to be.

In your home, in your car, sitting on a beach, walking down the street, watching it on your phone. Wherever you are, you can take it with you and be ministered to every weekend. Join us for Harvest at Home at Harvest.org. Well, as mentioned, Pastor Greg returns next time with great insights on how to face the giants in our lives. Hope you'll join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor Greg Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins The preceding message from Greg Laurie was made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. Sign up for Pastor Greg's free daily email devotions at Harvest.org.