Facing Giants: Faith, Preparation, and God's Power

Devotional

Day 1: The battle is God's; giants become possibilities.

Name your giant honestly, but refuse to center it; like David, come against it “in the name of the Lord Almighty,” trading self-reliance for surrendered confidence, and expect God to give not a partial but a complete victory—“this day”—so that everyone around you will know the battle belongs to the Lord. [09:55]

1 Samuel 17:45-47 (NIV)
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Reflection: What specific self-reliant action will you stop doing today in this fight, and what short prayer will you speak every time anxiety rises to remind your heart, “This battle is the Lord’s”?

Day 2: Remember past deliverance to face present giants boldly.

Refuse distorted vision and isolation; write down how God rescued you before—the lion, the bear, the last diagnosis, the bill paid, the grief comforted—and let those memories become your weapon today, so your heart steadies and you move forward without losing heart. [21:15]

1 Samuel 17:32-37 (NIV)
David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

Reflection: List three specific times God delivered you; which one most parallels today’s challenge, and what concrete step will you take today that mirrors how you trusted Him then?

Day 3: Reject borrowed armor; fight with God-shaped authenticity.

Stop copying what worked for someone else—take off Saul’s armor—and step into the tools God has trained in your hands through hidden seasons; preparation plus faith means you’ll face the giant with your staff, five smooth stones, and a sling you actually know how to use. [25:09]

1 Samuel 17:38-40 (NIV)
Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

Reflection: What “borrowed armor” (habit, script, role) will you remove today, and which specific God-given skill will you intentionally use in a real situation before the day ends?

Day 4: You are uniquely crafted for your calling.

Because you are fearfully—carefully, intentionally—made, you don’t need to fit anyone else’s mold; serve for an audience of One, celebrate your God-given design, and let your uniqueness become the very channel through which God topples the giant in front of you. [26:27]

Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Reflection: What is one trait you often criticize in yourself, and how will you use that exact trait to serve a specific person today as an act of worship?

Day 5: God weaves every hardship into redemptive good.

Not everything happening to you is good, but God is able to work all of it—grief, diagnosis, pressure, setbacks—into His good purposes; surrender the fight, keep obeying in small steps, and watch how giants still fall under His wise, patient weave. [46:15]

Romans 8:28 (NIV)
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Reflection: Which current hardship feels wasted, and what one small act of obedience will you do by a set time today (call, apology, journal, serve, give) to invite God to weave good from it?

Sermon Summary

Family, thank you for showing up for one another. I watched nurses, pharmacists, ushers, and praying mamas move like a Holy Spirit–trained team when my daughter wasn’t feeling well. It reminded me that God builds communities so we can carry one another when life hits hard. That real-life moment opened a window into what we walked through in 1 Samuel 17: not fairy-tale giants, but the towering challenges that press on our minds, bodies, households, and our city. Some giants live inside—depression, anxiety, unforgiveness. Some stand outside—broken systems, scary diagnoses, hard relationships, financial pressure. We don’t deny them; we name them. Scripture lingers on Goliath’s size so we will be honest about our battles. But we do not give our giants more reverence than our God.

David didn’t see an undefeatable enemy; he saw an opportunity for the living God to demonstrate His power. The Israelites said, “He’s too big to hit.” David said, “He’s too big to miss.” That’s not bravado; that’s memory. He remembered the lion and the bear, and he let yesterday’s deliverances become today’s weapons. Your memories are not just sweet—they’re strategic. Reach into your Holy Ghost reservoir and pull out what He’s already done.

David also refused Saul’s armor. Beloved, borrowed methods won’t carry you into battles you were crafted to fight. You are fearfully and wonderfully made—on purpose, with purpose. No comparison needed. Use what God formed in the hidden places: the sling you’ve practiced with in ordinary faithfulness, the prayers you’ve prayed when nobody was watching, the fasting you started before the crisis hit. Faith doesn’t replace preparation; faith fuels preparation.

Then David ran toward the giant in the name of the Lord. Not with worldly weapons—not sarcasm, slander, or vengeance—but with a cool, steady confidence anchored in God’s character. The Holy Spirit guided the stone; the giant fell. God does not give partial victories. When He delivers, He delivers. Romans 8:28 isn’t saying everything feels good; it is saying God weaves everything—grief, setbacks, even our own rough edges—into good for those who love Him.

So what is taking up space in your heart? Own it. Bring it into the light. Release grudges. Embrace holiness. Step forward. Giants still fall, and today can be your day.

Key Takeaways

1. Name the giant without shrinking God. Scripture details Goliath’s size to teach us honest assessment, not denial. But honesty is not surrender; it’s the doorway to trust. Don’t let a clear view of the problem distort your view of the Lord’s power. [14:00] - Turn memory into a weapon. Your testimonies are not souvenirs; they are ammunition. Recall how God delivered you from the lion and the bear, and let remembrance rebuild courage in the present battle. Memory sanctified by the Spirit sharpens faith’s aim.
- Refuse borrowed armor; fight as the you God formed. Imitation will always misfit your calling. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, so serve from your God-shaped design and not from comparison or pressure. Authentic obedience carries an authority mimicry can’t manufacture.
- Prepare before the battle arrives. Hidden seasons are not wasted; they are where God forges aim, resilience, and prayerful reflexes. Faith is not an excuse to skip training—faith is what drives disciplined preparation. Pray, fast, study, and serve now so your sling is ready when the giant steps out.
- Run toward the fight with God-centered confidence. The battle is the Lord’s, and the Spirit knows exactly where to send the stone. Lay down worldly weapons and trust that God doesn’t do partial blessings; He finishes what He starts. Move in obedience, and watch the giant fall. [14:00]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:22] - Honoring leadership and ushers
[02:35] - Nurses and pharmacists: a community that saves lives
[07:41] - Prayer of dependence
[08:22] - Scripture reading: 1 Samuel 17:45–47
[11:33] - Giants: from problems to possibilities
[12:22] - Naming internal and external giants
[21:15] - Memory as weapon: lion and bear faith
[25:09] - Refusing Saul’s armor: be authentically formed
[28:48] - Hidden preparation in the pasture
[31:28] - “I come in the name of the Lord”: this day
[32:26] - No partial blessings; drop worldly weapons
[36:24] - Cool, steady confidence; Spirit-guided aim
[46:15] - Giants still fall: anxiety, depression, and fear

Sermon Clips

I need you to know that David's perceptive or his perception wasn't shaped by the size of the giant but it was shaped by knowing the size of your God you got everything you need to kill the giant you got everything you need to slay the giant but you don't really recognize the God you serve while everybody else saw this giant as an undefeatable enemy David saw it as an opportunity for God to demonstrate his power [00:20:26] (36 seconds) #PerceiveGodsGreatness

every once in a while when that giant sticks it head out in your life knocks the wind out of you you so far up against the wall you can go through the wall baby you got to rear back in your holy goes reservoir and you've got to rememberWhat he did back then. If he did it last year, boo, he going to do it this year. If he did it five years ago, he going to do it now. If you healed you then, he going to heal you now. Okay, let me keep moving. They're not just memories. They're your weapon. [00:23:15] (42 seconds) #MemoriesAreWeapons

But David knew it wasn't going to work for him. Come a little closer. So sometimes we face our giants using methods that work for others, but they aren't authentic to who you are. Baby, you can't live off of somebody else's testimony. You got to have your own. Okay, y 'all ain't ready for me. Baby, you just can't live off of grandma prayer life. You got to have your own. [00:25:09] (30 seconds) #ForgeYourOwnTestimony

Y 'all ever studied the part where it say fearfully?That means God didn't want a mistake. He took his time.He gave me this big nose. You understand. He took his time to develop me. And because of that, I can't be like nobody else. Say, I'm unique on purpose. I'm different on purpose. I ain't supposed to fit in with you. Because what God called me to do, he probably didn't call you to do. [00:26:36] (33 seconds) #FearfullyMadeUnique

The Bible says that David ran quickly.toward the battle line to meet the Philistine he didn't procrastinate he didn't circle around it when the time came to act he moved forward in courage David ran towards the thing that brought fear to others the giant you're facing baby don't be afraid of it I'm gonna need you to confront it so you can be delivered I'm gonna need you to own the size that is taking over in your life [00:35:09] (56 seconds) #RunTowardTheGiant

so David says listen I know I can take this giant out not because of my skills my ability not even because of my own confidence but it's only because of the Lord and one thing David knew is that with my sharp shooter ability to aim this stone the right way it wasn't gonna be because I pulled the slingshot but it was gonna be because the Holy Spirit was gonna guide it right where it needed to go whoa y 'all catch that in a minute there are some things that only the Holy Spirit is gonna set up the right time and the place for you to defeat your giant [00:38:42] (46 seconds) #SpiritGuidesTheStone

so in this moment what seemedalmost impossible it became a reality the bible says that the giant fell help me close this thing and look at your neighbor and say giants still fall y 'all will catch that in a minute look at somebody else cross the room and say baby giants still fall the problem that looked like a problem to everybody else it became a possibility an opportunity for god to demonstrate his power [00:39:52] (38 seconds) #GiantsStillFall

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Are giants seen as problems or possibilities?

What makes giants become opportunities for God?

How does preparation influence facing giants?