GIANTS FOR BREAKFAST
(This is an 6-minute read)
STANDOFF. STALEMATE. STATUS QUO. There are many ways to avoid crippling fears but the result is always the same – an unchanged state. We can ignore them long enough to push them into the subconscious mind, and avoid situations where they are likely to surface. Over time, however, the fear intensifies in the subconscious and surfaces in more areas of our lives and in unexpected ways. Eventually, our Archilles heel becomes a formidable giant we try to keep away from.
This brings up a familiar biblical scene from 1 Samuel 17:1-47 about David and Goliath. The place was Sokoh in Judah. The army of the Philistines occupied one hill and the army of Israel another hill as they were prepared to face off across a valley that separated them. However, the climatic showdown that was to happen with Goliath – the larger-than-life threat to Israel - became a standstill after forty days of non-event! It was a single combat that would avert a massive military battle, but Israel’s army hid behind the deceptiveness of strength in numbers while not a single soldier came forward for the duel with Goliath. Instead, over forty days, Israel’s army morphed into an audience, and the enemy became an entertainment they watched and talked about day after day. As if on cue like in participation sport, the army of Israel would dress-up in their battle gear, take up their battle position and shout the war cry; but no one fought the enemy that taunted them.
It took a young and wide-eyed David to call out the absurdity of the whole spectacle and step up to face the giant that intimidated the entire Israeli army. To think that he was originally sent by his father to deliver a feast of grains, breads and gourmet cheeses to where the army was camped, it was almost hard to imagine that a war was about to break out. Ironically, the site of confrontation with the enemy became a stage for entertainment to the Israelites. Twice a day, Goliath would take his place on stage before an expectant audience where the air grew thick with anticipation at each opening. From a distance, the fighters on the Israelite side appeared like gawking fans fascinated with Goliath’s larger-than-life prowess and speculating who would take the king’s reward for slaying him. Instead of attacking their common enemy at the battle line, the army of Israel recoiled in defeat and resigned themselves to helplessness.
This leads us to the question: Who or what is the giant in your life today? It could be a fear of being vulnerable, an intense fear of rejection, a crippling fear of intimacy, an all-consuming fear of failure or to be seen as less-than your own or someone’s unspoken expectations.
As you consider who or what your giant is, know also that it is usually something you have lived with for such a long time that it feels like second-nature to you. To be sure, it will not be easy; but it has been said that sometimes God will put a Goliath in your life for you to find the David within you. It is sad when, like the army of Israel, all we do is toe the line and never advance beyond what feels safe and comfortable to do.
We believe that it is time to face your giant and stop self-limiting beliefs and behaviour from becoming permanent in your life! But first, you must embrace two critical truths:
First truth: You Must Know Your God
David was just a shepherd boy who had faced great danger, confronted it with determination and was able to then articulate his experiences with God. He was sure that the power of God that worked in the grazing fields would work in the battlefield against any giants.
Listen to how he talked about giants and you will see that he did not run around them in circles! “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!” (1 Samuel 17:34-37 NLT emphasis added):
We know David trusted God because he could eloquently describe his experiences and relationship with Him.
How many of us let our experience of God-orchestrated victories go unmentioned to anyone? We don’t want to boast yet if we’ve done anything that gives us material success, we are quick to share our smartness with others! We are content to say this or that happens by the grace of God without actually saying what we really experienced. We are armed with the Word of God but we lack the vocabulary for building our own faith and our testimonies are so contrived that they reveal nothing much at all about God or our relationship with Him.
Many of us need to trust God more, and learn to know Him as a loving and omnipotent Father. He really does not need us to be involved in co-parenting ourselves because our relationship with Him grows only when we fully trust His Fatherhood and let Him show us fears we have stuffed for too long in our hearts.
The giant in front of you is never bigger than the God who is inside of you!
Christian Caine
Second truth: You Must Know Who You Are In God
Embracing the fatherhood of God affirms our identity as children of the living God and motivates us to do more things that are in step with His nature. It is both liberating and empowering! Many of us have been hurt by family, friends, and people in positions who are supposed to look out for us but turn out to be unsafe and unreliable people. So we shut down to avoid situations where the giants of vulnerability and fears may re-appear in the valley of uncomfortable situations. Instead of fighting with our goliaths, we fall in line like the Israelite soldiers, and fade into the ordinariness of everyday living - unchanged. In the process, we forsake our God-given ability to slay our giants, and we forgo God-given opportunities to create improved outcomes for Kingdom purposes.
There is a compelling truth that we must believe with all our heart today before we can be regenerated spiritually, mentally and emotionally: in Christ, we are a new creation, we are redeemed, we are free from all condemnation, and we carry the authority of God powered by the Holy Spirit.
Our goliaths are not some external Marvel-like monsters but internal fears that rob us of our God-given identity, purpose and mission. Make no mistake: all of us have giants in our lives. We place ourselves in a vantage position to deal with our giants when we trust God to lead us to necessary showdowns to defeat them. God will not lead you to the valley of confrontation with your giant and leave you in the lurch. In fact, He has prepared a victory feast before you and your enemies! (Psalm 23:5 NLT).
Decide if you will begin each day with an eye on the victor’s feast or remain in the spectator gallery and just let life pass you by. Today, you can step into your God-given mission and make his Kingdom seen, known and experienced in ways beyond what you have experienced before.
This article is a summary and reflection on a virtual BIR session held on 24 October 2021.
