Do you have something in your life that seems too big for you to conquer?  A giant?  I think if we are honest, all of us have felt that way at some point in our lives.  Maybe even right now.  Is there something standing in the way?  Something that’s very presence mocks you and is keeping you from getting where you want and need to go?   If this is the case for you or for someone you care about then you need a Giant Slayer.  Or better yet, you need to become a Giant Slayer!

5 Steps to Conquer Obstacles in Your Life

What makes a Giant Slayer
In order to become a Giant Slayer we need to examine the most famous giant killer ever. I’m not talking about Jack and beanstalk.  I am, of course, referring to David the lowly shepherd who became King.  David’s road to kingship was not an easy one. There were many obstacles in the way of David reaching his destiny, not the least of which was that big dude named Goliath. You could say that killing the giant in his path was the launching point of David’s meteoric rise to becoming, arguably, the most famous king in history. I believe, however, that we have to go back a little further to find out how he started on his journey to become the great man he eventually would be.. In other words, how or why was he able to slay that giant in the first place.

Just before David vanquished his enemy he knelt down and acquired five stones to take into battle with him. Today those stones are going to represent our 5 steps to conquer obstacles in your life.

Today I’d like to talk about five other stones.  These rocks are the foundation of David’s character that enabled him to not only to conquer his giant but made it possible for him to become the man that God referred to as “a man after my own heart”.

1) Faithfulness

Before God entrusts us with big things He wants us to be faithful in the little things. Before leading God’s chosen people, David was a lowly shepherd boy. This job was not a glamorous or prestigious one in fact quite the opposite. Hanging out with stinky, stupid sheep day in and day out was not exactly a fun job and yet David did it. Not only did he do it but he did it to the best of his ability. He even put himself in harm’s way when the bear and the lion tried to take those entrusted into his care.

By being faithful, David proved to God that he could be trusted with bigger and more important things.  I also have a feeling that David wasn’t just sitting in the shade on those long afternoons watching the sheep munch on grass. I imagine he was busy preparing himself by practicing with that sling; throwing stone after stone at all sorts of makeshift targets until he could hit anything he wanted to including something as small as, I don’t know, someone’s forehead.

We all could learn a thing or two about being faithful in the little things that don’t seem important, especially those things that no one sees.

2) Praise

When he wasn’t practicing with his slingshot I’m pretty sure David spent a lot of time playing his guitar and singing. My guess is that somewhere in a back pasture is where he began writing praise music. Not only did that time spent help him to become an accomplished musician (one good enough to become King Saul’s favorite soother) but I believe it’s where David grew close to God. The Bible tells us that God inhabits our praise so it isn’t a stretch to figure out that the main author of the Psalms may have perfected his praise and became God’s beloved in a secluded meadow on the outskirts of Bethlehem.

Feeling God’s presence on a daily basis would not only inspire one to write countless songs but would increase one’s faith exponentially.

That kind of faith could cause you to run at a giant instead of away from him.  Whether in song or in just thanking God for all the wonderful things He’s done, we invite God’s presence when we praise Him.  His presence gives us the strength to rid our lives of the giants that hinder us.

3) Obedience

Sheep tender, errand boy, and background musician are the menial jobs David had before he became a Giant Slayer. None of these jobs are exactly dream jobs and yet David did them when he was told to by those in authority over him. In fact, one of those jobs is what David was stuck doing when the man of God (Samuel) came to town to make a sacrifice to God. Being a man after God’s own heart, I’m sure David would’have loved to have been there but his Father asked him to tend the sheep.

No one in town knew it ,but Samuel was there to anoint David to be the next King of Israel.

When the time came, where was the future King? Tending the sheep like his Daddy told him of course. Being obedient. He later would be at the current King’s beck and call, once again submitting to authority even when his boss was a little crazy. His willingness to follow orders is what put him in position to become a Giant Slayer. If you remember, David was there at the now famous battle site because his Dad sent him to take supplies to his big brothers and to find out how they were doing.

His submission to authority put him exactly where God wanted him to be.

4) Passion

David was a passionate man. His passion and zeal for God is what drove him to fight with Goliath. While everyone else including King Saul was shaking in their sandals, David’s passion made him angry that anyone (even a giant) would dare to  “defy the armies of the Living God”.

Can’t you just see David in the king’s tent passionately telling him “I got this!  My God will deliver me!”

His passion somehow convinced Saul to let him fight the giant even though losing meant that the Israelites would have to become the Philistine’s servants. David’s passion was no doubt ignited and stoked by spending countless hours in God’s presence praising Him. An intense zeal for God will burn away those things that keep us from reaching our destiny. Things like fear, selfishness, or complacency.

If we can get rid of those types of obstacles there is no doubt that we can bring down any giants blocking our road to becoming mighty warriors in God’s Army.

5) A good memory

I imagine the thing that gave David confidence and helped convince Saul to let him fight Goliath was the fact that God had delivered David previously by giving him victory over the lion and the bear. I have a sermon that I’ve taught the boys and girls in Children’s Church where I have David’s bedroom set up. In addition to a bed, guitar and slingshot the bedroom has a lion skin and a bear skin as rugs on the floor.

I like to think that every morning the first thing David did was stand up and put his feet on those rugs. So every day he was reminded of how faithful and mighty his God is.

I bet that reminder would get your heart pumping better than a good strong cup of coffee. Hopefully at this point you’re thinking about what God has done for you. What kind of skins are on your floor?  Maybe I can help you remember. The Bible tells us that Satan is like a lion prowling around looking for someone to devour.

Well, when you asked Jesus to be your Savior you took yourself off the menu and God delivered you from “the lion”.

The devil has been defeated.  He’s under your feet.

Nice rug huh?

Got a bear skins? For me, God delivered me from the life of a prodigal. Now that was a bear I fought with a long time. God, in His mercy, delivered me.  hat bear skin is laying right next to the other rug. Under my feet, under my feet.

I have a feeling that God has delivered you as well.

Maybe from sickness or an addiction?

Whatever it is, use that memory to remind you of how awesome your God is.

There is no giant too big for the God of Angel Armies to help you to defeat.

All 5 of these stones were important and vital in David’s victory over Goliath but I think that maybe the last one was the giant killer.

Knowing who his God was and relying on Him gave David the strength and confidence to overcome his giant. When that huge mountain of a man tried to intimidate God’s servant, David lifted his head, took a deep breath and told him “You come at me with a sword, a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts…This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand..”  and with that David ran at his giant and with one stone took him down.

Great man, great story but most of all Great God.

And that Great God never changes.

He’s the same today as He was in David’s day.

He still delivers and He still makes Giant Slayers.  Are you one?  You can be!

Your friend and hopefully encourager,

David (different David, same God)