Giants

Giants! Giants!! That's all I could think about Tuesday morning at 2:47 AM. Why was I thinking about giants? And why was I thinking about them at 2:47AM in the blessed morning!?!?!

When I went to bed Monday night I had no idea what I was going to do for Wednesday night's high school youth group game. No idea what . . . so . . . ever. I'm in charge or our youth group mixer games. I should probably be thinking about what to do Wednesday night and now I have visions of giants running through my head? They sure can make a lot of noise!!

 

My mind tends to be VERY creative in the early morning hours. That's when most of my ideas come to me. Whether they're youth group game ideas or blogging topics, they run around in my head, rearranging themselves, until morning comes and I write them all down, But why giants??

 

Then I thought, "Hmm. Giants . . . " I quickly came up with a game - a relay race, boys vs girls, one kid carrying another on their shoulders. I guess they would slightly resembling giants. Maybe. I thought about playing the movie trailer for Jack the Giant Slayer after the race but the trailer didn't seem very God-honoring in its content so I thought some more. I know! FACING the Giants!! I'd play the Facing the Giants clip where Brock carries one of his teammates 100 yards . . . on his back. You can watch the clip here.

 

Finally something was coming together! I had been struggling the past few weeks about a few things that were happening at my church. I won't bother you with the details. Let me just say I began questioning my relevance and started thinking about retiring from youth ministry. Yeah, nothing MAJOR. For me to be thinking that and just letting it fester was not good. I had just been plodding along, dragging these issues with me, week after week. But then I watched that "death crawl" video and I listened to the coach, yelling at his player, "Don't stop! Don't stop! Don't you quit on me!!!"

 

It didn't take me long to figure out the message God was trying to get across to me. Giants! Facing the Giants! Hey, Bob. Instead of just LIVING with your giants (those things that keep oppressing us and weighing us down), try facing them!

 

In the Book of 1 Samuel you can read all about David and Goliath. I probably don't have to tell you that David did a more than adequate job of facing HIS giant. I want to draw your attention to one verse in particular from that story though. Good advice for those of us who struggle with "giant" issues of one kind or another - 1 Samuel 17:48

 

"As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him."

 

Did you catch the last part of that verse? Little David RAN toward his giant!!!

 

As I look at my life and the battles I face each day, I rarely enjoy facing them, let alone RUN to face them. It's more like I grudgingly accept them as part of my life and just try to get through the day. Is that any way for a child of God to act? Mmm, no.

 

The other thing David did, as a friend pointed out to me this morning, was David went into battle, with God's blessing, God's anointing. The prosperity preachers of today would say, "God was on his side." No. That's backwards. David was on GOD's side!

 

So, as I am always fond of telling the kids in our youth group, I asked myself THIS question: "So, what are you going to DO about it?"

 

Here's what I have chosen to do. I am vowing not to run from the giants in my life any more. Rather, I am choosing to run towards them. To face them as David faced Goliath. And I will face them in a God-honoring way. His Word will be my only weapon. And it is not I that shall emerge victorious from the battle, it will be God. And I will have confidence because Jesus has already gone to battle ahead of me. He laid down his life so that I might have a way to victory.

 

I would encourage everyone of you to take on the giants you face in life. For me, my giant it's procrastination. It's also a tendency to take on too many things at once. Perhaps it's an addiction of some sort. Perhaps it's an illness. God MUST come first in our lives. He is MORE than worthy of our "first fruits."

 

Next in line, after God, is everyone else on the planet. Remember the greatest commandment?

 

 “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" - Matthew 22:37-39.

 

Our lives can become overwhelmed by "giants." We can defeat those giants through Christ. Pick up your sling (the Bible), grab a pocket full of stones (God's wisdom from His Word) and slay those giants today . . . in a God-honoring way.