How to overcome your Goliath

Every Christian knows the story of David and Goliath and how David overcame Goliath. The army of Israel was afraid when they saw Goliath, but David wasn’t and overcame Goliath. Maybe you have faced something in your life that seemed impossible to overcome. Maybe you are facing a Goliath in your life right now, like fear, anxiety, or depression, and you don’t know how to overcome your Goliath. In this blog post, not 5 stones but 5 steps are provided to overcome your Goliath and be victorious.

The spiritual warfare is real

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son (Colossians 1:13)

As a born again Christian, you have entered the Kingdom of God and no longer belong to the kingdom of darkness. You have become an enemy of the devil and his kingdom and because of that, you have entered a spiritual war. It doesn’t matter whether you want to or not, it is a fact.

If you don’t acknowledge that you are in spiritual warfare and have a laid-back attitude, then it won’t be long, before the devil and his army will take you captive.

As a son (both male and female) of God, you should always have a warfare mentality. You should know, that you are victorious and an overcomer in Jesus Christ and therefore you can overcome everything.

Christ has defeated the adversary of God; the devil and his army. Jesus has taken his authority by taking the keys of hell and death (Read also: Has Jesus bound the strong man or do you have to bind the strong man?).

All powers, principalities, and dominions of darkness are under His feet. Jesus entered into His rest and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

As a born again Christian, you are seated in Christ. So if Jesus has all authority and entered into His rest, you have also inherited all authority and also entered into His rest, but…

Seated in Christ and walking in dominion

You have been set apart by God and are appointed on this earth to have dominion on this earth. This dominion on earth doesn’t include dominion over people, because you don’t wrestle against flesh and blood. But you wrestle against principalities, (evil) powers, dominions, and every high thing that exalts itself against God.

You are appointed to represent and establish the Kingdom of God on this earth, just like Jesus. God has chosen and appointed you to keep the spiritual order and do the works of God; the works of righteousness and destroy the works of the devil. So that you establish the peace of God and prevent chaos (Read also: Destroying the works of God instead of destroying the works of the devil?).

Living in the Word and keeping His commandments

You do that by living in the Word and by keeping His commandments. When you obey His words and keep His commandments and speak His words and don’t leave the Word, you shall overcome and be an overcomer.

The adversary of God has no legal right to enter your life and mess things up.

You have been given all authority in Jesus Christ to command the adversary to go away and never come back.

The adversary can show up in your life through sickness, (mental) illness, situations, (marital or family) problems, worry, doubt, anxiety, panic attacks, fear, you name it.

I think the last one, which is fear, is one that almost everyone can relate to and has to overcome in life.

When you speak the Word of God and don’t back down or be dismayed, you will win and be an overcomer. There is no doubt about that because the Word says so. But you must persevere at all times and don’t give up!

The story of David and Goliath

I would like to encourage you with the story of David and Goliath and how David overcame Goliath. Let’s turn to 1 Samuel 17.

Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. The Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side; the valley was between them. Now a champion went out of the camp of the Philistines; Goliath, who’s height was approximately. This giant Goliath had a helmet of brass upon his head, and was armed with a coat of mail. The weight of this coat was 5000 shekels of brass, which is approximately 125 lbs/2000 ounces/56,7 kg. He had greaves of brass upon his legs and a target of brass between his shoulders. The staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed 600 shekels of iron, which is approximately 15 pounds/6,8 kg. A shield bearer went before Goliath.

“Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me”

Then Goliath cried out to the men of Israel: “Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us”.

Saul and the men of Israel were dismayed and afraid. No one wanted to go into battle with Goliath. For 40 days, Goliath drew near, mornings and evenings and presented himself. David was the son of Jesse, and had 3 elder brothers who went with Saul into the battle with the Philistines. He was feeding the sheep of his father. Jesse instructed David to bring food to his brothers and to the captain of their thousands.

David had faith in God

For 40 days, Saul and his army were conquered by fear. They were trapped and held in bondage of fear and couldn’t go anywhere.

Their fear was bigger than their ability. Well, their ability? I could rather say, that their fear was bigger than their faith in God.

They didn’t believe in God’s ability, that God would back His army up, as soon as they would go up to the Philistine Goliath.

Not one of them believed in the power of God the Almighty One and therefore no one stood up and fought against Goliath.

God had shown Himself and His power to His people so many times.

God had shown them, that He was their Healer, their Comforter, their Provider, their Jehovah Nissi, etc.. Why couldn’t they have faith in God now and fight in His Name?

Why didn’t they run to Goliath together? Instead of hiding as little chickens together, being overwhelmed by fear. Because they were led by fear, nothing happened.

The men of Israel were afraid, except David

While Saul and the men of Israel were fighting in the valley with the Philistines, David came and went to the battlefield. Then Goliath came out and made the same declaration as he did before and challenged the men of Israel to come and fight with him. All the men of Israel were afraid and as soon as Goliath came they hid from him. But not David, he asked the men what would happen to the one that would kill Goliath and the men of Israel answered him. Eliab, his brother, was angry that David came to them and left the sheep alone in the wilderness. Eliab accused him for being pride and that his heart was naughty.

But David was not moved by these words from his brother and did not back of. But he stayed and went to another and spoke in the same manner. When these words were heard by Saul, he sent for him and David told Saul that he wanted to fight with the Philistine.

Saul did not have faith in David and said to him what he saw David was; a shepherd, young not familiar with war. But David told Saul that he already killed a lion and a bear. David told him that as the Lord delivered him from the bear and lion, He will also deliver him out of the hand of Goliath.

David was prepared to face Goliath

David was already prepared and trained by God to face Goliath. David had killed a bear and a lion! David was absolutely sure, that with the help of the Lord God, he could kill this bear and lion, otherwise he would have run away from the bear and the lion. But David didn’t run away and didn’t leave his sheep in the hand of these predators. Instead, he faced these enemies, who threatened his sheep and he protected his sheep by killing them.

When David went to the battlefield and heard Goliath, David already imagined himself killing Goliath together with his Lord.

David knew that he could defeat and kill Goliath because he knew his God and he knew that God was with him. David had faith in God; he trusted God completely.

In your life, you will go through all kinds of situations and will face all kinds of problems. In these situations and the problems you face, you will be prepared and trained, before facing a Goliath.

Instead of walking away and murmuring and complaining about your problems, begin to thank God for your problem (Read also: ‘The thankfulness of the sons of God‘).

Don’t run away from it or hide, but run to it. Rely upon the Lord and trust in the Lord and His Word. When you face your problems instead of running away, God will empower your words and your actions.

David didn’t doubt. David was absolutely sure that the Lord would deliver him from the hand of Goliath. Just like God did with the Lion and Bear. This must be a lesson learned, that with Jesus; the Word, you can overcome everything.

David put off the wrong armor, which belonged to Saul

And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

David was not familiar with this armor and therefore David put the wrong armor of Saul off. David was familiar with his staff, because David used his staff before. He took five stones to overcome Goliath.

And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was buta youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

“I come to thee in the Name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies”

And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.

And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

5 Steps to overcome your Goliath

What did David do, before David went into the battle? David prophesied over the situation and acknowledged and glorified the Lord:

David told Goliath, that he came in Name of the Lord of hosts.
He prophesied over the situation, by telling Goliath that the Lord would deliver him into his hands and that he would take Goliaths’s head.
Then David ran toward Goliath and took a stone and hid him in his forehead.
David cut Goliath’s head off.
He exalted the Lord and made God known to Goliath and the Philistines

And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith.

And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.

And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents. And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.

The Goliath ‘fear’?

Let’s say you are anxious and fearful and you want to overcome your Goliath ‘fear’. First of all, let’s have a look at what the word ‘fear’ means?

The word fear (False Evidence that Appears Real) means an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger, an instance of this emotion, a state marked by this emotion, anxious concern)