At times we all face challenges in life. Perhaps you are going through one right now. Everyone deals with life’s troubles differently. These difficulties are the GIANTS in our lives. They come in different sizes and shapes and though they may not be visible for everyone to see, they are enormous issues in our lives – health issues, illness or disease, infertility, divorce, drug, food and sex addictions, financial problems, marital struggles, misbehaving kids, etc.
With all that we battle through everyday, it matters how we learn to handle the giants in our lives. How do you fight your giants? Do you give up or ignore them, or do you face them with faith and persistence, knowing that the victory will be yours? Sometimes we don’t feel God’s presence with us and we think He has abandoned us as we walk through our battlefield. Perhaps we are the ones who, by going our own way and not paying attention, are not allowing ourselves to hear him or feel His presence. We are so busy with the jingle of the visible world and think we can control and change things in our lives using our own power. We are spiritually blindfolded as our GIANTS try to defeat us, and not aware that God is always moving on our behalf. He is saying, “O, My beloved daughter/son, you cannot change things by relying on your own power. You have tried this many times before, but it never works. You continue aimlessly in a vicious cycle.”

But what if you move in faith like David in the story of “David versus Goliath”? If you do, you can know for sure that you will be victorious in the end. For those who haven’t read the story of David and Goliath in the Bible, here is a short version of it:
There was a war between the Philistines and Israelites during the reign of king Saul. David was a young Israeli shepherd boy who had an unshakable FAITH in the Lord. On the Philistine’s side was Goliath, a champion and an enormous man. No one could fight Goliath because of his giant size and extensive bronze armor. David’s only shield and protection was his faith in God.
When Goliath saw the young David coming toward him he said, “Come here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” David said to Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty”. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, David slung it and struck Goliath on the forehead. The stone sank deeply into his forehead and he fell face down on the ground. Ah, what a sight it was! You may have heard it said, “God will put the GOLIATH in your life, that you may find the DAVID within you”. I agree with this statement.
When I studied the life of David the prophet (Prophet Dawud), I learned how to deal with my own daily battles. Through reading and meditating on God’s word, I became aware of the light around me and was encouraged to pray unceasingly. The light of God’s presence was shining so brightly on my life that I could clearly see the futility of my old desires and wishes. As we know, some old habits die hard, and mine were still showing up at times, becoming stumbling blocks on my path. As the time went by, I realized these habits were the Goliath (giant) in my life. How could I fight this strong giant on my path? The answer is, like David did, to move forward in faith! Then God will graciously surround us with His mighty power. That is what He did in my life, by surrounding me with mature believers to help me to draw closer to him.
I learned from spiritual leaders and strong believers that I need to do four things to defeat the stumbling blocks of life:
1- Come humbly before God, admit that I am weak, and pray passionately and earnestly from my heart.
2 – Ask God to fill my mind with His word. Read it over and over that it may protect me and become part of me.
3- Accept support from the other believers.
4- Hold on to God’s promises. As it says in (Isaiah 40:10), “Those who hope in the Lord will fly like Eagles …” Also the Bible says,”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” ( Philippians 4:13 )

So David triumphed over a giant with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the mighty Goliath and killed him.
Don’t you think you could be like David the shepherd boy, who was a man of faith? You may be up against a giant (divorce, severe illness, financial devastation, loss of a loved one, loss of job, etc..) and feeling as if you have no protection. But the way to emerge victoriously from the battlefield is to focus not on how big your giant is, but to focus on how big your God is. Be confident, knowing that if God delivered David from the hands his enemy, He will also deliver you successfully through the battle and will hand you the reward that He has promised you according to your faith.
Jesus said: (Matthew 9:29 ) “According to your faith let it be done to you.”