PowerPoint

Jack Graham: You don't run away. You run to the confrontation and the power of God. When we face these battles, run in the name of the Lord your God and with the weapons that God has given you: the word of God, prayer, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Guest (Female): On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about how our giants aren't too big for God. Now here's Dr. Graham with his message, Killing Giants.

Jack Graham: Now in life, all of us fight battles and we face giants that can be intimidating, infuriating, fearful, and ferocious. The fact is that probably the greatest giant of all is the giant that the children of Israel, the armies of Israel, faced, and that is a giant of fear. Beyond the human giant that stood in front of them was their fear.

Fear is a giant we all face, one of our biggest challenges. We often battle worries, war over anxiety, and fights within. Every day people struggle with this giant. We all face giants of temptation, struggles with Satan himself who attacks us. Perhaps there's an area in your life where you are especially vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy who taunts you and threatens you and often triumphs over you.

He robs you of peace and joy in your life because you keep living in the bondage of your fear. You resist and somehow you pray and you plead, but the battle rages on. Whether it is a battle with pride, ego, profanity, pornography, envy, gluttony, gossip, or lust, all these giants and more come against us. They keep beating you down and beating you up and defeating you.

How do we defeat the giants in our lives? When we face giant-sized problems and issues, maybe your giant is an issue going on in your life. It could be a career issue or a financial issue. It could be that your spouse is not a believer and follower of Jesus, and that's a giant-sized problem in your life. It could be a child that is a prodigal child, and you've prayed and asked God to bring the child home, but so far nothing is changing. It's just not happening. It's the shadow of a giant on your life every single day.

How do we war and win when we face these giants in life? How do we overcome? We're told in the scripture that we are to always triumph in Jesus Christ. The last time we saw David, he was appointed and anointed as the king of Israel. Just a boy, just a teenager. The last of the least in the family of Jesse, and he's called in and anointed as king. What did he do? He went back to the shepherd's fields. He went back to tend to the sheep, to shepherd the flock of God.

He was preparing for the next steps of his leadership. As he is there in the shepherd's field one day, he's called to go to the Valley of Elah and take food to his brothers who are there for the fight against the Philistines. Let's pick up the scripture in chapter 17 and verse one: "Now the Philistines, which were an evil, antagonistic, anti-God, idolatrous group of people, gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered in Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, and in Ephes Dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and encamped in the Valley of Elah and drew up in line of battle against the Philistine."

I want you to get the picture. I've been to the Valley of Elah many times. You can stand in this place today. On one side there is a cliff and the other side there's a cliff. In between in the valley is about 100 yards long. It's about the size of a football field between the two cliffs. One army, the Philistines, are lined up on one side, and then the armies of God, the Israelis, are lined up on the other side. They are prepared for battle and that's when the giant shows up.

Look at verses four through 11: "And there came out from the camp of the Philistine a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was 5,000 shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spearhead weighed 600 shekels of iron, and his shield bearer went before him. And he stood and he shouted to the ranks of Israel, 'Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine? And are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servant. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servant and serve us.' And the Philistine said, 'I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together.' And when Saul and all of Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid."

Fear paralyzes the army of Israel, including the king who had forfeited his leadership and been put aside by God. Yet he's still leading, but not very well. What about this giant? What about this guy? How big was this bad boy? He was nine feet, six inches tall, maybe even as tall as nine feet, nine inches tall, based on how you define a span. There he stands, spear in hand. The head of that spear weighed 15 to 20 pounds, just the point of the spear.

He was armed and dangerous. His bronze armor and helmet weighed over 200 pounds. Everybody including Saul is deathly afraid of this man. When he says, "Send out your best, send out your champion," it could have been Saul, could have been their best warrior. He said, "We'll go mon-a-mon. We will go one-on-one. Winner take all." For 40 days, twice a day, this bad boy comes out and taunts and trash talks the children of Israel and defies the God of Israel.

Nobody will fight this beast because they are afraid, until David shows up. David, still a teenager, with a heart after God and therefore the heart of a champion. Don't underestimate the heart of David here. He was devout, he was disciplined, and he also was dangerous. If you know this story, this in effect was a mismatch, but not the way you think. It wasn't the great giant versus a teenager, but the great giant versus our God.

David shows up and look at verse 34 and 36. What was David doing all of this time? David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep the sheep of his father. And when there came a lion or a bear and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and the uncircumcised, filthy Philistine shall be just like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God."

Tough guy, David. Where did he get this courage? He'd killed lions, he'd killed bears, and he'd done it before. This big beast and bully of a man didn't intimidate David. What's the sermon here? David understood his why. His purpose gave him the passion that we see in this. It was David who said in verse 29, "Is there not a cause?" David had a calling upon his life and he had a cause in front of him. What is that cause? It is the glory of God.

David was insulted and infuriated that these cowardly Israelites were standing there shaking in their sandals, rather than taking on this man in the name of God. What did David do? He volunteers to fight the giant, to go one-on-one with this giant. He had a different heart than the rest of them. He had a courageous heart and a different mindset. Where did he get this kind of mentality? Time spent with God.

David knew God. He had a heart after God. This is why he had a cause and a calling. David was a worshiper before he was a warrior. This is where all of this courage comes from. Let me remind you, it was because he was full of faith that he was full of courage. When you get up every day and you're facing those giants, giants of circumstances, giants of carnality, when you are being taunted and tempted, what do you do?

You remember in Christ, the world doesn't control the way you think. Satan's lies and taunts and threats cannot change what God has done in your life. Remind yourself of why you do what you do. This will give you clarity for what's happening in your life. It will give you conviction and therefore courage.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, Killing Giants. We're excited to share that we have a new way for you to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content.

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That's why this month we want to say thanks for your gift of $10 or more by sending you Dr. Jack Graham's book, Choices. In this encouraging resource, Dr. Graham shares practical wisdom from God's word to help you make decisions with confidence, clarity, and faith. To give your gift and request your copy, text "AUGUST" to 59789. Please limit one per household. Again, text "AUGUST" to 59789. Now let's get back to today's message, Killing Giants.

Jack Graham: David had great courage. Where does this kind of courage come from for any of us? In 1 Samuel 30, David is going through a really rough and difficult time in his life and a big defeat for those who were with him. First Samuel 30:6 says David strengthened himself and encouraged himself in the Lord. This is what he did and this is what we are to do.

David runs into conflict not with the giant, but with his own people, his own brothers, the critics, and the skeptics. Saul was doubting him and he was getting bad advice. Saul said, "If you're going to fight this guy, you better go in some armor." He was clanking around in Saul's armor. David said, "I can't wear this stuff. My weapons are not carnal, fleshly weapons, but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds."

He went with a shepherd's staff, a sling, and five stones because David trusted God. God rewarded his faith because his faith was real, it was raw, and it was active. In spite of the criticism and those who would shut him down and tell him he can't do it, David refused to believe the lie. Don't you believe those lies either. Don't you let anyone shut you down or stop you from pursuing the call and the cause of God in your life.

The key to spiritual victory is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Remember when David was appointed and then anointed with the oil running down his face and over his cloak. The scripture says that the spirit of God—this is 1 Samuel 16:13—the spirit rushed upon David. The spirit of God rushed through David's life. If you want to kill giants each day of your life, choose whether you're going to live by faith or whether you're going to live by sight or feelings.

Life is a series of choices. If you live always on your feelings and your emotions, you're going to live in insecurity, immobility, and insignificance. But if you choose to believe God, if you choose to act in faith and obedience to what God has called you to do for his glory, then you will live in victory. Faith is belief in action. There are feelings that come with our faith, but primarily faith moves, it acts, and it takes risks.

Faith believes and trusts in a God who can do anything but fail. So whatever giants you face in your life right now, look up to God. Look beyond the giant and see what God can do. Know your God and spend time with him like David did. It's essential that you not believe the lies of the enemies and those who would doubt God or doubt you. Remember, Satan is a liar. He is a fear monger. He is a monster. Don't listen. Don't give place for the devil.

David shows up to the battlefield delivering food. He couldn't believe that the Israelites were not responding, so he said, "I will." In spite of those critics, he did what God told him to do. Over the years I've learned to ignore the critics and the people who say you can't. Because my God, with him, all things are possible. In David's heart, God was much bigger than the giant.

He couldn't wear Saul's armor. He wore the armor of God, the protection of God upon his life. Second Corinthians 10:4 says, "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, fleshly, but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds." If there are satanic strongholds in your life, if there are giants that are trying to take your territory, then resist in the name and the power of God.

The bully is enraged when David shows up. He roars, "Am I a dog that you would send this boy out to fight with me?" He curses David and the God of David in the name of his own false gods. He says, "Come on, boy. I'm going to feed you to the birds." David says, "You come to me with a sword and a spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel. Today I will conquer you. Today I will kill you."

According to 1 Samuel 17, verses 48 and 49, David then ran to meet him. If you want to kill giants, you've got to confront those giants. You don't run away. You run to the confrontation in the power of God. David ran to the battle. That's one of my favorite lines in all the scripture. When we face these battles, don't run away. Run in the name of the Lord your God and with the weapons that God has given you: the word of God, prayer, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

David took five stones in a small satchel and he picked one of those stones. Somebody said, "Why did he have five stones?" Well, Goliath had four brothers. I guess he thought he was going to get every one of them. I don't know if that's true or not. What I do know is true is it shows the humility of David, who took one stone and said, "In case I don't get him with the first one, I've got four more." He slings the shot, hits him right in the forehead, and the giant goes down.

It's not over because the giant is not dead. Have you ever seen one of those horror movies where they finally get the bad monster down and then it comes back? The giant is down, but he's not totally out. Look at verses 50 and 51: "So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David."

What did David do? He ran and stood over the Philistine, took the Philistine's sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistine saw their champion was dead, they fled. The victory belonged to the victors. What do we learn here? In the challenges, the giant problems, and battles that we fight, the battle belongs to the Lord. It's his battle.

You have the strength in Jesus' name to defeat Satan and all of his lies and to stand up with truth. Ephesians 6:10 says, "Be strong in the Lord and the power of his might." The scripture also says don't give the devil a foothold or space in your life. Attack the giant. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Don't negotiate with a terrorist.

If your temptations are terrorizing you and paralyzing you with fear, if your problems are putting you out, then you stand up in the power of Christ and you go get your giant in the name of the Lord your God and you finish him off. You kill him. Don't feel sorry for this Philistine monster and don't feel sorry about killing your sin or killing the temptation. You don't coddle giants; you kill them.

If you've got a giant, let's say your problem is alcoholism. What do you do? You don't compromise with this. You don't negotiate with the enemy. You get rid of the booze in your house and in your life. You don't show up at bars. You kill it in the name of Jesus. What about sexual sin? Many are tempted and are living in sexual sin. You stop calling it just a weakness and you recognize it for what it is, which is wickedness.

Call sin by its first name. Call sin sin. Stop patronizing and rationalizing with your sin. If you have a sin problem, repent of your sin, confess it, and get biblical counseling and encouragement and help. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." To confess is the word homologeo. It means to say the same thing as, to agree with another, to say what God says about your sin.

What does God say about your sin? He hates it. Do you? Be killing the giant, be killing sin, or it will be killing you. You know what your problem is so often? Your God's too small. Faith sees and believes and acts in courage and clarity. Jesus has defeated the devil. If you will put your faith and trust in Christ, then the enemy is defeated in your life and you can begin to live a life transformed by his grace and for his glory.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, Killing Giants. Let me remind you about an encouraging resource Dr. Jack Graham created to help you navigate life with biblical wisdom. It's his book, Choices, which comes as our thanks for your gift of $10 or more. This practical and insightful book explores how everyday decisions shape our lives and how God's truth provides the wisdom we need to choose faith over fear, truth over compromise, and obedience over convenience.

When you give today to support the outreach of PowerPoint Ministries, you'll help share biblical truth and the life-changing hope of Jesus with people around the world through broadcast, podcast, and digital ministry. To give your gift and request your copy, text "AUGUST" to 59789. Please limit to one per household. Again, text "AUGUST" to 59789.

We're excited to share that we have a new way for you to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content. To join, start a new text conversation by texting "CONNECT" to 59789. Again, text "CONNECT" to 59789.

Jack Graham: Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? What giant has been winning in your life? Don't spiritualize it. Don't give me the religious answer. I'm asking you, what giant keeps defeating you? What's the one thing that if you're honest, you've almost given up hope of ever conquering?

Here's what happens to most of us. We live our entire lives being intimidated by giants that Jesus already defeated. We spend decades cowering in fear of enemies that have no power over us. We negotiate with terrorists. We make peace treaties with sin. We learn to coexist with the very things that are destroying us. All the while God is saying, "Why are you negotiating? Why are you compromising? Why are you living in defeat when I've already given you the victory?"

David didn't defeat Goliath by being physically stronger than the giant. He defeated Goliath by trusting a God who was bigger than any foe he would face. That changes everything for you today. You might not be strong enough to beat your addiction. You might not be disciplined enough to overcome that temptation on your own. You might not have the willpower to conquer that giant, but you serve a God who is.

When you stop fighting in your strength and start fighting in his name, the battle is already won. Here's what I'm asking you to do this week. Stop running from your giant. Stop avoiding it. Stop pretending it's not there. It's time to run toward it, not in your own strength, but in the name of the Lord. It's time to stop tolerating what God has called you to terminate. It's time to cut off the head of that giant once and for all.

The same Jesus who defeated death on the cross has already defeated every giant you're facing. Satan is a defeated enemy. Sin has no power over you. Fear has no authority in your life. This week when that giant shows up again—and it will—I want you to remember who you are. You're not fighting alone. You're not fighting in your own strength. You're fighting in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of angel armies, the one who has never lost a battle. When you run toward that giant in his name, that giant is going down.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. Join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about a promise that can never be broken. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.