Confronting Giants

Psalm 42:1-11

This Psalm talks about  the war that happens within when you confront your giants. With the enemy questioning where your God is and if He is real.
The giants around us in our different aspects of life can be so many, in ministry, in the marketplace even in our homes.

How do you conquer these giants?

Everyone needs an enemy. Everyone needs an adversary. Everyone needs a giant.
Everyone who was called by God had to have enemies. Joseph had pride, an enemy within himself. His parents and brothers, Potiphar's wife. Moses had to defeat Pharoah.

Giants are necessary because they define us. If there was no Goliath, we would not know anything about David. If there no cross, we would not know about Jesus Christ. Face and confront your giant because that is what will define you. If you do not face your giant, you will be defined by nothing.

Understand that it all starts with you shining your light bright - by being the salt and light.
Matthew 5:14-16

There is always a danger when our light shines the brightest. We tend to hide our light so that our enemies do not see us. When we shine our light, we attract good people and enemies too. Your giant is revealed when you shine your light brightest. Don't be a secret agent. Be a public agent.
Preach the gospel, move in influence and tell of the goodness of the Lord.
Giants are not attracted to little things. Goliath called David little. Giants do not seek out people who are hiding.

Victorious living means you have defeated your enemies and giants. Once you defeat an enemy, you move to another level. What keeps us from moving to other levels is failure to confront our giants.

Proverbs 16:10
Isaiah 26:3
When you face your giant, you have to keep your mind on the Lord.

Psalm 18:28-30
Psalm 91:7-8
You cannot confront the devil with your imagination or cleverness but only by the Word of God. Speak the Word of God!

Ways of confronting and conquering giants.

1. Love your enemies.
Your physical enemies, those who say evil about you and do bad things to you, love them! They will see the goodness of the Lord to you and know that truly you are a child of God. They will be drawn to God that is why you should do it the Jesus way!
Matthew 5:44-45

You must love your giant before you defeat them. Get close to them and minister love and salvation to them.
In Acts 9, Ananias had to face Saul the giant who had been persecuting the church for him to receive salvation.

2. Confront principalities and powers not flesh and blood.
We conquer when we avoid personalizing the giants. They are not flesh and blood even when they appear so.
2 Thessalonians 3:14-15
We fail to defeat giants today because we react in flesh and blood.

3. Know that vengeance is for the Lord.

Giants manifest through the people around us. Don't seek compensation against your giants and enemies, only compensate them for the harm they have caused.
Do not try to help the Lord in vengeance.
If we seek vengeance on our own, the world will become handicapped.
Do not fight back.

Philippians 2:13

Leviticus 19:18
Proverbs 25:21-22
Deuteronomy 32:35
Exodus 21:23-25
Matthew 5:38-39

4. Giants are crucibles and furnaces for our destiny.

God always turns your enemies into crucibles.
Joseph comforted his brothers who had oppressed him. they were the furnace that God sent to refine him. to get him to his destiny. him defeating the giant was good for him, his family, their children and the entire world.

Proverbs 17:3 

Genesis 50:19-21

5. Let the wheat and weeds grow together.

Evil will always surround us. Our focus should not be on illuminating it but on advancing righteousness.
Jesus teaches us the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13 to allow righteousness and evil to grow together. We should not eliminate anyone from the kingdom but advance the kingdom at all costs, allowing evil to be seen for what it is. In the end, we shall know what is wheat and what the weeds are. When you fight your giants, don't eliminate them from the Kingdom, they too must be saved.

6. Learn to push back.

There is a place for physically pushing back as long as we focus on principalities and powers not flesh and blood. When you do that, you will stand! As long as you are standing on the truth of the Word of God.
Nehemiah 13:19-21

7. Know that the battle belongs to the Lord.

All our focus should be on God. We should not be afraid because the Lord is sovereign and in control. Do not try to win the battle on your own.
Focus on eternity - that is the greatest victory of all!