Thursday, May 23, 2013

Our Goliath...

This week, the title of the chapter we are in is called "Overcoming your Giants"

Isn't there a movie named that? ... no, wait - that's Facing the Giants...
Making mental note to watch that movie...
I've heard it was great...

Anyhoo.... At the beginning of the week, the leader said, "I've highlighted every line in this chapter".... oh, how I love people who exaggerate.

Except - at the end of this chapter - I think I've underlined & highlighted EVERY LINE in this chapter!!!

We see the Israelites & the Philistines in a face off.  Think 'Survivor' in the most real terms you can think... one side camping out waiting, the other side camping out waiting... a face off ... a show down...

Except, the Philistines have this dude... & he's big... & he's scary... & he's standing there screaming out things to put fear deep in the souls of the Israelites.

(I personally think Goliath looking like a clown would have been much more scary
... this is what can put the fear in someone's soul)

If you're familiar with the Bible - this story isn't new...
How many times have you heard it...
But what I love more then anything is visiting old stories we 'know' & seeing them with new eyes... with a clear mind... with an open heart.

I love what the book says here when the people are being taunted by this huge bully...

"The fear that Goliath created in them caused them to adopt an attitude of defeat.  They were defeated long before the battle actually took place. The real giant that they needed to overcome was not the physical presence of Goliath but the mental pressure of stress, worry, & fear in their hearts"

... it wasn't about a big bully standing there shouting threatening offenses...

It was the fear - the REAL fear...

Stress & worry...  the wrong FOCUS... (Shout out to my 2013 word of the year)

Their problem was they couldn't envision victory because their eyes were focused on the PROBLEM...

Being defeated long before the battle takes place... have you ever felt like that?  I know I have... its tough feeling that way too.  So helpless.

Doesn't it feel like sometimes the things that worry us - the stress in our lives - that its standing right in front of us on the other side of a valley & its taunting us, screaming at us, threatening us...

Are we focused on those threats... on that fear?

I love that David steps right up... doesn't think twice.  He did not hesitate in trusting that God was bigger than the giant...


step up gif photo: Step Up tumblr_lef8uxzBei1qdubemo1_500.gif
When you use the words "Step up" - how can you not think of the movie?
 ... & I  wanna punch my giant in the face like this... with style!


I want that kind of attitude...
I'm trying...
I'm struggling with it, but I'm trying...

all we can do sometimes, right?

"Victory does not merely come when the enemy is defeated but when we trust that God will have victory, no matter what our gut feelings are telling us.  Real victory is when we learn to live with more joy & less stress, even when we can still see the giants looming off in the distance"
 

Real fear.... only REAL VICTORY can defeat it...

That's about trusting God... because just as the book says, we all know those giants are still off in the distance... ready to taunt again...

So today, think about your giant... turn that focus off of the taunts & fear it instills...turn it toward the ONE who can give us the confidence to march right up to it & knock it down

__________________

PS.... Yes... I know... only I could use pictures of Pennywise & dancing from "Step Up" to talk about the Bible...it's who I am

7 comments:

  1. And I love who you are! “The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.” - Sven Goran Eriksson

    Even though this is a secular quote, it is so true. We allow our fears to stop us in our tracks and defeat us. That is why we are to renew our minds in Christ. Christ is our biggest champion, always encouraging us to succeed. If we keep our eyes focused on Him and His righteousness, and we believe that we ARE princes and princesses,( i.e. children of the king) Then we know we have the power and authority in Christ to defeat our enemy!

    Thanks for making it real!

    Mindy
    The Howell Blessings

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  3. I love, love, love the animation you used in your posting, although I do have to say, that clown is about the freakiest clown out there!! What a great reminder that we need to focus our sights on God instead of making the problem bigger in our mind. I am so guilty of that and love how you related it all back to the chapter this week. Thanks for sharing!

    Kris (OBS Small Group Leader)

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  4. I never thought of clowns being scary until that animated SCARY one you put up!!!!


    Working on trusting more and fearing less is always something I need to work on.

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  5. Girl - let's recount how we are similar, kay?
    1) Clowns, WAY scarier.
    2) Indeed, how can one NOT automatically think of the movie "Step Up".
    3) One Word for 2013 - Intention. Much like focus - only, longer. ;)
    4) Survivor analogy - I. So. Went. There. Too! (When rereading the story from the chapter this week.)

    And there you have it. LOVED the humor you used here to help illustrate the point that we are to punch fear's lights out with God's strength (and hopefully, a lil' bit of Step Up smoothness?)

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  6. I view bipolar as my Goliath. I refuse to let something so huge crush me!
    Great post!!

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  7. Loved your post and the visual of the clown, a scary one at that and the fighting off of the giant. We can fight our giants by changing our focus and seeking God . Thanks for posting.

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