How to Have the Faith of a Giant

How to Have the Faith of a Giant
1 Samuel 17:31-50
May 22-23, 2021

I tell you, there are different types of faith. To begin, you might say the extremes because there is what is called or could be called a dead faith and, of course, there's dynamic living victorious, faith, and there's different types of faith. Dead faith is where a person believes that there is a God, but it changes them not at all. They do not honor God.

They do not worship God. They simply believe that there is God. Let me just say something, even the demons believe that there's a God and they have the sense of tremble at the thought of it. This would be called a dead faith. It changes them, not at all and they honor God, not at all and they worship God, not at all, but there is then a living faith. When you receive Jesus Christ into your heart as Lord and savior, God has stirred you up by his Holy Spirit.

You want a relationship to the living God, that's why you asked Jesus into your heart and if you have not done that, I'm telling you, he is pursuing you even now to have that kind of relationship to the living God. God wants that in you but that is a faith that is alive. Now I'll tell you, even when we speak of faith, that is alive, there's differing kinds of faith. There is faith that is born out of that relationship to God in differing degrees.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago about an occasion in the gospel of Mark, where this man comes to Jesus and he has a son that is troubled by a demon. You remember this story? I just mentioned it recently, is troubled by a demon. This demon is troubling this boy to the point that he's trying to harm the boy, causing him to cast into the fire and whatnot. The man comes to Jesus and he says, "Rabbi, if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

Jesus replies, "If you can, all things are possible to him who believes," Faith. He speaking of faith. The man replies, "Lord, I believe help my unbelief." It's a cry for help and it's a cry for deeper faith. I tell you; this is important because that is the cry of many people's hearts. I want deeper faith. I think there's a lot of people who want deeper faith. Even if you have the faith to ask Jesus Christ into your heart as Lord and savior, there is yet a deeper faith.

There's a sustaining faith. There's a persevering faith. There is a deeper faith that trust God, even in the valley of trouble. A lot of times when people get in trouble, they think God has abandoned them or where is God because I'm in trouble but there is a faith that believes in the hand of God, walking with you in the midst of the trouble. I'll tell you what, I lived many years, now I'm not going to tell you how many but many years now and I have seen many, many troubles.

I'm here to tell you that God has walked with me through every one of them. I'm very, very thankful for that. My father was an alcoholic, live in an abusive home. We lived in extreme poverty. My daughter was murdered. I understand trouble, but I also understand the persevering hand of God walking with me through every one of them. I love this scripture in Habakkuk, though a fig tree should not blossom and there'd be no fruit on the vine, though the yield of the olives should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there'll be no cattle in the stalls, yet still I will exalt in the Lord that this is a deeper faith.

We're talking about a deeper faith here. Even in that valley of trouble, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord, God is my strength. He has made my feet like Hind’s feet, which means like the feet of a deer and makes me walk on high places. He makes me walk in high place, Habakkuk 3. When you think of faith, a deeper faith, a faith that walks victoriously in the valley of trouble.

I'll tell you that there are many examples in the Bible, but one of the greatest has to be David and that's where we meet David in the scriptures here. Your faith is strengthened when you read the account of David's story and David's faith, amazing victorious faith. We are strengthened in our faith when we see it, because we need that kind of faith. David was famous in Israel and throughout history because he faced the Philistine giant.

We will read the account of it now. I submit to you that when David went out to that battlefield to face that giant, that there were two giants on that field. He said, "No, no, there was only one. David was small in stature." No, there were two giants. The Philistine was the giant physically, but David was a giant spiritually. You can be a giant spiritually. God wants this for you.
This is not just the story to read. It's not just the story of interest. It's a story that's there's faith. It's a story that transforms us because we want that kind of faith. There are troubles. I'll tell you; this is a trouble-filled world and there will be many more troubles in this world as we draw near to the latter days, we need greater faith. We have seen a world in trouble and there will be greater troubles yet we need greater faith for those troubles.

I'll tell you, I've been mentioning, if you've asked Jesus Christ into your heart as Lord and savior, then he has a calling and a purpose and a mission for you and your life but you need faith to live out that calling and that purpose and that mission. Well, you need faith. You need victorious faith. You need sustaining faith because there will be troubles. No matter what purpose God has for you, no matter what mission or calling there will be troubles and you need sustaining faith.

Now the backstory to this, David is a youth here in First Samuel 17. At this point when we come to this part of this story, Chapter 16 tells us that God has sent the Prophet Samuel very highly-regarded, respected prophet in Israel to anoint David. To anoint is to pour the oil of the Holy Spirit. It's a picture of the Holy Spirit's anointing. Now, after he anoints him with oil, David continues in the being a shepherd. He was a shepherd boy, young man tending to sheep.

He continued in that until the events of the story that will unfold here in this chapter. Backstory, Israel is at war with the Philistines. The enemy of Israel for many years up to this point and the armies of Israel and the Philistines were standing opposite each other with the valley of Elah between them. Now, the story is that David's brothers, his older brothers, because David is a youngest, David's older brothers were serving in the army, were serving in the service of Israel.

Their father sent David to check on their well-being and to bring gifts for the commander and such. When he arrives in the camp, he hears that there is this Philistine giant, who is taunting the armies of Israel. He would come out each morning and taunt the armies of Israel, "Send out a man to fight." In other words, single-handed combat, "Send out a man to fight," And no man responded. Everyone was afraid.

David comes into the camp and he hears this giant taunting the armies of Israel and that's where we see the faith of David. When he hears this taunting, who is this? He says, "Who is this?" Well, actually what he says is, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?" Now, when you hear that, you have to hear a little disdain in his voice. "Who is this? Who does he think he is?" That's the idea.

Taunting the armies of the living God, "Is there not a God of Israel?" That's his faith coming through and his faith is the key to this story. Now King Saul is going to send David to face this Philistine and when he sends him, he's sending a giant, he's sending a spiritual giant. There are life lessons out of this, all for us to become spiritual men and women of tremendous spiritual depth and deeper faith that God has for us because I tell you, there are troubles. There are battles.

There are giants in the land, spiritually challenging, difficult days and so there's a great story for us. Let's read it First Samuel 17, we pick it up in verse 31. David has come to the camp and as he's asking now, "What will be done for the men?" Because Saul has promised great things for the man who can take this and when the words which David spoke were heard, then those words were told to Saul and Saul sent for him.

David then said to soul, "Let no man's heart fail on account of this man, this Philistine, your servant--" In other words me. "Your servant will go and fight against this Philistine." Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him. You are, but a youth and he's been a warrior since his youth." David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep and a lion came and attacked. Then a bear came and attacked and took a lamb. I went after him and I attacked a lion and a bear, and I rescued it from his mouth.
When he rose up against me, I seized him by the beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed a lion and a bear. This uncircumcised Philistines will be one of them since he's taunted the armies of the living."

Now remember at this point, David is anointed. He's already been anointed by the Holy Spirit. He's been moving in the power of God. David verse 37 said, "The Lord who delivered me--" You see how he recognizes that it is God's hand on his life. "It is the Lord who has delivered me." I love that right there, because I'll tell you, God has delivered me for many troubles.
The fact that he gives the glory and honor to God. "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Then go and may the Lord, may Jehovah, Yahweh, uses the name of God, be with you." Saul clothed David with his garments, put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed them with armor.

David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, but he had not tested them. David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these. I have not tested them." In other wards these do not even fit. David took them off. Then he took his stick in his hand, and then he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook. He put them in his Shepherd's bag, which he had even in his pouch and then a sling was in his hand. Then he approached the Philistine.

I thought you might be interested to note that many times when we go to Israel we take groups to Israel, we like to go- if we have time we like to go to this valley of Elah, it's a wonderful place to go because you can just then see the events unfolding before your eyes. In the spiritual sense, because there's this, the hill rises over here. You know that the army of Israel was here. The army of Philistines were there and you can go to the broken and the middle. I actually picked up a nice stone.

I would tell you this very stone came from the valley of Elah. When I go there I like to bring a sling because it's always fun to try it. The sling that they would have would be very much this, not like the kind that we would have whenwe were young boys. You put it over your finger this and the stone in the pouch. Then you then begin to whip it over your head. Then you let go of it like that. Then the rock will go flying.

Let me show you. Just kidding I would not do that. I'm a professional don't try this at home. Just kidding. The sling was a very dangerous weapon because that stone would be sent flying and just fly at tremendous speed. The accuracy of which could be achieved through tremendous numbers of hours practicing. What do you do when you're out watching the sheep, hour after hour, David did more than just that, hour after hour.

But let's not forget the Holy Spirit, the role of God in this. It goes on to say, then he approached the Philistine. Then the Philistine came on and approached David and a shield bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him because he was but a youth. I love this comment, "Although he was ready and handsome in appearance." Let's make sure we know that.

The Philistine den said to David, "What is this? Am I a dog? What is this? Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?" The Philistine cursed David by his gods. The idea here is to strike fear in your opponent when you curse at him this and rail insults. The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, come here to me. I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beast of the field come here." Then David, would you listen to this speech? To me is a speech of faith.

We just see the faith of David in the speech. David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword, a sphere and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have just haunted." That's one of the most famous set of verses in the bible to me. I love the victorious faith then he says, "You come to me with the things of man and the armament of man, I come to you in the in the name."

When you live in the name of the Lord, you're living in the power of the Lord who sent you and the anointing of the spirit who gave you his name, "-whom you just taunted. This day the Lord--" David continues, "This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands and I will strike you down. I will remove your head from you. I will give the dead bodies of the armies of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beast of the earth so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel and that all this assembly may know.

Now, this is where he turns to the armies of Israel. "So that everyone else here would know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear for the battle is the Lord's. He will give you into our hands." This is a victorious deep faith. Then it happened when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.

David then put his hand in his bag and took from it a stone and he slung it and it struck the Philistine on the forehead and the stone sank into his four heads so that he fell on his face to the ground. I suggest to you that he's not dead, at this point he's not dead, but he struck him in the forehead and he fell face down. David prevailed over the Philistine with the sting of the stone and these struck him and killed him.

There was no sword in David's hand. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of a sheet and killed him. Notice there, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, then they fled and all Israel begin to pursue them. These are the verses that I want to look at. We'll look at the other verses around it on Wednesday we do our verse by verse chapter by chapter study.

I. Faith is Built One Trouble at a Time

Would you notice the applications and the life lessons that come to us out of the story, starting with this faith is built one trouble at a time. People don't often grow much in their faith when they're on vacation would you note. I've been on a number of vacations and they have not been faith building opportunities. Although they have been wonderful, refreshing opportunities and relationship building.

I just had an opportunity to have a nice little trip with my wife for our 37 anniversary. Can you believe in three years, it'll be 40 years. I don't look that old. Do I? No, I don't. Where was I? It's not vacation that builds your faith. It's troubles. This is important because many people they think, where is God, I'm going through troubles. Why is God allowing me to go through troubles? But faith is built one trouble at a time. It's the storms of life it's the valleys of trouble that bring the greatest spiritual growth because it's then that you see that God is sustaining you. It's there that you see that God is with you, that God can deliver you.

That his hand is upon your life. When David heard the talks of this Goliath, he's actually incense at this, he's angered at this. "Who is this? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he they're taunt the armies of the living God?" Where does faith that come from? Where do you get faith like that? How do you arise to have such confidence in God? Now notice the qualifier there confidence in God, because we live in a time and a culture where self-confidence is the mantra of the day.

You need more self-confidence man. May I suggest to you that God does not want you to self-confident so well, what's the opportunity- What's the opposite then? What does he want me? He wants me to be insecure and fearful? No, you miss. There's another alternative. He wants you confident in him, because if you're confident in self, then you don't need God because your confidence is in self, but if your confidence is in God, it's a whole other thing.

A. Spiritual giants have a heart after God

To discern the distinction is to understand a deeper faith. It is to understand how to live in this life well. Each person must decide how they're going to live their lives. To live your life well is to understand the significance, not of self-confidence, but of God confidence. Where do you get faith like that? May I suggest that it begins here. Spiritual giants have a heart after God.
When God rejected Saul, as king of Israel, Samuel said, at that point, "God has rejected you." Then he says, "The Lord has sought out." That word sought out, means to seek. "God has sought out for himself a man after his own heart, after God's own heart and the Lord appointed him as ruler over his people." He was speaking of David, "The Lord sought him out."

Remember that scripture. I love to quote it. Second Chronicles, 16-9. "The eyes of the Lord are seeking out. The eyes of the Lord are searching to and fro throughout the whole earth. In order to show himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are perfectly his." It starts with that. A spiritual giant has a heart after God. It's the foundation of faith. Those who become spiritual giants became began as men and women who love God. That's how it begins. You begin with that.

In the chapter before this first Samuel 16:6-7 it says, "It came about that. When the sons of Jesse entered to stand before a Samuel, the prophet. When the sons of Jesse entered, he looked at Eliab, the oldest, and he thought, surely here, this is the Lord's anointed standing before him. But the Lord said to Samuel, no, do not look at his appearance. Do not look at the stature. The height of his stature do not look at this. I have rejected this one because God sees not as man sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord he looks into the heart. He can see the heart."

God can see the heart. God knows the heart. This is very, very important because spiritual giants are founded upon this basis of heart. It's real. It's authentic. It's genuine. There's no fake to it. It's real. They love God. They really love God. They want God in their lives. It's real. There's no fake to it. It's genuine. They pursue it. They want it. They'll be great men and women, they'll be giants of spiritual strength because it starts with that.

Now I'll tell you, men are not born with that. It's important to recognize. Men are not born with that. It's quite the opposite. Man is born with a heart that's wicked Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick." Who can understand this? He's speaking of the men born in that nature of man, you were born in that nature. Now, if you raise kids you know you don't have to teach a child how to be selfish. They know that all on their own, they were born with that knowledge.

Selfishness is in born because it's part of the nature of man. They come out of the boom that way. Therefore something has to happen. In order for a man or a woman to be a spiritual giant and they weren't born that way. Then something's got to happen between the time that they're born and the time that they become a spiritual giant, something's got to happen.

B. God is forging an excellent spirit

What is that that must happen. Spiritual revival that's what must happen. It's the foundation of change. It's the heart after God. But he's I, because I submit to you that there are no spiritual giants without a heart after God, there is no such thing. There are no spiritual giants without a heart after God, there is no such thing. Now is the time God is at work. Now he's doing it work now in your life and mine, God, this is what the work of God does.

This is what the Holy Spirit does in stirring people up. He's stirring people up now because now is the time to strengthen yourself in the Lord because we are living in troubled times and there will be troubles ahead of us. But how do you do this by opening your heart? See, God is the one who is pursuing you. God is the one who's calling your name. God is the one who's knocking on your heart.

When you open your heart, you're saying, God, I, yes, I want that. See when God is pursuing you, he's saying, "I want relationship to you. I want to love you. I want relationship to you. I want to draw near to you." There are many people who they put their hand up that know they're stiff arm. God, he actually calls that stiff necked, but there are others when God says, "I want you. I want relationship. I want to love you. I want to draw near to you. I'm knocking. I'm calling your name." There are others who say, "I want that too Lord.

It's amazing that you would want relationship with me. I'm a sinner. Yet you want relationship to me?" This is amazing. God says, "Yes, I do. Would you open the heart? Would you open the door?" Then you say, "I do. Yes. I opened my life to you." That's the beginning of it. That's how it is. Then he begins. When you open your heart, you say, "Yes, thank you for pursuing me. I want that to Lord."

Then he says, "Wonderful, thank you for opening your heart. Now I will pour my Holy Spirit out on your life. Now I will pour my presence into you. Now I will take that, which you were born and transform it because I will put my spirit within you." Ezekiel 36:26. Moreover, God says, "I will give you a new heart. I will do this." You open the doors of your heart. This is the beginning. You open the doors of your heart. God says, "Now I will move. Now, watch, I will give you a new heart. I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove that hardest stone. I will give you a new heart."

This is what God does. It doesn't matter whether you're young or whether you're old. The heart that has changed is the heart God can use, the heart that is open to him is the heart that he will fill, the heart that it says yes is the heart that God says, then have more. The key is the relationship. The key is the relationship. When David was a simple shepherd, he had a relationship, simple devotion. He's out there.

David is out there with the sheep alone and he's got his harp and he's he's writing songs. David was a songwriter and he was good because he wrote the words out of the heart of devotion that he had for God, Psalm 23. One of our favorite is Psalms Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. You can see right away, David's understanding because David is a shepherd. He watches over, he tends over the sheep. He has a relationship of caring concern. You make sure that they're safe.

II. God is a Very Present Help

Make sure that they're well cared for. Make sure that they're well fed. He understands this nature, this relationship. He says, "The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not walk because I know that he will be the one who watches over my life. I will not bond because he makes me to lie down in green pastures. He is the one who leads me beside still waters." David is writing this as a devotion. "He's the one who guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil."

David has an understanding here. David understands that in this life, there will be many troubles. David is not going to shake his fist. "Why are you God allowing me to walk through the shadow of death?" No, his faith says, "Even though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil." That's faith. He's speaking. He's writing out of his devotion.
"I fear no evil, even there. I know this. I know that you're with me. I know that your rod and your staff, they comfort me and you have a knighted. My head with oil." Samuel poured the oil of the Holy Spirit. "My cup overflows. Surely I know this, surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life." What is he saying there? I know that God is the one who will give me a beautiful life.

That doesn't mean that there will be no troubles. That's not the definition of a beautiful life. He will give me a beautiful life because I'll have him with me in it. I'll make a beautiful life. "Surely I know this goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. That's the one thing I want. Then notice this because it's important there's a work that God does.

God is forging an excellent spirit. This is he's forging to make a spiritual giant. He's forging an excellent spirit. Alan Redpath once said, "The conversion of the soul is the miracle of a moment but the making of a man or a woman of God is the work of a lifetime." It's a work of a lifetime. Before David faced the giant, he had already faced many troubles. This is important to see. Faith is built one trouble at a time, faith is built one trouble at a time.

David had already faced many troubles. God use those troubles to strengthen his faith. While he was watching a sheep and then a lion or a bear came, he went after them. In the boldness of the Holy Spirit, he went after them because God was forging an excellent spirit using the troubles of David's life to forge that excellent spirit. Faith is built one trouble at a time. He was using those troubles to forge an excellent spirit.

He was preparing him for the challenges ahead. You've no doubt heard the expression a foxhole conversion. There's an old saying there are no atheists in foxholes which is to say there are conversions that happen in the desperate moment. If a person is in a foxhole, this is a desperate moment, they are in fear of their life and there are many so-called foxhole conversions. I'll tell you, I do not criticize that. Any conversion is a beautiful thing.

In fact, conversion to faith in Christ is due to the troubles of the life I don't criticize that, at least you came. At least you came even if you came late, at least you came. Here's my point, but you don't instantly move from foxhole conversion to spiritually victorious faith. It does not happen in an instant which is Alan Redpath's quote, "The conversion of the soul is the miracle of the moment but the making of a man or woman of God is the work of a lifetime."

A. Faith is the victory

Psalms 71 verses 5 and then 17 to 18, you see that God is at work in David's life since he was young. You are my hope is another one of his songs. "You are my hope, oh Lord God." Notice, you are my confidence since my youth. David had confidence. I think everyone would have to agree. David was a man who has some confidence but he understood faith. His faith was God-confidence. "God, you have been my confidence." I walk on this earth confident in my God, who walks with me.

Notice he says, "Oh God, you've taught me from my youth and I still declare your wondrous deeds." David wrote this when he was older, by the way. "Even when I'm old and gray. This is one of the reasons I love this because I'm getting there now. "Even when I'm old and gray, oh, God, do not forsake me. Until I declare your strength to this next generation and your power to all who want to come."

Oh, that's the desire of my life as I go into my older years. I want to speak to the next generation. It's such a wonderful thing to see young men and women of the next generation listening and hearing and receiving the Word of God and knowing that it's touching and transforming lives. I love to think of what God can do with those lives when they become spiritual giants, spiritual men, and women.

When they have chosen well a beautiful life. I want to teach he says. "I want to speak because you have taught me from my youth." He wants to teach the next youth. David was anointed by the Holy Spirit and that same Holy Spirit continued on David and he continued in that confidence in which you began. May I suggest to you that that same Holy Spirit that anointed David is the same Holy Spirit when you open your heart to the living God is the same Holy Spirit that he pours on you that he poured on David.

It's not a different spirit, it's the same one. That's why Zechariah 4:6 is such a wonderful verse, we love to quote it. He said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel the governor of Israel at the time, saying, it is not by might it's not by power. It's by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts," Because what had happened was Zerubbabel had come back after the time of exile, and need to rebuild Jerusalem and it was a pile of rubble, literally a mountain of rubble. They were distressed.

B. The battle belongs to the Lord

Look at this huge mountain of rubble. They were so discouraged. The word of the Lord came to Zerubbabel and the bigger context of it is, "What are you oh, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you will become a plane and he will put the top stone on it and he will shout grace, grace to you for it is not by power, not by might but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts. You know that and you've known a great truth."

Then next, and we see this out of the story, God blesses the heart that loves him. You begin on that foundation, and God will bless the heart that loves him. You look at David's heart, you see his love. He's watching the sheep. He's playing his harp. He's writing songs, beautiful, personal, heartfelt moment. David didn't write those psalms because he thought they would make him famous one day.

David didn't write those songs, thinking one day, he's going to get a publisher. He wrote those psalms because he wanted to honor God in them. He just as a shepherd, he didn't know if anyone would ever hear them or anyone even want to hear them. He simply wanted to love God, a personal love to God. God loved him for it. Listen to some of the words of David, Psalm 8, he's out there, as a shepherd, looking at the stars, "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon in the stars, which you have ordained, what is man, that you would take thought of him, and the Son of Man that you would care for him? Oh, Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth."

David puts himself in perspective, and then immediately gives honor to God in his Majesty, Psalm 19, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight to you, oh, Lord, my rock and my redeemer." What personal, devotional, beautiful words is David's heart that God saw? Because that's what God was searching for and that's what God is searching for now.

That's what God is longing to see now. I tell you, this is so important because many people don't understand that God sees the heart and knows the heart and wants to see the heart be authentic and genuine. That's where revival happens and that's where spiritual depth happens. The next and we'll see this in the story, "God is a very present help." That's faith. God is a very present help.

It's the key to understanding deeper faith, knowing that God is your help, that he'll never leave you that he'll never forsake you. We need that understanding because this world is a difficult, troubled-filled world. This life is a trouble-filled life and there are giants ahead that you might say, there are many people facing giants of all types, whether it's a medical condition, or they've lost their job, or there's alcohol or drugs or there problems in their marriage or financial problems.

There's all many kinds of troubles in life but to recognize that God is our help, Psalm 46, "God is our refuge. God is our strength. He is a very present help in times of trouble." When people say, "Where is God? Why did he allow me to have trouble?" They're pushing God out but he is the very one that you need in times of trouble. He's a very present help he's very near to me.
"Therefore, we will not fear though the earth should change. Though the mountain slip into this heart of the sea. We will not fear." Then verse 10, he said, that's where he says, "Be still be at peace, quiet your soul and know this, I am God know that." Here's the thing. Faith is the victory. That's the point. Faith is the victory. Giants and giant problems are intimidating. 40 days it tells us that Israel had this taunting worn down. These taunting wore them down.

They were being reduced into something much less and weaker than God wanted them to be. This is the truth. Problems can wear a person down. The problems of life can be just weary, and just constantly weighting a person down. Here's where David's faith encourages us. David knew where strength comes from. David knew how to strengthen his soul. Here's the weight of the problems pressing down, but David knew how to strengthen his soul.

Here's an example. Several years after this, David and his men, this is before he was king. David and his men returned to camp only to discover the Amalekites had come and had taken captive women and children. David, and his men wept bitterly and then the men turned against him. 1 Samuel 30:6, moreover, David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning David. For all the people were embittered each one because of his sons and his daughters.

David, I love this verse, but David strengthened himself in the Lord. David knew where strength came from. You can imagine him going off by himself, strengthening himself in the Lord. He actually came back and he had a tremendous plan. This is what we're going to do man. He rallied the men and a great victory was wrought that day because he was strengthened in the Lord.
When you're facing troubles there's where you begin, strengthen yourself. You draw near, turn your heart to him. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run, run to him and you're saved. I tell you in times of trouble, that's when you need revival. That's when you need to draw nearest to the Lord. That's what spiritual giants do. Psalms 121:1-2, "I lift up mine eyes to the hills, where does my help come from?"

I love this, we love to quote this. "I lift up mine eyes where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord. That's where my help comes from maker of heaven and earth." In other words, if he can make heaven and earth, he's my help. Then you see David's faith in this story. "You come to me with sword in this fear in javelin, I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, whom you have just taunted." The Lord delivers that's David. That's his strength.

2 Corinthians:10, "Though we walk in the flesh we do not war according to the flesh, the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh. They are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses." That is spiritual strength of a giant. Lastly, we'll close with this. David understood the battle belongs to the Lord. The victory is ours. When the battle is the Lord's, there is a trust. There is a faith that believes that my God is able to bring a victory, even in the face of great giant problems.

I have seen some great, great, great troubles. Many that I have not even mentioned here. Great troubles but I have seen God save every single time. God has not failed me yet and I know that my God will not. He has seen me thus far and he's not going to leave me now. Amen. I mentioned last week about this terrible tragedy that this man who murdered our daughter, that we just heard that the judge overturned his conviction, it will have to be retried, but also, meanwhile, the sentencing guidelines have changed.

He was sentenced previously life without parole now because of new guidelines, he will have an opportunity for parole in nine years. Thus we will have to go to every parole hearing the rest of our lives. I know this God has not left me yet and he's not leaving me now. Amen.

Let's pray. Father we thank you so much for these great truths, by these you strengthen us in our faith. Lord I pray for everyone in this room right now that there will be a desire in the heart to be spiritual giants. A man or woman who trusts that God is a very present, help that God sees the heart and builds upon it. Church tonight, he's asking, "Would you open your heart? If you will open your heart?" He is the one who has been pursuing. He's the one who's been knocking. The one who's been calling your name.

When you open your heart, He says, "And now I will do a work, I'll fill in you with my spirit, my presence, my help, my strength. I've been pursuing you and now I will fill and anoint. I'll give a beautiful life. This is what I do. This is what I do. Church how many today would say that to the Lord, "Well, then do it in me. I open my heart to you. Do that in me. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. Same Holy Spirit you filled David. Fill me, anoint me, transform me. God that's the desire of my heart. I want confidence like that in you.

I'm tired of confidence in me. It's got me nowhere. I want you in my life. I need your hand. I need your transforming power. In the days of trouble I believe that you will never leave me. You'll never forsake me that you are very present help in time of trouble. God, I'm asking, do this work in me. I'm opening my heart to you." Church would you say that to the Lord?
Would you just raise your hand to the Lord and say that, but when you raise your hand you're saying, "Do that work in me. I want that life that comes when you pour your spirit. I want that life." Would you just raise your hand to the Lord. Father thank you for everyone who says yes and amen to the things of God in their life. You are the one who does such wonderful things. We trust you. We look to you, we honor you for it now in Jesus' powerful name and everyone say-

Can we give the Lord praise, glory, and honor. Amen. Amen. We going to worship. I tell you, worship is such an important part. David was a worshiper. David understood the importance of worship. There the Holy Spirit enlivens and moves upon the soul.