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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Only Way to Deal with a Giant

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As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. —1 Samuel 17:48

Goliath looked like a formidable giant on the battlefield. But consider this: he wasn’t always a giant. Goliath was a man after all, which means that he once was a baby. (He must have been a beast of a baby!) With the passing of time, he became a toddler. The toddler became a child. The child became a teen. The teen became a man. And in time, he became a giant of a man.

The giants in our lives usually start out small too. Often they begin with an attitude that says, I can handle this. It is just a drink here and there. It is just having one with the guys after work. It is just a glass of wine with Italian food. Then, after a while, it is a drink to unwind at the end of a long day. Then it is having a drink in the morning. Pretty soon, it is not being able to get through the day without a drink. People who don’t plan on ending up this way end up this way.

Like Goliath, our giants start small, and they get big. That little area we thought we had control of now has control of us. That little thing that once was a pest has now become a relentless giant, and we don’t know how to defeat it. We don’t know how to bring it down.

The problem is that if we tolerate a giant, he will take over our territory. He will come right up on our doorstep. How do we deal with that? We don’t negotiate with him. We don’t yell at him. We don’t run from him. We attack and kill him. That is how to deal with a giant.

In God’s strength, David defeated his giant. And so can you.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Face to Face with a Giant

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For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. —Philippians 4:13

Years ago I came into close contact with a giant—an enormous whale. My friends and I were in one of those little inflatable boats, and we had gone out to do some whale watching. When we saw one breach some distance away, we went in for a closer look, still keeping our distance. Suddenly a young whale swam right under our boat. A couple of moments later, its submarine-sized mother came along and also glided right under our little craft. She was so close that we actually could see the barnacles on her body. And as fast as she and her calf had appeared, they disappeared.

In a sense, we all have giants that we encounter in life. By giants I mean those seemingly insurmountable problems and issues that we have tried to bring down but have only grown stronger with the passing of time. For some people, it may be the giant of fear. For others, it might be the giant of a personal sin. For still others, it might be the giant of addiction.

But no matter who we are, we all face giants: hardships, temptations, obstacles, and challenges. Yet 1 Corinthians 10:13 assures us, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

Know this: every giant can be defeated. There is no power you need to be under . . . no addiction that needs to control your life . . . no lifestyle you cannot break free from . . . no giant that should be overpowering you. You have everything you need in your relationship with Christ.