This book by popular author Nell W. Mohney, draws from the biblical story of David and Goliath, offering readers inspiration and encouragement for facing and defeating the spiritual "giants" in their lives such as: grief, depression, procrastination, stress, perfectionism, anger and resentment, jealousy, lust, and loneliness. Questions are provided at the end of each chapter to help individuals and groups "dig a little deeper."

Slay Your Giants

Life Lessons from the Story of David and GoliathBy Nell W. Mohney

Abingdon Press

Copyright © 2007 The United Methodist Publishing House
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-687-49106-3

Chapter One

The Story of David and Goliath

But David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand." (1 Samuel 17:45-46)

My encounter with Julia caused me to go home and reread the biblical story of David and Goliath in its entirety. It is not only an inspirational story but also a fascinating character study offering some valuable life lessons that can help us as we face giants in our own lives.

A Boy Fights a Giant

Scene 1: David Takes a Care Package to His Brothers

Jesse, an Israelite, had eight sons. The three oldest were in Saul's army; four tilled the soil with their father; and David, the youngest, watched over and cared for the sheep. Like any contemporary father, Jesse was concerned about and prayed for the three who were in harm's way in battle. Without access to television or postal service, Jesse longed to know how they were doing. So from time to time, he sent a "care package" to his sons in the army.

As the drama opens, Jesse has instructed David to go and check on his brothers and bring back word. My guess is that he hoped to receive a letter from each of the three. David also is to take a bushel of roasted grain and ten loaves of bread to his brothers and cheese for the captain of the army (see Samuel 17:4-7). A smart father!

In scene one, we find young David engaged in a mundane task—taking food to his brothers in the army. Similarly, we are often engaged in normal, everyday activities when we encounter our own giants—such as grief, depression, stress, resentment, loneliness, or disappointment.

Scene 2: David Meets Goliath

After the long walk, David arrives at the valley of Elah where the Philistine army is camped. He hears everyone talking about the Philistine giant, Goliath, who is nine feet tall—and this is before the days of steroids, growth pills, and basketball teams! Goliath wears a bronze helmet, a two-hundred-pound coat of mail, and bronze leggings; and he carries a bronze javelin, which is several inches thick. His armor bearer, who carries a huge shield, walks ahead of Goliath (see 1 Samuel 17:4-7).

As David watches, Goliath appears and shouts his challenge for a Hebrew to come and fight him. If Goliath wins, the Hebrews will become slaves of the Philistines, and vice versa. Young David can't believe that no one in the army of the Lord has the courage to fight the giant. Saul has offered incentives—a large purse of money, one of his daughters' hand in marriage, and permanent exemption from paying taxes (see 1 Samuel 17:23). This is the ultimate concession for a politician at any time in history!

In scene two, we learn that we have to face our giants. We can live in denial by pretending that they are not there; but if we don't face them, we'll be intimidated and, ultimately, defeated.

Scene 3: David Fights Goliath

Despite the pleas of his brothers, David goes to King Saul and says in effect, "Don't worry about anything. I'll take care of the Philistine." Saul takes one look at the teenager and says, "Don't be ridiculous! You are nothing but a boy, and Goliath has been in the army since he was a boy." Then David tells Saul that God will protect him just as he has protected him while keeping sheep. He says, "The Lord who saved me from the claws and teeth of the lions and bore me safe, will bear me safe from the Philistines" (1 Samuel 17:32-37 TLB).

We know the rest of the drama—how David rejects Saul's armor and goes forth with five smooth stones, his sling, and a mighty faith in God. He calls out to the giant, "You come to me with a sword and a shield, but I come to you in the name of the LORD, the very God you defy. Today, the LORD will conquer you and Israel will learn that the LORD does not depend upon weapons to fulfill his plan. He works without regard to human means. He will give you to us" (1 Samuel 17:45-47, author's paraphrase). Psychologically, that's good stuff!

And that is exactly what happened. As 1 Samuel 1:50 tells us, "So David triumphed over the Philistines with a sling and a stone. Without a sword in his hand, he struck down the Philistine and killed him with Goliath's sword" (author's paraphrase).

David's Threefold Strategy

As I read the story, it occurred to me that all of us fight giants that intimidate us and cause us to be less than God created us to be. Yet there is hope. If we will become like David, we not only can face our giants but we can also slay them—overcome them—permanently! To become like David, we need to do three things:

1. Reject the Armor of Others

As we face the giants that attack us at different times in our lives, we can't simply observe how most people fight a similar giant and seek to use their armor. Just as David knew that Saul's heavy armor would not work for him, so also we must reject the world's armor of hatred, revenge, or lust as being not right for us. Instead, we can read widely about our giants and learn from other people of faith who have fought and won similar battles. These persons of faith—those of today as well as those of Bible days—can give us practical suggestions about winning the battle in a manner pleasing to God. From their suggestions, we can choose what is right for us.

In addition to looking to the example of others, we should remember the armor that Paul suggests in Ephesians 6:13-18: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, God's Word (the Bible), prayer, and perseverance. We must choose our armor in light of the Christian gospel and allow God to tailor make it perfectly for our unique circumstances.

For example, once when I was fighting the giant of fear, I recalled relevant scripture verses such as "Perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18); and "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). Still, it was not until I was ready to believe these truths and step out in faith that they became tailormade for me and for my circumstance. Though I had conditioned my mind with faith and scripture, which enabled me to believe that I could conquer the giant of fear, I didn't actually slay the giant until I did the thing I feared. In other words, I applied my belief through action. Let me share two instances of how this worked for me.

I used to be terrified of deep water, so I decided to take a swimming class. I got along fine in the shallow water; it was when the instructor told us to dive into deep water that everything in me rebelled. Yet, I knew that all my good intentions and biblical affirmations of faith would not be operative until I did my part and dove in. I closed my eyes and thought of the good life I had had until then, never expecting to come out of that water! Actually, I discovered that it is easier to swim in deep water.

Another fear was learning to speak publicly. I was even frightened of standing before a group and making a simple report. It was when I did my...