We all face giants in life. What I mean is the problems and issues we encounter in life. There are times that we made these giants fall but they seem to only grow stronger in the passing of time.
It could be a giant of fear, giant of pride, giant of jealousy, giant of addiction, or giant of hidden sin that has a grip on your life. Or it might be a different kind of giant altogether,
Those things are true in our lives. But those things are not the real deal. Those are just results of one great giant of our lives—sin.
If someone were to ask you, “What’s the most dangerous spiritual responsibility to neglect?” You might think of Scripture reading, prayer, evangelism, listening to preaching, or attending corporate worship. And it’s not that you’d be wrong. God commands all believers to pursue those things. They’re non-negotiable.
But there’s another spiritual responsibility we often overlook. It’s an intimate, unpleasant, and exhausting duty—killing sin.
“Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.” – John Owen
The choice is yours. Kill sin, or be killed by sin.
But let me remind all of us. We can’t defeat of kill sin on our own. And God knows it. That’s why He sent His Son for us. Christ removed the penalty of our sin on the cross. As Christians, you and I no longer stand accused under the righteous requirements of the law. (Romans 8:4)
The Bible tells us in...
Romans 8:1 ESV
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Jesus has already defeated death and sin in our lives. But we still sin. We still commit sin. And many believers, even though they see the giants in front of them, they don’t do anything to take it down.
And maybe you are asking, "If God is good, how can God who loves me allow me to struggle with sin?"
If being sinless was of most importance to the Lord it seems He would have made us sinless after He saved us. But He didn’t. Let me give you my personal insights.
First...
God has good reasons for everything He does, including what He allows.
Romans 8:28 ESV
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Psalm 115:3 ESV
3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
These verses teach that whenever God acts, he acts in a way that pleases him.
God is never constrained to do a thing that he despises. He is never backed into a corner where his only recourse is to do something he hates to do.
He does whatever he pleases. And therefore, in some sense, he has pleasure in all that he does.
This should lead us to bow before God and praise his sovereign freedom — that, in some sense, he always acts in freedom, according to his own “good pleasure,” following the dictates of his own delights.
Second...
God did not totally clean you up at salvation and the reason sin still remains in your life is to regularly remind you that apart from Him you can do nothing.
John 15:5 ESV
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
God wants us to long for heaven with Him.
John 14:2-3 NKJV
2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Sin—whether big or small—can make living our lives miserable. The practice of sin is not to be the normal lifestyle of believers. When we sin it has an effect upon us as well upon others.
Now that it is clear to us that we have our own giants in life, as we face them, what are the things we must remember?
Recognize the giants in our lives.
All of us have problems. All of us have temptations.
1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
While it is true we all have giants, it is also true that every giant can be defeated. After all, giants rarely start out that way.
Giants often begin quite small. When we have a big sin in our lives, it started as a little sin that was allowed, nurtured, fed, and even encouraged, and then became a giant that taunts us. It started with a so-called Christian liberty that we proclaimed and is now getting the best of us.
Realize that the battle is not ours, but God’s.
There are battles in life that we shouldn’t be facing alone. That is why giants defeat us again and again — because we face them in our own strength and we lose. We need to realize this is the Lord’s battle.
2 Chronicles 20:15b ESV
15…Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's.
Remind ourselves not to be passive.
You shouldn't run from giants. You shouldn't negotiate with them. You attack them.
Whatever your giant may be, force it into the light of day. Stop rationalizing it. Stop excusing it. Realize you can’t defeat it in your own strength.
James 4:7 ESV
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 5:8 ESV
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Ephesians 4:27 ESV
27 and give no opportunity to the devil.
The best example that I can give in facing a giant is the story of David facing against Philistine's champion, Goliath
The Bible says in..
1 Samuel 17:45-51 ESV
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with 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 defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.” 48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
When you kill a snake and even chop off its head, it can still bite you. You need to bury the head. Giants are still dangerous in our lives. But, we just need to bury them, put them to rest and move on in our lives. Will you do it?
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