Slaying Your Goliath

We all have a Goliath in our lives.  Unlike the biblical story of David and Goliath, ours certainly isn’t the gigantic Philistine with heavy armor that David took out with one stone.  Our Goliath more likely comes in the form of those “big” problems in our lives which seem impossible to overcome.  Our Goliath may be the grip of an addiction, a paralyzing fear, financial hardship, chronic regret or resentment, or an ongoing sin or habit.  At its essence, our Goliath is something that draws us away from God and keeps us from experiencing the peace and joy he wants us to experience in our lives.

Therefore, God calls us to defeat the Goliath’s in our lives and win the victory over that which separates us from Him.  Like the Biblical story of David slaying Goliath (1 Samuel 17) we must be confident in knowing that the Lord will give us the necessary strength and weapons to fight our battles armed with his courage. But how do we do this?  Initially, we must first look our Goliath in the eye, call it what it is and commit to defeating it with God’s help. A great place to begin is through the powerful healing Sacrament of Confession in which we make a thorough and honest moral inventory of our lives through the confession of our sins.  We must also recognize that we cannot overcome our problems by ourselves.

However, once we commit with determination to defeat our Goliath while trusting in God’s saving power and grace – amazing feats can occur!  With God, our ordinary efforts become extraordinary in defeating the giants in our lives.  As David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 37).

We must also recognize the problem for what it is – a crossroad in our life, a defining moment in which we can either decide to “put on the armor of Christ” or allow ourselves to continue to succumb to our Goliath which could negatively impact the rest of our lives and keep us from God’s loving plans.  In Ephesians we are urged to seek help from God in our battle, “Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground ” (Ephesians 6:11-13).  What will you decide for?

In the story of David and Goliath, we find that David “ran quickly toward the battle line to meet Goliath” (1 Samuel 48).  In other words, he didn’t waste time contemplating his next move.  Instead he swiftly took action, knocking out Goliath with only a smooth stone and sling and then finished him off with the sword.  We too are called to not delay in meeting and defeating our Goliaths.  We can see David’s swift action was based upon his confidence in the Lord.  Like David, we mustn’t be intimidated or frightened by our Goliath,  “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord almighty, the God of the armies of Israel” (1 Samuel 45).  David was diligent and even if, in his humanity, he experienced any level of fear or intimidation it melted away through the faith and confidence he had in knowing that with God, even that which seems impossible, can be accomplished.

It is also important to confront your Goliath with fervent prayer as well as a plan of action.  For starters, it includes studying God’s commandments, reflecting on his word and applying it in our lives through action.  It includes the healing and restorative power of the Holy Mass and Sacrament of Confession.  At times, it may be painful as we expose our hidden Goliath to the light of truth.   But this is where the healing and dealing with the problem begins.  Like David, we can put our fear to flight and together with God begin to take action against our problem.  Unlike the others, David ran towards Goliath determined to fight the Philistine warrior, remembering that no problem is bigger than God.

Do not grow weary or discouraged if you also find you are fighting your battle alone with little or no support.  David’s oldest brother, Eliab, chided his youngest brother’s confidence prior to battle, misinterpreting David’s faithful conviction as arrogance. Yet, David was not discouraged after this verbal attack from his sibling.  Without earthly help – he realized that his help, strength, and support came from God above who would deliver him.  In our humanity, the enemy would love to see us fail.   The words, “You can’t do it. Why don’t you just give up,” may enter into our minds during our battle.

Yet, God says just the opposite, “You can do it.  I am always with you.  Do not fear and never give up!”  The bible encourages us to suit up using the armor of faith for “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.  So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12).  Like David, let us be tenacious, strong and faith-filled when it comes to defeating the Goliath in our lives.  David trusted in God’s power and persevered in slaying his giant and so must we, remembering that God is always in our corner, supporting us and helping each of us onward to victory!

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Judy Keane is a Catholic writer and a communications/marketing executive who resides in Washington, D.C. She holds an MBA in International Business and is the author of Single and Catholic, published by Sophia Institute Press.

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