FACING LIFE'S GIANTS WITH FAITH

Everyone faces problems in life. Some are small and pass quickly, while others feel overwhelming and persistent. If problems are not dealt with properly, even minor issues can grow into something that feels like a giant. Over time, they can begin to dominate your thinking, influence your emotions, and shape your decisions. They may not be physical giants, but they can feel just as intimidating. Fear, sickness, relationship issues, depression, financial pressure, or other problems all have a way of making themselves seem larger than they really are. Left unchecked, they can begin to control how you live.

But there is good news: God is bigger than any problem you will ever face. No matter what form your challenge takes, you do not have to live under its weight. Scripture says, “You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’,” Romans 8:15. Fear is not your master—God is. When you focus on how big He is, your problems begin to shrink in comparison. They may still exist, but they no longer define you. You do not face them alone, and you do not face them as a victim. You face them with confidence, knowing who your God is.

What You Focus On Grows
One of the most important principles in overcoming problems is this: what you focus on grows. When your attention is fixed on the problem, it becomes heavier and more consuming. But when your focus is on God—His power, His faithfulness, and His promises—your faith begins to rise. The issue is not whether problems will come; they will. Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The real issue is where your focus will be when the problems come.

This truth is clearly seen in Numbers 13, when Moses sent twelve spies into the land God had promised. All twelve saw the same land and agreed that it was good and fruitful, yet ten of them focused on the obstacles. They said, “We are not able… we were like grasshoppers in our own sight,” Numbers 13:31, 33. Joshua and Caleb saw the same giants but responded very differently: “Let us go up at once… for we are well able to overcome it,” Numbers 13:30. The difference was not in what they saw, but in how they saw it. Joshua and Caleb viewed the giants through the lens of God’s promise, while the others viewed God’s promise through fear.

Giants Are Not as Strong as They Appear
Because of fear, the ten spies forgot what God had already done for them. They had seen the Red Sea part, water come from a rock, and manna fall from heaven, yet the giants seemed bigger than the God who had delivered them again and again. Their perspective shaped their outcome. Instead of stepping into the promised land, they wandered in the wilderness.

What they did not realize was that the giants were not nearly as confident as they appeared. Rahab later revealed, “Our hearts melted… neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you,” Joshua 2:11. The enemy feared Israel because of Israel’s God. This reveals an important truth: problems often look stronger than they really are. Fear exaggerates them, making them seem overwhelming, while faith restores clarity and proper perspective.

The more you dwell on a problem—thinking about it, talking about it, replaying it in your mind—the larger it becomes. You may even begin to identify with it, calling it ‘my problem’ or ‘my fear’. But the deeper issue is not the problem itself; it is your perspective. When your focus stays on the problem, it grows. When your focus shifts to God, faith rises, and the problem begins to lose its hold on you.

Knowing God Personally Changes Everything
This is where a personal relationship with God becomes essential. David is the best-known giant-killer in Scripture, but before he ever faced Goliath, he was a shepherd boy—unknown, untrained, and overlooked. What set him apart was not his ability, but his relationship with God.

While caring for sheep, David learned to trust God in private. He worshiped, prayed, and depended on Him daily. In 1 Samuel 17:34-37, we see that when danger came, whether a lion or a bear, David relied on God for deliverance. Those private moments prepared him for a very public battle. So when David stood before Goliath, he was not intimidated like the others. He saw the same giant, but he measured that giant against the God he knew personally.

Many in Israel were more experienced and better equipped, but they only knew about God. David knew Him. That difference matters, because when you truly know God, your confidence is not built on circumstances but on His character. You trust that He is faithful, that He keeps His Word, and that He is with you no matter what you face. As Daniel 11:32 says, “The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”

Understanding Covenant Builds Confidence
David also understood covenant. God had made promises to His people—that their enemies would not stand before them and that they would prevail (Joshua 1:5; Leviticus 26:7). David believed those promises applied to him personally. When he faced Goliath, he did not just see a warrior; he saw someone outside of covenant with God, and that gave him confidence. He knew he was not at a disadvantage.

In the same way, through Jesus Christ, you are brought into covenant with God. His promises are not distant or abstract—they are personal and active in your life. You are not standing alone against your problems. God is involved. What concerns you concerns Him. When you begin to understand that, your perspective shifts, and you stop approaching life as though everything depends on your strength alone.

See Yourself the Way God Sees You
Before David could defeat Goliath outwardly, he had to settle his identity inwardly. Others tried to define him—his brothers dismissed him, Saul doubted him, and Goliath mocked him—but David refused to accept those perspectives. He saw himself as someone who belonged to God.

In the same way, overcoming the problems in your life begins with how you see yourself. If you see yourself as weak, defeated, or incapable, you will approach every challenge from that mindset. But as you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer, your thinking begins to change. You start to see yourself the way He sees you—not defined by your past or limited by your weaknesses, but strengthened by His presence.

Romans 8:37 declares that you are more than a conqueror through Christ, and when that truth takes root, it reshapes your confidence. God does not require perfection; He works through people who trust Him.

Speak to Your Giants
When David finally stood before Goliath, the giant tried to intimidate him with words, but David responded with faith: “You come to me with a sword… but I come to you in the name of the Lord…” 1 Samuel 17:45. His confidence was not in his weapon but in God. By the time David released the stone, the battle had already been settled in his heart.

This shows us that faith has a voice. When problems speak fear, you do not have to remain silent. You can respond with truth. When sickness speaks, you can declare life. When lack threatens, you can stand on God’s provision. This is not denial; it is alignment with truth. It is choosing to believe that God’s Word has the final authority over what you face. Every problem has a promise that speaks to it, and when you believe the promise and speak it, your heart aligns with faith instead of fear.

You Can Prevail
God is greater than any problem you will ever face. That truth does not remove challenges, but it changes how you face them. As you focus on God, deepen your relationship with Him, understand your covenant, see yourself through His perspective, and speak His promises, something begins to shift within you.

Fear loses its grip. Faith rises. Confidence grows. The giants you face may still stand in front of you, but they no longer stand above you. Giants still fall and problems still bow—not because you are strong on your own, but because you are standing with a God who is greater than anything you face. He never fails.