Facing Goliath: How a Man Overcomes His Giants to Follow Christ

Ministries

PREFACE

Warning! The book you are about to read is rated PG-13, For Men Only! This is not a high and lofty spiritual treatise, nor is it a dry theological essay. I have written this book just like I would speak it to the men of my church.

It is not written to super-religious churchmen who have it all together. It is written to seekers who are eager to know God. It is written to pagans who have honest questions about faith. It is written to young Christians who are in the trenches of fighting the spiritual battle. It is written to spiritual veterans who are tired of having their butts kicked by the enemy.

If you are a narrow-minded fundamentalist, then you will be offended. If you are a legalistic Pharisee, then you will be offended. If you would rather argue about theology than really know God, then you will be offended. If you are hiding behind your unanswered religious questions, then you will be offended. If you are a wimp, then you will be offended. If you have to ask your wife’s permission to read this book, then you will definitely be offended!

Here’s a reality check: there are real Goliaths standing in your path. But the good news is that through Jesus Christ, the battle is the Lord’s! Interested in finding out more? Read on!

INTRODUCTION

EVERY MAN IS ON A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

I was sitting in the athletic team room at UCLA, surrounded by a group of football players from the Rose Bowl champion Bruins. (For you Trojan fans, yes, this was a long time ago!) We had gathered that evening for a meeting sponsored by Athletes in Action, an on-campus Christian group. As a young campus minister, it was my privilege to mentor many of the athletes on campus.

Our speaker that evening, a UCLA alumnus and NFL veteran, gazed over the heads of the young athletes and then pointed to a banner on the wall. The banner contained one word, spelled out in bold print: PURSUIT. The speaker, with the voice of experience, began his message: Pursuit—do you know what that means? It means to pursue it! He went on to explain that the most important pursuit in life was not athletics but the pursuit of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Years later, and much further down the path of my own journey, I absolutely agree with the words of that speaker. Pursuing God through a relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important commitment a man can make.

Every man is on a spiritual journey. You may be full of questions about God, the Bible and the Christian life, or you may be completely convinced of Christ’s reality—either way, you are on a spiritual journey. Some men have traveled long on the path, while others aren’t even aware that they are going anywhere; but God created each of us to know Him, and life is all about the pursuit. Reading this book may be the beginning of your journey to know God, or it may encourage you to keep moving forward. Wherever you are on your path, understanding the journey can empower you to take proactive steps in pursuing a relationship with Christ. The apostle Paul proclaimed:

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ (Phil. 3:7-8).

Our pursuit must lead us to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, because knowing Jesus Christ is our ultimate purpose in life. I’m not talking about just head knowledge about God; I mean real, personal knowledge of God. The word Paul uses here in Philippians 3 is epignosis. This word describes an authentic, relational and experiential knowledge of something. In this case, it refers to the authentic, relational and experiential knowledge of Christ.

When my wife was pregnant with our first child, we decided to do natural childbirth. We took all the classes, and I assumed the role I was made for—the coach! I learned all about pregnancy, birth and proper breathing techniques.

I was the star student in our Lamaze class—although I was also a bit of a cut-up. I remember our teacher asking the class, What is the pelvic rock?

With a straight face, I replied, Well, that’s what got us here in the first place! Needless to say, my wife didn’t appreciate my humor.

Despite my jokes, I took the whole process very seriously. I read the manual, looked at the pictures, and was fully prepared for my wife’s labor and delivery. We had decided to forego knowing the sex of our child and waited until delivery to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. Calm, cool and collected, I guided my wife through all the breathing techniques of natural childbirth. With learned precision, I did everything that was expected of me as a coach.

In the middle of the night, my wife awoke and shouted, My water just broke! Remembering our training, we calmly got ready, checked into the hospital, and awaited the birth of our first child. As the moment of delivery came, the doctor told my wife to give one last push. With herculean effort, my wife delivered our child.

The moment my son was born, I was overcome with the joy and wonder of birth. I had a son! All the reading, preparation and book knowledge paled in comparison with the actual experience of his birth. I didn’t just know about the birth of my son; I personally experienced it.

There is a big difference between knowing about God and actually knowing God. Every man was created to personally know God—not just to know about Him but to actually know Him. Our greatest pursuit is the pursuit of God. When we know God through Jesus Christ, we come to share in His life. Jesus said, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10, NASB).

Would you like to experience abundant life? It is possible, if you pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ. This pursuit, however, has its challenges. In every man’s spiritual journey, there is a thief who steals, kills and destroys. There are obstacles that must be overcome and giants that must be defeated. Pursuing Christ is going to involve a struggle. But what man doesn’t like a good fight? As the apostle Paul admonishes us, Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called (1 Tim. 6:12).

As we begin to unpack the Bible’s teaching concerning the pursuit of Christ, I am reminded of the words of my old football coach: Men, put your chin straps on tight and let the snot fly! With chin-straps in place and a generous spew of mucus in the air, let’s examine the spiritual realities we can expect as we follow after Christ.

Discussion

______________

See It

Read Philippians 3:7-14.

• Why do you think Paul was so obsessed with knowing Christ?

• What do you think drives most men?

Discuss It

• What do you think is the difference between knowing about Christ and truly knowing Christ?

• According to Philippians 3:7-8, what value did Paul place on knowing Christ?

• What would you put on a list of things that are to your profit? Do you think knowing Christ is of even more value than the things people most treasure?

Do It

• In your spiritual journey, what value do you place on knowing Christ?

• What would it look like for you to consider knowing Christ to be of more value than anything else in your life?

• Read Philippians 3:12-14. How did Paul prioritize knowing Christ? Based on Paul’s example, what priority should knowing Christ have in your life?

• What is the next step in your journey?

1

THERE ARE GIANTS IN THE PATH

A few years ago, some friends and I attended the midnight opening of the movie 300. I noticed only one female in a full theatre. Chick flick it wasn’t! Why were men packing a theatre at midnight? Because most men like a good fight!

Men connect with the sights and sounds of battle; we feel it in our guts. We understand the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

When my son was 17, I asked him, What’s your favorite movie fight scene? I offered him three options. The first was the opening scene from The Rundown, starring the Rock. In this scene, the Rock takes out the entire offensive line of a Super Bowl champion football team.

The second was the battle to the death between Maximus and Comidus in Gladiator. In this climactic fight, Maximus, played by Russell Crowe, endures a mortal wound, and yet still manages to defeat Comidus. It’s a classic good guy versus bad guy battle.

The third choice I gave him was the scene in The Patriot where Benjamin Martin, played by Mel Gibson, takes out 20 British soldiers with a rifle and a tomahawk! Considering his options, my son reached a quick decision.

He chose the Rock in The Rundown. My son is a man. He likes fights!

One of the reasons I love the Old Testament is because it’s a man’s book. If Hollywood were to make the Old Testament into a feature film, it would definitely not be a romantic comedy. From Genesis to Malachi, it is filled with great fights. The Old Testament records the good, the bad and the ugly of real men—men who lived, fought and died as men.

My favorite fight in the Old Testament is found in 1 Samuel 17: the story of David and Goliath. Within the account, we find this statement: As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him (v. 48). Full of testosterone and adrenaline, David ran balls-out and killed Goliath. David was a man who went after it. He knew God, and he knew what God wanted him to do. You can’t help but admire his confidence and faith. But the battle didn’t start with David.

The battle began in the Valley of Elah. King Saul and the entire Israelite army gathered together on one side of this historic battleground. Arrayed in position opposite them were their generational enemies, the Philistines. Longtime rivals, the Israelites and the Philistines fought more battles than Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. As the commander of Israel’s army, Saul had a track record of being a fierce warrior. On this day, however, the Philistines used a different tactic. Descending into the valley walked the largest man any of the Israelites had ever seen. His name was Goliath. Check out this description:

So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them. Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield (1 Sam. 17:3-7, NLT).

At over 9 feet tall, Goliath would make Shaq look like a pygmy! His armor weighed 125 pounds, and the head of his spear weighed 15 pounds. As I write this, I weigh about 200 pounds (in case my wife is reading this, I should admit that I am exaggerating for literary purposes and am really a svelte 185 pounds!). That means that Goliath’s armor alone was more than half my body weight. He was, without a doubt, the scariest dude who ever lived.

In the opening scene of the movie Troy, Brad Pitt, playing the role of Achilles, fights a giant of a man named Boagrius. Boagrius bursts through the ranks of the Aegean army and literally fills the movie screen with his sheer size. Standing at least a head taller than the other warriors, he very much looks the part of the biggest, baddest fighter around. Nathan Jones, the actor who portrays Boagrius, is 7 feet tall and weighs 350 pounds—convincingly a very big man. Goliath, however, was over 9 feet tall! If Achilles’s challenger caused a hush in the Greek army, you can understand why complete terror rippled across the Israelite troops when Goliath stepped into the Elah Valley and issued this challenge:

Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us. Then the Philistine said, This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other. On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified (1 Sam. 17:8-11).

Dismayed and terrified. There it is—fear. Fear is the most debilitating emotion to man’s masculinity. It robs us of what we feel it means to be a man.

The men of Israel were intimidated. They were afraid. It was a primal emotion that gripped them from the core of their being. They encountered their giant and it scared them to death. Every man has a Goliath. Every man faces a giant at some point during his journey. Every man stares down into the Elah Valley—and what he sees staring back is terrifying. Every man has to contend with giants

if he is going to press on and experience a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ.

Your giant could be intellectual doubt. You want to believe in God. You want to live by faith and have confidence that God is real and in charge of your life. You understand how much simpler it would be to trust the Bible and the promises of Jesus. If you could believe in heaven and a final judgment, then maybe all the evil around you could have some ultimate meaning. The message of the gospel seems compelling, but you just can’t commit yourself to believe it. You have unanswered questions and nagging doubts about whether it’s true. If this is you, your giant is intellectual doubt.

Your giant could be fear. You are deathly afraid of something—change, the unknown, being unloved, being found out, failure, or any number of other things. You easily identify with the Israelite army. Fear has dominated your life. You are passive-aggressive, trying to stay under the radar because of your crippling fear. If this is you, your giant is fear.

Your giant could be pride. You love the fact that you are in control of your own life and answer to no one. You know you’re not perfect, but inside you are confident that you’re better than most. Frank Sinatra’s I Did It My Way is your personal theme song. You know you should be more humble, but you tend to believe your own press releases. You may have the worst kind of pride—religious pride; you think you are more spiritual than others. Though you wouldn’t admit it, you privately think, God’s pretty lucky to have me on His side. If this is you, your giant is pride.

Your giant could be lust. You find yourself fantasizing about every pretty girl you meet, and even some of the not-so-pretty ones! You want to be pure-minded—and if you’re married, you want to be faithful to your wife—but at the same time, you feel enslaved to sexual thoughts. You may carry a secret shame over a part of your life that is both repulsive and exciting at the same time. And if it’s not sexual lust, it’s just personal selfishness. You look out for number one! Self is deeply enthroned in your life. If this is you, your giant is lust.

Your giant could be anger. You get up every morning registering a 9+ on the 10-point anger scale. Every frustration, blocked goal or personal inconvenience seems to send you over the edge. If you are not erupting like a volcano, then you are on a slow burn of passive-aggressive emotion. The people in your life behave like they are walking on broken glass as they desperately seek not to fuel your volatility. If this is you, your giant is anger.

Every man has a giant. Like Goliath did to Saul and the army of Israel, our giant taunts us and challenges us every day. But remember, the story of David and Goliath ends victoriously. This story gives us hope that we can win our spiritual battles and pursue the life God has planned for us as men. When David faced Goliath, fear was turned into faith through God’s strength:

Then he [David] took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that