Defeating Giants 101

It is the 12th round of the Championship Bout and there is one minute to go. You wipe the sweat from your forehead as you take a step towards your opponent. Your breathing quickens as you take the first punch. This giant before you seems like a brick wall impossible to scathe. With each punch you throw, your opponent throws back one harder, sharper than the one before.


A shrieking whistle is sounded as the referee begins to call out numbers at your side. 1-2-3. You have been knocked down before your opponent, struggling to get back on your feet. 4-5-6. You pull yourself to your feet and take a deep breath.


You have been working for this fight for months, even years. Each workout and practice was meant to take you to this very moment in time. Every punch you threw during practice was meant to prepare you for the giant you had to face today.


You hear your coach in the background screaming your name. You just need one good hit to catapult your opponent to the ground in order to win the match. The sounds of the room fade away as you hear the beating of your heart quicken and tiny breaths escaping from your lips. This is it. It's time to make your final move. There are five seconds left and you take your swing.


"The great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God's authority over you and presence with you. Not what you do for God, but what God does for you--that's the agenda for rejoicing" (Luke 10:19-20, The Message Remix). Life can definitely feel like a boxing rink. You work hard developing and growing your relationship with God. You read your Bible, pray, go to church, and even tithe. Yet there are still many days when you feel like you just can't hit your giants hard enough. You feel like a boxer thrown to the ground with only seconds to get back in the game. You hear the referee of life counting down, ready for you to fail. The world around you says it's OK. Giants like drinking, drugs, sex, cheating, lying, stealing, pornography, careless flirting, immodesty, and perfection aren't that bad. Let them win this time. You could win next time. But that isn't what God says. God says that you can defeat the giants looming over you. The paradigm shift is the fact that we alone cannot defeat the giants. Luke 10:19-20 tells us that victory is all about God's authority over us and His presence within us. Victory is about what God is doing in us and through us. It is definitely possible to overcome lying, stealing, pornography, drinking, drugs, perfection, etc. when you allow Jesus to work in you. If you try to overcome your giants alone, you won't be able to defeat them. What God is doing in you and through you, His presence in your life, is victory over any giant that seems to be towering over you.


As your fist flies through the air and begins to make contact with your opponent you offer up a prayer of thanks to God. You thank Him for where He has brought you and is taking you. You simply worship Him. As your fist dives into the giant before you, you hear a grunt escape from your lips and feel beads of sweat gushing down your forehead into your eyes. The next thing you know, you hear that screeching whistle and see your opponent flat on his face. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. The referee yells "KNOCKOUT!!" Your coach leaps into the rink and raises your fist high. You are named the new champion. You smile towards Heaven as tears stream down your face and simply say, "Thank you, Lord. Thank you."