Pastor Alex Adegboye
TEXT: 1 Sam 17:42-50
For God to bless you and change your situation, you will have to believe Him. It is your responsibility to build your faith. Your faith in God is the ultimate requirement that will get you to overcome your Goliath in life. Nobody can help you except God Himself. Even the prayers offered by men of God have to be answered by God. No man of God can do anything for you but God Himself.
The Bible says, “For we live by faith.” Rom 1:17, Hab 2:4, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38. These are evidences by which it is impossible for God to change. Faith is necessary and must be properly developed for God to be able to help us. The Bible also says we walk and stand by faith. 2 Cor 5:7 & 2 Cor 1:24. We are saved by faith according to Ephe 2:8, and it is a gift from God.
There are different levels of faith:
- No faith. Mark 4:40
- Weak faith. Rom 4:19
- Strong faith. Rom 4:20
- Great faith. Matt 8:10
The great faith is what we should cultivate. Great faith is to believe in the invisible so that God can do the impossible in your life. When Jesus saw the great faith exhibited by the centurion, He said, “I have not seen this kind of faith in Israel.” That is what you need to overcome Goliath. You must know that God will not absolve anyone. He will not change His mind and violate His order for any one. You will have to believe and trust His promises.
The kind of faith needed to overcome our Goliaths must be consistently built. Goliath will not just go away. The Bible says Goliath was coming twice daily in forty days. A whole nation terrorized by one man. You will have to overcome your Goliath by yourself. If you do not overcome your Goliath now, the children yet in your loins will be confronted by the same. That is why some of us are fighting the Goliath originating from our parents.
The bigger your problems, the greater your faith ought to be. Once Goliath comes, it is not the time for prayers; it is the time for action. The Bible says, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” Goliath is personal. No prophet can take it away for you. At best, a good prophet or pastor will point you to God. God is the Source. The Bible says if anyone is afflicted; let him pray – James 5:13. You have to fight the good fight of faith – 1 Tim 6:12. This fight is a good fight because it is a fight you are certain to win.
The Scripture says in Heb 4:2, “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” They were God’s people but they perished in the wilderness. There is nothing you may be facing that faith in God can not overcome. Nothing else gets God but faith.
In the face of battle, you must not lose your faith in God. Your faith must be tough and persistent. Faith does not fail. It does not give up. Abraham waited and believed God for 25 years. It is easy for us to claim the blessing of Abraham without willing to go through what he went through.
Paul told Timothy to be instant in season and out of season. How else was David able to overcome Goliath? Why was it that David faced Goliath where many mighty men including Saul failed? Here are some points:
- The battle is the Lord’s.
- We are covenanted to God.
- The weapons of warfare are not man-made.
- You have to win your battle yourself.
- Faith in God won the battle.
Goliath will always come to our lives and it is important for us to handle our Goliath the way David did. These are the ways and strategies David employed:
- Feed on the word of God daily. Matt 4:4; Deut 8:3.
- Pray and commune with God daily. Ps 55:17; 64:1.
- Come to church as your duty and obligation. Ps 122:1; 92:12-13.
- Sow and invest into other people’s lives.
