Becoming a Giant Slayer
1 Samuel 17 and How to Make Christians Great Again
You Can’t Kill Giants Sitting on the Couch
We love the idea of being giant slayers.
But most of us don’t want to do what it actually takes to become one.
Greatness—the kind that matters—takes doing what few are willing to do.
Show me someone who’s successful at anything, and I’ll show you someone who’s disciplined. Someone who pours the best of themselves into the gifts God already placed in their hands.
We want David’s victory—but not David’s preparation.
We want breakthrough without obedience.
Success without surrender.
We want to slay giants, but we’d rather stay comfortable in camp than step onto the battlefield.
Let me say it plainly:
You don’t kill giants sitting on the couch.
The Voices That Say, “You’re Not Able”
“You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man…”
—1 Samuel 17:33
David shows up with nothing but a shepherd’s staff and the Spirit of God in his bones.
And what does the king say?
“You’re not enough.”
The world will always try to shrink you down when you walk in anointing instead of appearance.
“You’re not old enough.”
“You’re not educated enough.”
“You’re not successful enough.”
“You’re not enough.”
Even religious leaders—people in your own camp—might try to talk you out of what God has told you to do.
Why? Because when you start walking in the Spirit, it makes those walking in the flesh real uncomfortable.
“All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were afraid.”
—1 Samuel 17:24
When people say you’re not enough, there are two truths you need to remember:
They’re afraid.
Afraid to trust that God is who He says He is.
Afraid to leave their little comfort bubble.
Afraid to step into the better things God has for them.They’re right.
At least partly.
You are not enough. Not on your own. Neither was David.
But here’s the good news: you were never meant to be.
“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…”
—Genesis 50:20
It's good to be reminded that you alone aren’t enough—lest you grow proud.
But you + the Holy Spirit?
You, consecrated for the Father’s purpose and marching in step with the armies of heaven?
You are more than enough.
David doesn’t argue.
He doesn’t posture.
He doesn’t puff himself up.
He just testifies.
The Field Was Never Wasted
“When there came a lion or a bear… I went after him and struck him…”
—1 Samuel 17:34–35
David wasn’t trained in the palace.
He was trained in the pasture.
While his brothers were out swinging swords, David was slaying lions.
While Saul was paralyzed by fear, David was quietly collecting testimonies.
Listen to me:
Don’t despise your field.
Don’t despise your season of obscurity.
The fights nobody saw are preparing you for the one everybody will.
God sees you in the unnoticed, ordinary obedience—
When you serve quietly.
When you forgive privately.
When you show up tired but stay faithful.
God sees.
And He’s using every bit of it to form a weapon for His kingdom.
David doesn’t say, “I’ve got skills.”
He says, “The Lord who delivered me…”
“This Philistine has defied the armies of the living God.”
—1 Samuel 17:36
Watch out. Somebody’s about to get got.
David steps up not because he’s arrogant—but because he’s anointed.
He’s been prepared.
Consecrated.
And he knows who gets the glory.
“The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the bear will deliver me from this Philistine.”
—1 Samuel 17:37
Saul, finally out of words, says what he should’ve said all along:
“Go, and may the Lord be with you.”
You Can’t Wear Someone Else’s Armor
Saul’s still trying to manage the moment.
He offers David his armor. David tries it on—but it doesn’t fit.
So he takes it off.
Some of you are exhausted from trying to wear what God never called you to wear.
Trying to live up to expectations He never gave you.
Trying to copy someone else’s method when He’s given you your own mission.
You weren’t made to fight like them.
You were made to fight like you.
Drop the armor.
Pick up your sling.
Grab your stones.
Fight the way God trained you when nobody was watching.
The Battle Belongs to the Lord—But You Still Have to Show Up
David doesn’t hesitate.
He doesn’t start a prayer chain.
He doesn’t form a task force.
He runs. Toward. The. Giant.
Because he knows—this fight doesn’t belong to him.
The battle belongs to the Lord.
“The LORD your God is in your midst, the Mighty One who will save…”
—Zephaniah 3:17
But listen—David still had to show up.
He still had to train in the shadows.
He still had to take that step onto the battlefield.
Some of us want victory with zero risk.
We want miracles without movement.
But God doesn’t need you to be impressive.
He needs you to be present.
This looks like:
Being present in Christian community
Reading your Bible
Saying your prayers
Giving generously with your time and money
Living in the Kingdom of God, on purpose, on mission
God brings the victory—but you’ve got to keep showing up.
When God Shows Up, It Only Takes One Stone
Goliath beats his chest.
He mocks David’s sling.
David doesn’t flinch.
“You come to me with sword and spear.
I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts.
This day the Lord will give you into my hands.”
—1 Samuel 17:45–46
One stone.
Right between the eyes.
Boom.
The giant hits the dirt.
David walks over, grabs Goliath’s own sword, and finishes the job.
He wasn’t stronger.
He wasn’t flashier.
But he was faithful.
He was Spirit-filled.
And he showed up.
“The Lord saves not with sword or spear. For the battle is the Lord’s.”
—1 Samuel 17:47
Don’t Miss the Pattern
Let’s go back to Week 1:
Consecration
The Spirit
The Battle
That’s the pattern.
And if you study the lives of the saints and faithful ones you admire—that’s their pattern too.
Now—here’s where a lot of us get it wrong:
We think:
Consecrated? Check.
Filled with the Spirit? Check.
Victory? Check.
Time to relax and coast?
Wrong.
You don’t consecrate a weapon to sit on the shelf.
You consecrate it for battle.
And every victory God gives you prepares you for the next fight.
That fancy theological word?
Sanctification.
What Happens When Obedience Makes You a Target?
Next week, we’ll see what happens after the victory.
When the very people who should support you start turning on you.
When jealousy, insecurity, and betrayal show up at your door.
When your obedience makes you a target.
Because sometimes the hardest test isn’t out there on the field.
It’s in here, among the people you trusted.
David’s faith in the field led to victory.
But not everyone celebrates when God uses you.
What do you do when obedience invites opposition?
We’ll find out next week.
Time to get sanctified.
Time to meet the next giant.
God is still looking for people who’ll show up.
Not flashy.
Not famous.
Just faithful.
Will you step into the field of battle?
Will you trust Him for the victory—and do your part?
God brings the victory. But you’ve got to keep showing up.
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