Defiance. Faith. Victory

1 Samuel 15:10-11 - 10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, 11 “I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.”

1 Samuel 15:17-19 -17 Samuel continued, “Although you once considered yourself unimportant, have you not become the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel 18 and then sent you on a mission and said: ‘Go and completely destroy the sinful Amalekites. Fight against them until you have annihilated them.’ 19 So why didn’t you obey the Lord?

1 Samuel 15:22-23 -22 Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.

1 Samuel 17:4, 8, 10-11, 16 - 4 Then a champion named Goliath, from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp.
8 He stood and shouted to the Israelite battle formations…. Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.
10 Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel today. Send me a man so we can fight each other!” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.
16 Every morning and evening for 40 days the Philistine came forward and took his stand.

1 Samuel 17:20-26 - 20 David arrived at the perimeter of the camp… 21 Israel and the Philistines lined up in battle formation facing each other. 22 David… ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were. 23 While he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath came forward from the Philistine battle line and shouted his usual words, which David heard. 24 When all the Israelite men saw Goliath, they retreated from him terrified.
26 David spoke to the men who were standing with him: “What will be done for the man who kills that Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

1 Samuel 17:31-33 - 31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, so he had David brought to him. 32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged by him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” 33 But Saul replied, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young.”

THE ENEMY DOESN’T JUST DEFY YOU, HE DEFIES WHO GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO BE.

GOD MAY ALLOW THE DEFIANCE WE FACE OUTWARDLY TO REVEAL THE DEFIANCE WE HAVE TOLERATED INWARDLY.

1 Samuel 17:34-37 - 34 David answered Saul…. 36 Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”

1 Samuel 17:38-39 - 38 Then Saul had his own military clothes put on David. He put a bronze helmet on David’s head and had him put on armor. 39 David strapped his sword on over the military clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them.

1 Samuel 17:40-46 - 40 Instead, he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pouch, in his shepherd’s bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine. 41 The Philistine came closer and closer to David… 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a youth, healthy and handsome. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?” Then he cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!”

“David answered, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and armor, but I have God for my armor as I come against you. He will destroy you and your army by my hands. This day I will cut off your head and give the rest of your body to the dogs, so that all may learn that God is the protector of the Hebrews, and that our armor and strength is not in weapons, but in His providence. Without God’s assistance, all other warlike preparations and power is useless.’

When David met his opponent, he was not alone—he was accompanied by an invisible assistant, who was none other than God Himself. Taking one of the stones from the brook that he had placed in his shepherd’s bag, he fitted it into his sling and struck the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank deep into his brain, and Goliath was stunned and fell on his face. Then David ran, stood over him as he lay there, and cut off his head with his own sword, for David had no sword of his own.”

— Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 6.9.1–5 (adapted for clarity)

YOUR FAITH CAN RALLY OTHERS AND IGNITE THEIR FAITH TO FIGHT THE GIANTS IN THEIR LIFE.

Possible "GIANTS" of defiance that can grow in our life:
Internal struggles (fear, shame, doubt, lies)
Relational issues (unforgiveness, control, lust)
Identity issues (ambition, comparison, self-reliance, self-pity)

Ephesians 6:12 - For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.

Ephesians 6:10-11, 14-17 - 10 Be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.

OUR FAITH IN GOD’S TRUTH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, PROTECTION, PROVISION, SALVATION, HIS SPIRIT AND HIS WORD WILL PROTECT & DELIVERS US FROM THE GIANTS THAT STAND IN DEFIANCE TO HIS WILL FOR OUR LIVES.

Ephesians 6:18-20 - Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. 20 Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.

WHAT "GIANT" ARE YOU FACING IN YOUR LIFE?
FEAR
PRIDE
PLEASURE
FAILURE
LOSS
HOPELESSNESS
UNWORTHINESS
UNFORGIVENESS
DOUBT