Goliath Must Fall

by Louie Giglio

What did I learn from the book? The author utilizes the story about Daniel and Goliath to narrate his points. He focuses on how we all things like drugs, work, alcohol, porn, and etc.. to dictate our lives like Goliath tried to do to Israel. Whatever has a stronghold on you most likely didn’t arrive on day one with threats clenching you between its teeth. Like things that has a stronghold in my life. It was comforting and spoke to a need I had buried within me. It was camouflaged as a friend I couldn’t live without. But, one day the gloves came off and the giant stepped on my throat, sufficating me with all its weight. My giant in the past was alcohol. I wrestled with it and wish it was gone so many times. After work I created a default routine. I thought I had to drink to calm myself sown or to forget about responsibility I had. My drinking had become a bad habit. I would go several days, weeks, or even moths without drinking but my problem never seemed to go away entirely. Not until I realized my giant was not bigger than Jesus. No matter the stronghold it had in my life Jesus set me free.

You might have a nine foot giant in your life, one that taunts and intimidates you day after day. But with the power of God, the giant will fall. It doesn’t matter the size of the problem, God’s power and might are always greater. Jesus is our David in the story the Bible teaches. Jesus is the giant killer we are not David. Jesus fights the battles for us. The giant falls because of the work Jesus. Sometimes we mistakenly believe it up to us to conquer the giant. It’s not our fight. We must give it to Jesus and be faithful and He can and will work miracles in our lives. See, whenever a problem is concealed, it finds power in the darkness. But when a problem is confessed, it loses that power. Confession brings the light of Christ to destroy our problem. Alcohol was my problem and it was something I hid from people I loved and boasted to those I was drinking with. I didn’t want people to know I was not as strong as they thought I was. Along with my alcohol problem I was also craving people’s affirmation and I didn’t realize it. So, I would cover up my vulnerability because I didn’t want to be a responsible person all the time. So, I would take a drink. It would make me forget. It would give me peace or at least I thought. The sad thing was once I left intimacy with God, I also left my place with God. When I did decide to give up alcohol I ran to Jesus. No hiding. No masking. No pretending. I was anything other than my real self. Jesus knows. In Jesus, I was forgiven. I was redeemed. Most importantly I was safe and my eternal life was secure.

How will I use this book in the future? There were many times I felt something powerful in my heart and I promised God everything would change. I have been in the place I thought I would walk different. But not until I gave up alcohol more than 5 years ago and rededicated my life to Christ did I find the peace and pressure relief I had been seeking. I plan on continuing to do whatever is necessary to keep my life open, honest, and accountable not only to God but to my family as well.