The word resilient means: capable of returning to an original shape or position, as after having been compressed.

Resiliency is embedded in the spiritual DNA of a follower of Jesus.

This does not mean you won’t feel the pressure of the hardships, and this doesn’t prevent you from being chipped or fractured. But as 2 Corinthians 4 says, we are not crushed, perplexed, or destroyed.

As people of faith, we are continually confronted with circumstances and situations, which at face value, will appear to have us outmatched and overpowered.

In those moments, we may experience fear, but that doesn’t mean we have lost the battle. Never feel guilty about being afraid; it’s not a sign of having little or no faith. But don’t marry yourself to fear.

Fear is a tactic to unseat your faith in God and to hold you captive and control you. Fear only has the amount of control you give it.

In 1 Samuel 17:1-11 we read about one of the most familiar Old Testament portions of scripture. It’s the story of David and Goliath.

 The story is not so much about human courage as it is the power of a life built upon bold faith in God.

Goliath’s challenge was more than a military threat. It was a direct attack on the God of the Israelites.

Likewise, every attack on you is an attack on your faith, a challenge of the promises and faithfulness of God, and your confidence in Him.

 We live in a world that subscribes to a way of thinking and living that is entirely opposed to God. Subtle attacks on your faith are inevitable, unavoidable, and a reality.

Yet, be aware of being baited into battles that will get you to respond in the flesh and not in the Spirit.

Goliath challenges the people to a one-on-one winner takes all battle by insulting them and their God. “One-on-one” was not the military strategy of the Israelite army.

Goliath attempted to lure them out into an uncharacteristic way of fighting, by riling up their emotions.

Life will press you and push you to engage in a battle on their terms. And when that happens, it’s crucial that you stand your ground spiritually and not react in the flesh.

Everything about Goliath was intimidating. His stature made him enormously intimidating and that gave him a psychological advantage.

Goliath is symbolic of how life can make us feel.

Have you ever faced situations like this? Maybe there is so much bad news that you lose strength and the motivation for the simplest tasks? Have you ever been left with the pieces of your shattered dreams, wondering how you will get back up and continue living?

If you focus on the circumstances, you will find yourself powerless to act.

The mistake King Saul and the Israelites made was attempting to find someone of equal size and strength to go out and confront Goliath. The Philistines had the upper hand, hands down.

We make the same mistake when we try to find a response of equal or greater value when confronting difficulties in life. Searching for an equal measured response within ourselves will be debilitating and compound our worry.

We become distracted by the size of our enemy when our enemy should be afraid of the size of our God!

No one in Israel was willing to confront this giant, that is until a young man named David showed up. So what made the difference between David’s response and the Israelite Army?

David says, “Is there not a cause?” 1 Samuel 17:29 (NKJV)

David, unphased by the size of Goliath, does not consider the odds but is motivated by the question, is there not a reason to confront this giant?

David was not ignorant of the facts. He knew he had no experience; he was outmatched, he was not a soldier. But he also knew God was with Him.

David doesn’t go out against Goliath with Saul’s armor, or with the conventional weapons of war. David picks up five smooth stones and grabs his slingshot that he had used as a shepherd watching over his father’s flocks.

He begins to walk towards Goliath as he places one of the five stones into his sling and begins to swing it. David picks up the pace as his walk turns into a run.

Goliath is perplexed, not expecting such an uncharacteristic militaristic approach. David doesn’t see a giant he can’t defeat; he sees a giant he can’t miss.

Against all the odds, fighting a battle he is clearly outmatched in every way, David defeats Goliath, overcoming an obstacle that was seemingly impossible.

Life will confront us with crises’ that are beyond our experience or ability to handle, but they are not above God’s! As you stand in faith, in the name of God, there is no difficulty you can’t overcome.