A Confidence That Conquers Giants!

We all know the story of David and Goliath. We grew up hearing how David defeated Goliath and how God gave him victory. It’s a familiar story, but I want to draw your attention to a few powerful lessons we can learn from it.

In 1 Samuel 17, we read, an entire army is paralysed by fear. A giant stands before them, defying Israel day after day. While everyone is talking about how impossible it seems to defeat him, David steps into the conversation. Imagine this moment. David hears fear all around him. People are terrified, asking how anyone could possibly defeat this giant. While others saw a giant, David saw someone defying the Living God.

He said, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For what is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

Walking in God-Confidence

When David’s words reached King Saul, we read his response in 1 Sam 17:33,

And Saul said to David you are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him for you are a youth and he a man of war from his youth.

Saul is basically saying, “You can’t do this. He has experience. He has been trained for battle since his youth, and you are just a youth.”

In other words: You are not qualified.

But David doesn’t shrink back. He begins to recount his testimony. He explains how he cared for his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb, he did not run away, he pursued it (1 Sam 17:35).

Then he makes this powerful declaration:

“Moreover, the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Sam 17:37)

David is saying, “I may not have fought giants, but I have faced lions and bears.” In his heart, this Philistine was no different. The size of the enemy did not change the faithfulness of God. If God had helped him before, God would help him again.

That is not arrogance. That is confidence rooted in experience with God.

That is God-confidence.

David’s Biggest Weapon!

Saul finally says, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.” But before David leaves, Saul places his own armor on him:

Saul clothed David with his armour, and he put on a bronze helmet on his head and he also clothed him with his coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armour and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. (1 Sam 17:38-40)

Saul offered him the best tools a king could give. But David quickly realized they were not meant for him. “I cannot walk with these,” he said. They were untested, unfamiliar, and heavy. So he removed them.

Instead, he chose what he knew – his staff, his sling, and five smooth stones.

But more than that, he chose to go with the Lord. David understood something profound: victory was never about the armor or the weapons. It was about the presence of God with him.

Yes, we must prepare. If you have an interview, prepare. If you have an exam, study. Do your part faithfully. But at the end of the day, preparation alone does not bring victory, but the presence of the Lord does.

Confidence Through Learning Versus God-Confidence

The world offers many tools: books on confidence, marriage advice, communication skills, leadership strategies. Even in ministry, you can attend seminary or Bible school. But ultimately, it is the Lord who anoints and equips a person to stand and proclaim His Word.

There is a confidence you can develop through learning. But there is another confidence that only comes from the Lord. That is what David had.

He remembered that he defeated lions and bears, not by his own strength, but because God delivered him. As he said: “the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

That kind of confidence is born from experience with God. It grows when you look back and see His faithfulness in your life. Why was David so confident? Because he had seen the hand of the Lord in his life.

When you step out to speak about Jesus, God gives you a courage beyond your natural ability. When you stand in prayer and declare freedom over your family, you are not standing in emotion, but you are standing in God-confidence.

When you face that impossible situation, it is not just your skills that matter; it is the presence of the Lord with you. There is a light that shines because God is with you.

Just as God told Joshua:

“Have I not commanded you? be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid nor be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

As long as the Lord is with you, every place you enter can become a place of victory.

How to Grow in God-Confidence

Recently, while giving an offering, the Lord reminded me of a prayer I had prayed the week before. I had built an altar and asked God for something specific, and then I forgot about it. The next week, as I prayed again, the Lord gently whispered, “I already answered that prayer.”

I was surprised and immediately apologized. Then I offered a thanksgiving offering. It was a small prayer, but God had heard it.

Sometimes we move so quickly that we forget to recognize what God has already done. But when we remember His faithfulness, our confidence grows.
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You can say, “Lord, You have never failed me. You have been with me in every cry and every battle. If You did not fail me then, You will not fail me now.”

That is God-confidence!

May God help us walk in that confidence each day. As you do, you will see His glory revealed. You will see breakthroughs. You will see giants fall. Just like David, may you rise and face every giant with full confidence in God.