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by
Louie Giglio
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August 7 - November 3, 2018
For me, understanding that anxiety is not a thing, but a symptom of something(s),
Maybe a giant called comfort has taken hold. Comfort isn’t wrong if we’re talking about genuine rest that refreshes us. But comfort can become a huge problem if it morphs into complacency or entitlement. Too often we embrace the easiest path, the bare minimum, the “cush” job, the spoils of this life. But the easiest path might not be the best path, the path that Jesus invites us to take.
Jesus fights the battles for us. Jesus stares down the face of impossible odds. Jesus takes up his sling. Jesus selects five smooth stones. Jesus takes aim at the giant. The giant falls because of the work of Jesus.
Ultimately, this is a book about worship.
Worship is simply a shift of attention that allows us to see God better. Worship is like corrective lenses for our souls, bringing God clearer into view. That’s important for all of us, especially when life goes off the rails. Worship puts God in focus. When the Almighty is in view, our giant’s power over our thinking begins to flicker and fade.
We weren’t designed to walk around in man-made armor and still be effective giant slayers. Our armor is God-made. It was forged in the fires of his holiness. It was handed to us by the power of his Spirit. It’s available for us to wear anytime we wish. All that’s required of us is to put it on.
We align ourselves with the person and work of Jesus Christ. Yet it’s always Jesus who brings the giant down. Not us. That’s part of what the term all-sufficiency is referring to.
God has given us everything we need for our spiritual life. All joy. All value. All purpose. All hope. All comfort. All power to resist temptation. All power to change. All ability to live lives of godliness. All guidance and marked pathways to live for him.
Do you know controlling people? They try to run not only their lives but the lives of everyone around them.
Why did David not feel terrorized by the giant? Because David constantly fixed his focus on someone bigger than Goliath—that’s why David wasn’t afraid of him.
We don’t lose sight of Jesus because of the raging storm; we momentarily lose sight of the wind and the waves because of Jesus.
With eyes fixed on Jesus we cry out, “You are in control!” We do not ignore the presence of danger. We declare the presence of our God.
Worship and worry cannot occupy the same space; they can’t both fill our mouths at the same time. One always displaces the other. We either speak doom and destruction, kicking into high gear our worrying and stress...
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The antidote to fear is faith, and the soundtrack of faith is worship.
God encourages us to put on the garment of praise when we feel entangled by the spirit of heaviness.
When we deliberately and purposely focus our attention on Christ, we are reminded that God is able.
If we are not careful, then we will forget we were miraculously created by God for a purpose and a plan that he set in motion for our lives. He didn’t ask us to compare ourselves to other people or run someone else’s race. He said, “Run your race.” Period. He didn’t ask us to work on someone else’s timetable. He wants us to work on his timetable. God wants us to believe and know in our souls that “he who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Jesus wants us to understand where we came from and whose we are. When we lose sight
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Eliab felt rejected, and rejected people reject people.
The point is, most all of us desire to be comfortable, safe, secure. Yet comfortableness and obedience often butt heads.
The problem is we might forget that in the grand scheme of things (namely eternity), we have about five seconds on earth to make our lives count. Really count.
If comfort is sought ahead of everything else, including our desire to be available to God’s plans.
Comfort and familiarity are not what God points us toward.
The picture we tend to miss in the story of David and Goliath is that the little brother came on the scene and did in one day what his three older brothers and the whole army of Israel hadn’t been able to do for a month and a half.
We remember that faith thrives in discomfort.
We remember the point of our lives is the fame of Jesus.
When we see the glory of God, we’ll understand that there is no cost too great to pay to make his name known in our life.
How can we make sure we don’t lose God’s opportunity by settling back into our comfort and complacency? We remember that life is short.
fast. If the Enemy can keep us good and comfortable, then he can prompt us to waste our days. But we are not a people of comfort. We are a people of faith.
God is able to redeem every situation.
I have a deep conviction that the greatest regret any of us will ever know is that of standing before Jesus knowing we lived too safe, too comfortable, too short-sighted.
God will accomplish his plans one way or another, yet God is inviting you to be part of his plans.
Anytime we start making accusations about another person’s heart, we are on shaky ground. We don’t know what is in another person’s heart; only God knows that. When people make character assassinations about other people, they’re typically tipping their hand at what’s going on in their own heart.
God is both loving and wrathful at the same time. He is wrathful because he is righteous. He is wrathful because he is holy. The things we tolerate, he doesn’t tolerate. The small sins we let creep into our lives, he does not let creep into his. His righteousness burns like a flame of glory. His wrath is the eternal flame of the holiness and the perfection of God.
God has already forgiven much in our lives. That helps to keep us humble. That helps us stay off our high horse of moral superiority. That helps us forgive others.
The reason why the giant of anger must fall in our lives is because it demoralizes us and diminishes the glory of God.
David knew the fame of the Lord was at stake, and David didn’t rest on his abilities; he rested in the power of God within him.
When people can’t deal with life, they just need to get a shopping cart in front of them. This addiction is laughably called “retail therapy.” But make no mistake, it’s a drug.
Social media has figured this out. Social media sticks a knife into the addiction of approval and twists the handle in a big way.
approval. If social media is used as a way for people to celebrate others and share life together around the world and talk about Jesus and the gospel, then social media is great. But if social media is where you are getting your approval and if it’s your drug, then social media is going to kill you.
Pornography is a destroyer of every good thing.
There is a God-sized hole in our souls that can only be filled with an intimate and real relationship with Jesus.
God’s plan for our lives far exceeds the circumstances of our days.
It’s imperative that we live in the finished work that Jesus has done for us.
We recognize that God is pursuing us with relentless passion.
Jesus has a mission for us, and that’s always to draw people one step closer to him.
God does want us to be free. If there’s something that is choking the breath out of our lives, then God wants that stronghold broken.
Jesus wants to take down our giants so we can walk free and have the life that he wants us to live.
You know why the Philistine’s god was toppled? Because God is serious about his glory. When there was nobody to defend his glory, God defended it himself.
All of us have fallen short of our best hopes for our lives. Our choices have disappointed ourselves and those around us. But God is uniquely skilled to take the mistakes of our lives and turn them into something beautiful that brings him praise.
