A Pastor’s Best Advice for Fighting the ‘Giants’ in Life

What goliath-sized giants do you have in your life? Perhaps you’re trying to overcome rejection, bitterness, anger or disappointment.

“I would encourage people: Call out your giant. Call on God. Lift up your eyes to Him to see how great He is and to see that He loves you,” Pastor Louie Giglio of Atlanta, Georgia, told LifeZette in an interview. “Walk in His truth and do that in a community of people who love Him and love you.”

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Giglio’s latest book, “Goliath Must Fall: Winning the Battle Against Your Giants,” was published in May and addresses the “giants” of fear, rejection, comfort, anger and addiction.

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The congregation at Passion City Church in Atlanta went through a “Goliath Must Fall” sermon series three years ago. These sermon messages formed the heart of the book.

“The big twist of the series and in the book is that we’re not really David in the story of David and Goliath,” Giglio, 59, said.

The church hosted a similar sermon series this year. “We introduced a new ‘giant’ this summer: the giant of self. We talked about how at the end of the day, what’s underneath most of our fear, most of our anger, most of our addiction, is ourselves.”

“It’s been a really powerful journey for us as a church,” he said.

In the classic Old Testament book 1 Samuel, the young shepherd boy, David — with a sling and a stone — killed the giant, Goliath.

“For a lot of church kids like myself, when we were growing up we always heard that story. And it was always translated [in a way] that if that shepherd boy could take down an undefeated warrior — then you can take down all the giants in your life,” Giglio said. “We sort of live out that sense of, ‘I’ve got my sling and my five stones, and I’m going to conquer whatever comes my way.'”

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The real news is that Jesus is the hero in the story.

“Jesus didn’t come to this earth just to be a good teacher or a moral leader,” Giglio said. “He came to set us free. He came to defeat the power of darkness.”

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A defining moment in Giglio’s own life’s journey was a rediscovery of the “heart of worship.” “We recognize that God actually is greater and bigger than whatever it is that we’re struggling with and whatever we’re afraid of,” Giglio told LifeZette. Also, we must always remember that God loves us.

“I think worship is key for all of us,” he said. “Worship is like corrective lenses for our heart, and it helps us to see God again in a way that He truly is.”

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God is bigger than all of our battles, no matter what they may be. Yet giants rob individuals of their full, God-intended potential. Giglio’s book can serve to help people find freedom “from all the things that are holding us back and holding us down in our lives.” A separate DVD and study guide goes along with the book to help readers even further.

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Two decades ago, Giglio and his wife, Shelley, started Passion Conferences, a program known for hosting annual Christian gatherings for young adults. The program also includes Passion Publishing and a record label, Six Steps Records. The Giglios started Passion City Church less than a decade ago in Atlanta.

The church is in the process of getting ready to launch a new location in Washington, D.C.

“When we planted [roots] in Atlanta, Georgia, that never was our endgame,” said Giglio. “We always wanted to be in the influential cities of America and potentially the world.”

Giglio and his team had prayed about a move this like for several years. “If you’re going to plant a church, you need a strong heart connection with that city and those people,” Giglio said. The nation’s capital clicked. “D.C. is filled with young, motivated, educated people who want to do something significant with their lives. That’s a great place for the Gospel story to land.”

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Pastor Ben Stuart and his wife, Donna, as well as the couple’s children, will be moving to Washington, D.C., at the end of this month.

“We’re not the salvation of Washington, D.C., but we’re honored to just be in the mix and to tell the Jesus story. There are a lot of people in D.C. who’ve heard parts of it, but maybe really haven’t seen it live out,” Giglio said. “We hope to be a part of that.”

(photo credit, article image: @passion268, Twitter)