Click to Review any day in RED
Day 1: Get Your Hopes Up (Introduction) 
Day 2: The Three Most Powerful Forces in the Universe (Ephesians 2:12) 
Day 3: It Matters Which Hope You Choose (Philippians 1:20)
Day 4: Painting an Inner Image (Hebrews 11:1)
Day 5: Imaginations (Psalm 146:5) 
Day 6: Trusting God (Isaiah 43:26) 
Day 7: Taming the Tongue (Hebrews 4:14)
Day 8: Break Through Barriers (2 Thessalonians2:16-17) 
Day 9: Love Is Power (1 John 4:8) 
Day 10: Defeating Giants (Romans 15:13) 
Day 11: Launch the Counterattack (Romans 15:4) 
Day 12: Hope Set Before Us (Proverbs 13:12) 
It’s THE Way of Life (Guide) 
Prayer of Salvation/Recommitment 

Day 10
Defeating Giants (Romans 15:13)  

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Romans 15:13 (KJV).

Years ago, as I was in the middle of studying the life of David, The LORD told me to preach on David and Goliath. As I studied it out, I became so excited. Over the years, I’ve thought a lot about David. The Bible says he was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).

The more I’ve studied David, the more I’ve realized that he was a man after my own heart, too. We can see a powerful picture of hope in David’s life, particularly in the account of his encounter with Goliath.

As we examine this story, allow the Holy Spirit to make it come alive to you and speak to your spirit. The full account of this story is in 1 Samuel 17. Rather than read it all at once in the KJV, we’ll study it in sections.

We’ll begin with verses 1-4: Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.

And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. The army of Israel was on one side of the valley, and the Philistine army was on the opposite side.

The armies of Israel were hiding because Goliath stepped out twice a day to shout, defy and intimidate them (verse 16). Goliath was a giant of a man. When the Bible describes him as “six cubits and a span,” it equals about 9 feet, 6 inches. So he was somewhere between 9½ and 10 feet tall, and his equipment weighed about 500 pounds (verses 5-7).

The circumference of his spear was bigger than an average-sized person could hold. He must have had massive strength. What Goliath yelled at the armies of Israel in verse 8 is very important. He said, “Are ye not servants of Saul?” This reveals everyone’s mentality on the battlefield that day.

The Bible says Saul was head and shoulders taller than any man in Israel. He wasn’t as big as Goliath, but he was tall—head and shoulders above anyone in Israel (1 Samuel 9:2). At the time of this standoff between the Philistines and Israel, Saul was commander in chief of the army and king of the nation of Israel. He was a warrior and a king in more than name and title only.

As the nation’s prophet, priest and king in those days, he had the anointing, the burden-removing, yoke-destroying power of God. That’s why I believe Goliath wanted to fight Day 10 Day 10 © 2024 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries 28 Saul personally, and not Israel’s smaller warriors. He wanted to pull God’s man down in front of everyone.

Just look at what he said in verses 9-10: If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. Verse 11 says when Saul and all Israel heard those taunts, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

They lost courage. They had no hope and no faith. Think about that. They were an army in the field with no hope of winning their battle. They had no inner image of victory. Goliath had challenged them every day for 40 days. He was so formidable-looking, they couldn’t imagine winning against him and the Philistine army.

Every day Goliath defied the armies of Israel, he cursed them by his gods, and they all backed off and ran into their holes or trenches. This included David’s three brothers who were also in military service. David’s father, Jesse, was eager to hear what was happening with his sons on the front lines, so he summoned David, his youngest son, to go take them food.

Just as David got there, the armies of Israel were going out to fight and shout for the battle. David handed his supplies to the carriage keeper and ran into the army to find his brothers (verses 20-22). He didn’t say, “I’d better stay back here because I’m just a little guy.”

David found his brothers, saluted them and talked with them (verses 22-23). That’s when the armies of Israel would run toward the enemy only to have Goliath, once again, come out and taunt them. And once again, the armies of Israel backed off. How many times have you faced a problem, only to remain defeated? It’s time to be like David: Get your hopes up and run toward the enemy!

Notice what David did and said in that moment: And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.

And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him (verses 25-27).

As I was reading and studying this passage one day, the Spirit of God said to me, Notice what David said. Notice he called the man “this uncircumcised Philistine.” David qualified his own faith and the enemy right there. Circumcision was a sign of the Blood covenant, the sworn oath Israel had with Almighty God, the Creator of the universe.

And since the Philistines had no covenant with Him, they weren’t circumcised. David, on the other hand, was the seed of Abraham, in Blood covenant with God Himself. David believed the promise of God that was backed by the blood of the covenant. God’s WORD was already recorded in Deuteronomy 28:7, which says, “When your enemies shall come out against you one way, I’ll cause them to flee before you seven ways.”

David was aware of that Covenant promise, and it altered his perspective. What is equally important to note is that every Day 10 © 2024 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries 29 Israelite on that battlefield, from Saul to David, had the same Covenant. They all had the same promise and, if they had chosen to do so, could have all achieved supernatural results.

But their hope was gone. It was based on what they could see. They didn’t take hold of the promise of God but instead, they cowered in fear. As a born-again believer, you too have a Blood Covenant with God. Through the shed blood of Jesus, you have an even better covenant with better promises than David did (Hebrews 8:6).

Whatever giant is taunting and roaring against you, just like Goliath, it can’t stand against the promises of God. You have the choice of either allowing your problems to defeat you or using them as valuable opportunities. The difference depends on whether you look at them through the eye of faith or through your natural eye.

As a Covenant man or woman, a born-again believer must look first at things in life based on the blood of Jesus and Name of Jesus that’s above every name. Then a born-again believer must look at what The WORD of our Covenant says—not the size of the mountain or the giant. “Yeah, that sounds great, Brother Copeland, but you just don’t understand what kind of financial difficulty I have.

They’re going to repossess my car and my house.” Or maybe you say, “You don’t know what the doctors say about my prognosis. It’s not good.” Or even, “I just don’t see any way to win this battle I’m in.” Those are Goliaths shouting at you, and just like the army of Israel, you’ve been running back to your trench.

But if you’ll get before God, get in His WORD, find His promises for your situation, and build your hope up on The WORD, you’ll overcome that giant problem. When David saw Goliath, he saw a prize. Remember what he said? “What do I get if I kill him?” David was full of faith. He knew his covenant with God. Be aware of your Covenant with God and stir up the anointing inside you.

When you feed your hope and faith with The WORD of God like David did, you’ll be talking the victory all the way through the battle, and absolutely nothing will be able to defeat you. So fill your mouth with God’s WORD. Then like David, who ran toward his enemy, run toward the giant coming against you, speaking your faith just as he did.

Stay with it. You’re ensuring your victory and guaranteeing that, with faith and hope, you’ll take the prize! Points of Hope: » The Greek word for God’s love is agape. It is His unconditional, selfless and giving nature. » God’s hesed-agape transcends human love. It is His lovingkindness, or His goodness. » Hope is the blueprint, Faith is the substance, Love is the power.

Points of Hope:
» The Greek word for God’s love is agape. It is His unconditional, selfless and giving nature.
» God’s hesed-agape transcends human love. It is His lovingkindness, or His goodness.
» Hope is the blueprint, Faith is the substance, Love is the power.

Prayer:
Father, I thank You for Your hesed-agape toward me. I am so thankful that there is nothing I can ever do to make You love me any more or any less. Give me revelation of what is the breadth, the depth the length and height; and to know Your love that passes understanding so that I may be filled with all Your fullness (Ephesians 3:14-21). In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Paint the Picture (Journaling):
What giants are rising up in your life?
What does The WORD say about them?
​List those promises out and read and declare them daily until you see the victory