THEY CAN AND MUST BE OVERCOME — Part 2

The View From Above: Thoughts To Help With Everyday Life

October 27, 2026

Pastor Paul Stephens

OBSTACLES, THERE THEY ARE, RIGHT IN FRONT OF US, AND THEY CAN AND MUST BE OVERCOME — Part 2

The presence of obstacles is a test of our faith and RESOLVE.

Giants are a different kind of obstacle than mountains.

They move, they breathe, they talk…they are able to sow a unique and powerful kind of fear if we listen to what the giants that we face have to say.

Resolve is the legs of faith.

It drives our faith onto the battlefield to face giants with confidence.

Such was the case with David.

Faith and resolve.

Resolve means to decide firmly on a course of action and then move forward.

Resolve gives action to our faith.

James 2:17, 26

“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead…For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

Young David had faith to fight the giant Goliath, but he needed the resolve to actually go out onto the battlefield and fight him and enact a plan that gave life and action to his faith.

We know the story: he rejects the armor that King Saul provided him; he had never tested it, never fought with it, and didn’t feel comfortable trying to fight with something he had never used before.

So what does he do…it’s five smooth stones.

He knew how to use a sling.

A stone coming out of a sling can travel at 120 mph for a short distance.

That’s all I need…and God’s promise of victory if I will trust Him and act in faith.

Faith speaks; David spoke his faith.

1 Samuel 17:45–46

“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.’”

Before your battle is ever engaged with the giants you are facing, you have to speak faith, speak the promises of God, give voice to the confidence that only God’s Word can give you.

That’s what David does.

Giants talk, that can be dismissed.

The devil animates the giants we face.

Don’t listen!

David and we have some talking to do as well.

Then resolve kicks in, action takes place.

Fear is dismissed in light of our faith in a God who goes before us.

More from David:

1 Samuel 17:47b

“…for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you (whatever your giant may be) into our hands.”

And…Yes He will!

Then the resolve that becomes the legs of our faith appears:

1 Samuel 17:48–49

“So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.”

I love that part of the story…David didn’t approach cautiously, slowly…

HE RAN TO MEET GOLIATH…

What faith, what resolve, what confidence.

That should be us…

So what kind of giants might you be facing?

They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

It’s an obstacle that is talking to you and sowing seeds of fear.

It can be a financial giant of debt, a medical emergency and crisis, sales have plummeted, a business we own is going south or is stagnant and we are fearing for our future, or a marriage crisis.

Sometimes temptation appears to exploit our weakness that becomes a giant…or any number of things can represent giants in your life.

Stop listening to the lying voice of the giant.

Have faith…start speaking faith, and get some legs on your faith.

Claiming victory over calamity and crisis.

Get on your knees, now may be a good time, and start doing some talking…then, resolve to take the action necessary to take your giant down.

As is the case with Goliath, through FAITH and RESOLVE giants are doomed to fall in light of our overwhelming confidence in our God.