I am so excited to welcome you to Week 1 of our Bible study based on the book, Goliath Must Fall, by Louie Gilgio! This is going to be awesome!

It is not too late to join us if you haven’t already, so welcome aboard!

We all have areas in our lives where Satan tries to rob us of our joy and freedom in Christ. Ultimately, He wants to dim the glory of God and hamper God’s purpose in our lives. Like a big bully, he tries to intimidate us, demoralize us, and paralyze us from walking in the freedom and victory Christ died to give us.

Most of us have heard the story of David and Goliath numerous times as a child in Sunday School, and we have understood this story to mean that “little ol’ us” can also muster the courage, just like David did, to slay the giants in our lives. However, we often find ourselves beaten and bruised by this giant we thought we could conquer, and then we cower into our corners, licking our wounds and feeling defeated and helpless.

The stark difference we will learn this week is that we are not David; Jesus is.

One powerful truth Louie Giglio points out, and I have also discovered this to be true, is that every story in Scripture, and every book of the Bible, ultimately points to Christ. He is the fulfillment of the Law, and He is the ultimate truth that is revealed through every story. Hence, in the scenario of David killing Goliath, Jesus is the one who stands in the place of David, not us. When we feel powerless to defeat the giants that taunt us, we can rest in the truth that Jesus is more powerful than any giant that looms over us. Our victory rests in the One who has already won the victory! Our triumph over Goliath is a sure thing!

Therefore, we don’t have to take Goliath’s abuse lying down. By the power of Christ working in and through us, we can learn to revel in the victory that is already ours. Christ is the ultimate giant slayer, and He has already defeated our giants. I love the reminder that we fight FROM a position of victory rather than striving FOR victory.

However, this defeated foe has many of us duped into believing that we are powerless to break free from his control. The paradox here is that while dead, he can also still be deadly.

Louie Giglio explains it this way. As a teenager going to church camp each summer in the swamp land of coastal South Carolina, he often dealt with the danger of snakes. Can you imagine trekking your way to the bathhouse at night and finding one of these creepy-crawlies greeting you on the toilet seat?

Louie and some of the guys would hunt these snakes, perhaps hoping to be heroes to the girls. When they came upon one of these venomous critters, they would crush their heads, snap their heads off, and bury their heads in the sand. They would then carry the wriggling bodies on their arms as trophies, continuing on to the next target.

The key to this story is the importance of burying the head of the snake after killing it. If someone were to stumble upon a dead snake head and accidentally step on it, its deadly venom could still be injected into the person’s foot and potentially be fatal. This is a vivid picture of Satan’s position in our world today. We have established the fact that the enemy is already defeated, but just like the dead snake’s head, he can still do some serious damage. That is why we may find ourselves being attacked and beaten up by a dead giant.

Throughout this study, we will learn to line our thinking up with God’s truth, and by the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us, we will develop tools to rise above Goliath’s grip on us. It is time steep ourselves in truth from God’s Word and conquer this loser. Remember, it is not about our effort, but it by the power of the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead and who also lives in us.

One more powerful truth to grasp here is that it is not just our destiny or our victory that is at stake. What motivated David was not his own safety, or to make his own name famous for defeating Goliath. What riled David up is when the giant was dissing his God. And, that burns me up too! It is one thing for our enemy to pick on us, but when he disrespects our God, that takes it to a “whole ‘nutha level!”

David was like, “Who is this filthy Philistine coming against the Most High God? Who does this loser think he is?” It was for the sake of God’s glory and fame that David welled up the courage and power to stand against this monster. That is the same in our own lives too. We must be set free from gnarly grips of Goliath’s filthy claws, and not just so we can live a full and abundant life, but so that God’s glory may shine brightly through us.

While it is God’s will for us to live a free and blessed life, we need to understand that this is not all about us. If it were, we would just give up and settle for that “less than life” that Goliath throws into our faces. However, when we truly understand that it is God’s glory at stake, and that we have the power and responsibility to allow the light of Christ to shine through us to this dark world, we then realize that not only can Goliath fall, but he simply must fall! Not only can we be free, but we must be free! In Jesus’ name!

Week 1 Assignments

1. Watch Louie Giglio’s Session 1 Video from Goliath Must Fall: Dead but Still Deadly.
2. Read Louie’s Week 1 blog from com.
3. Watch my video for Week 1.
4. Read pp. 11-19 in the study guide and do one or all of the activities on pp. 21-25 of the study guide. Have fun with these!
5. Optional: Read chapters 1 and 2 of the companion book, Goliath Must Fall (white book).
6. Participate in a small group at Heart to Heart Women’s Bible Study on Facebook. See pinned post for directions and schedule.

Week 1 Discussion Questions

Here is a sneak peek of the questions we will be discussing this week in our small groups.

QUESTION 1:  One of the most powerful truths we will discover from this story is that we fight FROM victory instead of fighting FOR it. Christ has already defeated Goliath. How does this change your perspective toward your giants? How might this play out in your life?

QUESTION 2: How do you respond to the notion that Jesus, not you, is the David who has defeated the giant in your life? What are the implications of this for the way you live your life?

When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities [those supernatural forces of evil operating against us], He made a public example of them [exhibiting them as captives in His triumphal procession], having triumphed over them through the cross. Colossians 2:15 AMP

QUESTION 3: Jesus has been given “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 18:18). The reason Jesus came to earth was to crush the power of sin and death. What difference does this make as to how you view the giant in your life?

QUESTION 4: If Jesus has all authority and has defeated the enemy, and if he wants us to have life to the full, why do you suppose he lets the problems in our lives still have the venom to harm us? How does God’s glory figure into the situation?

QUESTION 5: How do you go about drawing close to Jesus so that you won’t step on the venomous head of a dead snake?

QUESTION 6: Our ultimate defense against the enemy is leaning into the all-sufficiency of Christ. What does his all-sufficiency mean? How can we lean into it?

 

Reading Schedule

• November 6-12, Week 1: “Dead but Still Deadly” 
  • Study Guide pp. 11-26 | (optional) Companion book, chapters 1-2
• November 13-19, Week 2: “Fear Must Fall”
  • Study Guide, pp. 27-42 | (optional) Companion book, chapter 3
• November 20-26, Week 3: “Rejection Must Fall” (HAPPY THANKSGIVING!)
  • Study Guide, pp. 43-60 | (optional) Companion book, chapter 4
• November 27-December 3, Week 4: “Comfort Must Fall”
  • Study Guide, pp. 61-76 | (optional) Companion book, chapter 5
• December 4-10, Week 5: “Anger Must Fall”
  • Study Guide, pp. 77-94 | (optional) Companion book, chapter 6
• December 11-17, Week 6: “Addiction Must Fall”
  • Study Guide, pp. 95-110 | (optional) Companion book, chapters 7-9
• December 18-24, Catch Up Week
  • Small groups: Wrap up study

How This Works

1. If you have not done so already, please register by leaving your name and email address below.
2. Purchase the study book and companion book (optional).
3. Subscribe to this site to receive future updates by email. Enter your email address in the field to the right, and then click the subscribe button.
4. Join our closed Facebook group, Heart to Heart Women’s Bible Study, for weekly interaction, activities, videos, and small group sessions. Closed means that no one will be able to see our posts unless they are members of the group. This is for your safety and privacy.
5. Small Groups: See the pinned post at the top of the Facebook group, Heart to Heart Women’s Bible Study, for the schedule and instructions. All you need to do is show up at the scheduled day and time, and the discussion will take place underneath the group photo. 
6. Follow my ministry page on Facebook, Shari Lewis Ministries, to stay up-to-date on ministry events and for daily prayers, nuggets of wisdom and encouragement for your life, photos that you are welcome to share, and faith building blog posts to strengthen you in your walk with Christ.

What is Coming Up at Heart to Heart?

1. 10 Days of Giving Thanks, beginning November 13: We will have a daily devotion and activities to help make your Thanksgiving season more meaningful and worshipful.
2. Advent videos, beginning December 3: This is going to be the most awesome Christmas season ever! During the four weeks leading up to Christmas, we will have live videos on Facebook with a devotion, traditional candle lighting, and something special each week to make this Christmas season more joyful and Christ-centered. This will include weekly devotions on the blog and fun activities in the Facebook group as well!
3. In-depth study of the book of Genesis, beginning January 15: We will study the book, The Promised One (A 10-week Bible Study): Seeing Jesus in Genesis, by Nancy Guthrie.

 

Whew! I am so excited about all the awesome things we have in store at Heart to Heart, but especially beginning this new study with you this week! I am so ready for the giants in our lives to be defeated once and for all! I can’t wait to see what God will do in our lives over the course of these next few weeks. By the power and authority of Jesus Christ, we really can live free!

I hope to see you in a small group this week!

God bless!