Giants Will Fall

Well by now you have probably had a few days to ease into the idea of it being a new year. Perhaps you are even starting to get used to writing 2018 instead of 2017 (it always takes a few days doesn’t it?!). Depending on where you live (if you’re in the USA), we’ve seen some bitterly cold temperatures so far this year. With those temps corresponding with the turn of the calendar, I’m not so sure I like 2018 all too much just yet. It will grow on me, but I know I need to give it time!
 
I’m finding that writing a blog can at times become very seasonal and very much influenced by what is happening at the moment I am writing. At the beginning of a year, it seems opinion columns, blogs, and essays abound from every corner of the internet. Some giving you 20 steps to a “better you.” Some making you wish you were something altogether different. Some telling you to “just be you” and on and on. If self-help resources had a peak marketing time, now must be as good as ever.
 
I honestly wrestled with this first blog of 2018 to find a launching point that would take me into the next year. I felt like I could take the route of practicality and put together a list to breakdown the A, B, C, D and E that you/I/we need to work on. I had moments in the last couple of months where I thought, “I need to write those blogs with the catchy titles that serve as clickbait for people to read. Those get all the likes and shares.” But honestly I realized that whether or not something gets read, I have to write from the heart. I have to pull from the aching that God has placed within me. And I pray that if it’s real and genuine it will connect because we’re all looking for authenticity. At least that’s my hope.
 
So 2018 is here and if I can share my longing with you, it would be this: Giants are going to fall this year.
 
“What does that mean Derek?,” you ask. Well I’m glad you asked! You see, whenever we enter a new territory, a new land, OR even a new year there are giants that already occupy that place we are coming into. I realized this in my own life as my family and I moved cross-country last fall and began a new chapter in an unfamiliar and strange place. I left comfort. I left predictability and stability. And I walked smack dab into giants.
 
My giants might be a little different in size and specification than yours. That’s ok. In reality, what we have in common is that in an overarching sense, all giants flesh out into similar things. If I might be so bold, I see giants all around me affecting my life and so many of us as Christians. Here’s the ones that I see:
 
1. The Giant of Religion
 
If we “do religion,” we try to measure up to a series of rules; a list of do’s and don’ts. It’s the “earn my way to heaven” mentality and if we truly evaluate our walk as Christians, we all do this at some point. There’s a lot here to expound upon at a later time, but the basic obstacle we run into is our view of God is skewed. We believe God watches over us with an iron fist; just waiting for us to mess up. When we do, we lose “points” and go back multiple squares on the board of life. If we see God this way, we’ll never measure up. We’ll always fail to meet the standard. The giant here is religion and it’s conquered by another “R” word: relationship. If we seek relationship with Christ rather than religion, this giant will fall.
 
2. The Giant of Identity
 
If you read my blog at all last year, you know this was a BIG theme for me personally. I keep coming back to it because until we understand who we are in Christ, we will never fully conquer the giant of identity. I see so many Christians struggling with ghosts of their past and being able to proclaim freedom in Christ. If we do not conquer this giant, we find ourselves beset and beleaguered by a whole host of sins. When we lack identity, we go searching. If we search outside of the confines of a relationship with Christ, we search in error. Let’s stop searching and let’s run to Him. The giant of identity is gonna fall this year.
 
3. The Giant of Comfort
 
If I haven’t offended you yet or poked at a sensitive spot, just wait…I’m about to. And remember, these are my giants as much as anyone else. The giant of comfort is a beast that thrives on one main objective: instilling fear in its victims. Think about any major step you’ve taken or been impressed to take in your walk with the Lord. In every step, I can guarantee fear played a role in determining whether or not you moved forward. If you are in a place right now where you ponder the implications for a step of faith, fear is right there trying to make you doubt. Comfort says stay where it’s safe. Don’t venture out into the unknown. It’s plagued the American church for far too long and I for one am tired of comfortable and lazy Christians. Church, let’s not stay there this year. Let’s be bold. The giant of comfort is going down in 2018.

To continue making my case over these areas, I pray you’ll stick out the journey with me over the next few weeks and months. Beyond just the big ideas presented here, there’s some practical steps we can take to eliminate giants. Practical steps taken within a spiritual context. Sure we all love hearing “20 steps to a better you” but I’d be doing anyone reading this a disservice if I didn’t lead you to the true source. None of what we strive for comes from within ourselves. We are wretched, sinful, and entirely lost on our own. But it is Jesus who breaks the chains, who moves the mountains, and causes giants in our lives to come tumbling down. Through His power, we become the men and women we were truly designed to be.

I believe in a God that is as real and as present today as the One that allowed David to take down Goliath. I believe He wants to do amazing things through you this year and is wanting to not only release you from your fear but use you to help others be released as well. I love that through this blog and this ministry we are partnering together and seeing the Kingdom being built. Let’s stand together and believe that giants will fall in 2018.
 
I always love to hear from you!

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