Week 3: Run at Your Giant

week 1- He is In us. 1 John 4:4
week 2- Faith is the victory. 1 John 5:4

Never run at your giant with your mouth shut! -Pastor Mark

One of the most well-known Biblical events is David killing Goliath, but think about all of the men and women that overcame persecution, attacks of their enemies, and circumstances. Time and time again they had to use their faith and put into action.

Thinking - Speaking - Acting, typically in that order.
David beat his giant the same way you beat yours, by the power inside you, but you first have to know it's there. David knew God because he sought after Him. He meditated on His promises, in His presence. He overcame a lion and a bear before he faced Goliath and God had proved faithful every time.

It's our responsibility to know God, to know His word and His promises to mankind (those that will dare believe).

Greater. Is. He.

The giants you face in life are already defeated! Death will be the last to go. (1 Corinthians 15:26) But even in death, believers overcome, never to die again, but have eternal LIFE.

David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
He knew it was a spiritual battle: Goliath's gods vs the God of Israel.
v36–37 show his heart, motive, and strength. Let God get the glory. David's victory said GOD > Goliath.
If we let our giants rule us, it tells others our God isn't big enough.

Stones = Scripture / Pouch = heart / Sling = tongue
v41–47: the exchange (David didn't even have a sword)
v48: David RAN at Goliath. No fear, confidence in God, running at our giants.

We aren't David in this story. Jesus is. Now that "David" lives inside of us as the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). He did the hard part. We cooperate by taking the steps and putting the Word in our mouths. Our authority given to us by Jesus.

Matthew 10 v1 Jesus gave power to the disciples even before His death! How much more did He leave for us?! v8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, freely you received, freely give.

James 4:7 and 1 Peter 5:9: resist him, steadfast in the faith, and he flees.

Philippians 2:9–11: the name above every name

2 Corinthians 10:3–5: our weapons aren't carnal but mighty through God. Christians shouldn't be sissies!

Ephesians 6:10–18: we wrestle not against flesh and blood, and those powers are already under our feet (Ephesians 1:22).
Name the giant. Face the giant. Tell your giant about your God.

What is holding you back?
Lack: God owns it all- Haggai 2:8, Psalm 50:10, Matthew 6:33 it's our responsibility to seek Him first.

Sickness: 1 Peter 2:24 By His stripes we are healed.
Condemnation or lack of confidence: Romans 8:1 There is therefore NO CONDEMNATION to them which are IN CHRIST (and Christ is in them)...

Fear: 2 Timothy 1:7 we don't have the spirit of fear.
Giants can be dead and still be deadly, like a snake's head. Don't play with them. Remove them. If you have an addiction, a tendency, an iniquity, change your environment. Change what you do and where you go.

Have a Champion mentality.

Overcomers aren't focused on what happens to them but rather on what they can do to their adversary. Words don't move them, they motivate them.
Champions don't think "what if I lose?" They think "what do I have to do to win?"
Psalm 18:31–40, 2 Peter 1:4
Overcome: to subdue, conquer, prevail, get the victory

Confessions:
"Tell your spirit what to believe with your mouth." -Kristyn Anglin

I am an OVERCOMER by faith.
I am no longer the victim but the victor because of Jesus.
It may look like I'm surrounded, but I'm surrounded by You.

Greater. Is. He.

Week 3 — Hidden In Christ


The Secret Place- It isn't just a place, but a person.  It's a relationship, not a religion.
It's abiding under the shadow of The Almighty- (you have to be close to be in a shadow.)

It's choosing His presence and getting quiet.

God is found in the secret place.  
Where it's quiet.  
Where it's peaceful.  
Without distractions.
The world is loud!  Problems want to consumer your thoughts and they will if you let them.

God is our Shephard. He isn't shouting.  
3 Ways Gospel speaks:
Audible voice
His word (the Bible)
Still small voice (His Spirit to you spirit)

The enemy treats us the same as he did Jesus AND he quotes scripture!
Matthew 4:5, 6 ...If you be the son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

He quoted psalm 91: 11, 12 to Jesus. He will do the same to us. We should respond just as Jesus did, "It is written" and quoted The Truth.

Matthew 7:24-27 the wise build upon a sturdy foundation of "the rock"- Jesus, The Word.  Rains will come to everyone, but those who've built their lives on The Truth will stand.
John 8:31, 32 If you continue in my word then you are my disciples. And you shall know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.

Psalm 91:1-16
Protection is promised:
"Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence" (v.3)
"His truth shall be your shield and buckler" (v.4) — not the absence of danger, but a covering while danger is present. this psalm is not a promise that nothing bad will ever happen.
"You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day" (v.5) Covers every threat!

But even more-so, God has hidden (concealed/covered) us In Christ.  The Secret Place is our hiding place, "under the shadow of the Almighty" where Father God is our "refuge and fortress".
The secret place isn't just safety from something — it's a whole new identity and way of living. We can have what the Bible says we can have.  Jesus paid the price.

“Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God’s right side. Think about the things above and not things on earth. You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭CEB‬‬

For you died, you were crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20) and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your standing with God isn't up for renegotiation every time you fail or feel far away. It's hidden — located in Christ, not in your performance.

“Therefore, we were buried together with him through baptism into his death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too can walk in newness of life. If we were united together in a death like his, we will also be united together in a resurrection like his. This is what we know: the person that we used to be was crucified with him in order to get rid of the corpse that had been controlled by sin. That way we wouldn’t be slaves to sin anymore, because a person who has died has been freed from sin’s power. But if we died with Christ, we have faith that we will also live with him. We know that Christ has been raised from the dead and he will never die again. Death no longer has power over him. He died to sin once and for all with his death, but he lives for God with his life. In the same way, you also should consider yourselves dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus. So then, don’t let sin rule your body, so that you do what it wants. Don’t offer parts of your body to sin, to be used as weapons to do wrong. Instead, present yourselves to God as people who have been brought back to life from the dead, and offer all the parts of your body to God to be used as weapons to do right. Sin will have no power over you, because you aren’t under Law but under grace.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭4‬-‭14‬ ‭CEB‬‬

Week 2: Faith Is the Victory
Even though the world we live in is fallen and darkness seems to be everywhere, we can live VICTORIOUSLY by faith, In Christ!

The spirit of anti-christ is alive now, just as it was then.

1 John 4:4 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."

1 John 4:13 NIV "We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his spirit."

John was sharing this to believers because of his revelation! Boldness comes when you know who you belong to.
God is with us, for us, and IN us.
JESUS. IS. LORD

1 John 5:3–5 This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
The cross solved our problem, the resurrection and ascension established our position, but faith in those things QUALIFIES US!

What is Faith?
Hebrews 11:1-6 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word.

Faith is your belief system, shaped by what you hear. Simplest definition of faith is acting like The a Word is True. Faith begins where the will of God is known. Your belief system is everything. It's your foundation for this life.

Faith is our Foundation. Built on the Word, it stands on the solid foundation of Truth.
Built on biased news, feelings, or thoughts, it's dangerous.

Faith is our servant.
“Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offenses will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee,rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.”
Luke 17:1-10 KJV

Renew your mind and take control of what you believe and use your faith:

Romans 12:2- remodel your thoughts!

Psalm 1:1–3- meditate on the word (the Truth). The word meditate means to mutter, think about continually, to gaze at.

The enemy's strategy

• He can't change God's plan for your life unless he can change what you believe. That's why media is so involved today.
• He's in the questioning business: "Did God really say?" (Eve), "If you are the Son of God…" (Jesus), "Fill in the blank from your own life."
• His goal is to DIVIDE, us from God and us from each other, through INTIMIDATION and DECEPTION.
• He can't force his will on you. He has to deceive you.
• IF WE CAN DISCERN, HE CAN'T DIVIDE.

1 Peter 5:7-9 resist the enemy by faith. (be firm in faith in his onset)- be tough, don't let the enemy even get started good. Resist him immediately. Be vigilant (watchful, aware). Recognize when he shows up (like when symptoms start coming, thoughts start coming etc, address them immediately)
Sober- watchful, alert
GREATER IS HE!

Week 2 The Secret Place- Hearing God's voice


God speaks in 3 ways:
Audible Voice- very uncommon (Matthew 3:17)
Still Small Voice- common (Isaiah 19:12 / John 10:27)
His Word- common (His word is His will. If what you heard contradicts His word, it isn't God, no matter what.)

Psalm 91:1-2 — "He who dwells... shall abide... I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.'"
Access to the secret place is open because the vail was torn.  Take advantage! Old Testament figures would have loved this!
If you didn't know you had access before, now you do.

"He who runs from God early in the day will scarcely find Him in the rest of it." -unknown

Have you spent some time with God in the Secret Place this week?  And if so, how would you say it has helped?  The Word is alive and full of power.  In His presence is fulness of joy!  When we spend time in His presence, it changes us, just like it did Jesus and Moses on the Mountain.

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬ (Also Mark 9:2-8 & Luke 9:28-36- to pray)
“Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.”

In the Old Testament, Moses met with God on behalf of the people.  Moses and God talked like friends and this is when God would deliver to him commands for the people.
Exodus 20- The 10 Commandments / Exodus 33 & 34 God met with Moses to receive them again - as he came down Mt. Sinai his face was shining too brightly for ordinary men to look up him so they had him cover his face with a vail.  
‭‭
Exodus‬ ‭34‬:‭29‬-‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the LORD. So when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him.”

{Side note: This shows us God's patience, mercy, grace and love for mankind. He's not giving up on you either!}

God is found in the secret place. Where it's quiet. Where it's peaceful.

Think:
Adam and Eve- The cool of the day (Genesis 1:8)
Isaiah- The still small voice. (Isaiah 19:12)
Jesus- Garden of Gethsemane, The mountains, The Sea of Galilee (Matthew 26:36)
The Good Shephard- (Ps 23 / John 10:27)

Reflection Point:
What noise is keeping you from hearing the voice of the Shephard?
What can you do to make room to hear Him speak?

Week 1: He is in us
Core scripture: 1 John 4:4 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."

John was sharing this to believers because of his revelation! Boldness comes when you know who you belong to.When we are OF God, that means we are IN Christ, and have the authority over the enemy.

Romans 8:9-12 NLT
“But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.”

Romans 8:31-39 NLT
“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We have it better than David did! God isn't just FOR us, and WITH, He is IN us.

2 Kings 6:16, 17 ““Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.”

Psalms- David encouraged himself in the Lord.

• Psalm 3:1–3: Many say there's no hope for me in God, but You, Lord, are my shield, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
• Psalm 18:2: my rock, fortress, deliverer, strength, salvation, high tower
• Psalm 18:28–29: He lights my candle. By Him I've run through a troop and leaped over a wall.
• Psalm 23, 24:1, 27:1: my Shepherd; the earth is the Lord's; the strength of my life

This is not just one of my favorite verses, but one of the most powerful revelations and confessions over my life:

Psalms 27:1-6 NLT
“The LORD is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. The one thing I ask of the LORD— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the LORD with music.”

Reflection:
What are you facing today that needs to hear you proclaim these Truths? Speak to the mountains. The God of Creation has chosen to live in you!

Week 1: What is the Secret Place and where do I find it?
In this series we will discover What and where is the secret place? How do I get there? What happens when I actually abide there?

Matthew 6- Jesus outlines 3 things every believer should practice in their walk with Him and He lays them all out in Matthew 6 in The Sermon on the Mount: 1) Give 2)Pray (in the secret place) 3) Fast

In verse 6 He says to pray in "secret". NOT because He wants us to be Under Cover Christians, but because He wants us to be Courageous! We underestimate what spending time with God (The Word, Jesus, The HG) can do!
The secret place is an intimate place. Intimacy with God fixes everything! The Secret Place isn't a New Testament idea, it was and is a God idea from the very beginning. Think Adam and Eve, Isaiah...He WANTS to spend time with you. He created us for fellowship.
Psalm 91:1 promises that everyone who dwells in "the secret place of the Most High" abides under the shadow of the Almighty — but most believers may read that verse as a nice thought without ever locating the place, learning the road there, or understanding what waits for them once they arrive.

The secret place is never described in Scripture as a place you visit under pressure and then leave. The verb in 91:1 is dwells — ongoing residence, not a panic room.
What's a place you can think of that you felt truly safe — not just comfortable, but SAFE. A grandparent's house, a locked room, a specific chair, your home, with your spouse, etc.

God's secret place David is describing here is like that, but mucgh more.
I. The words themselves — Secret Hb sether / cether and Dwells Hb yashab

1. Secret- to hide, conceal, cover — even has the connotation to "disguise". God will hide you so the enemy can't recognize you.
2. Same root word as "hiding place" in Psalm 32:7, Psalm 119:114, and as "covert"/"shelter" in Isaiah 32:2
3. Dwells (Hebrew yashab) — to sit down, settle, remain. Not "visits," not "passes through." This is a residence, not a rest stop. -Not just running to God in an emergency only, although He is a very present help in the time of need.

*Side Note: I know when most people think of the book of Pslams, they think of David, but did you know some scholars believe Psalm 90 & 91 pre-date David and they believe it was written by Moses?- I know, wow! PK and the Cov. Women are meeting on Monday nights to discuss this very thing!

Psalm 90 begins with:
“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.” —Psalm 90:1
And Psalm 91 says:
“Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place…” —Psalm 91:9

The Hebrew word translated “dwelling place” is closely related in both passages. Psalm 90 establishes God as the dwelling place; Psalm 91 develops what happens when a person actually dwells there.

And Psalm 90 ends with a prayer:
“Let Your work appear to Your servants…” —Psalm 90:16
Psalm 91 ends with God’s answer:
“I will show him My salvation.” —Psalm 91:16

That’s one reason scholars have noticed that Psalms 90–92 function together as a literary unit, even though we don’t know whether the same person wrote all three.
But if God is wanting us to be protected by Him, why do people get hurt? God is good, the devil is bad. The Secret Place doesn't keep bad things from happening to me. We live in a fallen world with an enemy that hates from conception!
The safest place isn't the absence of danger, it's the PRESENCE of God.

Look at what the psalm actually mentions:

• terror by night
• arrows by day
• pestilence
• destruction
• enemies
• lions
• serpents
• death

In other words, Psalm 91 doesn’t pretend danger doesn’t exist. It says that God is greater than the danger. Psalm 90 is heavily concerned with human mortality, God’s judgment, the brevity of life, and the frailty of man.

Then Psalm 91 essentially says:
Yes, life is fragile—but God is your refuge.
The person who dwells in God has a security that circumstances cannot ultimately destroy.
II. Where the Secret Place is now

1. The veil that sealed off the Holy of Holies tore top to bottom at the cross (Matthew 27:51) — the innermost chamber is no longer restricted to one priest, once a year. We have access to Jesus, to the presence of God.
2. Hebrews 4:16 — "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace." The secret place became an open invitation, not a guarded room anymore.
3. Colossians 3:3 — "Your life is hidden with Christ in God." For a believer, the secret place isn't a location you travel to; it's a location you're already positioned in through Christ. If you're IN CHRIST, youre there and may not realize it.

You're not trying to earn your way into a restricted room. You already have access! The secret is knowing how to enter the Secret Place.
ie: A house key vs. a hotel key card. A hotel card gets you in once, temporarily, and expires. A house key means you live there. Are you treating your relationship with God like a hotel stay (visiting when things get hard) or a residence (dwelling)? Do you "feel" close to God when things are going good?

Meditation Points:
- Where do you currently "run" when life gets hard — and is it a person, a distraction, or God?
- What would it look like this week to treat time with God as dwelling rather than a visit?
- Decide now, in this moment, to spend time in His presence with Him.