A Bold Heart

Developing a Heart like God’s
A Bold Heart
1 Samuel 17

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Facing giants is an intimidating experience!

You will face a Goliath moment - It may come unexpectedly!

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”
(Acts 4:13)

“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,” (Acts 4:29)

Four Circumstances That God Uses To Develop A Bold Heart Within Us:

1. Everyday Challenges (34-37)

Developing a bold heart takes Time

David had courage in his Goliath moment because he had learned to have Confidence in the sufficiency of God in the everyday challenges of life

You will not be bold in the Big Moments if you have not learned to be bold in the Little Ones

Two Types of Decisions That Impact the Trajectory of Our Lives:

• Defining Decisions

• Daily Decisions

2. Criticism and Opposition (25-30)

Eliab – Failure to face the giant was Killing him and the others one day at a time

No one can encourage us or discourage us like family

Some people will feel Threatened by you taking on a giant

Notice David’s Response (30):

• He didn’t Give In or Fight It Out
• We need to choose our Battles Wisely

3. Pressure To Conform (38-40)

Facing giants is often a Lonely experience

Warning: Don’t take counsel on how to face a giant from somebody who isn’t facing their own giants!

How does God want you to Battle your giants?

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
(Romans 12:2)

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:2, The Message)

You will have some Defining Moments in your life

4. The Great Crisis Moments of Our Life (41-54)

Crisis Moments:

• Reveal our hearts
• Redirect our hearts

David chose to believe in God’s Sufficiency rather than the opinion of others

David chose to believe in God’s Strength rather than in his own limitations

When Faced With a Crisis, We Will Either:

• Focus on the size of our Problems
• Focus on the size of our God

Closing Thoughts:

One little stone with the power of God is more powerful than anything the world can throw at you!

Boldly facing your giants is always about more than just you!

Making It Personal

What has tended to be my default response when encountering “Giants” in my life?

What is the name of the current “Giant” I am facing right now?

How has God prepared me for this “Goliath Moment”?

What will it look like for me to respond to the “Giants” with a bold heart that focuses on the size of my God instead of the size of my problems?

Who might be impacted by the way that I face my “Giants”?