“Hey! You over there, you’re so tiny you must be the son of a grasshopper! Where are you going?! Come here! Let me crush you!”

How does it feel to be taunted and not taken seriously? It feels as if our market value plummets. There goes our self-worth! Down the drain it goes! This could be one way to describe Israel’s despair after their spies returned to the camp with a bad report not of the Promised Land but of its inhabitants.

So, the Promised Land came with a challenge! After two years in the wilderness, with the bulk of their time spent at the foot of Mount Sinai, the people of Israel have finally reached its borders.  However, the Promised Land was not up for grabs, it had to be conquered. Here is where confidence comes in handy. Kari Kampakis wrote in her book Liked, a chapter on confidence:

“What other people say about you is opinion. What God says about you is fact. The way to know your worth is to focus on the facts.”

Giants have a bad habit. They dwarf their environment, and it seems to happen every time you and I start comparing: my looks versus yours; your bank account versus mine; my skill-set versus yours. However, in God’s kingdom we are not made to compare, but to share or to dare.

Share: Use your skill to help other people. You could teach someone who wants to learn from you. Be generous and share the good stuff and your talents and gifts will begin to multiply.

Dare: Do something with your gift that requires faith, something that stretches you and goes beyond the confines of your talent. If you rely on your talent alone, then that’s the limit. Don’t stick with your comfort zone. Cross borders, borders into the unknown and see where God leads you.

Jesus’s secret weapon is and always has been prayer. Whatever our giants are, His secret weapon can be ours. Facing a giant, we need to draw close to God. Giants shrink in the presence of the Lord.