Why Giants Don’t Scare Me Anymore

Giants always seem unbeatable at first. Goliath stood in the way of victory for Israel, but was felled by faith. For a first century Christian, as fellow believers were used as torches to light up Nero’s garden parties, the Roman Empire must have looked unassailable. However, within a few centuries it collapsed. Every empire, every ideology and every regime before and since has followed suit.

I remember as a young believer being constantly aware of the shadow of the Giants of Communism and Marxism. We prayed for believers facing persecution in the Soviet Union, but no one really expected the entire system to implode; yet it did. What seemed so big and powerful and evil; crumbled and fell apart. Other Giants have also come and gone – Fascism and Apartheid among them.

In the last decades a sleeping giant has risen and shown itself to be vicious and cruel. It hates the church and seeks to destroy it. Many have looked at Islam and fear has gripped their hearts. They don’t understand Giants. Giants may stomp on the righteous, but the church grows under affliction. Giants come and go, but the church remains. God has promised this. Even now we see the greatest turning to Christ in the history of Islam as this Giant too goes to war with itself. It too will succumb.

There are still many Giants around, whether it be Orthodoxy driven restriction of evangelism in Russia, State persecution of the church in China, or rampant Corruption in Africa; do not fear them.

While we may rejoice when a Giant is toppled, we need to be cautious as there will always be another waiting to take its place. When we see an emerging Giant we need faith, courage and resolve knowing that God is always victorious even though some may suffer the tyranny of the Giant.

It is often those Giants that are born, nurtured and grown within the church that are the most dangerous – especially if we don’t recognize the danger they pose. The Giants of Apathy, Legalism and Liberalism are particularly dangerous, but not unconquerable.

Giants don’t scare me, Christians that feed them do.

Steven Loots – http://www.harvestersministries.com