C 2017 by Louie Giglio, Passion Publishing, Thomas Nelson
It’s not often that I’m impressed with a Christian book. This one was impressive. Louie and staff wrote an inspirational book on defeating the giants in our souls. (Figured that from the title, didn’t we?)
His take on the story of David and Goliath isn’t what you’d expect: “Because David did it, you can, too. God helped David beat the giant, so he’ll help you, too.” No. Louie’s twist on this story is that David is Jesus. Jesus already beat the giants in your life. Goliath is dead already.
The snake is dead, but the venom is still there. Yet God has provided a way to make sure we do not get stung to death. This book is all about making sure we know the way.
Louie uses the story of David and Goliath in chapter after chapter, milking it for all it’s worth, paying attention to the plainest and finest details to help us believe God for the victory by faith.
He devotes the bulk of the book to overcoming various common giants: fear, rejection, love of comfort, anger, and addiction. He provides many important insights into the way the Lord delivers us. Since God delivers by faith, his illustrations all point us to trust God.
In his chapter “Anger Must Fall,” we get a list of two pages of past hurts that might explain why anger sizzles in the background, only to erupt in devastating ways. Then Louie reaches into David’s bag of five smooth stones and offers three perspectives toward God and two important steps to take that help us overcome the anger. For instance:
“Aren’t you tired of being mad all the time? Weary from holding on to the grudge all these years? Taking down this giant is really about us letting go of control. … Unresolved anger is deceptive like all sin, causing us to feel for once that we are in control. … yet half the time the other person is off on a holiday without a care in the world while our stomachs are rotting.”
The Lord has already delivered us (see Romans 6), so Louie goes over passage after passage, story after story, to bring out the faith mindset of the Christian to live the new life. If you are ready to roll up your sleeves and live as if your pet monster is dead, you have plenty of material here to get going.
The author doesn’t go deeply into the theological background of how and why this deliverance works. He uses the gift of inspiration God gave him. In this, the book excels.
From the perspective of someone who meditates on the Word of God, this book is an excellent example of how much we can receive from the Word when we keep mining the chapter for more. I’m impressed that he and his staff brought so many truths about Christ and His work for us from one small part of the chapter. If in all your efforts to be free, you are not thinking of what Christ has done for you, then you’ve been heading in the wrong direction. There’s no deliverance apart from faith in Christ, and Louie is faithful to point the reader to Him repeatedly with many stories and illustrations.
He also wrote a smashing end to the book. He encourages us to overcome, not merely to feel better, not just to do the right thing, but for the glory of God; that His name would be exalted in our Goliath-free lives; that Christ would be honored as we present ourselves to Him as trophies of His triumph. Goliath must fall that we may give glory to God for His saving work in Christ.
No book can replace a living, obedient relationship with the Holy Spirit and the Savior. This book can guide you, but the results come from your application of the material. If this book does one thing well, it gives the reader what he’s starving for–much-needed hope.
“You don’t need to live with a taunting, debilitating giant any longer. Your giant is going down. In fact, your giant must go down. Jesus will do it for you, and in the pages ahead, I’ll show you how that happens. Your invitation is to lean into the work of Christ and to activate all that he has won for you” (from the Overture).
