“As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright.”
—1 Samuel 17:23–24
There it is—the usual taunt.
The devil doesn’t come up with anything new. He’s not creative; he’s repetitive. His lies are recycled, worn out, and stale. But somehow, they still sound convincing when you're standing on the edge of something God is calling you to do.
You feel stirred to step out in faith—to try something new, to make a change, to obey God in a way that stretches you. And right on cue, the same old lies show up.
You’re not ready.
You’re not good enough.
Who do you think you are?
This will never work.
You’ll fail.
People will laugh.
God can’t really use someone like you.
It’s the same blah blah blah. The usual taunt.
David had never heard Goliath before that moment, but when he did, he recognized that voice. That’s important. Because even though this was a giant from Gath shouting across a battlefield, the words were familiar. It was the voice David had heard when he was younger, watching sheep in the field. The voice that whispered, You’re wasting your life. The voice that told him he was just a shepherd boy—insignificant, forgotten, unseen.
But in those fields, David had learned how to shut that voice down.
He didn’t waste his quiet seasons. He didn’t sit in self-pity or stew in smallness. He talked with the Lord. He sang to the Lord. He drew strength from the Lord. And when danger came—a lion, a bear—he trusted the Lord. He stepped up. He fought. He won.
Every time he obeyed in those small, unseen moments, he crushed the usual taunt. And when Goliath shouted it out loud, it didn’t intimidate David—it infuriated him.
The rest of the Israelite army ran in fright. They had been listening to the taunt for forty days. But David knew better. He’d learned to recognize that voice for what it was: the noise of a lying devil trying to dress up fear as truth.
And here’s the part I don’t want you to miss—David had already been anointed by the prophet Samuel. He knew he was chosen. He knew God had set him apart for something more. But he didn’t rush into battle until he’d learned to trust God in private. He built his courage through faith in the quiet places. So when the public challenge came, he was ready.
You don’t destroy the taunt when it gets loud—you destroy it when it first whispers. When you're alone. When you’re uncertain. When you feel small. You destroy it by knowing who you are in God. By drawing close to Him. By refusing to agree with the devil’s lie, even when it sounds like your own voice.
So what’s the usual taunt in your life?
Call it out. Name it. Then destroy it. Because faith, strength, and courage aren’t found in your resume—they’re found in your time with God. And when He says you’re ready, you are. Not because you feel ready, but because you trust Him.
David didn’t run from the giant. He ran toward him.
So take your stone. Take your stand. And silence the taunt once and for all.
“No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from Me, declares the Lord.”
—Isaiah 54:17
