Slaying your Goliath – A spiritual defense for recovery

The story of David and Goliath is a very profound story of facing one’s greatest enemy. The courage to stand alone with only a simple weapon at hand. With faith in Israel’s God, David stood face to face with the giant warrior of the Philistines. A shepherd with only a stone and a sling against a Giant clad in battle armor and brandishing weapons of war. To the onlooker, David appeared foolish. Appeared to be on a suicide mission. Yet, there he stood, a young boy facing the greatest enemy of his people. As the account goes, David not only slays Goliath, he decapitates the giants head.

Many people suffering from substance use disorder face their greatest Goliath. It is their addiction. Armed with only simple means of defending themselves, alcoholics and addicts find themselves standing alone on the battlefield. Facing a well protected giant.

Goliath appears to be more powerful in the lives of those who suffer from the motivation and enslavement of their addiction. It appears there is no one courageous enough to come out and face the enemy. Yet, for the alcoholic and addict – it is the courage and faith to stand alone facing their addiction that brings about the defeat of their enemy once for all. Meaning, it is not merely enough to slay their addiction – it is to overpower their addiction and subdue it to the point of decapitation so that it no longer has breath in the addicts life. How is this accomplished? Just like in the story of David and Goliath, David recognized that the enemy he faced was not merely going to be slain by his own hand. David recognized that it took a greater power than himself to stand there and face the giant of the Philistines. “I come against you in the name of the Lord Almight God” is what David declared.

Recognizing the need of a higher power is not so much about having a sense of religious conviction or experience. The need for a higher power is the recognition that it is going to take something greater than ourselves and greater than the power of our addiction over our lives to bring about the defeat of that enemy. We may be armed with simple tools, yet when placed in the hands of one who seeks to rely on their higher power, those simple weapons turn into the greater blessings of defense against the constant attacks of one’s addiction.

“I am tired of fighting this battle,” some addicts may say. Yet, the battle is a continuous one in the addicts life for they are struggling to find peace of mind and balance that had become lost because of the nature and power of their addiction.

Today, if you are struggling, if you are weary in battling your addiction, take a moment to step back and see whether or not you are facing your Goliath on your own strength. We are unable to defeat the powerful enemy if we do not have something greater and more powerful to rely on. Through the recognition of a higher power at work in our lives, we not only are able to defeat addiction, we are able to subdue it and cut off the head in order for the addiction to no longer have power and pre-eminence in our lives.