The Art Of Crushing It

There are a few stories in the Bible that have always really resonated with me.

The first is the story of David and Goliath. The second is the story of Joshua and Caleb.

The scene for both of these stories is similar...

The consensus, in both, was that the Israelites were doomed (there's a lot of that same thinking in the world today).

In David's story, the entire army was shaking in its boots. There wasn't a single soldier who was remotely interested in going up against the Philistine warrior.

In Joshua and Caleb's, the other ten spies were similarly terrified.

Oddly enough, they feared the same thing in both stories: giants.

They weren't just afraid of regular, everyday people or problems.

They were terrified of something much bigger (literally). They were afraid of something that seemed impossible to defeat when looking at things from a human perspective.

But David, Joshua, and Caleb saw something else!

When everyone around them saw fear and defeat, these guys saw through the fear to what was on the other side. They had seen God do miraculous things before and didn't see why this time would be different.

David said to the soldiers (paraphrasing), "This guy is mocking our God. It doesn't matter how big he is or how many kills he has. God will not be mocked. If you're all too scared, I'll fight him!"

Joshua and Caleb said (paraphrasing), "The land is good, just like God said! We’ll have to overcome some obstacles, but we can do it. God is on our side!"

David was mocked by everyone that day. He had to beg the king to let him fight.

Joshua and Caleb had ten other spies trying desperately to sabotage the conquest by striking fear into the hearts of their fellow countrymen, so much so that they toyed with the idea of stoning them to death.

In David's story, the king finally relented and told David he could take on Goliath.

We all know what happened next.

David went out, armor-less, with just his sling and some stones.

He sprinted toward the giant, hurled a stone at his head, and then, impact.

The stone crushed the head of Goliath, killing him.

David took the sword from Goliath's dead body and used it to cut off his head. VICTORY!

In Joshua and Caleb's story, it took another 38 years (or so) before they got to act on their faith.

Eventually, they crossed over the Jordan River and began their quest to take the land that had been promised to them years before.

They crushed their enemies, including the giants that were in the land. VICTORY!

Here are a few things I've always found so powerful about these stories:

#1 - David, Joshua, and Caleb's willingness to believe when EVERYONE else wouldn't.

It's easy to doubt, to be scared, and to live in fear. It's also easy to accept what is instead of what is possible.

That's human nature's default mindset, as evidenced by the fact that in story after story in the Bible, many are doubting and scared, and only a few have faith and believe!

It takes courage to believe.

But that courage doesn't come from something we muster up (contrary to popular opinion).

It comes from what we put our faith in!

These guys weren't confident in themselves.

They were confident in the God they served, while everyone else doubted Him (or lost sight of His presence).

From experience (what they had seen God do in their lives), they knew that they could trust in God and, as a result, have courage when everyone else was running scared.

#2 - God takes pleasure in using those who trust Him and remember who He is and all He's done.

In both of these stories, the people God used were the ones who never lost sight of His trustworthiness.

He used the ones who saw He couldn't be defeated.

He used the ones swimming upstream because they believed God was bigger than whatever they could see with their human eyes.

He went as far as to say, about Caleb, that he "has a different spirit, and follows me wholeheartedly."

Belief in the face of fear is of a different spirit and God rewards it!

#3 - Even the doubters enjoy blessing due to the courage shown by those bold enough to believe.

In both stories, even the people who refused to believe still enjoyed the benefits of the victories.

The rest of the soldiers in David's story reap the rewards of the victory over Goliath even though they didn't participate in the battle.

Following Joshua and Caleb’s lead, the Israelites eventually crossed the Jordan and engaged in the battle, taking what the Lord had promised them.

This helps us remember that God gives faith and courage to some not so that they can exalt themselves but so through them, He can remind those who are afraid that He is in control and that there is nothing that can stop what He has ordained (and that He wants them to join the fight boldly)!

#4 - These principles still apply today.

So many Old Testament stories are physical depictions of spiritual realities in the New Testament.

For instance, the Old Testament story of conquering the Promised Land represents our life as spirit-filled New Testament believers. It's not a picture of Heaven.

We know this because there are still giants to face in the spirit-filled life and battles to fight (unlike in Heaven), BUT the victory is already secured because God is on our side!

Similarly, the story of David depicts a scenario when all seems lost and impossible. There's no way the Israelite army should beat the Philistines, let alone a shepherd boy whooping their most valiant warrior!

There's no way a bunch of rag-tag nobodies should be able to upend the entire world by spreading the message of the cross (which, according to the Bible, is foolishness to the world), the story of God in the flesh, crucified and raised to life.

But what God planned from the beginning can't be thwarted. He knew all along that he would use the weak to confound the strong. That in their weakness, He would be their strength. And for 2,000+ years, He's fanned the flame of the message of the Good News in such a way that it spreads like fire in a windstorm.

He's continued to use the few who dare to believe in His trustworthiness to accomplish His purposes!

And that brings me to the following question...

What giants are we running towards, hurling stones at, with complete trust that God will deliver the crushing blow?

What fears are we courageously facing head-on because our life experiences have shown us that God can be trusted to deliver victory when it seems impossible?

I've realized that so much of my recent internal struggle has been due to my slowly drifting towards a mentality of playing not to lose instead of playing to win, playing it safe instead of trying to crush it!!!

One of my favorite pastors says, "Do something so big that if God's not in it, it's doomed to fail."

I haven't been doing that like I used to, making me feel somewhat dead inside.

I've been doing things that I believe are just big enough to handle on my own (or mostly so) without facing the giants that terrify me, fully trusting God for the outcome.

That mindset has trickled into what I've been sharing.

It's like a little leaven has leavened the whole lump.

My hint of timidity has censored my “Operation Upgrade” podcast and social posts.

My coaching has yet to inspire people to go after the giants in their life.

As a result, life has not fully been what it could be!

It has not been an exciting, challenging, and invigorating as it should.

It has been good but could be better.

And that changes today.

Jesus said that if we cling to our lives, we will lose them, but if we lose our lives for His sake, we will gain them.

Letting go of our lives requires giving up the desire for certainty and self-protection.

It requires embracing uncertainty and doing what others think is crazy!

I've been saying we can upgrade our lives and the world around us.

That is true, but it's bigger than that!

The message that I really want to share, the message that makes me feel alive (even just hearing the words themselves), the message that, when I'm at my best, is my message to the world is this...

We can CRUSH IT!

Just like David crushed Goliath.

Just like the Israelites crushed their enemies.

We can crush it in our faith life.

We can crush it in our relationships.

We can crush it in our health.

We can crush it at work and in our finances.

We can crush it in life!

But to do so, we've got to go where we've not been willing to go before.

We must be willing to face those giants, lean into God, and trust Him to guide us through what we would never be willing to endure on our own.

We've got to be willing to swing for the fences!

We've got to be willing to "Do something so big that if He's not in it, it's doomed to fail!"

We have to be willing to be the minority, to go against the grain, and to tolerate being ridiculed or persecuted.

We should expect it.

It's like a right of passage.

Every Bible example of someone God used to make an impact includes a story of their being ostracized (or worse).

So, back to my earlier questions...

What giants are we running towards, hurling stones at, fully trusting God to deliver the crushing blow?

What fears are we courageously facing head-on because our life experiences have taught us that God can be trusted to deliver us even when it seems impossible?

Where has God placed a desire to crush it on your heart?

Where have you been okay accepting life as a slave in Egypt instead of a life of excitement on the battlefield, taking the land He promised you?

Should you accept it, this week’s challenge is to sit down and look at the goals you came up with over the last two weeks and ask yourself if you're thinking too small.

Are you thinking about small wins, or are you thinking about crushing home runs?

I encourage you to upgrade every goal to what you would consider “crushing it” status, to what you think is so big if God's not in it, it's doomed to fail.

And remember...

Crushing it is NOT a science. There is NO formula. It looks different for every person.

Crushing it IS an art. It's creative and collaborative.

It's NOT about conforming to what the world tells you to do, think, or pursue.

It IS about listening for God to tell you what He has for you to know and to do. What has He put on your heart that has a giant standing in the way?

It's NOT about what's in it for YOU!

It IS about how God wants to USE you to help create value in the lives of others, inspire them, and show them that they can do it too and that He wants them to fight alongside you boldly!

The blessings that David, Joshua, and Caleb enjoyed due to their faith and obedience were not the GOAL but the byproduct of living in a way that pleased God.

They were seeking first the Kingdom, and everything else was added to them!

The same is true for us today.

We don't have to be concerned about what everyone else is (what we will eat, drink, wear, where we will sleep, etc).

We can believe that when God says that if we seek His Kingdom first, we will get everything we need because He's a good Father.

This sounds so hard to believe, just like the idea that a shepherd could defeat a seasoned warrior or a bunch of enslaved people winning battle after battle against giants, but it’s what He promises, and He wants to use those who will believe what He says to show the world who He is!

Here's to crushing it from here on out!