Israel saw a giant too big to fight. David saw a giant too big to ignore. Same battlefield. Same giant. Two completely different responses.

This is Part 2 of our three-part RESET series. Today's message invites you to press reset on your problems — not by avoiding them, sweeping them under the rug, or resigning yourself to their permanence, but by changing how you see them, what you believe they can produce, and what you choose to do about them.

We go to one of the most dramatic moments in all of Scripture: a teenage shepherd named David facing a nine-foot Philistine warrior named Goliath who had paralyzed an entire army for forty days.

David D. Ireland, Ph.D. | Lead Pastor | Christ Church

In this message, we work through three questions that will fundamentally change how you face your biggest problems:

• What Am I SEEING? — Your perspective shapes your outcome. Israel saw a giant through the lens of fear and concluded he was too big to fight. David saw the same giant through the lens of faith and concluded he was too big to ignore. What you see is one thing — but what you tell yourself about what you see is another. As James Baldwin said, "Nothing can be changed until it is faced."

• What Could This PRODUCE? — The lion didn't just threaten David. It trained him. The bear didn't just attack David. It prepared him. When David stood before Saul, he could look back and see that previous problems had developed fighting experience, confidence in God, and capacity for Goliath. The question isn't just "How do I get out of this?" — sometimes the bigger question is: What if the problem I'm asking God to remove is developing something I'm going to need?

• What Can I DO? — David couldn't control Goliath, Saul, or the frightened army. But he knew what he had, what he could do, and Whose name he carried. He ran toward the battle line. Trust in God doesn't mean doing nothing — it means doing what you can while trusting God to do what you cannot.

"Fear takes a problem and makes you smaller. Faith takes the same problem and makes you stronger."

Key scriptures: 1 Samuel 17:20–51