Louie Giglio Overcomes Life's Giants

THE PLOTLINE TWIST
There is a twist to the story of David and Goliath: We are not David. Jesus is David in the story of David and Goliath. Jesus is the giant killer. God did not want victory to come about because David was fitted with all the best armor or because he was brave and had an army at his back. God wanted victory to come simply because one young man trusted in Him. The second twist is that our giant is already dead. The victory is already won. “Jesus has already accomplished what He set out to do,” shares Louie. “The final twist is that David’s motivation in this whole thing was the fame of God.” David was motivated by God’s honor and glory and that is our invitation as well.

GIANTS WE ALL FACE
The five most common giants people struggle with in life are the following:  

• The Giant of Fear – The giant of fear has already fallen. The work is already done by Christ on the cross. When we set our eyes on Him, we will not be shaken. We will rest secure.
• The Giant of Rejection – All people battle with some sort of rejection. We learn early in life to compare ourselves with everybody else. This is particularly troubling in today’s modern world where social media is so ever present. Every time a person posts on social media that person is asking, “How do I measure up?” Louie says, “Social media can be a good thing when used well, but if social media is the place where we get our value, then we’re sunk.” The only thing that will help us move past the giant of rejection is to immerse ourselves in the acceptance of Christ. You are worth Jesus to God.
• The Giant of Comfort – Most desire to be comfortable, safe and secure. Yet comfortableness and obedience often butt heads. “Trouble arises when the desire for safety and security becomes the dominant theme of our lives. When a relaxation mentality supplants our attentiveness to God’s call on our lives,” reveals Louie.
• The Giant of Anger –You can replace anger by reading God’s word, praying for the people you are angry at and choosing to see others through Jesus’ eyes. When you get your eyes off of them and back on Jesus only then can He have full reign in your heart.
• The Giant of Addiction – Alcoholism, drugs, and porn are not the only addictions in this generation. Addictions are things we can’t live without. It’s a habit we can’t break. Some people are addicted to money, accomplishments, pain, approval or even people. If there is anything good that can come from addictions, it’s that they remind us we were created to be dependent creatures. We have a God-sized hole that can be filled only with a real relationship with Jesus.

“Our giants have already fallen, because Jesus has made them fall,” shares Louie. The problem is that Satan is after God’s glory. Louie encourages you to remind yourself that those giants don’t need to be giants anymore; pray and listen to the voice of Jesus daily, and let the Holy Spirit lead you step by step on your journey in life.

LOUIE’S GIANTS
Giants come in all shapes and sizes. For Louie, he struggled with the giant of approval and control. As a result, he fell into a deep, dark hole of depression and anxiety. “To put it mildly, I had a breakdown,” shares Louie. During the roughest stretch he was in a different doctor’s office every week and couldn’t sleep at night. “I was a controller who’d found I couldn’t control anymore. I was an approval seeker who’d discovered not everything he did was applauded.” Change for Louie began with praising God, “Worship is simply a shift of attention that allows us to see God better. Worship is like corrective lenses for our souls, bringing God clearer into our view.” At night Louie would name the things which he sought to control, but then he would remind himself that if God wanted a certain result it would happen. As a result, his giants had to stop talking or he chose to stop listening to those giants.

A six week DVD study guide for his latest book, Goliath Must Fall is available at www.passioncitychurch.com which is great for small groups.

PASSION CONFERENCES
Louie and Shelley, together founded Passion Conferences in 1997, uniting college-aged people in events around the globe. In January, Passion 2017 gathered more than 55,000 students in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome in one of the largest collegiate gatherings in history. Some of the speakers included includedChristine Caine, Beth Moore, John Piper, and Levi Lusko. Worship was led by Passion Band, Chris Tomlin, Crowder, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels and Hillsong UNITED. The students participated in an endeavor to "Make History Together" by coming together to sponsor more than 7,000 children through Compassion International, fulfilling all sponsorships in El Salvador, Rwanda, Tanzania and Indonesia as well as hundreds in Bolivia.

PASSION CITY CHURCH
Passion City Church began with a stirring in the hearts of Louie and Shelley Giglio for the local church. Born out of the Passion Movement (a decades-old movement among the collegiate generation), they sought to plant a local community of faith impacted and informed by the DNA of Passion. With a small team of people, that vision took flight in 2008, as small gatherings began in homes throughout Atlanta. The desire was to foster a family of believers connected by a common faith, on a mission in the city and in the world to amplify the name of Jesus. The first gathering was held on February 15, 2009, in Atlanta at The Tabernacle. From there, God faithfully provided, various locations all over the city of Atlanta, until their first permanent gathering site at 515 Garson Drive.

Louie and Shelly lead the teams at Passion City Church, sixsteprecords, and the Passion Global Institute. Louie is the Visionary Architect and Director of the Passion Movement, comprised of Passion Conferences, Passion City Church, Passion Publishing and sixstepsrecords, and the founder of Passion Global Institute. Shelley is the Chief Strategist, Director of Label Operations and Artist Management for sixstepsrecords, co-founder of the Passion Movement, and leads The GROVE, a gathering for the girls of Atlanta.