Fighting the Wrong Fight

1 Samuel 17-19 | Ephesians 6:12 | Hebrews 2:14-18

There are days when it feels like I’m swinging at everything.

A loaded schedule.
A rude comment.
A deep insecurity that resurfaces at the worst moment.
The comparison I didn’t invite but let in anyway.

And if I’m not careful, I spend all my energy fighting things I can see while forgetting the real battle lies in what I can’t.

We tend to go after symptoms (people, problems, patterns) when the enemy is far more subtle. He doesn’t just want to ruin your week. He wants to shake your faith. He wants to make you believe that God isn’t with you, that you’re unarmed, and that fear should have the final word.

But Scripture tells a different story.

Giants, Armor, and the Greater Warrior

In 1 Samuel 17, the threat was clear: Goliath.
A towering, armored warrior who taunted the people of God and dared someone to step forward.

While Saul and the entire army stood frozen, it was David (a shepherd boy) who moved forward in faith. Not because he was the strongest. But because he knew the real battle wasn’t against Goliath’s sword; it was against unbelief.

David didn’t wear armor.
He didn’t come with an army.
He came with the name of the Lord.

“The battle is the Lord’s, and He will hand you over to us.” (1 Samuel 17:47)

And that day, the enemy fell.

In 1 Samuel 18–19, we begin to see the shift. David’s victory brings favor… and jealousy. Saul lashes out, and David must learn to navigate both public victory and private spiritual warfare. His battle wasn’t over—it just changed forms.

Ephesians 6:12 reminds us:

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against... the spiritual forces of evil.”

And Hebrews 2:14–18 shows us the most important victory:

Jesus faced our ultimate enemy (death itself) and overcame it by sharing in our humanity.
He didn’t just defeat giants.
He disarmed the devil.
He stepped into our weakness so we could walk in His strength.

The giants you face may wear different armor, but the battle still belongs to the Lord.
You don’t have to fight alone. And you don’t have to be the strongest.
You just need to remember who fights for you.

Are you fighting flesh-and-blood battles while ignoring the spiritual war underneath?
Pause. Put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18). Name the real enemy, not the person or problem, but the fear, the lie, the pride. And declare this truth: Jesus has already won.

Lord,
I’m tired of fighting the wrong fight.
Open my eyes to what’s really happening behind the stress, the fear, the conflict.
Remind me that the battle belongs to You, and that You’ve already overcome.
Help me stand in truth, not react in fear.
Make me strong in Your strength.
Amen.