Five Stones of Victory: Conquering Giants Behind Bars

(When Giants Fall: Bold Faith in a Living God)

Scripture Reference: – l Samuel 17:40

“Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.”

💡 Theme: Faith-Filled Readiness

Though David only needed one stone to bring down Goliath, he picked up five. Not out of fear—but out of faith-filled readiness. For prisoners facing daily giants—addiction, anger, hopelessness, loneliness, guilt—these five stones can represent spiritual weapons to conquer those giants in Jesus’ name.

A Boy with a Shepherd’s Heart and a Warrior’s Faith

Before David stood before Goliath, he stood faithfully in the field—tending sheep, singing to the Lord, defending his flock from lions and bears. He wasn’t trained in Saul’s army. He wasn’t part of the “inner circle.” But David had been in the school of obscurity, where God trains His champions in secret.

While his brothers trained with swords, David trained with a slingshot and psalms. While others saw a shepherd boy, God saw a king in the making.

🔥 “Who Is This Uncircumcised Philistine?” — The Cry of Holy Defiance

“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” — 1 Samuel 17:26

David wasn’t just questioning Goliath’s size—he was calling out Goliath’s spiritual condition. “Uncircumcised” meant this giant didn’t belong to the covenant people of God.

David saw what others couldn’t: Goliath may have had muscle and armor—but he didn’t have God.

While Israel cowered in fear, David’s confidence wasn’t in himself—it was in the God he knew personally. In Psalm 27:1, David later wrote:

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

This is faith that sees beyond the battlefield. Faith that says, “If God is for me, it doesn’t matter who or what is against me.”

🪨 The Five Stones: Ready for the Fight, Not Just the First Swing

David didn’t just pick one stone. He picked five. Some say it was in case he missed. Others believe it was for Goliath’s four brothers (see 2 Samuel 21). But the point is this:

🛡️ Faith doesn’t mean you don’t prepare.


David came ready. He came prayed up. He came with experience. He came confident—not in the stone, but in the God behind it.

🪨 The Five Stones: Spiritual Weapons for the Battle

1. Stone of Faith

David didn’t go in armor—he went in the name of the Lord.

“The LORD who delivered me… will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” (1 Sam 17:37)


💭 Remind prisoners: Faith in God is more powerful than any weapon of this world. Your past does not define your fight—your faith does.

2. Stone of Prayer

David walked closely with God—he was a man of prayer. Before the stone left his sling, a relationship had already been built in private.


💭 Encourage: In prison, where isolation is deep, prayer is your lifeline. Talk to God like David did. The battle is won on your knees before it’s won in the yard.

3. Stone of the Word

The Word of God was David’s anchor—many of the Psalms were written in suffering.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)


💭 Urge: Know your weapon. Scripture is the sword of the Spirit. It can silence lies, break chains, and give you victory when nothing else can.

4. Stone of Courage

David RAN toward Goliath. Courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s trusting God enough to act in the face of fear.


💭 Speak to the hearts of men and women in prison: Be bold in doing what’s right. It takes courage to walk away from gangs, to admit wrong, to forgive, to change.

5. Stone of Preparation

David didn’t grab one stone—he picked up five. Not because he lacked faith, but because he was prepared. Some scholars say Goliath had four giant brothers (2 Samuel 21:15–22).


💭 Lesson: Be spiritually ready for what may come. Trials don’t end with one victory. Get equipped. Learn Scripture. Seek discipleship. Stay in prayer. Be battle-ready.

💥 And Then… He Ran

“David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:48)

This wasn’t slow, trembling bravery. David didn’t wait for backup. He ran at the thing others ran from.

✝️ That’s the mark of a Spirit-filled believer: facing what others flee, standing where others fall.

🗡️ Why Did David Cut Off Goliath’s Head?

David didn’t stop with a rock to the forehead. He finished the job.

“So David prevailed over the Philistine... and took his sword and drew it... and cut off his head.” (1 Samuel 17:50–51)

This act was not for show—it was symbolic and prophetic.

💬 What Did It Mean?

1. Complete Victory — The enemy wasn’t just wounded. He was destroyed.

2. Trophy of God’s Power — David later took the head to Jerusalem—a testimony that God saves.

3. Foreshadow of Christ’s Victory — Just as David crushed the head of Goliath, Christ crushed the head of the serpent at the cross (Genesis 3:15). David’s battle points to a greater Deliverer.

🧍‍♂️ What About the Naysayers?

Some scoff: “These are just fairy tales.”

For many of us who were raised in Christian homes, the story of David and Goliath was one of the very first we ever heard. We listened wide-eyed as children, imagining a young shepherd boy toppling a giant with a single stone. We never questioned it—because it was told to us as truth from the Word of God. And in our childlike faith, we believed.

But as we grew older, the world began whispering something different.

The same voices that mock the virgin birth, the parting of the Red Sea, Jonah in the belly of the great fish, or Noah’s ark now laugh at David’s sling and stone. They call us naïve, simple-minded, uneducated. They dismiss the Word of God as myth and allegory—stories for weak men who need a crutch.

Let Them Scoff !

The Apostle Paul already warned us: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18). But for those of us who believe—those of us who cling to God’s promises in the darkness of a prison cell—these stories are not fables. They are fuel for our faith.

We do not put our trust in cleverly invented myths. We believe in a living God who raised Jesus from the dead, who calls the weak to shame the strong, and who turns shepherd boys into giant slayers. We don’t need the world’s approval. We stand on God’s truth—unshaken and unashamed

But Jesus Himself affirmed the Old Testament stories:

● He mentioned Jonah and the whale (Matthew 12:40).

● He spoke of Moses and the Red Sea (Luke 20:37).

● He confirmed the faith of David (Matthew 22:43).

The world calls it myth. But faith calls it history—because the God of the Bible is the same living God today.

Hebrews 11:1 says:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

This is the faith that holds on, steadfast in a prison cell, in the dark, when others doubt.

📬 Message to the Prisoner

You may feel like the smallest, weakest one in the lineup—like David among his brothers. But God isn't looking for the tallest or the strongest. He's looking for the one with faith.

You may be facing Goliaths today—your past, your charges, your sentence, your guilt, your demons. But you don’t fight alone.

The God of David is with you.


The stone of faith is in your sling.
.

And the head of your enemy will roll.

David: A Champion of the Faith

David wasn’t perfect—but he was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). He wasn’t just the boy who defeated Goliath—he was a shepherd, a warrior, a fugitive, a king, a poet, and a sinner in desperate need of grace. In so many ways, David's life mirrors our own. He had high moments of great faith and low moments of deep failure—but through it all, he kept turning back to God.

What makes David a true champion of the faith is not that he never fell—but that he always got back up with repentance, humility, and trust in God's mercy. Whether it was facing down a giant, fleeing from King Saul, confessing a terrible sin, or worshipping with wild abandon, David showed us what it looks like to live in a real, raw, and honest relationship with the living God.

Here are a few key things we can learn from David's life:

● Faith is fearless when God is your focus. David didn’t look at Goliath’s size—he looked at God’s power.

● God uses the overlooked. David was the youngest, the least expected, yet God raised him up.

● Repentance brings restoration. When David sinned with Bathsheba, he broke—but God healed him because his heart was truly contrite (Psalm 51).

● Worship is warfare. David didn’t just fight with stones and swords—he fought with songs and psalms, praising God through every season.

● God never wastes pain. Even David’s darkest moments were woven into a testimony of God’s faithfulness.

If God could use David—flawed, broken, passionate, and bold—then God can use YOU too. Right where you are. No matter your past. Just give Him your whole heart, like David did.

💥 Final Thought

Your Goliath may not wear bronze armor or carry a javelin.

Maybe he stares at you through prison bars in the form of regret over choices you can’t undo…
Maybe he whispers lies through the fog of addiction, or tightens his grip through violent anger you never learned to control.
Maybe your Goliath is the gnawing ache of despair, loneliness, or the weight of years—years—separated from the people you love most.

But hear this, brother: giants still fall.

David didn’t need a sword, shield, or size. He needed something far greater: the power of the Name of the Lord and the faith to swing the stones God placed in his hand.

And you—right where you are—have access to the same Name. The Name that split the sea, shut the lion’s mouths, walked out of a grave, and still moves mountains. You may feel small, unworthy, or forgotten—but don’t forget what’s in your bag. You've got...

🪨 The stone of prayer.


🪨 The stone of Scripture.


🪨 The stone of repentance.


🪨 The stone of worship.


🪨 The stone of bold faith.

It’s not about your strength. It never was. It’s about your surrender. And when the name of the Lord is on your lips and faith is burning in your heart—no giant can stand.

Your Goliath may not wear armor or carry a sword—maybe it’s regret, rage, addiction, despair, or years of separation. But like David, you don’t need a physical weapon—you need the Name of the LORD and the right stones in your bag.

🙏 Prayer

“Lord, help me pick up the right stones. Not the stones of anger, bitterness, or despair—but the stones of faith, truth, and holy courage. Let my heart be full of unshakable trust in You, my mouth overflowing with prayer and praise, my mind saturated with Your living Word, and my spirit clothed in strength from on high.

When fear rises like a giant before me, remind me that You are the God who brings giants down. When I feel too weak, too stained, too far gone, whisper again that I am not who I was—I am who You say I am: chosen, forgiven, equipped, and never alone.

Father, I may be in a place where everything around me says I’ve already lost—but in Christ, I am more than a conqueror. Not because of what I’ve done, but because of what He has already finished at the cross. You didn’t call me to be strong in myself; You called me to stand in Your strength.

So here I am—empty hands, surrendered heart—asking You to fight through me. Give me boldness like David had, vision like Joseph, endurance like Paul, and the faith to believe that even now, You are writing a victory story through my life.

I trust You, Lord. With the battle. With the outcome. With everything.
In the mighty name of Jesus—the name that makes giants tremble—I pray. Amen.”

From: Fight the Good Fight of Faith / Life Journal: by Gregg Harris