Each of us has Goliaths in our own lives, but we have to be careful we’re not fighting the wrong battles. The Bible says Jesus was full of love, power and wisdom, and we need to tap into that wisdom. My friend Leif Hetland has deep insight into how we can do just that.
A few days ago, I shared with you my first podcast with Leif, where he went into detail about a miracle God performed on his behalf while he was ministering in Pakistan. Click here to find out more about that incredible story. God has anointed Leif with such great love and wisdom that many Pakistanis call him the “ambassador of love.” He recently shared with me a message about wisdom that I believe every Christian needs to hear.
“I feel in my heart that we need a fresh baptism of love,” Leif tells me on my “Strang Report” podcast. (Listen to the podcast here or in this article.) “I believe there’s a tsunami wave of love about to sweep across America. And people are going to actually experience the goodness of God. That’s going to lead to mass repentance, because it is the goodness of God that will lead people to repentance.”
Yet there are countless spiritual giants doing everything they can to keep this from happening. That’s why Christians across the U.S. must fully grasp who they are in Christ—and the power that’s available to them. But what should Christians do when the spiritual giants they’re facing seem too huge to defeat? Leif says the answer is tapping into the wisdom and power of God.
“Even as I started to hear a lot of the bad news—what happened in Sri Lanka, what’s been going on in Pakistan—there’s been this horrific news where we’re hearing how big Goliath is,” Leif says. “And that’s why it’s important to have the wisdom of God and to tap into how big God is. Because if you have a big God, you have a small Goliath.”
Leif says Goliath uses fear and shame to intimidate us and distract us from how big God is. If this spirit succeeds, we lose sight of the battle we’re supposed to be fighting. So the question becomes: Are you fighting the right battle?
“I see it even in America,” he says. “I’m Norwegian, but when I’m listening to what’s going on in the news [in America], that we as believers are showing up for the right battle. We need to stay in our lane and not get involved in fighting all these battles so that when Goliath is there, we’re showing up.”
Once believers identify the giants they’re facing, they must then choose to fight it. Leif offers several tactics in prayer and spiritual warfare that every Christian should know.
“Another thing that is so important is that we do not just talk about the giant but that we learn to speak to the giant,” he says. “So to the giant of fear, [I would say,] ‘I release perfect love, and perfect love is going to cast out fear.’ If it’s a giant of poverty … learn to speak to the giant in words that speak life. So that’s why I feel we’re going to need a lot of wisdom, especially as we head toward the election and all the noise and turmoil. My heart is that we’re going to raise up all these giant slayers in this season who can deal with some of the giants, because it releases supernatural courage every single time a giant comes down.”
Whether the giant we’re facing is an inner giant of fear or worry or it’s a widespread giant trying to control the political climate, Leif says we must respond from a place of love. In that place of love, we know who we are as God’s children and we trust in the Lord to be whatever we need in that battle.
“If I need provision, then I know a giant is coming against my finances, and I’m going to tap into my Papa, who is Jehovah Jireh,” Leif says. “He is my provider. If I need healing, … then I’m tapping into God, the covenant I have with God, that I’m one with Him, that He is my Healer. He is Jehovah Rapha, my healer, my peace, my joy. So I’m focusing on Him so that I see how big He is. But I named the giant, and then I have a name of God to deal with that giant.”
When it comes to politics, Leif says, we can use this approach to respond to Democrats in love. As we do, people will witness how good God is and just how deeply loved they are by the Father.
“I believe that we are supposed to be rooted and grounded in love,” Leif says. “So the root system and the foundation of our lives needs to be love, because perfect love always takes away fear.”
I hope Leif’s message of love and wisdom ministered to you as much as it did to me. I encourage you to listen to my full podcast interview to hear more of Leif’s powerful teaching. And if you know someone who needs this message today, share this article with them!
