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Fall, Goliath, Fall

How holy are you?

I will be honest. In my 58+ years, no one has ever asked me that question. How holy am I?

I think this is a tough question to answer After all, what am I supposed to say. “Oh, I am very holy.” Giving any kind of positive comment about the status of my holiness is going to turn off most people. They will either think I am extremely pious, thinking I am above others, or they will think that I am in denial, not being truthful about my sinfulness, or both.

Going the opposite way isn’t really helpful either. “I am a wretch” does not really inspire people to think that Christianity is worth following. If the only way I see myself is as a wretched, evil person, then others are going to question why they should follow a faith where people hate themselves.

Making an Honest Assessment

You may never have to explain the state of your holiness to others, but it is something you should be able to answer for yourself. Maybe you want to know if you are truly walking in the ways of God and He does give you a way to determine that.

In Galatians 5:19-23, Paul gives a clear explanation of our two natures:

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

These verses provide the polar opposite sides of the holy, spirit filled nature and that one that is led by evil, self-centered thinking. To be honest, one need look no further to see if he or she is holy than comparing himself or herself against these verses. If I am flying off into fits of rage and creating divisions and dissensions, I am not holy. If I engage in immoral sexual activity or am jealous of others, I am not living a holy life.

However, if I am demonstrating the Fruit of the Spirit, then I am living as a holy person. If I love others, am kind, patient, and gentle, then holiness is clearly my focus.

The reality is that if I am living a life led by the Holy Spirit, then all aspects of being holy are going to manifest themselves. A person who is self-controlled, patient, and kind is not going to steal from others. A person who has joy, love, and kindness is not going cause bodily injury to another. That person will feel inclined to live out the Ten Commandments and all the Law, seeking to fulfill the commandment of God: “15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ (1 Peter 1:15-16).”

Time to Fall

God calls us to be holy, so why do we fall short? It is true that each one of us is broken and has that sinful nature, so we are going to sin. However, God would not tell us to be holy if it was unattainable. This must mean that we can be holy people, living holy lives.

One of the biggest challenges is that we are losing the battle for holiness in our heads. We have become so conditioned to believe that we cannot succeed that we are unable to overcome the sin in our lives. If this is where you are, then it is time to consider the story of David and Goliath.

This story is told to us in 1 Samuel 17. Most of you know the details, so I will not rehash them, but the important part of this story is that it is the account of a teenage boy going up against the most feared, powerful warrior on earth and winning! It is knowing that no matter what he faced, David had the superior God.

This is the story of Hope CDA in 2026.

Defeating Their Own Goliaths

We know that our men entered this program with big hurdles in their way. Let’s call them Goliaths. These things have stood in the way of their success for years, sometimes for decades. They are beliefs that have become ingrained. Things like “I am a failure,” “no one cares for me,” “this is all I will ever be,” and “I will never be any different.”

Goliaths don’t need to be a 9-foot giant standing in front of you, taunting you. They can be the “9-foot giant” in your head, telling you that you are no good, have no value, and are unworthy. These Goliaths must fall.

In 2026, Hope CDA is calling upon our staff, participants, and all others associated with the program to defeat the Goliaths in their lives. The image at the top of this article is what I want you to keep in mind. “Fall, Goliath, Fall” needs to be your battle cry as well.

It is time to stop caving to the lies, sin, and ideas we have about ourselves. It is time to reach for holiness and be guided by God in all that we do.

To help inspire our men this year, our theme song is “Fall, Goliath, Fall” by the Christian rock group, Project 86. The music video as well as the lyrics are provided below. We encourage you to listen and embrace the words of the song. It is time to “light your hearts into action,” “respond to the call,” and fight “not for the hate of the tyrant,” but fight because of the “love” that you have for your God, your brothers, and your sisters. Beloved of God, it is time to say, “Fall, Goliath, Fall!”

Lyrics to “Fall, Goliath, Fall.”

Hope Good News

A new man joined the Hope CDA program this week. Jake Gilpin chose to seek the ways of God and transform his life and we pray that Jake will find the incredible life that God desires for him… The Hope CDA Moms Program has been renamed “Friends’ Program.” This program will kickoff this upcoming week. We are still looking for good women to be “Friends” to our men, helping to guide them through the program. If you are interested, please reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator, Tahsha Jones (Tahsha.J@HopeCDAcr.org).

Need Something Notarized

Are you in need of a document notarized? Dr. Robert Pannier can take care of that for you. Call and set up an appointment and Rob will happily notarize your document for you. We are just asking for you to make a donation to Hope CDA, but no fee will be charged for the service.

Prayers for the Week

We ask you to join in prayer for these things:

  1. We pray for Jake as he begins the program. May God do wondrous and miraculous things in his life.
  2. We pray for the Goliaths to be defeated in the lives of God’s people.
  3. We pray that God’s people will seek to be holy and loving, truly living lives dedicated to Jesus.
  4. We pray for those still battling illnesses, including Lavonne Johnson, Kevin Wiley, and Jason Young.

Tuesday Night of Encouragement

On Tuesday, January 13, Kyle Taylor of the Safe Place will come and speak. Kyle was supposed to appear in December but was unable to do so because of illness. Come and join us so you can hear Kyle’s encouraging message. Please come and join us. The dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. with Kyle speaking at 6:00.

On Tuesday, January 20, Pastor Dustin Lucero from Westdale Community Church will be the speaker. It will be the first time that Pastor Dustin has spoken at Hope, but we know he will deliver an incredible message.

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