Interview with Rob Marshall

Taking on Goliath
Rob Marshall
Morgan James Publishing LLC (2005)
ISBN 1933596597
Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (9/06)

Reader Views would like to welcome Rob Marshall, author of “Taking on Goliath: How to Unleash the David in All of Us.” Rob is being interviewed by Juanita Watson, Assistant Editor of Reader Views.

Juanita:  Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today Rob.  Would you please tell us what your book “Taking on Goliath: How to Unleash the David in All of Us” is about?

Rob:  Hi Juanita, thanks for taking the time to talk with me today.  “Taking On Goliath” is about the struggles that we all face when we start to go for our dreams.  Everyone that has accomplished the goals they’ve set for themselves will tell you that there were always problems and difficulties that they had to overcome.  In “Taking On Goliath” I take a look at how we can recognize and develop our faith so that we will be able to overcome any “Goliath” of a problem we may face.

Juanita:  What inspired you to write your book?

Rob:  The book was originally going to be called, “The Perfect Excuse.”  The idea behind the book was that we often feel that we have to be perfect, or the circumstances have to be perfect, or we have to have everything we think we need, before we dare attempt our dreams.  I tend to be very analytical and fall into the trap of thinking that I have to have it all together before I can do something, and I believe that a lot of people suffer with the same wrong idea. The truth is that we will never be perfect and we will always have to just get started and believe that we will learn all we need, and find all the help we need, when we trust God.  God will help us succeed, but we have to start taking steps in order for Him to help us reach our goal.

Juanita:  For those who need to familiarize themselves with the Old Testament story of David and Goliath, would you please give us a summed up version?

Rob:  The basic story is about a young shepherd boy who killed a giant warrior twice his size.  It’s the story of how someone who has faith in God can overcome what seem to be insurmountable odds. 

Juanita:  What is the biblical truth that you talk about in “Taking on Goliath”?

Rob:  The truth that with God all things are possible.  When we have faith in God we unleash the “David” in all of us.  But we sometimes struggle with faith because we don’t know what faith really looks like.  By looking at the story of David and Goliath and in particular at the different characteristics in David’s life, we learn what faith looks like in the life of someone who had it.

Juanita:  Do we all really have a “David” within us?

Rob:  God has given all of us faith.  And, really, that’s the only thing that made David any different from all the other soldiers that were there but who were too afraid to fight Goliath.  We all have the ability to believe, but we often believe in what we can’t do, rather than what we can do with God’s help.  Like the soldiers who were afraid of Goliath, we see ourselves as too small in comparison to the problems we face.  When we have faith, we realize that it’s not about us, but about God, and God can help us handle any problem we might face.

Juanita:  What typically represents Goliath in people lives?

Rob:  Goliath can represent any problem, struggle, or obstacle that we may see standing between us and our dreams.  And in most cases those problems and obstacles only appear to be so big and difficult to overcome.  Like Goliath, he looked big and menacing and seemed to be unbeatable, but all it took was a single stone from David’s sling to kill him.

A specific example of a Goliath from my life was our dream of living in Germany.  At the time we felt God speaking to us about doing it, we didn’t know anyone there, I didn’t have the skills to get a job in Germany, and we didn’t have the money.  All of those obstacles seemed insurmountable.  But as we trusted God and followed His leading, we were amazed to see how He worked everything out in ways that were better than we could have imagined.

Juanita:  How does David’s life serve as such strong example of faith?

Rob:  When we look at David’s life there are a couple of things that can help us learn from his example.  For one, David was just a kid and no one, not even his own family, believed that he would be able to kill a giant.  He was an unlikely hero because he didn’t fit the image everyone had of a warrior.  His life can encourage us because we realize that it isn’t about what others think we can do, or even what we might think we can do, but it’s about what God can do through us.

The other thing we can learn is that we don’t have to be perfect.  David was just a normal kid, a normal human being, with problems and sin in his life.  His example teaches us that our mistakes don’t have to ruin our lives.  When we have a heart that is open to God, like David had, we can face our faults and change our lives.  God will forgive us and help us move past our failures when we follow David’s example and humility.

Juanita:  Would you please elaborate on the spiritual aspect of your message in “Taking on Goliath”?  How will strengthening ones faith help them to realize their dreams?

Rob:  When our faith in God is strengthened, we recognize that it’s not about what we think we can do, and it’s not about what everyone else tells us we’re capable of doing, but it’s about what God has enabled us to do.  God will help us when we trust Him.  The dreams and desires that we have for our lives were given to us by God and He wants us to fulfill them.  He wants to do great things in our lives, but we need to understand what it means to do great things for God.  Because doing great things may not mean that each one of us changes the world, but that by doing what God wants us to do with our lives, He will change the world.  We will may never fully understand how our lives impact the world, but God knows.  Strengthening our faith in God helps us know that He has a purpose for us, and that we will find the greatest sense of fulfillment and joy in life when we realize our god-given dreams.

Juanita:  What are the topics you discuss in your book, and what is the format?

Rob:  The book covers the characteristics we see in the lives of people who have faith.  I use the example of David’s life and his battle with Goliath as well as stories from my own life to help illustrate those characteristics.  The book covers topics like courage and commitment but also subjects that I believe we need to understand to help us prepare for the things God wants us to accomplish.  So the book spends time talking about what it means to prepare our hearts and face the challenges in our lives.

Juanita:  What stands in the way for most people when it comes to taking on the Goliath’s in their life?

Rob: Fear.  Someone once said that fear stands for: False Evidence Appearing Real.  I look at fear and faith as opposite of a scale.  Both of them are what we believe about something that hasn’t happened and both of them effect our actions right now.  When fear controls our decisions and actions we tend to look at our limitations.  When faith is in control we look at what God can do in spite of how we see ourselves.

Juanita:  “Taking on Goliath” is the first in your Faith-Full Life series.  Would you tell us more about the new series?

Rob:  The series will cover a variety of topics.  The next book will be about the blessings and challenges of living a life of faith.  I’ve heard people say that all our problems will go away when we have faith, but that’s not what I see throughout the Bible.  What I see is that faith doesn’t eliminate our problems, it allows us to overcome them.  Some of the other topics will be things we often struggle with like money, relationships, our thought life, and physical health and well-being.

Juanita:  With all of the stories in the bible, why did you decide to reference the story of David and Goliath in your first book?

Rob:  I’ve always loved the story of David and Goliath.  It’s a well-known story and I think that we can all see a bit of ourselves in David.  We have all faced “giants” even if we all haven’t always taken care of them the way David took care of Goliath.  And if we’ll just trust God, like David did, we will find that He can be trusted.  With God’s help we can accomplish anything, even killing a giant.

Juanita:  It sounds like your book “Taking on Goliath” will have a myriad of applications.  Would you comment on the different ways/situations people can use the information in your book?

Rob: The book covers a variety of topics that can apply to just about every situation in life.  One example is how David faced criticism from his brother and the king.  One of the things we all have to learn is how to deal with the discouraging and harsh things people often say to us, particularly when those closest to us are the ones that say them.

Another example is something simple like learning how to be more decisive.  No matter what you want to accomplish, the time will come when you have to make decisions and then commit to them.  Most people struggle with making decisions, so we look at how to become more decisive.

Juanita:  Rob, what are you ultimately trying to convey to readers through your book “Taking on Goliath”?

Rob:  The message really is: Have faith in God.  We can realize our dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem, when we trust Him.

Juanita:  How can readers find out more about you and your endeavors?

Rob:  They can go to my website, http://www.TakingOnGoliath.com to get some information about me and they can also subscribe to my weekly newsletter.

Juanita:  Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today, Rob.  Your book “Taking on Goliath” will serve as great inspiration to readers, and you’ve certainly given us much to think about as we encounter our daily challenges.  Do you have any last thoughts you’d like to share with your readers today?

Rob: One of the biggest obstacles that we have to overcome, the first Goliath we all face, is our own doubts and fears.  We simply don’t believe that we can accomplish much in life, so we give up.  We’re like the soldiers that heard Goliath’s challenge and who were too afraid to fight him.  The difference for David was that he didn’t rely on his own strength, but on God.  He didn’t wait for someone else to kill Goliath, he took a step of faith and it changed his life.  The lesson we learn from David is: It’s possible.  Anything is possible if we will face our doubts and fears and have just a little faith.
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