The Fight That Formed You — 5-Day Study Guide

by | Nov 16, 2025 | Sermon Study Guide

PRINT STUDY GUIDE  SERMON NOTES

 

Speaker: Frankie Mazzapica
Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 17
Key Theme: God uses every battle to shape your faith, identity, and assignment.

Why This Study Matters

Every believer faces battles that feel overwhelming—moments that seem like they might break you, silence your voice, or crush your confidence. But Scripture and experience both reveal a powerful truth: your battles don’t just oppose you… they form you.

In this sermon, Frankie shows how David’s three battles—the lion, the bear, and Goliath—each represent a different kind of spiritual fight. These battles shaped David into the person God needed him to be in order to walk in his calling. The same is true for you.

This study will help you slow down, open your Bible, reflect deeply, and allow the Holy Spirit to show you how God has been forming you through every season. Use this guide individually, as a family, or in a Roads Group to grow in faith, identity, and spiritual strength.

DAY 1 — The Battle for Your Voice (The Lion)

Big Idea: When the enemy attacks your ability to pray or worship, you are fighting the lion—he goes for the throat, where your voice and breath come from.
Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:34–35; Psalm 34:17; 1 Peter 5:8
Quote from Frankie: “Sometimes all you can say is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus… and God hears every single one.”

 

Discussion Questions

New Christians

  1. In 1 Samuel 17:34–35, what does David do when the lion attacks, and what does this teach you about responding to spiritual attacks?

  2. According to Psalm 34:17, what does God promise when you call out to Him?

Mature Christians

  1. How does 1 Peter 5:8 help you discern when your “voice” is under spiritual attack?

  2. Where do you see examples in Scripture of God restoring someone’s prayer life or worship after an attack?

Jr. & Sr. High Students

  1. How does David’s response in 1 Samuel 17:34–35 show courage, and what courage is God calling you to take?

  2. What does Psalm 34:17 tell you to do when you feel like you can’t pray or worship?

Families with Young Children

  1. What did David protect in 1 Samuel 17:34–35? How does God help protect your family when you call on Him?

  2. What does Psalm 34:17 say happens when your family prays together?

Families with Teenagers

  1. Why does the enemy want to silence believers (compare 1 Samuel 17:34–35 with 1 Peter 5:8)?

  2. What do these scriptures teach your family about using your voice—prayer, worship, speaking truth—in hard seasons?

Application Step 

Application:
Pray out loud today. Even if it’s just the name “Jesus,” speak it repeatedly for five minutes. This is your step toward reclaiming your voice.

Optional Family / Kids / Teens Engagement:
Say “Jesus, we love You” out loud together. Invite each family member to share one thing they want courage to pray again.

DAY 2 — The Battle of Pressure (The Bear)

Big Idea: The bear represents the weight of life—discouragement, guilt, anxiety, and pressures that feel too heavy to carry.
Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:35; Psalm 55:22; Matthew 11:28–30
Quote from Frankie: “Some of you have been carrying weight for so long, it never leaves your mind.”

Discussion Questions

New Christians

  1. In 1 Samuel 17:35, how does David respond when the bear tries to overpower him?

  2. According to Psalm 55:22, what does God do when you cast your burdens on Him?

Mature Christians

  1. What parallels do you see between the bear’s crushing weight and the burdens Jesus addresses in Matthew 11:28–30?

  2. How do these verses challenge you to identify and release burdens you’ve been carrying?

 

Jr. & Sr. High Students

  1. What does David’s example in 1 Samuel 17:35 show you about not giving up when life feels heavy?

  2. How does Matthew 11:28–30 tell you Jesus responds when you feel overwhelmed?

Families with Young Children

  1. What heavy things does Jesus invite your family to give Him (Matthew 11:28–30)?

  2. How does Psalm 55:22 encourage your family when you feel weighed down?

Families with Teenagers

  1. According to 1 Samuel 17:35 and Psalm 55:22, how does God help you when life feels like too much pressure?

  2. What does Matthew 11:28–30 show your family about trading pressure for peace?

Application Step

Application:
Identify one burden you’ve been carrying alone. Lay it before God in prayer and ask Him to lift the weight.

Optional Family / Kids / Teens Engagement:
Share one “heavy thing” as a family and pray together, giving that burden to Jesus.

DAY 3 — The Battle Over Identity (Goliath)

Big Idea: Goliath represents attacks on your identity—your value, purpose, and confidence in who God says you are.
Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:43–47; Ephesians 2:10; Romans 8:31
Quote from Frankie: “If God rescued you from the lion and the bear, He can rescue you from this.”

Discussion Questions

New Christians

  1. In 1 Samuel 17:43–47, how does David talk about God when Goliath attacks his identity?

  2. According to Ephesians 2:10, what does God say about who you are?

Mature Christians

  1. How does David model a God-centered identity in 1 Samuel 17:45–47?

  2. How does Romans 8:31 reinforce your confidence in God when you feel spiritually attacked?

Jr. & Sr. High Students

  1. When Goliath mocks David (1 Samuel 17:43–44), what does David focus on to stay confident?

  2. How does Ephesians 2:10 help you see yourself the way God sees you?

Families with Young Children

  1. What does David say about God when Goliath tries to scare him?

  2. According to Romans 8:31, who is on your family’s side?

Families with Teenagers

  1. What identity lies is Goliath speaking in 1 Samuel 17:43–44?

  2. How do Ephesians 2:10 and Romans 8:31 help your family confront identity struggles?

Application Step 

Application:
Speak one truth from Scripture about who you are in Christ. Say it out loud three times today.

Optional Family / Kids / Teens Engagement:
Choose one identity verse and read it together. Each person says one truth God speaks over them.

DAY 4 — Looking Back at the Fights That Formed You

Big Idea: Your past battles weren’t wasted—God used them to strengthen, mature, and prepare you for your purpose.
Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:37; Psalm 66:12; Isaiah 43:2
Quote from Frankie: “Those battles that were supposed to kill you have done nothing but make you strong.”

Discussion Questions

New Christians

  1. In 1 Samuel 17:37, how does David describe God’s faithfulness in past battles?

  2. What does Isaiah 43:2 promise about God’s presence in your hardest moments?

Mature Christians

  1. How does David use the memory of past victories (1 Samuel 17:37) to fuel present confidence?

  2. How does Psalm 66:12 speak to the way God brings you through trials into a “spacious place”?

Jr. & Sr. High Students

  1. What does David’s testimony in 1 Samuel 17:37 teach you about trusting God again?

  2. How does Isaiah 43:2 encourage you when you look back at a hard season?

 

Families with Young Children

  1. What does David remember in 1 Samuel 17:37, and why is remembering important for your family?

  2. How does Psalm 66:12 show what God does after hard seasons?

Families with Teenagers

  1. What role does remembering past victories play in fighting today’s battles (1 Samuel 17:37)?

  2. In Isaiah 43:2, what promises can your family hold onto together?

Application Step 

Application:
Write down one battle God brought you through. Thank Him for how it formed you.

Optional Family / Kids / Teens Engagement:
Share one “God came through” story as a family and thank Him together.

DAY 5 — Step Into Your Assignment

Big Idea: When your voice is restored, the weight lifts, and your identity is grounded in God, you are ready to walk in your God-given assignment.
Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:48–52; Philippians 1:6; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10
Quote from Frankie: “You are stronger, wiser, and more prepared than you think—because God has been forming you through every fight.”

 

Discussion Questions

New Christians

  1. According to 1 Samuel 17:48–52, how does David step boldly into the moment God prepared him for?

  2. How does Philippians 1:6 encourage your confidence as you grow in faith?

Mature Christians

  1. How does David’s victory empower the rest of Israel (1 Samuel 17:52), and what does that say about your influence?

  2. How do 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 shape your understanding of strength in weakness?

Jr. & Sr. High Students

  1. How does David’s action in 1 Samuel 17:48–50 show readiness to follow God?

  2. What does Philippians 1:6 say God is still doing in your life?

Families with Young Children

  1. What did David do when it was time to act (1 Samuel 17:48–50)?

  2. What does Philippians 1:6 promise your family about God’s work in your lives?

Families with Teenagers

  1. How does Israel respond after David’s victory (1 Samuel 17:52), and what does this show about leadership and faith?

  2. How do 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 teach your family to rely on God’s strength?

Application Step

Application:
Ask God to show you one step of obedience He is inviting you to take. Write it down and commit to act on it.

Optional Family / Kids / Teens Engagement:
As a family, ask God: “What assignment are You preparing us for?” Share and pray over each person’s answer.

 

BONUS REFLECTION — “The Formation Fight”

Theme: Looking at your life through the lens of formation rather than defeat.

Everything David faced—the lion, the bear, and Goliath—became a part of God’s shaping work in his life.  What if the same is true for every fight you’ve faced?

This reflection invites you to slow down, look back with the Holy Spirit, and recognize how God has been forming you in ways you may not have noticed at the time. The goal is not to revisit pain for the sake of remembering it, but to recognize God’s presence, protection, and shaping work in every season.

Reflective Scripture:

  • 1 Samuel 17:37 — “The Lord who rescued me… will rescue me again.”

  • Romans 5:3–5 — Perseverance produces character and hope.

  • James 1:2–4 — Trials form maturity in us.

Reflection Questions

(These are not group-specific — they serve as a personal and/or group meditation.)

  1. When you look back at your life, which battles felt like they should have broken you—but didn’t? Read 1 Samuel 17:37 again and write down God’s fingerprints in those moments.

  2. Compare Romans 5:3–5 and James 1:2–4. How do these passages challenge the way you view your past struggles? How do they help you see formation instead of failure?

Spiritual Practice: “Tracing God’s Hand”

Take 10 quiet minutes with the Lord.
Open your Bible to one of the reflection scriptures.
Then ask:

“Lord, show me how You formed me through what I lived through.”

Write down:

  • a battle you faced,

  • what changed in you through it,

  • and what it reveals about your identity or calling today.

Let this become a moment of gratitude, healing, and clarity.

Family / Group Engagement:

Invite each person to share one way God has formed them through a hard season—just one sentence per person.
Then speak this truth together:

“Lord, every battle that tried to break us made us stronger in You.”