Great Exploits

Josheb-Basshebeth killed eight hundred men with his sword in one encounter. Eleazar faced an army alone when the rest of his army ran away. He defeated that army with his sword. He fought so hard and long that his sword froze in his hand. Benaiah killed Moab’s two mightiest warriors, killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day, and having only a club took the spear from a huge Egyptian and killed him with it. These are just three of those listed among David’s Mighty Men.

There are many recent exploits out there as well. Dean Karnazes is an endurance runner. He once ran 350 miles in 80 hours and 44 minutes without sleep in 2005. Mariusz Pudzianowski does a 640-pound bench press, 859-pound squats, and a 947-pound deadlift. He holds five titles as World’s Strongest Man.

We love to hear about great exploits. People all around the world doing extraordinary things of which most of us can only dream. I used to love reading the Guinness Book of World Records. I enjoy seeing exploits others have done that exceed my capabilities. Many of the records were oddities that most of us would never even attempt. However, many would be willing to try something odd just to see if we could do it. I once succeeded (depending on your definition of success) in drinking 1 gallon of whole milk in under seven minutes. No, I will not try that endeavor again.

These people did not start being able to do these things. They had to start from somewhere. Like the rest of us, Dean had to learn to crawl, then walk, and then run. He began running home from kindergarten and took up running for fun. He is just an ordinary man from California who does extraordinary things.

David’s mighty men may have been great warriors, but many, if not all of them came to David when he was hiding for his life in the Cave of Adullam. They were in distress, in debt, and/or discontented. They were ordinary people.

Most of us can relate to their problems. Stress may overcome us. Our debt may be overwhelming. We may have become bitter because of things that have occurred in our lives. These things can hold us down and imprison us from doing anything great with our lives.

Our past often holds us back. Sure, bad things will happen. However, you must decide to let it go.

These men put their trust in David as their leader. David chose God as his leader. When you trust God, nothing will be impossible for you. One of our biggest problems is that we do not want to let go. We grow comfortable in our misery. We may even like having something about which we can complain. How can we move forward if we stay in the past?

Regardless of where you have been, you have a bright future if you do not let the past hold you back. Let God take your pain. You must give it to him, never to take it back again. Trust God to get you through your problems. Follow his wisdom.

When you quit looking at your problems, you may be able to be a great warrior to save someone else. Look to see what good you can do. Feed the hungry, visit the lonely, or volunteer to make a difference in someone’s life.