IT’S WHERE YOU FINISH

1 Samuel 22:1-2 (NKJV) David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam.  So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.  And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him.  So, he became captain over them.  And there were about four hundred men with him.

It is not where you start, but where you finish that is important.

When I was thinking about David's mighty men, I looked back on how they came about. When you think of mighty men, you think of someone who is a great man, a great fighter, a great provider, and just the cream of the crop. David's mighty men, like my favorite, Shammah, did great exploits. Shammah took on a whole troop of Philistines to save his field of lentils. He stood in the midst of what was rightly his. God came on him, and he destroyed his enemy, and his harvest was saved. Was Shammah always this man?  Was he always a "Mighty Man"?

1 Samuel 22:1-2 tells us how Shammah, and the other mighty men, started out. They all gathered themselves under the leadership of David at the cave of Adullam. Verse 2 says, "And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men." You can see that these mighty men started out in distress, in debt, and discontented. They didn't start out with the attributes of mighty men, but they were all changed by God. They had watched how God used David and them in battle after battle. They were there at Ziklag when all was lost but then, God sent David to recover all.

We are all at different stages in our spiritual development. Some of you may feel like you are at the beginning, at the cave of Adullam. Maybe you are distressed, in debt, or discontented and realize that just like those who started out that way, you too can become a "Mighty Man" or "Mighty Woman" for God. Stay the course, stay with the Word of God, and keep following the Holy Ghost, so He can turn you into a mighty one.

Maybe you feel like you were on your way to becoming what God called you and thinking, “I am doing this, I am in the will of God, and I will become all that God wants me to be,” but then, a Ziklag happened to you, and all seemed lost. But just like David and his mighty men recovered all, my friend, that is God’s plan for you too. You can recover all. As we keep growing in God, continue to hold on to the truths of God's Word, and follow the Holy Ghost, we will develop into God's mighty men and women.

I want you to be like Shammah, a mighty man. Stand your ground. Don't let your enemy steal another lentil from you. This has got to be your attitude. You must be able to say, “This is my field, I sowed this seed into good ground, it is producing fruit, and this is my harvest, and devil, you can't steal it!” Whatever place you are in right now in your walk with God, you are meant to be a "Mighty Man” or a ”Mighty Woman" of the Most High God!