Wake Up to God's Will for Your LifeShembull

How Do I Stay In the Will of God?

Stand in Your Pea Patch

 In 2 Samuel 23 we read about David’s “mighty men,” a small militia of extraordinarily skilled warriors. It was not a big army, but it was a tough army, like a highly trained special forces unit. They were amazingly proficient with their weapons. In fact, the Bible says they could split a hair with their slingshots—left-handed! (See 2 Chronicles 12:2.) The chapter goes on to describe in greater detail the exploits of a small handful within that group, who were the best of the best of the best!

 These men were like real-life superheroes who would make Rambo look like a Girl Scout. One of these men was Adino. “He lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time” (2 Samuel 23:8). “Abishai . . . lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them” (v. 18). Benaiah the son of Jehoiada “slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow: and he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear” (vv. 20–21). But my favorite one of David’s mighty men was Shammah.

 “Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered into a troop, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and the Lord brought about a great victory.” (2 Samuel 23:11–12, NAS)

 Some scholars believe Shammah, mentioned in 2 Samuel, could be the same man whom Judges 3:31 calls Shamgar, who killed six hundred Philistines with an ox goad! Either way one thing is clear: Shammah won an overwhelming victory against impossible odds, and through his courage and valor, God brought about a great triumph for Israel. Let us consider his story.

 It was an ordinary day in Israel. The people were going about their daily business as usual. On the outskirts of the city, in a remote field, a group of laborers was harvesting a meager crop of peas. Suddenly a shadow fell on that pea patch from the hills, as hundreds of Philistine soldiers appeared, armed in full battle gear. Fear struck the hearts of the people. These farmers were mere peasants, armed only with spades, hoes, and other agricultural tools. They knew they had no chance against a professional army. Remaining in that field would mean almost certain death. They looked down at their pea patch situated on an insignificant plot of land, and they realized that it was not worth risking life and limb to defend that ground. They dropped their farming tools and ran for their lives.

 This would have been the end of the story, but unfortunately for the Philistines there was one man in the field that day who was not just a peasant or a farmer—he was a warrior. He was one of David’s mighty men. Shammah was perhaps one of the greatest warriors who has ever lived, and this was to be his most glorious battle. From the story of Shammah, I would like to give you the three words of wisdom that I believe will help you to remain in the will of God. His story reveals three qualities that I believe are non-negotiable if you are to go the distance and fulfill God’s will for your life: integrity, focus, and perseverance.

 Through the Holy Spirit we are equipped to live fruitful and effective lives, accomplishing all that God has for us to do. The devil is no match for the Spirit who lives within us. Greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world. The enemy has a secret weapon – distraction. If the devil can’t stop us, he will attempt to derail us with distraction and then another. The devil knows something we so often forget – that we are in a race against time. Every minute that we are distracted from what God has called us to do is a minute closer to the end of the fight. The devil will even use “good” things as distractions if he can to keep us from the best things that God has in store.

 In James 4:14, our lives are described as “a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” There are not enough hours in a day to do everything. There are not enough years in your life to live for everything. There is not enough blood in your veins to bleed for everything. That’s why it is so important that you choose your battles wisely, don’t get distracted and sacrifice what is “best” on the altar of what is “good.”

 In 1 Corinthians 9:24, Paul encourages us to run the race of our lives “in such a way that you may win.” (NAS). A person who is running to win sets his eyes on the finish line and goes for it with all his might. A person who is running to win has made a choice to lay down everything else for the sake of the prize.

 Reinhard Bonnke once told me the story of how a newspaper had spread vicious lies about him. His friends, jealous for his reputation, urged him to respond. But when he prayed, the Lord spoke to him and said, “You are My harvest worker. Don’t stop the combine harvester just to catch a mouse!”

 Paul exhorts us to “avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless” (Titus 3:9 NIV). Notice that Paul did not call these controversies, arguments, and quarrels sinful things; he called them unprofitable and useless things. Even if something is not necessarily a sin, it can still distract us from what is important. That is why Paul was exhorting us not to get distracted, but to stay focused on what is useful and profitable.

 We’ve been talking a lot about God’s will for your life. But remember that the devil also has a plan for you, and his plan is to make you ineffective and unfruitful. He would love for you to park your combine harvester to chase mice. If he cannot block you, he will try to derail you. He will try to distract you from your assignment. Ignore him. Keep your eyes on the prize, keep fighting in the middle of your field, and run your race in such a way that you will win! 

The battle belongs to the Lord! Your part is not to question, your part is to obey and stand firm in that field, until God gives you the victory. May we all stand in our respective fields. May we not be found sitting in front of a television set, but with our boots strapped on, in the middle of the field where God has assigned us. Never give up, never retreat, never surrender to the enemy! Endure to the end, and God will give you the victory. This is about the future of God’s eternal kingdom.