The key to endurance is standing up for one second more!

Mighty Men | Shammah

2 Timothy 4:7 NLT

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.

Endurance: the power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way; the capacity to last or to withstand wear and tear.

2 Samuel 23:11-12 NASB

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.

The key to endurance is standing up for one second more!

To endure you must…

…Prepare for the unexpected

1 Peter 5:8 CEV

Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack.

…Hold yourself accountable

Shammah’s name means Appalling Waste,
but he was determined that his life would mean something!

…See the bigger picture

Romans 8:28-31 NLT

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Colossians 1:11 NLT

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy

More than likely at harvest time, everyone was in the field beginning to take in the lentils, their staple food. Philistines came to either pillage it or destroy it to cause hunger and gain a mental advantage. The Israelites would have been excited because the time of harvest was a time of joy, celebration, and feasting, but the Harvest field was quickly turned into a Battlefield and only one man was prepared, Shammah.

No one must have thought or expected anything from him. He was considered worthless, pointless, unwanted, and without any potential, but he believed God had a special purpose for him, he was unwilling to allow the words or expectations of others to define what he would or could do, instead he held himself to a higher standard, he expected greatness, and he demanded endurance!

Enduring may be wearing you out right now. You may feel like you’ve been ground down to a little nub, but I want you to take a deep breath and see the bigger picture. God is working in you and through you, if you don’t give up, if you don’t give in, if you won’t back down, and you’re willing to stand strong, the victory will be yours and you will be filled with joy!

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