Wielding the Sword of Greatness
I heard two Bible verses in my spirit and had to research the scripture references online. Both verses are attached to the same biblical account about David before he became king of Judah. At that point in David’s life, he had aligned himself with the Philistines, an enemy of Israel. The king of Gath, Achish, allowed David to defect while David was on the run from Saul, the first king of Israel.
David rose to greatest in Saul’s army and, after a certain battle, “the women sang as they danced, and said: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands (1 Samuel 18:7 NIV).’” This saying angered King Saul to the point that he vowed to kill David. Can you imagine someone with the power and authority to kill you, making it their life’s mission to kill you?
David ran all over Israel from Saul for years, and after a long time of near misses, David finally decided to seek refuge among Israel’s enemy, the Philistines. Achish, King of Gath, gave David refuge in a town called Ziklag, where David and his entourage resided for 16 months. During that time, David raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, and he took away the wealth of those regions but did not leave any of its inhabitants alive.
After each raid, David would present himself to Achish who would inquire, “Where have you made a raid today?” And David would say, “Against the southern area of Judah, or against the southern area of the Jerahmeelites, or against the southern area of the Kenites” (1 Samuel 27:10 NKJV).
David did not spare the lives of the inhabitants of the regions he raided because he did not want any of them to bring word to Achish about the areas he was truly raiding; and thus, his ruse convinced Achish that David was truly an enemy of Israel and a faithful subject of Gath.
An occasion arose when Achish and the princes of the Philistines prepared for battle against Israel, and Achish, convinced of David’s faithfulness to him, made David one of his chief guardians. As the armies of the Philistines assembled, the princes of the Philistines questioned Achish about David’s presence in the battle formation.
They argued, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master’s favor than by taking the heads of our own men? Isn’t this the David they sang about in their dances: “‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?” (1 Samuel 29:4-5 NIV).
Clearly, David’s fame had spread widely with no help from social media. Even the Philistines knew about the dancing and singing that proclaimed David’s greatness in Israel. But wielding your greatness is a two-edged sword! It will clear your path to a prosperous future for you AND isolate you from others.
If you have a strong need for social acceptance or do not have the emotional capacity to handle rejection, then you will never realize your highest potential or leave a lasting mark on this world.
Following the wishes of the princes of the Philistine, Achish sent David back to Ziklag. When David and his men arrived in Ziklag three days later, the town was burned and all women and children were taken captive, including David’s two wives. David and his men wept bitterly until they found no more strength to cry, and in their grief, David’s men discussed stoning him to death.
David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God (1 Samuel 30:6 NIV). David summoned Abiathar the priest, requesting him to bring the ephod. Abiathar brought the ephod to David, and he inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all” (1 Samuel 30:7-8 NKJV).
1 Samuel 30 verses 6 and 8 are the two verses that God impressed upon my spirit. In them, we are encouraged to strengthen ourselves in the Lord and to pursue, overtake, and recover all.
I do not care what the odds are. I don’t care how bad the situation is. If you need to cry, cry! If you need to be angry, be angry! However, once you are done grieving over what you have lost, and being disappointed with these present circumstances, I need you to strengthen yourself in the Lord. Whatever that looks for you, just do it! Get your head back in the game and play to win!
Next, I need you to pursue, overtake, and recover all. I know The 2024 Millionaire Challenge seems radical and maybe even hasty. However, there’s a lot at stake, and we don’t have any more time to waste dancing with mediocrity.
If you are part of the African diaspora living in the United States, there’s a great deal for you to recover on behalf of your ancestors. Remember, the promises of God are yea and amen, and the Lord has promised to restore the years of peace and prosperity stolen from you (Joel 2:25-26). God will give you those years back by hastening His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). Twenty-eight days may seem like a small window to time to gain financial freedom, but 1 day is as 1,000 years with the Lord (2 Peter 3:8).
To take advantage of the hastening of time, you must set your expectations and efforts high. Get out of the slow lane and be a doer of God’s Word.
Do His will with your whole heart, mind, and strength. And to make that goal a reality in 2024, you must refrain from exhausting yourself in the slow lane, doing things your way. God's timing is perfect, but yours will always be off the mark, causing you to wander in the wilderness for years and years.
My fellow millionaires, I urge you to lean into your greatness, acknowledging that your greatness comes from trusting God!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV).
Amen and amen!