Three Success Secrets of Shamgar (Part 2)

“The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” Judges 6:14 

The story of Shamgar gives us three secrets to success. In Judges 3, we are told that he killed 600 enemy Philistines with a farming tool and saved Israel. How did he do it? First, he started where he was. Second, he used what he had. Shamgar’s resources were limited, but he used what he had in his hand, and God brought the miracle.

You may think that if God had only given you more talents and abilities, you could have done something great with your life. You may believe you could have made a difference if you had been born with a wealth of resources like others. But God has given us an “ox goad” or a talent. He has put something in your hand. God asked Moses, “What is in your hand?” Moses replied, “Nothing but a stick.” Then God said, “Throw it down.” And when Moses threw it down, the supernatural power of God made it become a snake that swallowed up the snakes of Pharaoh. And when Moses held up that stick, it parted the Red Sea. The miracle is not in what you don’t have but in what you hold in your hand. 

You have to use what you have. What are your assets? What do you have that can bring glory to God? You may say, “I’m not smart” or “I’m not athletic,” but God has given each person a unique set of gifts that can bless this world. 

God told Gideon he would be used to defeat the Midianites. He called him “a mighty man of valor” and instructed him to “Go in the strength you have.” But Gideon didn’t see himself as a winner. He asked God, “But how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” But the Lord replied, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” 

Don’t get discouraged by who you are right now. God can see your future. Arnold Schwarzenegger once said that when he was just a puny, skinny kid, he found a picture of a bodybuilder and would look at it often. He said, “I got a picture of what I wanted to become, and I lived into that picture.” Arnold started where he was and used what he had, leading to great things.

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