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Message 45: The King’s Mighty Warriors of Valor

What does it mean to be a mighty warrior? What does it take? In the Old Testament, God gives us a perfect example. In King David’s day, there were over a million warriors who drew the sword in defense of Israel. From out of all these warriors, thirty-seven earned a special place of honor by being immortalized in God’s Holy Word for their heroism. Of the thirty-seven, three earned a special distinction for a specific act of selfless service to their King. God honored these three, above all the rest, and we remember them as the Mighty Warriors of Valor.

Here is how the story unfolds. The Philistines had invaded, pitching their encampment in the valley of Rephaim. A garrison of Philistines had control of Bethlehem. King David was in a stronghold, the cave of Adullam. In the book of 2 Samuel in the Old Testament, David is recorded as saying this:

“King David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of the water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” 2 Samuel 23:15.

Apparently, this particular well had some very good tasting water. Now, you’ll notice, King David didn’t order anyone to get him a drink of water. He wasn’t even talking to anyone in particular. He was just thinking out loud. He was hot and thirsty and wanted something cool to drink. But three of his men were lounging close by, probably trying to stay out of the sun and stay cool themselves. Warriors and servants, and who knows who else was there surrounding King David, but these three men require an introduction.

Chief among the three was Josheb-basshe beth. I’ll just call him Josheb. He had lifted his spear against 800 enemy warriors and killed them all in one battle, earning himself the roll of leader among the three Captains.

Next was Eleazar. He had defied the Philistines to their face, and when he was alone by himself he attacked them! He fought with them until his hand was cramped around his sword and he couldn’t turn it loose. The Bible says the Lord brought a great victory to Israel that day. It says the other soldiers only returned in time to strip the armor off the fallen enemy and loot their bodies.

Then there was Shammah. While the rest of the army of Israel ran away from the advancing Philistine army, Shammah stood his ground in a field of lentils to defend it. As the Philistines fell on him he stood in the center of the field alone. He fought the Philistines by himself, but the Word records that God brought about a great victory that day.

These three warriors, these three mighty men, these three Mighty Warriors of Valor, overheard David’s musing. I imagine them kind of looking at each other across the assembled entourage. As they glance back and forth between themselves, they knew what each of the others was thinking. They look around. Apparently no one else was paying attention to what their King had said.

Without a word, they each quietly get up. They stoop to retrieve their weapons from where they lay close at hand. Slowly they made their way through the crowd, till at last, clear from the throng surrounding the King, their paths join. As they disappear over the crest of the rise, their heads are close together, quietly planning. No one notices their leaving.

The Bible says they “broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate”. That sounds simple enough, but, blow-by-blow, it probably happened along these lines: They approached the walled and fortified city of Bethlehem on foot. The Philistines saw them coming a mile away. When they were within range, the archers on the walls let fly with every arrow that was in their quivers. Undaunted by the arrows that rained down on them, Josheb, Eleazar and Shammah brought it on. How did they escape the death that fell from the sky? It was incredible, yet they did, and on they came. As they neared the wall, the infantry swarmed from the gates and fell upon them with sword and spear. The trio met their foe and drove this incomprehensibly overwhelming hoard back, as they steadily advanced on the well. Then, as they reached the well, what had been three swords against innumerable odds, became two, as one warrior lowers a vessel into the cool depths of the well. When he brings it up again into the fierce heat of the ongoing battle, it is cold and wet and dripping as he clutches it against his chest, its coolness soaking through his tunic. Once again his hand is free and he is able to swing his sword effectively.

By this time the whole city is alerted to the intruders and the three have to fight their way out of the gates and away from the walls. How far do you suppose the Philistines pursued them? Did they hound them out into the desert, leaving a trail of dead and dying Philistines to mark the Israelites’ retreat? Or were they stunned by the carnage wreaked within their walls by so small a fighting force, and just happy to see all of them leave? I don’t know, but the result was the same. These three men returned to the cave of Adullam.

As quietly as they went out, they returned. They come before their King without fanfare and extend the vessel for him to drink. It’s no big deal; they just got him a drink. But King David was no fool. He could see the haggard look on their faces. He could reach out and wipe away the blood that still oozed from crusted wounds. He could smell the death and battle that clung to their clothing like a medal of valor – and his soul was gripped with remorse as his flippant words rushed back to him. His heart exploded with gratitude and humility at the devotion of these warriors who faced certain death, yet stood before him. And he cried out, “There is no way, O Lord, that I could drink this! This is the blood of my men who threw their lives away! And for what! For what! So I could have a drink of water?” And he wouldn’t drink it. He poured it out on the ground as an offering before God. 2 Samuel 23:16. The water soaked into the soil with the blood that still dripped from the warrior’s clothing. These are the things that were done by the three Mighty Warriors of Valor.

What does it mean to be a mighty warrior? What does it take? The actions of these three men show us. How could they risk their lives for a drink of water? What value did these men place on their lives? Did they leave families behind every time they followed their King off to war? Did they have aspirations for their careers? Did they hope to live to a ripe old age, and, surrounded by their grandchildren and great grandchildren, recount the days when they served the King? Perhaps, but the Bible doesn’t say. But what we know for sure is this: No matter what value they placed on their own lives, it wasn’t as important as a drink of water for their God’s anointed King.

It’s that simple. It didn’t matter to them whether they lived or died, because serving their King was life to them. Providing a drink of water for their King was life to them. They didn’t live for themselves or their own desire. They lived only to fulfill the wishes of their King. They counted their own lives as expendable. They counted themselves as already dead, so they could live to serve their King. And because they were already dead, and lived only to serve their King, it was living that they accomplished.

How did Josheb pick up his spear and slay 800 Philistines? It was God! How did Eleazar find the courage to defy the Philistines and single handedly wipe out an army? It was God. How did Shammah stand in the middle of a field of beans and fight Philistines all day so there was a great victory in Israel? The Word tells us it was God! How? How? How could these mortal men accomplish these supernatural victories? It was because they considered their own selves already dead, and lived only to serve God’s anointed King of Israel. They were dead men already in their own eyes, but their motivation was to live to serve God’s anointed King.

These three Mighty Warriors of Valor didn’t suffer from self-loathing. They weren’t depressed or hated their lives. They didn’t have a death wish. They had just found something to live for that was more important than their next breath. They discovered that nothing in their lives could compare to the honor of serving God’s anointed King. Nothing they could do on their own brought them the fulfillment they received from serving their King. In serving their King, at the cost of their very lives if necessary, they discovered the key to really living. And live they did!

Out of all the millions of souls who have lived on this planet, how many of us have accomplished anything by living that would rate an honorable mention in the Bible? Most of us are just content to know our names are written in The Lamb’s Book of Life. This is why our lives are a struggle. This is why the church isn’t reaching the lost. This is why the lost are uninterested in what we have to offer. This is why satan is content to let the church build beautiful buildings to warehouse the Body of Christ in. This is why our lives are powerless. This is why you can’t find a Mighty Warrior of Valor when you need one.
The Spirit of the Living God is at work in our world today. He wants to save the lost but He’s got a big problem – and it’s not the lost! The lost can struggle, be ineffective, be uninterested, kill time and have no power to protect themselves from evil, all on their own without us. They don’t need to join us and then be expected to invest ten percent of their income for the privilege!

We, as individual Believers, and members of the Body of Christ, through the course of time, the erosion of doctrine and the deception of the devil, have become guilty of perhaps the most insidious sin ever to fall on mankind. I’m convinced it’s worse than any sin the godless are capable of committing. We blissfully ignore all of the warnings in the Holy Scriptures so we can remain guilty! In the eyes of the lost, we are no better than they are. In fact, they feel a certain moral superiority over “Christians” because at least, as unbelievers, they aren’t hypocrites!

Prepare your hearts, because this could get uncomfortable . I know it made my knees weak when God revealed it to me. But it also set me free. Not since I became a Believer, thirty-two years ago, had I felt so liberated. I no longer dread the Spirit of God peaking into the dirty little secrets of my life, (that were not secret from God in the first place!).

Never will I be afraid to have all my motivations laid bare before the Righteous Judge! In fact, I ask God to reveal my faults, weaknesses, wickedness, inconsistencies and filthiness so I can be cleansed before Him! I ask Him to search my heart and root out the evil, which, for some unfathomable reason, I have always wanted to hang on to! I ask Him to crush me under the weight of my own disobedience and sift my life like wheat. Better for this to happen while I’m alone with God in prayer, than my life exposed to the world as the wreck I am without Him.

What could God have revealed after thirty-two years that would have this effect on a Believer? You are about to find out!

It’s time to die… It’s time to die to self!

Yes it’s time to die to everything we hold dear, all of our dreams, all of our aspirations, all of our selfishness, all of the things we hold back from God. It’s time to die because until we do, we can’t live for God’s Anointed King.

When we live for Christ alone, we will realize that nothing in life we’ve held onto compares to a single moment living to serve Christ. When we count our lives already lost, we can live to serve God’s Anointed King. And because we are already dead, and live only to serve The King, it will be living that we accomplish.

This was revealed through other Mighty Warriors of Valor in the Bible as well. The Apostles knew it. Paul wrote about it.

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” Acts 20:24.

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” Philippians 3:7-11.

Paul had become a Mighty Warrior of Valor. He counted his own life as lost. He didn’t give up his life just to die. He gave up his life so he would be free to live for God. He knew life in Christ was living with power. The type of power that made things happen. The kind of power that supernaturally transformed lives of darkness into blazing beacons of grace! It wasn’t just any old voltage that Paul was after. He wanted the power of God that was released when God raised Jesus from the dead! To share in the power that raises from the dead, you have to die first.

“What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” Romans 6:1-2.

Dying to the old nature to truly live – living only to serve God. It’s the scriptural key to becoming a Mighty Warrior of Valor. But why would this make Believers uncomfortable? Why would this revelation make my knees weak?

That’s what I’m here to tell you. The scriptures explain it very clearly, but most Christians, myself included, glance over the warnings, and willfully misinterpret the meaning of the scriptures. God expects each of us to advance beyond just being “Saved.” God expects each of us to become Mighty Warriors of Valor. But the Body of Christ is content with being a 98-Pound Weakling! The vast majority of “Christians” are satisfied with “believing with their hearts” or “thinking in their minds” that their names are written in The Lamb’s Book of Life.

Most churchgoers have reasonable enough assurance that when they die, they will be allowed into heaven. And that’s enough. They don’t take it any further. They try to be “good people”. They try to be “good Christians”. They ask God to forgive them when they sin. But they never get beyond that point.

It wouldn’t be apparent they were Christians unless they happened to mention it, or someone saw them walking into a church. If we have to tell people we are “Christians” for them to know it, we’re not very good Christians. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, one of the main excuses the godless use to remain godless, is because they think “Christians” are hypocrites! The personal witness of our lives speaks louder than anything we say. If the pathetic way we live our “Christian” lives makes the godless feel they aren’t any different than us, then there is a problem. And yes there is a problem! The lost are dying and going to Hell every day because there isn’t enough difference between our lives and theirs for them to feel they have anything to worry about.

This is the depth of deception that the Body of Christ in World has sunk to. Our lives are so powerless, our prayers are so faithless, and our nice programs are so pathetic, that we have nothing of value to offer a lost and dying world. But, our names are written in The Lamb’s Book of Life, right? We’ll make it to heaven when we die, right? Yeah, right!

This is what made my knees weak. This is the revelation that changed my life. God expects us to become Mighty Warriors of Valor! He didn’t assemble an Army of Christian Soldiers so they could march around in circles in church, or mark time until they finally died. God EXPECTS something from us! He tells us what it is! And, he warns us! Listen to the scriptures.

“…for it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 1 Peter 4:17-18.

Do you hear what the scripture says? If the righteous are barely saved, how bad is it going to get for the sinners? Doesn’t it make you a little uncomfortable that God thinks even the righteous are barely going to make it? Don’t get me wrong, He does think we’ll make it, but it almost sounds as if it’s touch-and-go sometimes. What else does God have to say about this subject in the Bible?

Remember, the Word admonishes us to let everything be established from two or three sources. Is God’s judgment of Believers addressed anywhere else in the Bible?

“I die every day – I mean that, brothers – just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord” 1 Corinthians 15:31.

The Apostle Paul himself found it necessary to crucify himself every day so he could live for God. It was because he considered himself already dead, that he could live the life of a Mighty Warrior of Valor, serving God’s Anointed King, Jesus. Paul understood how important it was to press on beyond just having his name written in The Lamb’s Book of Life, to serving the Living God. He passes on what he has learned to Believers in this next passage, along with a warning!

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the Law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:26-31.

(This is the sin of “Christians” who have “accepted” salvation, yet continue in disobedience in spite of Grace. This is the sin I am convinced is worse than any sin the “godless” can commit. The godless reject Christ and are damned to eternal separation from God. The “Christian” embraces Christ’s sacrifice, and then turns around and continues to live in disobedience as though God’s redemption has no value. What an insult to Jesus who suffered; to God the Father, who had to watch as His sinless Son pay the ultimate price for our disobedience; and to the Holy Spirit who extends God’s offer of salvation to us, dwells in us, and then gets dragged along by us through all the sin we indulge ourselves in. This is an offense to the very nature of God, and done right in his face! How can we escape judgment?)

For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Do we hear what the scriptures really says? Open up the ears to our hearts and listen to God’s stern warning! God said He will surely judge those who belong to Him! If we call ourselves “Christians” and we belong to Him. Then surely, God will judge us! Judged, not by me, not by anyone else on this earth, but by God Himself!

Don’t worry about what I think or say, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God! If this doesn’t make our knees weak then our hearts are hard beyond understanding!

“Do you not all know that all of you are God’s inner sanctuary and that the Spirit of God is making His home in you? If, as is the case, anyone morally corrupts the inner sanctuary of God, this person God will bring to the place of ruin, for the inner sanctuary of God is holy, of which holy character you are” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

“Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world” 1 Corinthians 11:27-32.

“…we must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will” Hebrews 2:1-4.

So what do we do now? If we have listened to the warnings coming directly from God through His word what shall we do? Some of you will harden your hearts and dismiss this message altogether. Others will realize they have only been playing “church” and they don’t know salvation at all.

Many, like myself, will realize we have been stunted Believers, saved for decades but bearing stunted fruit. This is the crossroads that will change the course of our lives. It’s time to get honest with ourselves and get honest with God. He knows it all anyway, so we might as well quit trying to hide it!

There is liberation in exposing our souls to God. There is freedom in brokenness before the Lord. Willingly throw open the doors of our hearts! Toss off the curtains that have veiled our souls. Allow the shackles to fall that have kept us in bondage to the desires of our bodies.

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?” 2 Corinthians 13:5.

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” Philippians 2:12-13.

Like I said before It’s time to die! It’s time to die right now to our flesh!

It’s time to throw off the raggedy old life of death we’ve wrapped ourselves in. It’s time to discover that true life is living for God’s Anointed King. It’s time to step into what God has desired for us from the beginning. It’s time to become Mighty Warriors of Valor, achieving supernatural exploits for our King. God never intended for the Body of Christ to be a 98-pound weaklings!

God intended for us to live victorious lives. God intended for the joy and love and power of our lives to convict the lost of their sins just by being in our presence!

“…for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.
It is no accident you are reading this message today. God is calling together a mighty Army, not to war against the lost, but to fight for the lost. He is calling on us. Each of us!” Deuteronomy 14:2.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God… this is your spiritual act of worship” Romans 12:1.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:3-4. “You therefore men endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier.”

You might be an Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Evangelist, Teacher or even a Christian and fall short of being a Mighty Warrior of Valor! Look at what the word of God told us, there was over one million warriors yet only 37 were recognized by name as men of valor and of the 37 only 3 were called MIGHTY WARRIORS OF VALOR!

Here we have 3 MIGHTY WARRIORS OF VALOR who willfully was willing to lay down down their very lives so their earthly King could have small cup of water! They weren’t asked to, they weren’t promised anything, they simply knew it was for their King! If they were willy to give their lives for an earthly King, how much more should we be willing to give for our HEAVENLY KING? WITHOUT ASKING FOR ANYTHING IN RETURN! Yet when we do anything for our HEAVENLY KING, we always seem to demand something in return! WHY? Why are we so selfish with what we call ours? Why do we have to demand anything from our HEAVENLY KING?

Look at the Church today! LOOK! Where are the MIGHTY WARRIORS OF VALOR? The world is falling apart, our Christian freedom is under attack.

THE VERY WORD OF GOD IS UNDER ATTACK! The Church that Christ died for is split on morality. We have as much sin in our Churches as in the world. We need the Christians to become MIGHTY WARRIORS OF VALOR not just church pew warriors keeping the pews warm! WARRIORS WHO WILL TAKE THE FIGHT TO THE ENEMIES CAMP! When we read the Word of God our King, Gods warriors went to the enemies’ camp! Because the enemy doesn’t belong in our camp! We need to rise up like David’s warriors and fight back putting our enemy and his servants in their rightful place! We belong to THE KING OF ALL KINGS! LETS ACT LIKE IT!

So what does it take to become mighty warriors of valor for God in our everyday lives?

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor is a man of prayer. He knows God is with him, and he recognizes his dependence on God and his limitations apart from God!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor is willing to put his flesh to death and exercise self-control over his thoughts, words, eyes and actions!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor enthusiastically serves his family, even if he is worn out from a hard day at work!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor overcomes his fear of evangelizing and is willing to share the Gospel with others if and when the opportunity arises!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor is bold when required, but also uses restraint and discretion when they are needed!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor recognizes that he is not always self-sufficient and that he needs the support of others. He is not a one man army!

• A true Mighty Warrior of Valor is loyal to his friends even when his loyalty may cost him everything!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor perseveres in difficult tasks or even under adversity, even when he may not see recognition or appreciation for what he has done!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor is faithful to his commitments and keeps his word and his promises!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor is man enough to admit his faults in his everyday life and take ownership of his sins!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor will lay down his life for his King, even if it is nothing more than for a cup of water for his King!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor puts aside the cares and pleasures of this world to seek only the pleasure of his King’s Kingdom!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor obeys his King immediately and without hesitation!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor lives every day with courage!

• A True Mighty Warrior always takes pride takes pride in his work!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor always finishes what he starts!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor does what has to be done for his King, at any cost!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor knows who his King is, and what his King wants him to do!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor takes responsibility in his King’s Business and the King’s Kingdom!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor always hears and knows his Kings voice even if it is just a whisper!

• A True Mighty Warrior of Valor

Are you just a mere Christian or a simple man of valor? Is this all you want from our KING?

Or would you rather be A TRUE MIGHTY WARRIOR OF VALOR?

Do you fit into the shoes of a TRUE MIGHTY WARRIOR OF VALOR? YOU CAN!

But first you need to humble yourself and put aside your fears, tear down your alter of pride, and stop being a victim to your pleasures of this life, turn once and forever live only for your KING JESUS CHRIST and THE KINGS WORD, it is then and only then that you will have the right to be called a “A MIGHTY WARRIOR OF VALOR.”

Humble yourself right now and become A MIGHTY WARRIOR OF VALOR FOR OUR KING JESUS CHRIST!

RISE UP MIGHTY WARRIORS OF VALOR!

IT’S TIME TO TAKE YOUR PLACE BESIDE OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!

A warrior for righteousness
~ Daniel Yoder.

A humble servant of The Living God!