Read 1 Chronicles 11:10-47.

Now you may wonder what value there is in reading the long lists of strange names that we sometimes come across in the Bible. And you may wonder what we can learn from someone called “Elhanan son of Dodo” 1 Chronicles 11:26. (I assume “Dodo” in Hebrew doesn’t mean the same thing as it does in English!). Well, we can learn a lot. For the lists are remarkable chronicles of ordinary people who did extraordinary things for God.

The men mentioned in 1 Chronicles 11:10-47 weren’t graduates of West Point Academy. They didn’t receive training with the SAS, and they weren’t lethal killing machines skilled in martial arts, unarmed combat, or other military techniques. They were just a group of men from small places like Tekoa, Anathoth and the ravines of Gaash. Men who had set their hearts on supporting God’s anointed one. Men who did what they did because they were committed to giving David’s “kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the Lord had promised” 1 Chronicles 11:10.

To be a mighty man of God you need to be a regular person who takes God at His Word and believes that with God fighting for you, no one can stand against you. David’s mighty men were common guys who got off their rear ends and took action in such a way that the promises of God became a reality. They were mighty because they refused to settle for mediocrity, refused to be apathetic, and refused to sit back and do nothing.

You too can be a mighty man if you refuse to accept the status quo. David’s mighty men wouldn’t allow someone else to step up to the plate as they simply cheered from the stands, and refused to accept second best. That’s the reality. The men mentioned in 1 Chronicles 11 are remembered as an amazing group of warriors because they were prepared to risk their lives for God by going into dangerous territory and battling against hostile enemies.

That’s it in a nutshell. Mighty men are only strong because they’re prepared to stand in the gap and fight valiantly in the power of the Spirit. So why not join their ranks? For God wants you to enlist.