Successful Warriors (1 Chron. 12:2)

"They were equipped with bows, using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and to shoot arrows from the bow; they were Saul's kinsmen from Benjamin." (1 Chron. 12:2, NIV84).

To get at the lesson we need to define two words.

• "Saul" means "asked for."  "Asking" [God] is one of the most common meanings of prayer.
• "Benjamin" means "son of the right hand."  Jesus Christ, God's son, is at the right hand of God the Father.  The right hand signifies privilege and power.  Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One.  He sends power, blessing and deliverance to His people.

These ambidextrous masters of two weapons show us how to be successful warriors for Jesus.

1. Successful warriors pray.  They are kinsmen of (familiar with) asking.  They know talent isn't enough.
2. Successful warriors rely upon the anointing.  They know that their effort won't make much difference unless God anoints it.  There is no substitute for the power of God!
3. Successful warriors practice.  In between the asking and the anointing there is an applying.  In between prayer and power there is practice.  These warriors did their part.  They didn't "wing it."  (Read Judg. 20:16.  How did the 700 gain such a reputation?  Someone verified their accuracy.  How did they get so accurate?  They practiced)  What does "practice" look like?  Call it discipline, self-denial or training, if you prefer.  Today we'd put it this way:  You have to put in the time and effort.