David killed Goliath with a sling and a stone but then he cut off the giant’s head with a sword. He put down his old familiar weapons and picked up a new one. A sling could be used from a distance; a sword meant getting up close to your foes.

New battles call for new weapons. As our challenges change, so our skills and abilities need to adapt. As our situation and surroundings transition, our mindset must shift to accommodate in the new reality we face. Our proximity to people and problems needs to adjust. In later years, as a warrior king, David would lead his men into battle with a sword as his choice weapon. The new skills served him well for his future role.

What got you to where you are won’t necessarily be sufficient to get you to where you’re going. New levels always call for increased capacity and different competencies. Keep growing, continue learning, don’t be afraid to pick up new tools or develop in areas which seem unfamiliar. They could be the very skills that open doors to, or help you thrive in, the new place God is taking you.

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1 Samuel 17:48-51

“As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.”

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1 Samuel 21:9

“The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one.” David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”