| You Mighty Man of Valor Gideon � Judges Chapter 7. Can you identify with Gideon. Let�s see! He was a young man when the Lord called him and it would seem he was as instant success, as he instantly had an army of 32,000 men. By today�s standard that would be a �huge� church for Pastor Gideon. Now, God spoke to Gideon and told him he had too many men, and that whoever was fearful and afraid should go home. Can you imagine Gideon�s amazement that 22,000 of his congregation got up and left his church. There were 22,000 in fear (or 22,000 were offended by the word). Fear, being the opposite of faith, you will not be able to do what called you to do. God had a peculiar thing for this army to do at a later date. Maybe Gideon thought at this point �I better quit the ministry�, �maybe this is not what God really wants me to do.� Now with 10,000 men remaining, he probably though that he still could still win the battle. But God spoke to him again. What the Lord wants from us is not to trust in what we have, or our ability, or our knowledge, or our education, or our degrees (nothing wrong with any of those things) but God doesn�t want us to trust in them, He wants us to trust in Him. So he told Gideon that there were still too many men and to bring them to the edge of the water to be tested there. We could bring this same scenario to today�s service and our pastor telling the congregation of 10,000 that there�s a �church barbeque� today down at the river and we�re going to play a game there. They were all invited to take a drink from the cool river and some of them got to their knees and stuck their faces in the water and took a drink, and God spoke and said �No, I can�t use them�, so Gideon sent them home. Think about that for a minute, what did they see? Their own reflection! Amazing thought. The others lapped the water and brought it up to their mouths with their hand and God said �I can use them� (they lapped like dogs). A dog is always watching, whether he is eating or drinking, always one eye on his food and one on the horizon, watching for predators who might steal his food. The 300 who lapped had their heads up and could see who was coming, they had discernment (or an eye to see). They couldn�t see themselves, they had their eyes on God. God is trying to get us to stop looking at ourselves and start looking to Him. God can use the �alert� people (the watchers on the wall), the ones who won�t lose the vision, the ones who have some sight. Which one are you? Will you be watchful and see what�s happening around you. Jesus often said �Watch and Pray�. We are living in a time when we need to be alert because the Holy Spirit is trying to get our attention, to get us alert, to warn us about things coming. Don�t just go with the crowd, but listen and be alert, watch and listen to what the Spirit of God is saying. If that was today�s church � the phones would be ringing, the prayer chains would be clinking, saying �guess what, Pastor Gideon had a sermon last Sunday morning and first he lost 22,000 and then he lost 9,700 people and the church is down to 300 people � I wonder if Pastor Gideon is in some kind of sin?� That probably was the general gossip, but they simply did not understand the ways of God. God said that 300 were going to defeat the army of the Midianites and God got all the Glory. Why? Because this feat was impossible with man, but the Word says that �what�s impossible with man is possible with God�, no matter how impossible a situation will be with man �all things are possible with God� and God got all the glory. What God was trying to do with Gideon was to get his mindset changed to believe that if he would trust in God, He would do the impossible. Success wasn�t measured by their numbers, by their natural success, by what they could do, or by how good they looked, success was measured by the fruit produced. Looking back at Chapter 6, we know that Gideon�s call came as he was threshing wheat in the winepress and trying to hide it from the Midianites so they wouldn�t steal it. Notice, the call of God comes not only to the most equipped people, but to busy people � not those sitting around waiting for a Word from God, but those who are busy doing something, whatever they�re putting their hand to do. The angel appeared to Gideon and sat down under the tree and said to Gideon �the Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor� � that definitely was a prophetic word, because Gideon certainly was not a man of valor � yet. The angel prophesied the Word of the Lord. God saw something in Gideon that Gideon didn�t see in himself, God saw Gideon�s potential. Gideon was quite doubtful of this Word because he answered �if the Lord is with me why is all this happening to us? (vs. 13). Have you even been in that situation, saying �I�m a believer and why is all this stuff happening to me?� If God is with me � Why? God does not always answer our why�s. Gideon also said �and where are all the miracles.� How many times have we asked ourselves that saying �I�m praying God, but I don�t see any answers, I�m walking in You God, I�m walking in faith but it doesn�t look like my circumstances are changing much � I�m still having trouble paying my mortgage, why is this happening Lord? Don�t we do that? Gideon also asked himself these questions �where are all the miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord has forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. When you�re in a circumstance that is difficult, you�re telling God the same thing and you ask, Why Lord? Gideon felt like an underdog. God spoke and said �Go in this might of yours and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites (vs. 14).� Gideon probably thought �What might? He just said he couldn�t do it, he just confessed his doubts, and asked �where are all the miracles� and thought God had made a mistake and had probably called someone else, but God was trying to prophesy it to him. God�s word is trying to prophesy to you today, His word is trying to tell you �you�re strong in the Lord and power of His might�, God is trying to say to you �you are a mighty man or woman of valor today�. God is saying �never mind the situation, even if you are the underdog �with God you are a majority. That word is for you today. God, just like he raised Gideon up, is raising you up to be a deliverer, in your household, on the job, in your neighborhood, wherever you are. God strategically placed you there. It doesn�t always looks good but you�re there for a reason. Maybe no one else is saved on the job, or in your home, and that�s exactly why He has placed you there, to be a representative for Him there. God wants somebody with the �Spirit of Might that can approach someone if they are down or discouraged to �lift them up�. God is opening doors of opportunity today, we don�t have to bang them down, the fields are white unto harvest. God has sent you. Maybe you�re in a house of an unsaved husband, or a house of rebellious kids (wayward or on drugs), you�re there for a reason, God has sent you as their deliverer. If on the job your boss is a �horrible grouchy person� to work with, you�re there for a reason, to be his/her deliverer. Gideon now responded �How O God can I save Israel, my family is poor and I am the weakest in my father�s house (vs. 15).� That�s right, how can you and I save anyone? We can�t (not of ourselves) but with the strength of the Lord we can. That was Gideon�s picture of himself, but God says �No, you�re the man, get up and go, because you are going to be their deliverer�. Are you one of those people who cannot speak in front of people? That�s in your own opinion, but in God�s eyes, you�re the best speaker in the house if you are to go in His power and might, because He anoints us with His Spirit and that Holy Ghost in you rises up and gets the job done and He gets all the Glory. Gideon still wrestled with this and God answered �surely I will be with you( vs. 16).� That�s the secret � God will be with you when you go. When you get up to speak, God will be with you because you�re getting up to speak in the Name of the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords and with the anointing of the Holy Ghost and He�ll put you over - You open your mouth and God will fill it. Gideon is still having trouble with the Word of God �If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that you have spoken with me (vs. 17). Do we ask God for a sign when we know He has spoken to us? We even wonder if it is God who has spoken to us (is this the enemy or is this God or just my flesh?) Then Gideon told God He would bring Him an offering. Awesome! That�s how he worshipped God � with an offering and God accepted it. Gideon finally understood it, once he saw a manifestation. We�re no different, we ask God for a sign. The disciples did the same thing. Thomas said �I�ll believe if I can touch and put my finger in the print of the nails�� Jesus said �more blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.� We�re supposed to be walking a walk of faith. Gideon, even though he received his sign thought �Oh, Oh, now I�m going to die because I saw the face of God.� God�s answer to Gideon �Peace to you, do not fear (vs. 23).� No matter what the circumstances, or situation you are in �God always says �Peace� in the situation. If you�re fearful, discouraged, down or confused today, that�s God Word to you � Peace. Peace does not mean the situation will change overnight but it does means that in the situation you can have peace. Once you get peace in your situation, then God can do what needs to be done but first you have to do something. What do you have to do? You have to tear down the altar of Baal that your father had (vs.25). What does that mean? It means we first have to cooperate with God, tear some things down in your life (strongholds). We know Gideon had some strongholds in his thinking (like many of us have). He thought he was the least, the worst, the poorest (these were strongholds). Father God was trying to get him to see what He Himself saw for Gideon. How many of us with a past (strongholds) need them torn down. We might have some idols (fear, an image problem, attitudes, habits, insecurities etc.) and God is saying first of all to tear them down and then build an altar to Him. You have to see yourself as God sees you. Gideon still had a problem � he did it by night (vs. 27) � the secret disciple � to follow Jesus in the dark. A lot of times we�re like that, we have some fears & insecurities and will only follow Jesus like Peter did the night Jesus was betrayed - (afar off) (Mark 14:54). Just like Gideon�s men who looked to God and who didn�t see their own reflection, God wants us to look to Him. Now Gideon has even a bigger problem � Henchmen sent to kill him (vs. 30) � there was an assignment on his life. If you�re a Christian, the enemy has an assignment on you too according to John 10:10 (�to kill & destroy). Gideon still had this mindset that kept him believing a lie up to this point (one of his strongholds) and he had to tear it down by �renewing his mind�. Just like you and I do, we may have some things in our mind that limit us from our walk with God, we have to take the kingdom by force (Matt 11:12), we have to be violent and not timid. God needs our cooperation to get things done. If there�s strife, or division in your house, you need to stand up in your authority and say �NO� in the Name of Jesus, I refuse the �spirit of strife� in my house, I refuse division in my house. You have the authority � Use it! A lot of women have to �carry the ball� for awhile until their husbands come into the kingdom of God. vs 34 tells us �but� the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and he blew the Trumpet, Hallelujah! He changed! When the Spirit of God comes upon us we are changed too. If you�re facing a decision today and need direction in your life, or you may be in situation that seems like you�re outnumbered, or the odds are stacked against you, or you feel like the underdog, the Spirit of God is saying (just like He said to Gideon in the same situation) �take courage� � go in the strength of the Lord and not in your own ability. Like David who was greatly distressed, he �encouraged himself in the Lord� (1 Sam 30:6). There are times when we need to �encourage ourselves in the Lord� as well. Get into the Word and begin to encourage yourself or think about things He has done in the past and begin to encouraged in the Lord. David looked away from his ability, to the ability of God. That�s exactly what Gideon did when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, he looked away from his ability to the ability of God. Notice 1 Cor. 12:23-26 tells us that some of us in the �body�, might seem like the weakest and least important part - ��but�, you�re the most necessary � that�s what the Word says. You may �feel� like the least member, or the least important, but you�re really the most necessary. God created Gideon for a purpose and He�s no respecter of persons, He has a purpose for your life. The question is �will you believe it today?� Father God, I thank you today that you say you have given me power and authority over the power of the enemy and that nothing shall by any means hurt me. Father, I also thank you that you have given me the power to bind and loose and today I bind that opposition (that spirit) in my life and I thank you that I can loose the Holy Ghost to minister on my behalf and you Father loose ministering angels to minister to me and I thank you that I am no longer going to believe a lie of the enemy but I have made a decision today that I�m going to believe your Word, and trust you. I thank you for encouraging me today through the Holy Ghost and I thank you for encouraging me through the book of Judges and through the experiences of Gideon and that your Word is active and alive and sharper than any two-edged swordHe�s n would come right now and separate between my soul and my spirit and that you Lord would bring revelation to my mind today that I am who you say I am and that I can do what you say I can do. I ask you now Lord that your Holy Spirit would come now as Comforter and that I will be encouraged and stir up the Holy Ghost in me today. I thank you for the anointing that abides in me today and I give you the Glory and Bless You today Lord. Thank you Lord that you have called me to the kingdom for a time such as this. |
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