13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” Judges 6: 11-16, NIV
“If the Lord is with me, why have all of these things happened?” That was the question that Gideon asked the angel. Gideon and his family were suffering along with all of the other Israelites because of the oppression of the Midianites. Because of continual disobedience and idol worship, the Lord allowed this enemy nation to terrorize the Israelites, taking over their land, robbing them of their food and livestock, and basically making their lives miserable!
Unfortunately, Gideon and many like him were experiencing the consequences of generational sins. But what Gideon didn’t realize was that God was going to use him to bring about healing and deliverance. When the angel of the Lord called Gideon a “mighty warrior,” and told him that God would use him to deliver Israel from the hand of the enemy, Gideon immediately began to list all of the reasons why this couldn’t possibly be true…
-My family is weak
-I am the weakest of all!!!
Gideon did not understand the might that God had already placed within him. Listen again to the Lord’s response…
14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
Maybe like Gideon, you are overwhelmed by all that is happening in your life, in the life of your family and in the world around you. Maybe you are asking, “If the Lord is with us, If the Lord is with me, then why are all of these bad things happening??? Could it be that like Gideon, the Lord is calling forth the “mighty warrior” in you to make a difference? Although you may not see it, the Lord knows the strength, the courage, the authority, the power that was placed within you for such a time as this.
It does not matter that your family may be broken, “weak,” dysfunctional, oppressed. It does not matter that you feel like one of the “least of these.” When God names you “mighty,” God empowers you to do great things!
“For such a time as this…” God is calling forth “Gideons” to heal, to deliver and to set free. Instead of focusing upon your perceived weaknesses, walk in your new name… “Mighty Warrior!” Your war is not against flesh and blood, however, but against enemies that the natural eye cannot see.
Your enemy will not be defeated with human weaponry, but rather through prayer, faith and perseverance. The Lord will use you to break the curses that have daunted your family line for generations…curses of dysfunctional behaviors…curses of addictions…curses of abuse…curses of illegal and illicit behaviors…curses of imprisonment…curses of broken families…curses of cyclical poverty.
The Lord is calling forth the mighty warrior in you to bring about deliverance, healing and hope. How? “Go in the strength that you have” and God will go with you. You make the first step towards healing. You make the first step towards doing what is right. You make the first step to trust and obey God’s Word. You make the first step from dysfunction and sin to wholeness and righteous living. You are the mighty warrior called to break the chains fashioned by the enemy for your destruction.
It does not matter how weak or small you feel. Surrender your fears to God, go in the strength that you have and God will go with you. By God’s grace, God will teach you how to fight, win and become more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com
Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org
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