Author: admin

At first glance it might seem bewildering why our Lord allows opposition to come against us so fiercely when we are trying to obey Him. Shouldn’t God make life easier on those who serve Him? Shouldn’t God make obedience to Him as attractive as possible? Yet He does not. Often, in fact, life becomes more difficult after we pledge ourselves to His service.

“But!” But, God does not remain indifferent to our plight. He gives us one gift of inestimable value that more than compensates for any problem we might face. His presence. God’s answer for Gideon was not more soldiers or chariots, but more of Himself. Once Gideon had the Holy Spirit filling Him, he had more than enough resources to defeat his fiercest enemy.

As time would prove, the Holy Spirit led Gideon to embrace an unorthodox strategy never attempted before or since. God’s Spirit worked to bewilder Gideon’s enemies and to make Gideon’s efforts succeed. Gideon learned experientially that when God is for us, it matters not who is against us (Rom. 8:31).

In all of your calculating of how you will overcome your obstacles, never minimize the glorious reality that God goes with you.

It is uncanny how enemies always seem to appear right after we make a decision to follow God’s leading! It could be that we made a resolve to change our eating habits, but then soon after we find ourselves staring at the one food item that causes us to stumble every time! Or we resolve to rise earlier to spend time with God, but then we proceed to have the worst night’s sleep we have had in years. Or, we resolve to give more of our funds to the Lord’s work, and then our car’s transmission breaks down. Or, we begin a new ministry in our church, and suddenly critics complain of the additional expense. You can count on it; if you proceed with God, fresh new challenges will soon be crossing the border into your life!

It was easy for Gideon to agree with God that he should be a deliverer, as long as the enemy was safely on the other side of the river! But when the enemy drew near, that was when Gideon’s faith was sorely put to the test. His faith would no longer be in theory, but in reality.

Have you faced any challenges since you committed to do what God asked of you? Did they catch you by surprise? It shouldn’t have! The forces of darkness stand perpetually opposed to anyone serving the Light. The only unknown is how you will respond.

Throughout the Bible, when God did a fresh work in people’s lives, He often changed their name. Names were a reflection of the person’s character. When someone’s character changed, they required a name that was more suitable to who they were presently. In Gideon’s case, it was his own father who recognized that his son had changed dramatically. After Gideon’s encounter with God, he was no longer behaving as a timid, fearful, younger son. He had become a mighty man of valor, just as God had promised! (Judges 6:12).

Our world will never be transformed if we remain the same people we have always been. When was the last time your character and style of leadership was dramatically altered? When was the last time people commented on the transformation they had witnessed in you? Have you grown stale? Are you stuck in a rut? Do you need a fresh encounter with almighty God?

It is one thing for us to declare that we are growing in our relationship with God. It is quite another for people around us to be commenting on the dramatic changes they have personally witnessed in us. We serve the Creator. He delights in changing us for the better! Let Him!

It may surprise you what happens when you take a stand for God. Some people will disappoint you by their opposition. But others might just step up their own faith as a result of what they witness in you.

Gideon’s own father had succumbed to the pressures in his society. He had constructed a prominent altar to Baal on his property as well as a graven image. He had sold out. His home was a testimony to idolatry rather than to godliness. Perhaps Joash felt the pressure to please his neighbors if he was to achieve business success. Maybe he cared more about what his neighbors thought than what God thought. Yet surprisingly, when his young son took a courageous stand for God, rather than becoming upset, the wayward father was emboldened to defend his son and take a stand for righteousness.

Joash mocked the idol he had been worshiping, claiming it ought to be able to defend its own reputation. Clearly Joash had become disillusioned with the empty promises of his idol. All he needed was the inspiration of someone having the courage to point out the impotence of the prevailing religion. Once Gideon had the courage to take a stand for God, his family began to follow suit.

Who might be encouraged to trust God if only they could witness you doing so first?

Despite reams of biblical and historical precedent, we are still caught by surprise when our life becomes more difficult after we have obeyed what God told us.

The day after Gideon obeyed God’s word, his life’s circumstances seemed to become the worst they had ever been. People had never wanted to KILL him before! He had never been the subject argued about among angry mobs before! If God had really wanted Gideon to tear down an idolatrous idol, why had He allowed his life to be endangered as a result?

There may be times when you will ask the same question as Gideon. You may have tried to do what you sensed God was commanding. Only instead of people appreciating your effort to do good, enemies arose who began to angrily oppose you. Instead of life becoming better, it grew palpably worse.

Don’t be surprised if when you obey what God said, people rise up to oppose you. The forces of evil did that to Jesus, and they have done that to Jesus’ followers ever since. Just because people are opposing your efforts does not necessarily mean you are out of God’s will! It may indicate God has moved you directly into enemy territory.

One thing is clear: when you obey what God tells you, the people around you will soon feel the impact. Gideon had spent his entire life in the same small community. Everyone knew him. Yet to that point, his life had made no difference on his community. But once he heard from God, and obeyed, everyone was talking about him the next morning!

God word is like that. It is never intended solely for us. God’s word always has repercussions. When a community is filled with God-fearing, and God obeying people, their neighborhoods, and nation, will be transformed. Places of evil will come tumbling down. Centers of righteousness will be constructed. The oppressed will be set free and evildoers will be put to flight.

What strongholds of evil in your community and nation need to be torn down? Is God speaking to YOU about them? Does God want your life to make a difference in challenging the idolatry in your land? How are you responding?

The kingdom of God is continually advancing. It is capturing the hearts of former rebels. It is bringing down spiritual strongholds. And it is occupying enemy territory, to the glory of the King.

The first battle assigned to Gideon was not to rout the Midianites, but to displace ungodly practices and shrines in his own family home. Biblically, if a leader did not have God ruling over his own family, then they were disqualified from leading God’s people. Leaders always begin their work at home.

God instructed Gideon to replace the altar of Baal with an altar to God. Now, instead of seeing the pagan monument, people would gaze upon a holy place constructed for the glory of the true God. God is systematically seeking to replace monuments devoted to sin and evil with holy shrines that testify to His glory. Whether it is in your home, your neighborhood, your church, or your workplace, God is seeking to reclaim territory that was once lost to the powers of darkness.

Have you built altars around your life and work, where God has used you to win victories for His kingdom? Or is your life currently surrounded by altars to Baal?

Our mountaintop experiences are never meant to remove us from the fray, but to prepare us for battle. Too often we settle down to savor our encounter with God while He intends for that encounter to propel us into action.

Gideon had just experienced the most glorious worship experience of his life. He could have spent days reliving that moment or discussing the theological implications of what God had said and done. But God didn’t allow him that luxury.

The same day God captured Gideon’s attention He spoke to His servant again, giving him further orders. Divine encounters are not meant to make us idle but to make us usable. Before Gideon had met with God, he was unprepared to serve God. But after that encounter, Gideon began receiving assignments that scared him to death!

If you have recently had a powerful time with God in prayer or corporate worship, beware. After the encounter inevitably comes the assignment. The divine encounter will be perfectly suited to prepare you for the task at hand.

Even our most startling and compelling encounter with God can fade in our memory over time. Just ask the people of God who crossed over the Red Sea! At the time, you would be willing to swear that you would never forget the powerful way God worked in your life. You would never allow time to burnish the divine encounter that so dramatically changed your life. But inevitably the divine encounter “wears off” and we return to business as usual.

As soon as Gideon recognized he had just encountered God, He built an altar to commemorate that moment. He wanted a spiritual marker to remember the time when God set the direction for his life. For the remainder of his days, every time Gideon passed by that way, he was reminded of what God told him.

Gideon might become distracted over time. He could become extremely busy and preoccupied. He might even have his faith waiver in the face of a new challenge. But whenever he saw that altar, he was reminded that he had a calling on his life and that God had spoken to him clearly.

There are many ways to mark a spiritual high water moment in your life. The means is not as important as the fact that you built a spiritual marker by which to remember it. Be sure to visit your spiritual markers regularly and to recall what God said to you.

Whenever the Bible records a person’s meeting an angel of God, they typically have the same response. They are terrified! The first words out of the angel’s mouth are usually, “Peace! Don’t be afraid!” Why? It is because it is a fearful thing to be in the presence of a heavenly angel. It is far more unsettling to enter the presence of almighty God.

Interestingly, even after the angel burned up the offering with fire, the biblical writer did not assume it would be obvious to Gideon he was standing in a holy place. Gideon still had to “perceive” he was in God’s presence.

Sadly we often do not perceive when we are in the divine presence. People often pray: “God be with us!” This is not because God is not with them, but because they do not perceive how very present He actually is.

How can you tell which people at your church recognize God’s presence in their midst? They are the ones with a holy trembling. They are the worshipers who come away from the encounter changed.

How are you leaving your place of worship? Do you recognize the heavenly realities taking place all around you?