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July 12 And the Lord looked at him and said, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” Judges 6:14 It is remarkable that this angel of the Lord, or perhaps it is Christ Himself, who instructs Gideon to go in his own strength. We might think that Gideon was ill equipped, for he had been hiding in caves from the ravages of the Midianites. He was the youngest child, and he had been living a humble life in fear of the enemy. Does this remind you of anyone you know? Yes, we have some of the earmarks of Gideon as we let the unbelieving members of our society have their way with us. Gideon is being given clear instructions—he is even called a ‘valiant warrior.’ But we also are equipped with the indwelling Spirit. There is nothing holding us back from engaging in spiritual warfare with the world system—except our own timidity and unbelief. What strengths did Gideon possess? First he was humble—brought low as he tried to thresh wheat in a wine press hidden in the cave. He was caring for the welfare of Israel. He had knowledge of God and His ways. He desired to see God working again among the people. He was teachable, and above all he was weak. Our weakness can always be used to reveal the strength of God. (2 Corinthians 12:9). Do these strengths remind you of yourself? They definitely should! We have been given the indwelling Holy Spirit and all the attributes of Christ. What is holding us back? We have all of these same attributes in Christ! Father, let us boldly go forth in Your army of believers. We have been given the assignment to reach the world for Christ and to make disciples. We know it will not depend upon our fleshly strengths—instead we want to turn to You in weakness and watch You reveal Your grace and truth. You alone are the conqueror, and we will gather all the resources we need from You. Let us be a true witness to the world around us, and let us lay claim to the land that is truly Yours. Amen. |
