Tag: Gideon

Do you feel that God has called you to an impossible task? Maybe your not sure of the next step to take. Maybe God has given you a calling, but family and friends don’t believe in the calling or that God would call you to the task. Or maybe God has called you to a specific task, but right now you can’t see Him at work. Maybe you’ve given all you got, juggling all the demands on you, and your just plain exhausted. My friend, if this is you, then let me breathe Words of Life into both you and me. God wants you to know that He is with you. All He wants us to do is to go in the strength that you have knowing that He will give you exactly what you need for each moment and to keep being obedient to His call.

All God asks is to go in the strength you have and He will give us the rest

Perhaps you are a medical person on the front lines of caring for people with COVID-19 or you’re in the ministry as a pastor or lay leader and you are caring for and praying with families who have the virus or have lost someone because of the virus. You’re exhausted, overwhelmed by the need and each time you get to sit for just a moment and rest, you’re called to care for the next patient or the next church member.

Even as you answer the call, you can see no relief, no slowing in the spread of the virus, and no end coming any time soon. There is hope with a vaccine how available, but when will life be “normal” again? How many people will you have to tell today that their loved one didn’t make it? How many people, dear pastor, will you pray with today and try to help ease their fears? God says, “Go in the strength that you have.” The glorious thing about it is that’s all God asks of us. And when we reach the end of our strength, He will give us His. You were placed on this earth at this time for such a time as this. He has equipped you and called you. Therefore He will strengthen you as well. 

Why has all this happened to us? Where is God?

In Judges 6, we find Israel once again being oppressed because of their continued return to worshiping false Gods. This time its the Midianites who are oppressing them. But as Israel calls out to God,  God raises up Gideon to be their next deliver and Gideon is faced with an impossible task. His first task is to tear down the altars of Baal and replace it with an altar to God. Then we find that he is to go and fight the Midianites, but God whittled down the number of Gideon’s army to only 300 men. It’s interesting to me that when the Lord appeared to Gideon, Gideon asked, “O my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about.”

Maybe you have asked the same question with this virus that is rapidly spreading across our world and with the CDC reports that roll out daily with more and more infected and more people who have died. Each time Israel is oppressed by another nation its because of their sin. Its because they break the covenant they made with God and they forget Him to turn to worshiping false gods. Is there a sin problem in our world today? And yet we too want to say, “Where is God? Why is this happening? Is God at work?”

God works with an army of only 300 men so he can show His strength

Gideon will see God at work when God uses only 300 men to defeat the Midianites. Are we not like Gideon? When we begin to question the call God gave us or we question God about how He is working in this call or in our world, we might say, “God where are you? Where are all the mighty works you did throughout the Bible?” We start looking for a sign or a confirmation. We want proof. At times, we want a burning bush to talk to us and reveal God’s plans to us. Or we lay out a fleece looking for confirmation. We need to remember that when we are weak, He is strong and in our weakness God will show us His strength.

A Mighty Man of Valor

Another interesting part of the conversation between Gideon and the Lord is that the Lord calls Gideon a “mighty man of valor.” The word “valor” is defined as, “great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.” What we see is an obedient Gideon, but he is obedient in the dark of night and he takes 10 of his father’s men – safety in numbers. He doesn’t go in broad daylight to carry out what God has told him to do. He goes under the cover of darkness…and he has some backup helpers to keep and eye out for being caught. Gideon does in fact tear down the Baal idol, but he does so in secrecy.

Yet, God saw a bravery in Gideon and the Lord’s greeting was to both encourage Gideon for the task God had for him and to help him realize this characteristic about himself. The task God has for you might be scary or hard. It might take every bit of the strength you have plus some from God. In fact, if it doesn’t take God’s strength to carry out the task, it probably isn’t a task from God. But when the task seems ridiculous or impossible to others we tend to be like Gideon and work on it “behind the scenes” waiting for God to show up before you make the call public knowledge.

My friend, if you did not have the skills and characteristics needed for the call, God wouldn’t have singled you out for the call. The simple fact is that only you were uniquely and wonderfully made with every skill, personality traits, character traits, and gifts needed to do the task God has called you to do. If you don’t step up to the call, then the whole world will miss out.

God is with you! Go in the strength you have

So mighty man or woman of valor – God is with you. Go in the strength that you have because God has given you all the strength you need for what God has called you to do. Did He not choose you and send you for this task? Keep going. God is with you. And the rest of us need you and your gifts. 

God, thank you for choosing to work through us to accomplish your plans. We acknowledge that you don’t’ need us to accomplish anything, but you lovingly choose to invite to join in where you are at work. Thank you for equipping up, encouraging us, and strengthening us. Thank you for including stories like Gideon in Your Word so that as we relate to his story, we find the encouragement to keep pressing forward. May we be men and women of valor, faithful and loyal to the calling you have given us. 

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Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.

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Download our Free 2021 Bible Memory Verse Plan

We’ve put together 52 memory verses for you to hide God’s Word in your heart! You can download the full document for free and then print a new verse each week and as many copies as you’d like. Each verse prints four times on a page so that you can then cut them into index size cards and place them in prominent places where you will see them frequently throughout the day to help you remember to memorize them. Just because you visited our site, they’re yours for free! Download today.

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Download our Free 2021 Daily Bible Reading Plan

With just 30-40 minutes per day, you can read the entire Bible in one year. The One-Year Bible Reading Plan consists of both Old Testament and New Testament readings for each day of the year. The Bible is God’s personal Word to you. What is He saying to you today? Open your Bible and find out!

One Year Bible Reading Plan

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The Self-Care Wheel provides ideas for practicing self-care in six dimensions of yourself: Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Sensory, and Social. NOTE: You will need 11X14 paper to print the wheel.

Want to know more about self-care? Our Self-Care blog series targets people who serve in any ministry position and takes a Biblical approach to self-care.

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New in the Teespring Store: The Prayer of Blessing

We’ve added a new canvas print to the Teespring Store.

God instructed the Israelite priests to pray the prayer of blessing every day over the people. The prayer is found in Numbers 6:24-26. Hang the canvass in your home or carry the mug, tote bag, or water bottle and let the prayer of blessing impact all those who you meet throughout the day.

We’ve also put this design on a poster, coffee mug, a stainless steel water bottle, phone cases, and a few other products.

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God, Love and Marshmallow Wars by Julia M. Bruce

What’s Inside God, Love and Marshmallow Wars?

God, Love and Marshmallow Wars is a book that includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:

• Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
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• Personal reflections.
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• Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.

Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.

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