That night the Lord said to Gideon, Take your father’s bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has and cut down the Asherah [symbol of the goddess Asherah] that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this stronghold with stones laid in proper order. ~Judges 6:25–26 (AMP)
The angel of the Lord initially appeared to Gideon in Judges 6:12 where He told Gideon “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” (NIV) Reading on through the chapter you might wonder why the Lord would call Gideon a mighty warrior. Gideons first response to the Lord was to doubt Him saying “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?” (NIV) The angel of the Lord proceeds to tell Gideon to go in the strength that he had to save Israel. Poor Gideon is completely overwhelmed by the task the Lord is setting before Him. He tells the angel of the Lord “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” (NIV) It is apparent that Gideon didn't have much confidence in himself much less any trust in the fact that God being with him was going to make much of a difference in his abilities. Do you feel like God expects more from you than you are able to give? Do you find yourself doubting God more than you are trusting in Him? We all struggle with confidence at one time or another. That is why it is so important to spend time with God in His word. When we spend time with the Lord, He brings us through our fears and doubts by building our faith to see the possibilities. He teaches us that nothing is impossible with Him. We can do all He has called us to do when we know that He loves us and that we are in His care every minute of every day!
God has called all of us to do something bigger than ourselves. If our missions and our dreams are not bigger than our finances and our abilities, then we are not dreaming big enough. The first thing we have to do to move into God’s will for our lives is to give up our own. When we give up our will it might seem like that is as low as we can go, and it would be if we were giving up our will to anyone but God. But we have to remember that giving our will to God is not weakness like the enemy would like for us to believe, it is actually meekness and Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (NIV) As we empty ourselves of our own selfishness, God empowers us to live the life Jesus died for us to have, a blessed life that is rich with good deeds! Just as God was with Gideon, God is with you and me. When you get confidence in that truth down on the inside of you, your capabilities will be limitless. Ask God to encourage you in the mission He has planned for you today. Ask God to strengthen you to be able to persevere against adversity that is sure to come. Let God help you move forward with confidence as you begin to trust in His power being made perfect in your weakness...you are not alone!
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. ~Matthew 28:20 (NIV)
What is God expecting from you that you believe is beyond your ability?
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