Judeges 6:12-17 12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior." 13 "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put 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 "But Lord , [a] " Gideon asked, "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 together." 17 Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.
Gideon lived in a very tricky time in Israel.
- We are warriors and soldiers in this time, sometimes it's us (Christians) against the world.
"When I/you are scared I/you are not productive..." The Israelites were scared and therefore they were in hiding.
- As a Christian we are not to be scared - scripture tells us this over 365 times, it says this because if we are scared we will not be productive in doing God's work.
When I/you have fear the enemy steals everything from me/you... Sometimes you/we are so scared we don't do anything about it.
God is my/your protector and is not going to allow the enemy to take anything from me. God has a plan for me/you.
God did not call Gideon a sissy boy, because he was in hiding, instead; he called him a mighty warrior. God did this because he knew what he could do in him, not what Gideon thought he could do.
God sees what his power can do in my life - not what I can see.
Christians are not allowed to be or supposed to be sarcastic, because no matter what it is an insult to the other person. Gideon was being sarcastic with God...as Christians we are sometimes even sarcastic with God. God gives us life and health, when something happens in our life, then we get sarcastic with God. (ex. "Sure my life was going great Lord and then we just HAD to let this happen to me...WHAT for??? WHAT did I do to deserve this??!!!) But God is patient with me/us and I/we need to take some things from God. He pursues and is pursuing his plan in my/your life.
Your calling gives you authority!!!
It doesn't matter who we are or where I/you come from, because God takes the least and puts
them I first place.
Your word has power!! We encourage others however, what do we say to ourselves - quite often we are our own worst enemy - God can take it (you) and do ANYTHING!!
God said you are going to do it because I am sending you!!! He is not giving you a choice.
Apostle = one who God sends - I/you are an apostle because God is sending me/you.
If God is first to go ahead of me/you, then you will always have victory.
God says you will defeat them because I will be with you, you will destroy because I am going to strike them down.
When you know that God is in your life you react in a different way.
- At this point in his message Roberto told us the story of a family that he met while in a community in El Salvador with an American team. There was extreme poverty all around, the family was living in a cardboard shack beside a sludgey, sewer filled river. The sludge from the river had begun to seep inside the house. The smell was vile and grotesque. Upon entering the home Roberto and the team meet the mother of 5 children. They begin to talk about the family and the children. The mother tells them that she and her children and their father are all strong christians, who believe that because of Jesus they have the hope of all hopes. Roberto said he found himself becoming sarcastic with God inside his head...and then the youngest child came into the home. Upon her entry Roberto and the team all noticed that the 2 year old little girl was completely bald. Roberto looked at the mother and asked is it Cancer? The mother noticed the look of sorrow that had entered the team's eyes. She quickly said yes, itis Cancer....but we are not worried about it. WE know that God is in control and that he is going to heal her. WE all go to the church daily and pray for her healing, we know that his hands are on her life. This family had no money for medical treatment, this two year old girl should have for al intensive purposes been "dying"!! But, she wasn't and she didn't, now over three years later she is cancer free, her family believed and reacted in a positive way rather than being sarcastic with God.
Sometimes things happen in our lives that make us want to hide - but because God is with me/you I/you can live like I have EVERYTHING!!
God is not my/your servant. He does not work the way that I/you want him to, I am his servant he will work in me/you the way he wants to!!
The best worship is done in some of the "worst" moments of your life. By worshiping the Lord in the "worst"moment of your life, you bring the greatest scarifice of praise.
So instead of getting sarcastic in tough times with God - worship him.
God is not about feelings he is about believing.
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