The Lord is With You, Mighty Warrior

WORTH THE 5 MINUTES OF YOUR DAY TO READ..

In my study this morning… Judges 6:12-17…..When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said,” The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “But sir”, Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happen to us? Where are all the 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.” 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?” “But Lord, Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I Will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.” MY THOUGHTS….. Wow.. the blame game… Ever been there? Gideon questioned God about the problems he and his nation faced and about Gods lack of help. What he didn’t acknowledge was the fact that the people had brought all this upon themselves when they decided to disobey and neglect God. Sound familiar? Or does this only happen to me? How easy it is to overlook personal accountability and blame our problems on God and others. This will never solve our problem. It brings us no closer to God, and it escorts us to the very edge of rebellion and backsliding. OH HELLO!! I realize that Gideon was afraid, sometimes we all are.. and sometimes we will use the excuse, “I’m waiting on the Lord,” as an excuse to do nothing!! It sounds godly, but it can be fear, or it can be complacency, or it can be an excuse to do nothing.. when problems come, the first journey we should take is inside!! Our immediate response should be confession to God of sins that may have created our problems.. “I will be with you,” God told Gideon, and God promised to give him the strength he needed to overcome the opposition. In spite of this clear promise for strength, Gideon made excuses. All Gideon saw was his own limitations and weaknesses, he failed to see How God could work through him… ( Wow.. did that hit a vein.. thank you for the reminder Lord) We are all called to serve God in many ways, and God promises us the tools and the strength we need, instead we often choose to make excuses. Bottom line.. reminding God of our limitations only implies that he does not know all about us, or that He has made a mistake in evaluating our character!!!! OUCH!! Instead of asking God for a sign, be that sign !!! Be that beacon of God, when he shows His strength through you!! Lord, let it begin with me… Don’t let me make excuses today.. that is all…