DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-05-28
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Judges 7:9-11; 13; 15;
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁹ That night, the Lord said to Gideon. “Get up! Attack the Midianite camp. I am going to let you defeat them, ¹⁰ but if you’re still afraid, you and your servant Purah should sneak down to their camp. ¹¹ When you hear what the Midianites are saying, you’ll be brave enough to attack.”….
¹³ Gideon overheard one enemy guard telling another, “I had a dream about a flat loaf of barley bread that came tumbling into our camp. It hit the headquarters tent, and the tent flipped over and fell to the ground.”
¹⁵ As soon as Gideon heard about the dream and what it meant, he bowed down to praise God. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Let’s go! The Lord is going to let us defeat the Midianite army.”

APPLICATION: As a parent, we are used to the idea of running to help our kids overcome simple obstacles in life. As adults, we tend to continue that parental instinct to help coworkers and friends win a battle they might be struggling with. However, as long as we remain here on earth, we will always face challenging times when either we don’t have the authority to throw in our ‘two cents’ or the ability to do anything constructive in certain circumstances. Gideon must have had a good relationship with God! Because God knew that with enough convincing Gideon would eventually follow-through with His instructions. Gathering a fair sized army may have been the easy part, but Gideon saw God eliminate 10,000 of his good men. In spite of the increasing, and perhaps impossible, task that Gideon was beginning to realize, he saw God further reduce his army to 300, even while Gideon kept his eyes fixed on the very large army that settled in below the mountain where he was located. I’m sure that Gideon must have been shaking in his boots even after God convinced him of His presence and His power, but Gideon reluctantly stayed committed to the battle God led him into. Just as God knows how badly we need convincing at every step when we face our battles here on earth, He was also well aware that Gideon needed one more opportunity to be convinced that God knew what He was doing. Notice that God spoke through the enemy in a dream so that Gideon could be convinced that he was hearing instructions from the Almighty God. Doesn’t that sound so much like us? We are fine to sit in the confines of the four walls of our church surrounded by like-minded Christians, but don’t we tend to question God when we feel like He is challenging us to do things like: helping with prison ministry, street evangelism, teaching a Bible Study; sharing our testimony with an unsaved coworker or friend, or visiting His kids living out their final hours in a Hospice bed? We go on endlessly with the ‘what-if’ scenarios, to try and find the best excuse we could offer to God. Gideon had many excuses he could have used, but God convinced him to the point of bringing him to his knees in praise to the wondrous acts of his loving Father. All doubt was removed and he was confident that if God said it, he could afford to go with the plan, knowing that God was fully in control. I still get very nervous when doing any of the things I mentioned above, but I truly believe that God placed that sense in us so that we will stop and be reminded that it’s by God’s power that the sick are healed; His power that comforts the family and a loved one with only hours remaining on earth; His power that nudges us to the left or to the right as we are redirected on the right path to victory! Let us always remember that God don’t need any help from us, He just wants to see that we are convinced of His power, His love, His wisdom and His protection as He allows us to participate in His victory over life’s situations. Join me as we make every effort to let go, and let God – just as Gideon did!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In spite of the many battles we face, God in His infinite wisdom and power has all the answers, and He is willing to fight those battles – for His glory. Through our obedience to God’s perfect commands, may we trust Him more and celebrate in the victory!

PRAYER: Lord You are good, and Your mercies endure for all times! Who is man, that you should be mindful of, care about, and consider resolving our battles? You alone are worthy of our praise Lord! You alone are God, and without You mankind is doomed for a treacherous eternity in Hell. Thank You for Your continued protection over our ancestors, even through Gideon, who needed a lot of reassuring. We are convinced of Your power, and also that our battles are in good hands when we surrender them to You. Just as You were patient with Gideon, I have no doubt that extra patience is needed when You deal with us and our possessive attitudes. Oh Lord, have Your perfect way in our lives and teach us to always surrender our whole selves to You so that we may rest in the peace of knowing You, and all that You can accomplish in our lives. May others see Your works and be convinced of their need for the Savior of this world. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!