I love the story of Gideon, the fifth Judge in the Old Testament. We read about his story in Judges 6 – 8.
God’s chosen people had once again begun worshiping idols and other gods, as a result they opened the door to being ransacked and ravaged by marauders who would steal their crops and attack and slaughter them. When they cried out to the Lord again, God raised up Gideon. We find Gideon hiding out in a winepress. Many would have seen this as an act of weakness and fear, which in many ways it was. It was also wise because Gideon could harvest his wheat without the enemy seeing him and therefore, he would be able to provide for his family. Either way, God saw a person He could use to accomplish His will.
The Angel of the Lord came to Gideon and called him a “Mighty Hero”. This is almost laughable because at that time, Gideon did not seem mighty, much less heroic. However, God knew exactly where he was and called out his potential.
One of the first assignments God asked Gideon to perform was to tear down the Asherah pole and build an alter to the Lord instead. When the townspeople saw what Gideon had done, many people wanted to kill him – including his fellow Israelites.
We are living in a time when many Christian men and women are going to be required to stand against an ungodly government and corrupt leaders. Christian voices need to be heard among the noise and chaos. I pray first, for the strength required for Christian men and women to stand for Godly principles and the integrity needed to go against the mainstream. Secondly, that fellow Christians will support their brothers and sisters instead of attacking them when they are in the throughs of the battle.
The Bible speaks of a time when what seems right is wrong and what seems wrong is right. We are seeing this in our world today. The only way to really know Truth is by studying the Word of God.
Many Christian leaders believe we are in the Third Great Awakening*. A supernatural move of God in historic proportions. As history repeats itself, the first and second great awakenings were not so much about good versus evil but more about “God’s people” against one another. The time is coming that we can no longer be content to sit on the sidelines. It is time to stand for the Truth.
The Israelites prayed to God to be delivered from the oppression they were under, and yet when God sent them a “way out”, many of the Israelites wanted to stone Gideon. Be aware of what side you choose.
Gideon put an army together. The 3000 men he originally began with was narrowed down to 300 men. The enemy panicked and, in the confusion, ended up killing each other. God showed Israel that the victory was won not in the size of the army or the strength of numbers, but in obedience to Him. May this be a lesson for us in today’s craziness and mayhem. God is looking for a group of people that will put their faith in action.
The Victory will be won when we put our trust in God and God alone!
Rhonda L. Smart
*The Great Awakenings were historic religious revivals. The first one impacted the English colonies in America during the 1700’s. The second one was when the Protestant revival movement began in the 1800’s. These movements came at a time when the idea of secular rationalism was being emphasized, and passion for religion had grown stale. … The result was a renewed dedication towards God.
