"Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree..while.. Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!" -Judges 6:11-12
The story of Gideon is a very encouraging one because God used someone like you and me to defeat a whole army. When the Lord appeared to Gideon he was hiding out from the Midianites, who were these desert bullies, who'd come and take whatever they pleased from the Israelites. This is why Gideon was trying to secretly thresh wheat in a winepress. It is at this very time that the Angel of the Lord (Christophany) appears to Gideon. At a time of weakness, and fear, and uncertainty of the future. And He calls him a "mighty man of valor", which can also be rendered (TLB) "Mighty soldier", (NIV) "Mighty warrior", (NLT) "Mighty hero", (GWT) "Brave man", or (EXP) "Mighty courageous warrior". I find this very interesting because Gideon would become this mighty hero, even though at the present time he must of felt like a zero. God knows us better than we know ourselves, He sees not just who we are but who we can be in the Lord.
You might feel like you'll never amount to anything, or that you're just average. You might think, "I'm too skinny! I'm too fat.. Not good looking... too quiet or not talented enough", but God sees your potential and who you can be if you take Him at His word ("The Lord is with you"). You see God's perception trumps self perception!
You might feel like you'll never amount to anything, or that you're just average. You might think, "I'm too skinny! I'm too fat.. Not good looking... too quiet or not talented enough", but God sees your potential and who you can be if you take Him at His word ("The Lord is with you"). You see God's perception trumps self perception!
- MAKE IT A HABIT TO SEE PEOPLE HOW GOD SEES PEOPLE; WITH POSSIBILITY AND POTENTIAL. WHO KNOWS MAYBE THE LORD WILL USE YOU TO PUSH THEM TO GO BEYOND THEMSELVES AND DO SOMETHING GREAT FOR THE LORD.
- "The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel." -Steven Futick