BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

That’s when Gideon arrived. He was hoping to beat out just enough grain to feed his family without being seen by the Midianites. By that time, 135,000 Midianites had moved into the area. Then came the word of the Lord: “And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!’” (verse 12). God had found someone mighty, but Gideon had no idea he was the mighty one. He didn’t feel mighty. In fact, like all the Israelites, he felt pathetic. He and his people were desperate, and they had let go of God’s promise. Can you see the similarity to what we’re facing today? So many believers—good people—are struggling. They’ve allowed fear to take hold. They don’t know that they’re the mighty ones. Two Truths To Remember Those who are waffling and wavering in their faith need us to remind them of two things: God is for them, and God is with them. This is the message Gideon received in his time of trouble. Remember, verse 12 says, “And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!’” We must remind people that God is on their side, ready to rise up and do what He always does. Anything we see Jesus doing in the Gospels, He’s ready to do now. He’s ready to heal, deliver, multiply and more—because He is for us and He is with us. That may sound basic, but there’s nothing about the fundamentals that is too basic to be repeated. The Lord reminded Gideon of who he was: a warrior, a champion, a conqueror, a mighty man of valor. That was God’s perspective, a very different one from Gideon’s. In verse 13, we read Gideon’s perspective: “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” Gideon had already gone down a dangerous road by asking, “Where is the supernatural?” Can you imagine? Gideon was talking to an angel of the Lord. That’s as supernatural as it gets! The angel said to him, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” (verse 14). Gideon hadn’t yet changed his perspective. He still saw himself as unworthy. “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (verse 15). How did the angel of the Lord respond? He didn’t! He just ignored everything Gideon had said. How Gideon saw himself didn’t matter. All that mattered was how God saw him, and God saw a mighty person of valor. Gideon had to change his thinking because God wasn’t about to change His. Gideon called all the warriors and began whittling them down, so that they would only win by the Lord’s hand, not their own. First, he asked which of them were afraid. Twenty-two thousand raised their hands (Judges 7:3). He sent them home. He continued reducing the numbers until there were only 300 men left. Three hundred against an army of 135,000! In the natural, those weren’t good odds, but God’s way of thinking isn’t based on odds. His way always wins. Gideon and his men had everything they needed. When God’s people stand up in power, God finds a way for our enemies to fall flat. Revelation for Perilous Times The Israelites went into battle and won, fulfilling God’s plan. They beat back the Midianites. Even the 22,000 who had left in fear participated in the conquering, showing that God will use people at whatever stage they choose to get involved. If we want to be part of the faithful few who are in the battle from the beginning, however, we need to renew our minds with the Word of God. That will dictate how our spirits respond. God is in the business of reproducing His authority and power in the earth through us. He wants you and me to rise up; to become His voice in the earth; and to release His power, authority and dominion in Jesus. This is a new season for us—a new season of walking in authority. It’s a new season of teaching fellow believers how to walk in their authority, stand in the power of God, and recognize that while these may be perilous days, they don’t have to be fearful days. God is giving each of us insight to impart this revelation knowledge to others. Right now, across the earth, let’s pray this prayer together over ourselves, our families and our ministries. Let’s stir ourselves up in the truth of the Word so we can remind everyone we meet that our God is for us, and He is with us. It’s time for a supernatural uprising. How can we lose? "Father, this is a moment in time when a shift is taking place—in our souls and in our thinking. We stir up Your revelation knowledge so that we have soundness of mind. We pray for a sweeping move of God to raise up the Gideons, the mighty ones, the voices, the pray-ers, the intercessors, the men and women of God for these days that we stand in. Give us the boldness to remind the world that You are for us and with us. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!" V Dennis Burke and his wife, Vikki, are co-founders of Dennis Burke Ministries in Arlington, Texas. For information or ministry materials visit dennisburkeministries.org. 24 : BVOV

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