Gideon: A Fearful Man with a Mighty Mission.....by Jennifer Waddle

 Gideon: A Fearful Man with a Mighty Mission

by Jennifer Waddle

“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.” Judges 6:15

It was during a period of great famine and impoverishment, that a man named Gideon was chosen to deliver Israel from the bondage of other nations. The Midianites, Amalekites, and others from the east had forced Israel into the mountains to make their dwellings in dens and caves. Any livestock or produce that Israel gained was quickly destroyed. Therefore, when Gideon was found secretly threshing wheat in a winepress, it was probably because he had no other choice.

And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Judges 6:12

The title given to Gideon, mighty man of valor, didn’t seem to line up with Gideon’s perception.There he was, hiding in a winepress, trying to survive, and God was addressing him as a “mighty man of valor.” (with an exclamation!)

Gideon, along with the rest of Israel, was oppressed, fearful, and nearly defeated. So, to be called a mighty man of valor just didn’t resonate.

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?’ Judges 6:13

On and on, in Judges chapter six, Gideon questioned, doubted, and inquired of God in fear.

It was as if he couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that God, the Creator of the universe, was choosing and equipping him to do a mighty thing for His people.

What mighty calling from the Lord do we struggle with most? What list of weaknesses do we make for ourselves; weaknesses that we believe invalidate us from serving God in a mighty way? What arguments do we make with the Lord when He calls us to step out of the comfort zone of our “winepresses?”

• I couldn’t possibly accomplish that!
• Someone else would do a much better job.
• I don’t have the strength, the smarts, the resources, etc.
• It would require too much.

God often uses the weak, the fearful, the ill-equipped. In fact, it is in our very weaknesses that He is strong! It is in our fearfulness that He proves Himself more than able. And, it is in our lack that He equips us to do exactly what He’s called us to do.

I suggest making a list of every weakness you can think of. Write it down. Present it to the Lord. Then, wait in wonderful expectation for Him to take those weaknesses and say, “Rise up, mighty one of valor. I have chosen you for this exact thing.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed.....Craig Denison Ministries

 The Parable of the Mustard Seed

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

Jesus loved to use stories to illustrate profound, life-transforming concepts. He loved to use real and genuine settings, characters, and ideas that apply to all of us to reveal God’s heart of pursuit and love. This week we’re going to spend time allowing the parables of Jesus to speak directly to our situations, mindsets, and core beliefs about who God is. Open your heart and mind to be transformed by the powerful and captivating stories of Jesus.

Scripture:“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32

Devotional:   

Jesus tells a beautiful parable of the kingdom of God in Matthew 12:31-32. He teaches, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” Trees are beautiful pictures of God’s ability to take what we view as weak or insignificant, a seed, and make a magnificent and life-giving creation out of it. And Matthew 12 reveals how trees can be viewed as pictures of the very kingdom of their Creator. It’s remarkable that God would begin his kingdom small and grow it by his faithful stewardship into a beautiful and life-giving creation.

God took the seed of the death of one man, Jesus, to create a beautiful tree of salvation for all of humanity. John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Our heavenly Father’s wrath over our sin poured out on Jesus allowed God to free the rest of us from eternal condemnation. And through the seed of Jesus’ death, God has been creating a powerful and eternal global movement, bringing people to restored relationship with himself across thousands of years. Just as the mustard seed grows large enough to become a tree in which birds make their home, the kingdom of God has transferred our citizenship to a new home with him. Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” John 15:19 says, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” The kingdom of God established through Christ has saved us from slavery to this world and ransomed us back into restored relationship with our heavenly Father.

Not only does the parable describe the incredible expanse of God’s kingdom from a few to many, it can also illustrate the seed of salvation planted within each of us that God intends to grow into a beautiful and fruit-bearing tree. Luke 17:21 says, “The kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” God’s kingdom is not built of brick and mortar, but of human hearts. And 1 Peter 2:2 commands us, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” God’s desire is to water the seed of salvation he’s planted in us with the Spirit and the word. He longs to mold and shape us into the likeness of Jesus, that we might live lives that bear incredible life-giving fruit. Hosea 14:4-7 illustrates God’s heart beautifully when it says, “I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.” God wants to constantly steward this gift of salvation in each of us, as he does with the global advancement of his kingdom, that we might bear the wonderful fruit of the Spirit in every area of our lives.

And God is so patient with us. The earth illustrates his patience. Trees grow year after year, season to season by his faithful stewardship. Flowers never begin as beautiful as they are in full bloom. The earth is constantly undergoing abundant transformation as God’s creation grows and changes. You and I are no different. God’s plan has always been to mold us into beautiful pictures of his love. He’s always longed to fashion us until we walk in full, restored relationship with him. And by the life and death of Christ, he’s paved the way for his desires to come to fruition. All that’s left is for us to engage fully in this wonderful process he’s created for us. Engage in the growth he longs to birth in you by spending time in his presence and his word. Allow his gaze to transform you into his likeness. Live in obedience to the word, and allow it to lead you to an unconformed life in this world. Follow the guidance of the Spirit as he brings healing to your heart and fruit in your life.

Spend time in prayer allowing God to work in your heart today.

Guided Prayer:

 1. Meditate on God’s desire to grow the seed of salvation he’s planted within you.

“I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.” Hosea 14:4-7

2. Where do you need growth in your own life? Where do you need to bear more fruit?

3. Ask the Spirit to fill you anew today. Be filled with the presence of God and allow his love to mold and shape you into his likeness. Ask the Spirit to guide you into areas in where he wants to grow you today. Find Scripture that pertains to those areas in which you need growth and live in obedience to God’s word.

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18-19

How great is God’s love for us that he doesn’t leave us where we are but is always transforming us! In the blink of an eye, God sees who we’ve been, who we are, and who we will be. He knows your form, how he’s created you, and what you were born to do. The more time you spend allowing him to transform you, the more you will understand yourself. May you discover and engage with all that your heavenly Father wants to do in you through his love today.

Extended Reading: John 15

Grace for Today.....SARAH FREYMUTH

 Grace for Today

SARAH FREYMUTH

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

It’s been a slog of bad weather lately. Bleakness everywhere. Outside, the yellow sky is shrouded in gray clouds. The water pounds down, pooling across pavement and earth.

My own body, mind and soul feel much the same: gray, fragile, drenched.

Coming out of a season where COVID-19 and family health challenges have left me battling fatigue and anxiety, each day seems to melt into the next with no differentiation.

I am weary. I am worn, and I am wondering where my God is in this moment.

It feels like I’m scrambling for answers, screaming for immediate healing that hasn’t come.

Where do I look for breakthrough when I feel I’m about to break? 

I lift a prayer into the air, hoping it will land.

Later that afternoon, I get a reply:

Grace for today.

These words come into my heart, unexpected in the middle of my tasks and the distractions of my racing mind. I focus on the here and now.

Grace for today.

I’m reminded of how God’s people, when they were wandering in the wilderness, woke up each morning to gather manna, bread from heaven that God miraculously provided, “a day's portion every day” (Exodus 16:4, ESV).

I look around and see that He has already given a dose of grace: the ribbons of pink and purple now entwining with blue in the fading day’s sky; the ocean driftwood candle alight on my table, flame flickering but steady. The miraculous moment of stillness that brings peace to my weary soul. Here is my manna.

We all can receive this manna of grace that arrives in the morning, midday and evening.

When we cannot think past today, or when we exhaust ourselves in the churning minutiae of the why, when, how and what of wanting to know what lies ahead, we have a throne of grace we are allowed to come before. There a good God full of mercy gives the right amount of grace in our time of need.

We may not understand what is happening in our lives right now, and we may wish like crazy there was a way for us to see down the road. But we can rely on God’s ways and timing, knowing that He gives us our daily bread, and He promises to help us in our time of need.

The “how” is up to Him, but we can stretch out our hands to receive His presence, this manna in our wilderness.

He has made a way in the past. We can hold to His promises even when we are unable to see Him working, when we feel tired and nothing in our situation seems to change. He is at work. He is here, providing, drawing us close.

What is ahead is not revealed, but He does give us what we need, how we need it, in this moment.

Nothing is out of reach for God, and He, in His infinite love and wisdom, holds us close in His arms, keeping us reliant on Him, so we don’t have to be overwhelmed by tomorrow.

Here we rest in His grace for today.

Father, You know how I long for answers and an immediate fix to my situation. Right now, You aren’t revealing what’s down the road, but You are giving me exactly what You intend for me in this moment: Your manna to sustain me, Your grace for today. Let me rest in this mercy and grace, and let that be enough. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Service of Motherhood.....Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Service of Motherhood

Dr. Charles Stanley

Philippians 2:1-11

Children are a blessing from the Lord (Ps. 127:3-5). Motherhood is a great honor and privilege, yet it is also synonymous with servanthood. Every day women are called upon to selflessly meet the needs of their families. Whether they are awake at night nursing a baby, spending their time and money on less-than-grateful teenagers, or preparing meals, moms continuously put others before themselves.

Sometimes this constant serving can be exhausting and even discouraging—particularly for a first-time mother. But you can take real encouragement from Jesus. One of the best examples of gracious servanthood is found in John 13:3-16. By kneeling to wash His disciples’ feet, the Lord showed that the key to true leadership is humility. And it is humility that leads to eternal reward.

Unless you are willing to stoop down and get your hands dirty, you will miss the real riches of motherhood. By dying to your own desires and pouring your life into someone else, you become like Christ and create a godly legacy that will carry on for generations to come. What greater blessing could one hope for? Of course, the motivation for serving others is not to reap benefits, but when we follow God’s plan for our life, that’s what happens.

In giving us children, God places us in a position of both leadership and service. He calls us to give up our lives for someone else’s sake—to abandon our own desires and put our child’s interests first. Yet, according to His perfect design, it is through this selflessness that we can become truly fulfilled.

Be Still and Know.....By Emma Danzey

 Be Still and Know

By Emma Danzey

Psalm 46:10 says, “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’”

How to Be Still
The Hebrew word, har·pū means be still and is found only in one place in Scripture, Psalm 46:10. Matthew Henry says in Blue Letter Bible that Psalm 46 “was penned upon occasion of David's victories over the neighbouring nations (2 Sa. 8), and the rest which God gave him from all his enemies round about.”

Maybe you feel as if you have been in a spiritual, physical, or emotional battle recently. Perhaps you are so worn out that you do not know what to do with your exhaustion. Just as God invited David into resting in Him by being still, He also invites us today. In order for us to be still, to har·pū, we need to stop. Just like a car can only be on an interstate for so long without needing to go get filled up with gas, we cannot run at a rapid pace forever without slowing down and getting nourished.

God stills us physically by giving us sleep (Psalm 127:2) and food (Luke 12:24). He stills us emotionally by being our Counselor (Isaiah 9:6) and catching our tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8). The Lord stills us spiritually by renewing us with His Word (Romans 12:2), in silence (Psalm 62:5), and through song (Psalm 71:23).

How do you tend to struggle the most in being still? Our human nature tells us that productivity comes from busyness. However, this is counterproductive. When God created the world, He modeled for us the Sabbath, the day of rest on day 7. We have the joy of living our lives after HIs perfect model. The Lord did not need rest, He chose rest. Maybe you do not feel like being still, ask the Holy Spirit to help you to choose rest like God. Many times in Jesus’ ministry on earth He went away into solitude. He had an ebb and flow of rest and work. If we can regularly incorporate rest into our weekly rhythms, being still will become more of a lifestyle and a healthy habit rather than a “hail Mary” when we hit rock bottom.

Know that He is God
This might sound like a silly statement if you already know that God is God. However, when we think about the word know, it can also represent remembering and actively thinking on. We need to know that He is God. This means that we need to remind our souls that He is sovereign and in control. We need to tell our hearts that He is perfect love and He cares for us. We need to remember that even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) and He has washed us whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7)

So often our feelings get in the way of a correct view of God. Our faith is built on a firm foundation that is the Rock. We can be steady and confident in our Savior, but this does not mean that the enemy and our own fleshly thoughts will not come against us. It does however mean that we tell our feelings and emotions what we know, that He is God.

I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth
In the time of writing this Psalm, David just had victories over other nations. This was a reminder to David and to us that our victories (even if they are spiritual) are not our own, but solely for the glory of God. He is the exalted One. His name is the one we should make known. Even if He gives us a high standing or a great position, we are not to bask in glory for our own selves, but redirect that to the Lord. When we are still and know, we remind our hearts and our minds that even in our stillness, our God never sleeps (Psalm 121:4) and He is always in control. We can cast our worries and burdens onto Him. We can trust that even if hard things are happening around this world, if evil leaders rise, if sickness runs rampant, and if culture turns to vulgar things, that He is still reigning on the throne and nothing cannot take that away from Him.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
How can you be still today? In what ways do you need to remind yourself that God is in charge and He is working out His plan among all nations around the world? Take some time to slow down, be with the Lord in stillness, and present your requests to Him.

Further Reading:

• Exodus 14:14
• Matthew 6:26-27
• Psalm 131:2

 

A Prayer When You Need Practice Trusting God.....By Betsy de Cruz

 A Prayer When You Need Practice Trusting God

By Betsy de Cruz

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit…” – Ephesians 6:16-18a

My faith swings back and forth like a pendulum. One minute I trust God to see me through my challenges, and the next I fear the worst. In the morning I’m full of faith while I read the promises of God in my Bible, but by 4:00 pm God’s faithfulness seems like a distant memory, and anxious thoughts fill my mind. 

Most of us can relate to having faith one day and losing it the next. During Sunday morning worship, we sing and believe God moves mountains and works miracles. But on Wednesday as we run our kid to the emergency room or work late to meet a deadline, worry sets in again.

We can take encouragement from Paul’s instruction in Ephesians 6: “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith.” It reminds us faith is something we can put on, or practice, during every difficulty we could possibly experience. 

The image of a soldier taking up his weapons speaks of practice. A soldier’s skill grows over time as he trains to prepare for battle. In the same way, our faith grows little by little, through constant exercise. Our knowledge of Scripture and our ability to apply it to our own situation grows through practice.

Like a soldier needs continual training to maintain peak performance, we need a regular workout of daily Bible reading and prayer. It prepares us to meet the challenges of each day and grow stronger over time. When we feel worried and anxious, we can exercise our faith muscles by reminding ourselves of God’s promises and turning worried thoughts into prayers. 

Friend, you may be trembling with fear, eaten with worry, or ridden with anxiety, but you can practice trusting God today. You can practice by reading your Bible (the sword of the Spirit) and rehearsing God’s promises in your mind. Even if you don’t consider yourself a prayer warrior, you can practice by praying for one minute right now. 

And if you find yourself trusting God one moment and panicking the next like me, don’t beat yourself up over it. Draw near to God and confess your doubt. Trust Him to cleanse you from sin; rest in His love for you. Then turn your focus away from yourself and your worries and towards God, the all-powerful One who can do far more than we ask or imagine. Let’s take up the shield of faith today.

Let’s Pray:

Lord Jesus, 

I come to you, the Author and Finisher of faith, and I confess I struggle often with fear, doubt, and worry. Lord, examine my heart and help me recognize my own anxious thoughts so I might surrender them to you. Forgive my unbelief and teach me to trust you. You are a merciful God, faithful to your children, always abounding in wisdom and steadfast love.

Give me the grace and discipline I need to read the Scriptures each day and take up the shield of faith. Speak to me through your Word and strengthen my mind against fear and anxiety. I pray your peace would put my anxious thoughts to rest. 

Teach me to pray as I lift up my concerns to you, one by one. Father, empower me to take up the shield of faith today even if I’m not sure I have it in me to believe. Lord, I choose to believe your promises, and I will practice trusting you by rehearsing your goodness and love in my mind.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.