This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our new mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. For the last couple of days I have been teaching on developing a prosperous soul. For the next couple of days we will look at examples that highlight the reason why this is so important. Today we will discuss Gideon and tomorrow Mephibosheth. Later in this series I will give you a detailed look at Gideon’s story. This morning I will limit it to a quick overview.
Judges 6 opens with the Israelites disobeying the Lord. Their disobedience caused the Lord to remove His protection and the nation of Midian controlled Israel for seven years. There came a time when the Israelites repented, they asked the Lord to deliver them from the Midianites, the Lord accepted their plea for help and sent an angel to the man He selected to lead the Israelites out of their oppression. Who do you think the Lord chose? Did God find the strongest, most courageous and most skilled warrior? Of course not. The Lord sent the angel to a man named Gideon. Gideon was in a shallow pit, under a tree, threshing grain. This was an unusual place to thresh grain; it was normally done on a wood floor or a hard surface, causing it to be a noisy process. Gideon did it under a tree because he was hiding from the Midianites.
The Lord picked an unknown farmer who was hiding under a tree to lead a revolution. Why? Because selections like this highlight His grace and power. When God uses the most unlikely to do the extraordinary, the spotlight shines on Him and He gets the glory. But for Gideon to agree with God’s plans God had to deal with his mentality. Gideon was far from having a prosperous soul.
The angel called Gideon a mighty warrior. Gideon told the angel that he had the wrong man. Gideon went on to explain that his tribe was the weakest in all of Israel, and that he was the weakest of his tribe. In other words, Gideon told God that he was the weakest man from the weakest clan in all of Israel. Guess what? That made Gideon God’s best choice. Gideon was a perfect candidate through which to highlight God’s amazing grace.
Gideon went on to lead the revolution and he did it by leading 300 men against a vast army. The victory came by God’s grace and it highlights His limitless power.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Developing a prosperous soul is critical. You must see yourself the way God sees you in order to become the person God has called you to be. God called Gideon a mighty warrior. Gideon saw himself as the weakest man from the weakest clan. Gideon had to change his self-image in order to walk in God’s best.
2. God is in the business of doing extraordinary things with ordinary people. God knew who Gideon was before He assigned him – flaws, failures, and all. God took all that into consideration before He qualified Gideon for the assignment. Gideon was called by grace, not by merit. I can say the same thing about me and I am sure You can say the same thing about you.
3. God is your source. God told Gideon, “You can do it because I will help you.” God was helping Gideon internalize the fact that the same God who parted the Red Sea, destroyed the Egyptians, and caused the walls of Jericho to come tumbling down for his ancestors was going to literally be with him and help him. Guess what? That same God is present to help you. With God ON you, IN you, WITH you and FOR you, there is nothing you cannot do!
4. God can do a quick work. It did not take long for God to transform Gideon from a coward into a champion. He did it for Gideon and He can do it for you. All you have to do is believe and develop a prosperous soul. A prosperous soul is a soul that is open to God and to whatever He wants to do!
5. To live by faith you must overcome fear. Gideon had to overcome his fears in order to step out in faith. You cannot be ‘in fear’ and ‘in faith’ at the same time. Fear cancels out faith. But the good news is that faith also cancels out fear!
6. Gideon did the seemingly impossible because God was with him. What will you do (by faith), with the life and the assignment God has given you?
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace, by both precept and example. I am growing in grace by growing in the knowledge of You. The more I learn of You and Your amazing love and grace, the more I am able to develop a prosperous soul that agrees with You and what You want to do in my life. When You first approached Gideon he was not prepared to be the man You called him to be. But You never gave up on him. You worked with Gideon until he was able to develop a prosperous soul. After Gideon saw himself doing what You called him to do he was able to cooperate with You, to accept the assignment, and to embrace Your grace for the supernatural. Like Gideon, when You first approached me I was not ready. I could not see myself doing what You have called me to do. I thought I had made too many mistakes. I thought the assignment was too big. I thought the bar was set too high. But the more I walk with You, the more I develop a prosperous soul. I now accept Your assignment by faith, because I understand grace. You want to use me — not because I am so good or because I have earned anything. You want to use me because of Your grace, because You love me. So my soul, my prosperous soul, says YES. I accept. I cooperate. I embrace. I become. I am. Let’s do it. Not by my strength, but by Your power. I will do what I am called to do and because You are the one who will do it through me! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
