Becoming Mighty III

Friday 24 February
READ: Judg. 6:11-16
MORE LESSONS: Psa. 50:14-15

The encounter between Gideon and God's angel in our main text remains one of the strength building passages in the Bible. Among other things, that angelic visitation tells us how deeply God is interested in getting us out of our trouble zones. Israel was under constant raid by the Medianites and just when it looked like God had forgotten about them, He showed up. In the midst of your troubles, don't ever think that God has forgotten you. The Bible says that He is close to the broken hearted.
On your own part, remain conversant with the Word. In verse 13 of our main text, Gideon asked a great question,… did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt but now the Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of Medianites. Here Gideon was exhibiting spiritual capabilities based on his understanding of spiritual things. An understanding of spiritual things makes a man mighty. He was invariably saying that if God was with Israel in those years that their fathers told them about, why did God abandon them to the dictates of the Medianites?
He was sure of what relationship Israel had with God before and what God did compared to what was happening in his days. Out of that understanding arose in Gideon the burden for a change.
A lot of people want to be mighty but they lack spiritual understanding as to
what to do. The problem of finance in the church for instance, is not about money but rather it is about people who lack the understanding of what God wants to use money for in His vineyard. Mighty men are men who have spiritual understanding of how things work. Gideon had an understanding of how things work in the spiritual. In verse 14 the Lord looked upon him and said, Go in this thy might. The angel said to him when he finished his submission, you are correct and loaded with enough information as source of strength, so go in that might and perform the dictates of God. The same way as the angel listened to Gideon, God is always eager to listen to your prayers. The angel gave Gideon instructions to go and act and with that Gideon stopped the argument and began to obey the angel.
One of the secrets of mighty people is that they are teachable. A man that cannot be taught can never be mighty. Be teachable; don't confront your teacher, or whoever is leading you. Spiritual mentors are to be obeyed in all godly instructions. Because Gideon was teachable, at the end of his life he was a mighty man. May you be teachable and be mighty in the vineyard of the Lord.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to give you a teachable heart, in Jesus’ name.
* Ask God to continue to endow your spiritual mentors with grace and counsel all the time, in Jesus’ name.
* Receive the Spirit of might, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, make me the envy of my generation beginning from my family to the uttermost parts of the world to Your glory, in the name of Jesus.