Gideon - The Mighty Man Of Valor "Overcoming Fear And Intimidation” Part 5 Series

Gideon - The Mighty Man of Valor

“Overcoming Fear and Intimidation”

Part 5 of a Series

We are now on part five of our series about the Life and Times of Gideon. When I started preparing this teaching I thought it be a two or possibly three part series but…….. Somebody say but!

It is clear now that it will be at least six parts and possibly a seventh. But I am not apologizing, because this has been a great series so far. Clearly it is the word of the Lord speaking to us.

We started out with Gideon, the Angel of the Lord and the Terebinth tree.

We saw God take a timid man with low self-esteem and no confidence and begin building a since of destiny and purpose within him.

We saw how he crossed the chicken line and tore down the Altar of Baal and turned around the heart of his father.

We saw how he gave the military call throughout the region but only to certain tribes and clans; and 32 thousand men answered the call.

GIDEON’S POSITION (v.1)

The Israelites gathered together and set up their camp by the Well of Herod. There were only 32,000 in this first gathering which was far less than the enemy’s camp.

In Hebrew, “Harod” means Fountain of Trembling, or affliction.

Think about it, they were assembling an army and told everyone to gather at the Fountain of Fear and Affliction.

You see these were people who had been oppressed and abused their entire lives. And, we could focus on their fear but the fact is, they stepped across the chicken line and showed up….. 32,000 of them.

Are you pitched at the fountain of trembling and affliction? Has the devil been using his tactics of fear and intimidation on you?

When things are at their worst, God is at his best. Isaiah 59:19 says “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.”

THE ENEMY’S CAMP

The host of Midianites was camped by the Hill of Moreh. In Hebrew, “Moreh” means early rain!

I mean, think about it! Israel is gathering at the Fountain of Fear and Affliction while the enemy was camped at the Hill of the Early Rain? Something isn’t right with this picture, we would think it should be the opposite…. But God! Somebody say… But God!

God was about to bring VICTORY—the early rain was going to fall again! God was going to destroy the Midianites and once again pour out a rain that would eventually turn into a harvest.

And today we know that rain to be the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the outpouring of Holy Spirit mentioned in Joel chapter 2. Today we have the latter rain—power of the Holy Spirit!

And then we left off with the reduction of the Army from 32,000 to 10,000 to 300 men.

You know, God doesn’t need a big army to get the job done; he just needs people who are willing and obedient.

Isaiah 1:18-20 KJV, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

And so, we pick up the story here.

Judges 7:9-15 New King James, “It happened on the same night that the Lord said to him, "Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, 11 and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp." Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp.

Gideon’s assistant, his Armorer Bearer’s name was Phurah.

Phurah = growing, maturing, producing fruit. Go into the battle bearing your fruit, knowing that this battle will help you grow and mature.

As part of my personal growth and spiritual maturation, I have come to understand the battles we face and how believers act, react and respond to the fight. You see, most battles begin in the battlefield of the mind.

If there is an area of vulnerability in most of us, it is in the area of the mind. Perhaps some of you have read the book by Joyce Meyers called the Battlefield of the Mind? It is a great book and I would like to encourage you to read it if you have not done so.

The Battlefield of the mind…..

You see the devil’s agenda is to attack our thought processes with: