God Uses People Of Faith Who Keep Surrendered To Him Series

God uses people of faith who keep surrendered to Him

As we come to this story God’s chosen people have come out of bondage and by the leadership of Moses and Joshua were in the land God promised them. We come to verses that should disturb us, Judges 2:10, 12 “Another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done. They forsook the lord God of their fathers …and they provoked the Lord to anger.” The bible goes on to say that the Lord God delivered them into the hands of their enemies. When they cried unto the Lord He sent judges to set them free. There are 12 judges mentioned in this book. We are going to look at one of these judges and gain spiritual insight in our daily living for Christ. When we open chapter 6 we read “The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.” There had been five judges. The problem with these people is that they would not remain surrendered to God in living how He had told them to. If today you have chosen to follow Christ yet it seems that you are still given to sin could it be that there is something in your life that you have not surrendered to Him? We can choose how we live. God let these people do evil but He also let them suffer for a wrong choice by letting them be under bondage to the Midianites. 6:1-6. These people would come into the land and camp to destroy the crops that were growing and the animals. This army was 135,000 strong and Israel had no match for them. They cried out to God. As a church we need to be crying out to God for the forces of evil are great and without His help we have no hope.

Let us not what God can do.

I. God calls us. I know that if He waited until we cleaned up our lives then none of us would ever be able to serve Him. “Well you are such a good person I want you to be part of my family.” The Bible says that we are all born with sin in our heart. No matter who we are we are not worthy of heaven. The Midianites are a type like the devil in that they came on the Israelites with speed and ease. Te devil comes to kill and destroy.

A. Gideon was hiding in place where he could thresh wheat where he could not be seen and all at once and angel came to him.

B. We would say that Gideon was not good material to be used by God at this time. In his Society, Gideon was a nobody and His family was the weakest in his tribe he is the least in his family. Gideon is saying, “Hey God, I can’t be used. God, you have got it wrong. You must not know who I am. God, you must have me mistaken for someone else. I am a nobody. Do you ever feel like Gideon? We need to learn is to focus on who God says we are instead of what Society says we are. God does the choosing and I am sure that like me you might think that God has used and unlikely vessel to put His Holy Spirit in. At His Word, the light shines, the world spins, the winds cease, the demons flee, the mountains fall, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the blind see, the lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised and heaven is open for you and me.

C. When He called Gideon He did not choose him for what he was but what God wanted him to be. Judges 6:12 “The Messenger of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, brave man."

II. God knows best how to change us.

A. He might not send us angel but He knows how to speak to us. There are stories that have come to us from Muslim countries of people being encountered by God despite they do not allow preaching. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is in the world today to convict us of sin and reveal our Savior. Gideon heard “The Lord is with you mighty warrior.” When he heard this he had done nothing to make him a mighty warrior. God deals with us to make what He wants us to be. Gideon would be considered to be a coward at this time of his life. What does God have planned for your life? What does God have planned for this church’s life? God is in the transforming business. I read this: “I don’t want to know Him according to what some says He might be like or thinks He might be like or was taught what He might be like or guesses what He might be like or even wishes He might be like. I want to know Him as He wants me to know Him.