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:
1. Fear & Intimidation
2. Hopelessness
3. Discouragement
4. Delusion and confusion
5. Worldly desires and sin
These attacks usually come during times of vulnerability, weakness, isolation from the fellowship of the church, or the birthing of something new. If these things can get a root growing, they will grow up and do great damage. So, do not let these attacks of the mind grow a root.
Tell somebody, “Don’t let it grow a root.”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Think about it, The Word here shows us that our spiritual weapons can do three things concerning the Battlefield of the Mind:
1. Cast down imaginations
2. Cast down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
3. Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
You see, every one of us have a purpose, a destiny, a calling in life.
If the devil can get you to compromise your calling…… compromise who God intended you to be, you will become ineffective in your destiny.
God created you for bigger things than this. Your best is yet to come. And it will come if you do not grow weary and give up.
1 Tim 1:18-19 NKJV, “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck”
Some people think that because something has been prophesied over you that all you have to do now is sit back and wait for it to happen.
The reality is that you have to wage a warfare over the promise. Think about what these guys went through during the time between the prophecy and the promise, Think about Joseph, who had to endure slavery and the prison before the palace, In the end he said to his brothers, Genesis 50:20, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”
It took 22 years for David to become King of all of Israel after he had been anointed by the Prophet. Those were difficult times for him but he never gave up.
What about Abraham who had to wait all those years for the birth of his son Isaac? Romans 4:20-23 NLT, “Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham's faith, God counted him as righteous.
These were all guys who had to fight the fight of faith. They had to wage a good warfare over their prophecies. They had to…
1. Cast down imaginations
2. Cast down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
3. Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
And you know what?
You can do it too.
God has given you the faith to do it.
He has given you the strength to do it.
He has given you the Holy Spirit to empower you.
I am sure Gideon was fighting at the Battlefield of the Mind when God reduced his Army from 32,000 to 10,000 and then to 300.
But God reassured him that the battle was to be won and won in dramatic fashion!
Judges 7:12 Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude. 13 And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, "I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed." 14 Then his companion answered and said, "This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp." 15 And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, "Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand."
So check it out, God tells him to arise and go take on the enemy, but if he was afraid…….. take his assistant and go sneak up on the camp and spy it out a little.
So, like the hesitant hero that Gideon was, and admitting to his fears…. He snuck down to the camp and overheard the telling of the dream that he would win.
Conclusion:
You know, sometimes we are afraid of the enemy only to later discover that they are more afraid of us then we are of them.
He tries to be a bully and push us around through intimidation.
I remember when I was in grade school I had to deal with this. I was a year younger and a bit smaller than most of my classmates and got into a couple of fights by bigger boys who thought they could push me around before they found out differently.
But there was this one boy who was two grades above me and was considered to be the toughest and meanest boy in school.
Well, for some reason he decided he didn’t like me and tried to make my life a living hell. And because he was bigger, older and meaner than I, fear gripped me.
For days he kept challenging me to meet him after school so he could whoop me. After a few days of this, he was really getting into my head and I knew he wasn’t going to quit until I showed up.
Finally I told him I was going to meet up with him and he would probably beat me up but before he did I was going to fight like a crazy man and hurt him good before he finally took me down. Well, he gave me a funny look and walked off.
That afternoon when school was out, I waited for him. No crowds, no witnesses, just me. You know, it took him over an hour to come out of the school and when he saw me waiting for him, he did not stop, did not look at me, and did not say a word….. he just took off running. He knew he might win but he was going to get hurt in the process.
Sometimes we just need to say enough is enough and draw a line. Step across the Chicken Line!
Someone say, “No More”
No more poverty
No more sickness
No more relationship issues
No more giving in to the flesh
No more rejection and neglect
No more, no more, no more!
I love Judges 7:15 “And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, "Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand."
When Gideon heard about the dream the first thing he did was worship.
Worship should always be our first response to the good news God provides along the way.
Psalms 61:1-3 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
Psalms 62:1-2 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.
Psalms 62:6-8 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved. 7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Psalms 63:1-8 God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsts for thee, my flesh longs for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8 My soul follows hard after thee: thy right hand upholds me.
