283 - Mighty Warrior (Gideon)#
283 - Mighty Warrior (Gideon)
(JP Text Group - 整理 by the Little Prince of Heaven)
Judges 6:11-16
11 The angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” 13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” 15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon asked, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! A new week has begun, and I believe that in this week, You will grant us strength. Sometimes, although our circumstances may not seem favorable, You are the one who gives me strength, just as You gave strength to Gideon, allowing him to rise again and become a mighty warrior. You are with me, sending me to do what You want me to do. You will add strength and provision to me, allowing me to regain my strength, completely entrusting this time to the Holy Spirit to renew and help me. Thank You and praise You! In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen!
The topic we are sharing is called Mighty Warrior (Gideon).
The background of the Book of Judges is not very good. At that time, Israel had no king, no lord, and although they had God, they did not take Him seriously. Everyone did as they saw fit, which is the most obvious characteristic of the time of the judges. What would a country be like if individuals acted arbitrarily? Any country needs order; without order, it loses its blessings.
During the time of the judges, the people of Israel repeatedly sinned and were unwilling to listen to God’s words, acting arbitrarily, resulting in the loss of God’s protection and falling into the hands of their enemies. This was also the case before Israel established a nation; when there was no nation, they acted arbitrarily, and the result was that they were often attacked by others, with no one to protect them.
So, brothers and sisters, do not think that being under grace means you can act arbitrarily and live however you want. This is a characteristic of the time of the judges; people suffer losses, and the Israelites fell into the hands of their enemies. One characteristic of the Israelites is that they had just been saved by God, enjoyed decades of peace, and then stopped listening to God’s words. In their suffering, they cried out to God, and God raised up judges to help them and save them; after another few decades of peace, they acted arbitrarily again, just like before. This cycle repeated for four hundred years. Wasn’t the life of the Israelites during the time of the judges quite miserable? We should take them as a warning for ourselves, not to look at their failed results or imitate them.
When people rely on themselves, failure is inevitable. Through the Book of Judges, we see that the Israelites were often bullied by those around them. When the environment was bad, God did not say, “I will punish your sins.” When they cried out to God and turned to Him, God always raised up judges to help them. Before Gideon, God raised up a female judge named Deborah, who brought peace to the Israelites for forty years. After forty years, the Israelites began to commit old mistakes again.
Let’s look at the initial background in Judges 6:1-4:
1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. 2 Because the Midianites had settled down in the land, the Israelites made shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves, and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern peoples invaded the country, 4 and camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys.
From these four verses, how do you think the Israelites lived? It was very miserable and unsatisfactory. The Bible says that because they did evil in the eyes of the Lord, how should we understand this statement? Is it because the Israelites were constantly sinning? The most serious problem was that they acted arbitrarily and were unwilling to listen to God’s words. Acting according to their own ways would inevitably lead to suffering because they lost God’s protection.
There is a verse here that we need to clarify: the Lord gave them into the hands of the Midianites for seven years. Does our God do the same today? When you are disobedient, does God say, “I will raise up your neighbors to attack you and smash all your windows”? Could it be like that?
The Bible has many such phrases, for example, the Lord brought a certain disease upon the Israelites, the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and here it mentions that the Lord gave them into the hands of the Midianites for seven years. Is this something God actively does? If one accepts certain sect doctrines, one might think this is God’s sovereignty, that God can punish you however He wants, and if He wants to bring disaster upon you, He can, just because you are disobedient. But what does it actually mean? God’s grace is always present; His wings are always there.
Do you remember when Jesus said to the Israelites, “I long to gather you as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing”? The chicks are too individualistic and refuse to come, while the hen keeps calling, “Come quickly! The storm outside is so strong.” The chicks don’t even look and just love to run around. In such a situation, when the storm and dust come upon these chicks, did God cause it? When we encounter these environments, shouldn’t we quickly run to the hen’s wings for safety? Instead, people say, “Lord, why are You treating me this way?” Rather than complain like this, it is better to quickly turn back to God; that is the best way.
How did the Midianites oppress the Israelites at that time? The Midianites allied with the Amalekites and other eastern peoples to attack them. Brothers and sisters, when we encounter certain situations, we need to have spiritual discernment. When the environment keeps changing, we should reflect: what is the problem? The problem with the Israelites is very clear; their faith was in trouble.
At that time, the Midianites lived a nomadic lifestyle, accustomed to using camels for large-scale invasions. They formed a military alliance with the Amalekites to attack the Israelites and ruin the land. In the eyes of the Israelites, these enemies were as numerous as locusts, devastating everything they passed through, and their livestock and grains were destroyed, leaving them with almost no food. How despicable were these people? First, they did not allow them to live in their own homeland, forcing them to dig holes in the mountains to build shelters.
With the energy to build shelters, why didn’t they cry out to God? Today, many people have the same problem; they stubbornly endure until they can’t take it anymore, then say, “God, please save me.” God then intervenes to save them. Why not ask God for help from the beginning? Every time the Israelites planted seeds, the Midianites would come and attack them, possibly taking away their seeds, ruining their crops, and preventing them from sowing, leading to no harvest. The lives of the Israelites were very miserable.
Some say that the end of man is the beginning of God. It was only when the Israelites were in extreme poverty and suffering that they cried out to the Lord and were willing to turn to God. This is a warning for us; we do not need to wait until that time to cry out to God. The end of man is often the beginning of God’s grace. When I say “end,” it does not necessarily mean suffering; it means that when you feel you cannot do something, you will pray to God. Prayer is to acknowledge Him as your Lord, your Savior, and your provider. Not praying means thinking you can do it on your own.
When someone is sick and cries out to God, is that okay? Yes, but there is a better way: develop the habit of calling on God when you are healthy, and sickness will not come. This is a better method. Health studies tell us that prevention is better than cure; when treatment is needed, there is pain involved. Learning to maintain health and prevent issues before they arise is the best approach. If we prioritize God from the beginning and live a joyful life of faith every day, those problems will not arise. This is the best way. Amen!
However, the Israelites chose the worst path; when faced with suffering, they did not turn back, and only when they could no longer bear it did they pray to God. God then appeared to Joash’s son Gideon. What kind of person did God choose? At that time, Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress; he should have been on the threshing floor. Why was he in the winepress? The Bible says it was because he wanted to hide from the Midianites. The winepress is deeper, making it harder to be discovered. Was this person courageous? In fact, he was a timid person, yet God chose this timid individual. With no grapes left, the winepress was used to thresh wheat. He was hiding there, feeling hopeless, when God’s messenger found him.
Brothers and sisters, when God comes to find us, is it to investigate our sins? It is to help us. God does not look at Gideon’s timid and weak character; He sees that he has a willing heart to change. Where were the others? They were digging holes in the mountains, building shelters, all having fled to the mountains. What was better about Gideon? He hadn’t gone up the mountain; he was still at home threshing wheat, perhaps having sown a little wheat, which proves that at that time, Gideon’s faith was slightly greater than that of those on the mountain. Just this little faith was enough for God to say, “That’s enough.” What is frightening is when we have even less than that; God looks at the heart of a person.
1 Samuel 16:7, But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
What does this verse remind you of? Isn’t this the scene when Samuel came to choose the king of Israel? Perhaps David’s brothers were handsome and tall, while David was much less impressive than his brothers. But when his brothers passed before Samuel, God said to Samuel, “Do not consider their appearance or their height, for I have rejected these.” There was a tall king named Saul, who was head and shoulders above everyone else, chosen by man, not by God.
People think, “This person is so tall; he must be able to protect me.” But that turned out not to be the case. The Lord looks at the heart, not the appearance. What was in Gideon’s heart? A desire to change, but he just lacked strength. If we have a willing heart to change, God can work. What is frightening is when we do not listen or believe; how then can God accomplish great things through him? Joash’s son Gideon had this heart. At that time, King Saul was tall and strong.
1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel replied, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
At first, Saul was quite humble; he said, “My family is not powerful, and my father is not wealthy or influential. How can You choose me?” In fact, that was an act. After he became king, every time he defeated an enemy, he would set up a monument to celebrate his achievements. In the end, Samuel said, “You go wait over there until I come; then you can offer the sacrifice.” At that time, the roles of prophet, priest, and king were not to be crossed.
The king is the king and cannot encroach on the priest’s position. King Saul may have thought, “I am the king; what can’t I do?” Because Samuel was late, he took it upon himself to offer the sacrifice. When Samuel arrived, Saul made many excuses, saying, “You were late; look, the people were getting impatient.” In fact, this was his inner issue. At this point, Samuel said to him, “Your sacrifice, if it is not offered willingly and humbly before God, is not pleasing to Him.” God delights more in a person’s heart that listens to His words.
Gideon was a timid and weak person, but how did God address him? Mighty warrior. We must learn to see with God’s eyes, looking at the brothers and sisters around you or your husband and wife. If God’s messenger saw Gideon and asked, “What are you doing?” and saw the people living in the mountains saying, “What are you doing here? Where is your God?” then wouldn’t this group of people have nothing to say? They would easily be condemned.
But God sees what you will become in the future; that is the best teacher and the most powerful teacher. Jesus chose those twelve disciples, who at first were not impressive, but after God gave them power, they changed the world, just like Gideon. Although at that moment he was timid and weak, God called him a mighty warrior.
God does not look at how much ability we have now; He looks at whether we are willing to believe His words and whether we are willing to change ourselves. As long as you simply believe, all your problems will be resolved one by one under God’s words and power. God chose Gideon not because of his greatness and extraordinary qualities, but because God wanted to use him. When God was with Gideon, he became a mighty warrior. God is also with you! “The Lord is with you,” this was the second thing God’s messenger said to Gideon.
The first was “mighty warrior,” and then “the Lord is with you.” This is a completed statement; God is with you. This is a powerful comfort. When we seem hopeless in a terrible environment, past experiences, knowledge, and learned doctrines cannot help us, but this statement can help us. As long as we know that the Lord is with us, Jesus is with us, and the Holy Spirit is with us, there is no problem that cannot be solved.
However, at that time, Gideon did not see this; his heart was still filled with disbelief. Let’s take a look at Judges 6:13, Gideon said, “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
Have you noticed that this statement sounds familiar? Many people today still use this phrase. When told, “God is with you; the Holy Spirit is with you,” they might respond, “I am in suffering; you tell me God is with me? Where is He?” And they doubt, “If the Lord is with us, why would we encounter all these things?” In times of weakness, the most discouraging thing is not seeing God’s work, feeling as if God is absent, or even feeling that God has abandoned you. Where are His wonderful works? At this moment, Gideon had not yet experienced God’s power; he had only heard about it.
I do not wish for brothers and sisters to always hear others’ testimonies. Sometimes I share some testimonies with you, and some of you have personally experienced God, but I hope everyone can experience God. Just like Gideon, he said, “Look, our ancestors said that God brought us up from Egypt.” He knew the Bible but had not experienced God’s wonderful works. So when he encountered suffering and problems, he said, “God has abandoned us.”
Initially, God said, “Mighty warrior, the Lord is with you.” His response was, “God has abandoned me and given us into the hands of the Midianites.” At this moment, Gideon believed that all this suffering was caused by God. We think that suffering is caused by God, believing that God is unfair and does not love us. But that is not the case.
When these problems and sufferings come, do not complain; what you should do is turn to God. When people are in a terrible situation, they say, “Lord! What have I done wrong? How many sins still need to be resolved?” As long as you strive in this direction, you will always be discouraged. Let’s look at a passage from Psalm 42, where Korah tells us how to respond in suffering.
Psalm 42:10-11:
10 My enemies taunt me, saying all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
At this moment, Korah gives us a solution. Every time others taunt us, it feels like our bones are being crushed. Why use the phrase “like crushing my bones”? It means you can’t stand up anymore; the greatest attack is that your spirit is dried up. On the outside, you may seem strong, but you cannot stand up and have no strength to do anything. When facing the taunts of enemies, it feels like your bones are crushed, and the most hurtful words are, “Where is your God?” The Israelites faced such situations many times; their enemies surrounded them, saying, “Let your God save you; don’t you believe in the Lord? Let Him save you.” If they had prayed at that time, “Lord, please strike them down with thunder,” but nothing happened, what should they do? Did the Lord abandon us? Never draw this conclusion; it is a wrong conclusion.
In the Old Testament, God did not abandon the Israelites, let alone now. Let’s see how to resolve this: Do not let your heart be downcast or disturbed; instead, put your hope in God and call on Him. If you say, “I am in suffering and can no longer pray,” then find a hymn to praise Him. Korah’s psalm is actually a song; you can sing it with words. How to sing? He is the glory of my face, which means He is my help.
In suffering, do not describe how your suffering is getting worse; instead, say, “He is my help; He is my God, so I will praise Him.” Hallelujah! You should not continue to live in a complaining environment, saying how terrible this environment is. Never declare wrongly that the environment will get worse; it will indeed get worse. God wants to bestow great blessings upon me here!
People generally cannot see God’s promises when they suffer losses and have no strength to praise God. In Exodus, Numbers, and Leviticus, God gave the Israelites many laws and regulations. This morning, when I was reading the Bible, I saw that if someone steals your cow and is caught, you will receive five cows in return; if it is a sheep, four sheep for one sheep. Now think about it: we have lost many things to the devil; can we ask the devil to return them? Now God will compensate you fourfold or fivefold.
If you lost one and keep complaining about that loss, then that’s it; your faith will worsen. According to our laws, as long as the person is caught, they will compensate me fivefold, five cows for one cow. God has the power to give you back what you have lost in double. Have we suffered losses in our difficulties? Our Lord can certainly grant you strength; He is your help, He is the glory of your face, He is your God. Hallelujah!
Gideon’s environment was terrible. God found him and said, “You can go out to battle like a warrior.” Verse 14 says, the Lord looked at Gideon, God’s comfort is different from ours. When we see this person’s situation, we think, “How miserable!” There is no worst; there is only worse. Another person comes along and says, “How miserable you are!” The person hears the most is, “You will get worse.” God saw Gideon’s doubts and complaints and did not say, “You are indeed pitiful; you have not experienced me; you believe in knowledge…” What did God say?
Let’s look at Judges 6:14, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
Perhaps some people did not understand; let me translate this into today’s language so you can understand what happened. At that time, God made a prophecy to Gideon, saying, “Mighty warrior, the Lord is with you; you should go to battle like a warrior and save the Israelites.” At this point, Gideon said, “I can’t do it; although our ancestors said our God is powerful, God has abandoned us; He does not want us.” Our God was not angry at all; He said, “With the strength you have now, go save the Israelites.” What strength did Gideon have? He was using a stick to thresh wheat; that was his strength. God does not require too much ability; just the strength you have to thresh wheat is enough. Just use that ability.
Brothers and sisters, is your ability greater than Gideon’s? At that time, Gideon’s environment was terrible; he was hiding in the winepress to thresh wheat, with just that little ability. Your abilities are greater than his, and what you should do should be greater than Gideon’s because it is not by Gideon’s stick or his own strength, but by the Lord being with him that he can defeat the enemy. In God’s eyes, having this heart is enough.
The Bible has many such examples. In the Old Testament, there was a prophet named Elisha. One day, the wife of a prophet’s disciple pleaded with Elisha, saying, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and he feared the Lord; you know that. Now the creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” Wasn’t this a terrible environment? At this time, Elisha said, “What can I do for you? Tell me what you have in your house.” The woman replied, “Your servant has nothing there at all except a small jar of olive oil.” In God’s eyes, that small jar of oil is enough to solve all your problems; it is enough to pay off all your debts.
As long as you believe in God’s words. What is frightening is when we come before God and say, “I have nothing.” Think carefully about what abilities you still have; even a little ability is enough. Brothers and sisters, this is something you must understand: in terrible environments, see that I still have this little joy, and God will multiply that joy, filling you with joy. If you have a little hope, God will magnify that hope, filling you with hope.
What is frightening is when you cannot see even that little bit, seeing only negativity around you. I once did a test for everyone; I made a dot on a whiteboard with a black pen and asked everyone what they saw. Everyone’s answer was that they saw a black dot. I said, “There is a huge whiteboard; can’t you see that? You only see that little black dot, and there are many blank spaces.” But we only see that black dot. This is a reflection of human nature, but what does God want you to see? If you see even a little grace in your life, God says, “That’s enough.”
Do you remember Elijah? He prayed for a long time for God to send rain. The first time, his disciple said, “Nothing happened.” He prayed again, seven times in a row, and on the seventh time, his servant said, “I see a cloud the size of a man’s hand coming from the sea.” How big is a hand-sized cloud? Brothers and sisters, it is just like the little black dot I mentioned on the whiteboard, which was seen by his disciple. Elijah said, “Okay, hurry home; it’s going to rain heavily.” That little bit of hope, God will magnify it, and then your hope will be filled.
When the crowd listened to Jesus preach all day, they became hungry. At that time, Jesus asked, “What do you have?” The disciples said, “We only have five loaves and two fish.” Jesus said, “Bring them here to me.” Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and they distributed them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. What happened? Today, you have a new understanding: that little bit of hope, that little bit of food, God can multiply it to supply everyone. Hallelujah! Thank and praise the Lord!
When looking at the environment, it seems there is no way out, but God uses what we have, not what we lack. This point, brothers and sisters, must be remembered: God uses you based on what you have. You say, “I only have a little faith, just a little finance.” God says, “That’s enough.” That little bit is enough. Brothers and sisters, even if it is just a little that you are willing to put in God’s hands, it can produce great power.
How did Gideon defeat the 120,000 enemies? At that time, they only had three hundred men. Brothers and sisters, if you look at the three hundred men behind you and then look at the 120,000 enemies, how can you fight this battle? Wouldn’t you lose confidence? So do not look at how strong the enemy is now; you should see: the Lord is with you. This is your reason for victory and the source of your faith. Hallelujah!
The Lord is with you. At that time, Gideon did not have such great faith; they quietly approached the enemy’s camp to see if they were asleep, thinking that if they were asleep, they could kill them one by one. As it turned out, they were indeed asleep. One man dreamed that he saw “the servant of the Lord Gideon, and his sword came over, and I saw a large barley loaf crushing us.” Brothers and sisters, what soldier could dream of being crushed by the enemy, especially by a barley loaf? In fact, this was meant for Gideon to hear. After Gideon heard this, his faith greatly increased. What is there to fear? God even told me through the enemy; what should I be afraid of? There is nothing to fear. God will use those environments, and sometimes even your enemies, to remind you to return to God.
A brother was particularly weak for a while and wanted to make money. He tried many methods but failed. God told him, “Come serve me.” He said, “I know; let me make money first.” After many failures, he was extremely discouraged. A friend told him about a place where fortune-telling was particularly effective. Even when someone believes in Jesus, they can be tempted. His friend said, “Go there and get a fortune; maybe it will be good.” He followed his friend there, reported his birth date, and asked for a reading. Think about it: a person who already believes in Jesus is seeking a fortune-teller. Isn’t that a form of idolatry?
After this incident, he truly recognized God’s power. The fortune-teller’s words were all accurate before he believed in Jesus, but after he believed in Jesus, they were all nonsense. He realized what was going on! Finally, he boldly declared, “I am a believer in Jesus.” Do you know what that person said? “Actually, you are a messenger of God.” At that moment, he didn’t hear clearly what the two words were, “God’s messenger.” He suddenly realized, and on the way home, tears streamed down his face. He said, “God actually used the enemy to increase my faith.”
In times of weakness, we think God has abandoned us, but unexpectedly, in that weak place, God still uses the enemy to tell you that you are a messenger of God, so do not disturb me anymore. The fortune-teller said, “If you really want to get rich, throw away your God, and from today, set me up in your home, and you will get rich.” The brother said, “I will not do those things.”
When we are weak, we are like Gideon, saying, “Lord! You have abandoned me; You do not want me. Although I have heard others’ testimonies, I want to have my own testimony…” God will let you experience it. After Gideon heard what the enemy said, three hundred men were enough. They threw fire into the enemy camp, and the 120,000 people ended up killing each other, and in the end, Gideon and his men were victorious. It seemed like a battle of the few against the many, but in reality, it was God’s power that was with them. Amen!
We want to share a point: God is with you; you are a mighty warrior.
Judges 6:15-16:
15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
Gideon at least recognized himself; he said, “Lord! What can I rely on to save the Israelites?” Although God said, “Just rely on the strength in your hand,” he asked, “Can this defeat 120,000 enemies?” He also said, “My family is the weakest in Manasseh.” Isn’t this often our mindset? “Lord, if I had money, I could buy many weapons to destroy the enemy.” I am the least in my father’s house; I do not have a say in my family. Even if I gather my family, how can I save the Israelites? This is impossible. Gideon recognized his inability, which is a valuable point.
In any situation, if we know we cannot do it, we will rely on God. In my years of pastoring, I have deeply realized this. In the beginning, there were only a few people, and I prayed almost every day, “Lord! I really know nothing.” At that time, I truly did not know anyone. I just knew one thing: the Lord brought me here. Where should I go to meet people and share the gospel to build the church? I did not know how to do it, so I said, “Lord! I really can do nothing; please help me.”
Then some miracles happened, encouraging me time and again to rise again. Some people came to our church and said, “I have passed by here many times; how come I have never noticed this church before? I suddenly found it today.” Similar things are still happening today; many people have found me, and I believe this is God’s sending. Amen! God gave me an opportunity to serve them, help them, and share my faith with them, but I know this is not my ability.
Verse 16, the Lord said to him, “I will be with you,”
That is enough, brothers and sisters. Do not say you have no money, no power, and no strong background; these are not important. What matters is that He is with you. When we feel we can do everything, we are definitely using our own methods. When our path comes to an end, stubborn people will raise their hands in surrender, saying, “Lord! I surrender; I will no longer struggle.” Humble people will say, “Lord! I really cannot.” At that moment, our prayers to God are humble, making it easier to believe in God’s words. No matter what God’s promises are, in your most helpless and weakest moments, you can try to believe. Amen! Thank and praise the Lord!
But I do not wish for brothers and sisters to reach this point, so I often advise some people, saying, “Do not do this; even if you do not understand now, I tell you not to do it.” The reason is simple: because I have walked that wrong path. In the Bible, why does God write so many examples of failures? To tell us: they failed like this; do not walk their path; you have a simpler way; do not imitate them. Since we know that acting arbitrarily is not good, we should not act arbitrarily but follow God’s way.
Just like I shared last Friday, we have a choice: you can choose to live in Christ or choose to live outside of Christ, which is living arbitrarily. Living in Christ means living according to God’s freedom; your choice is either the best or the best. As long as you make choices in Christ, you are blessed.
What is frightening is choosing between being in Christ and outside of Christ. Choosing to be outside of Christ will definitely lead to failure. Brothers and sisters, after being encouraged by God, Gideon stood up, saying, “God is with me; I believe Your words.” So in God’s eyes, 120,000 people are the same as one person. Amen! Here, I also want to tell everyone that many people misunderstand, thinking that a small problem can be solved with one declaration, while a big problem requires fasting; a small illness can be healed with one prayer, while a serious illness requires fasting. But in God’s eyes, they are the same; 120,000 enemies are no different from one enemy. Therefore, we should have this perspective to view all environments. Hallelujah!
Although the Israelites at that time saw the enemies around them as numerous as locusts, in God’s eyes, they were just one locust; what’s the big deal? Just take a stick and crush it. God said to Gideon, “I am with you.” Brothers and sisters, this is the center of our message today: how do you become a mighty warrior? By knowing that the Lord is with you, you can unleash the power within you that you do not have; that is God’s power.
Through a few examples, let’s look at the promises in the Bible. The first is Joseph; God was with Joseph, not to save him from that environment, but to build him up and help him in that environment.
Genesis 39:2-3:
2 When Joseph was taken to Egypt, Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did,
Generally speaking, after becoming a slave, the most desired prayer result is, “Lord! Please let me be free quickly.” God does not seem to accomplish it that way. God says, “Even if you are a slave, I will be with you; I will make you the best slave.” Brothers and sisters, if God accomplishes this for you, would you want to listen? “Lord! Don’t let me be a slave; let me grow into the best slave.” But God says, “No, in this process, you will learn many things.”
When facing a great environment, if the environment does not change, we should learn: “Lord! Give me strength to overcome in this environment; I know that after overcoming, my character will be built.” Joseph was precisely in Potiphar’s house and in prison during those years, which built his character, allowing him to eventually govern a nation. Thank and praise the Lord!
Let’s look at another person, Joshua. Joshua 1:8-9:
8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Brothers and sisters, God was with Joshua, granting him strength in all he did. People often wish you success in everything. In the Lord, we often tell others to be prosperous in everything. But in people’s impressions, prosperity means everything is good. But in God’s eyes, prosperity means you will encounter some difficulties, but they will not affect your success. You will encounter mountains, but they will not hinder your steps. Although the road may be uphill, I will give you strength to run like a deer. Most of the time, we say, “Lord! Please make the road ahead smooth.” We generally prefer prayers like John the Baptist, where every mountain and hill will be made low, and the rough places made smooth, making the journey comfortable.
God is not like that; God says, “I am with you. No matter what kind of road you walk, even if you are in the mountains or valleys, I am with you.” This is not only true for us; it was also true for Jesus. The first time was when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, and a voice from heaven said to Jesus, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you, I am well pleased.” The Jordan River is the lowest place in the world. Another time was on Mount Hermon when Jesus was transfigured, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased.” That is the highest place in Israel. This means that whether you are in the valley or on the mountaintop, God is with you. Hallelujah!
This passage from Joshua also tells us, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. No matter what problems you encounter, no matter what difficulties you face, God is with you. Wherever you go, God will be with you.” Even if you forget all other doctrines and fall into a pit, if you know that the Lord is with you, He will surely save you from that pit, and you will have hope and faith. Amen!
Zechariah 4:6, So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
It seems impossible, but Zerubbabel built the wall. Brothers and sisters, in your life, there will be some impossible things, some desperate situations. Can you stretch out your hand and boldly declare: “I know Jesus is with me; the Holy Spirit is with me; with Him, nothing is impossible. I believe that relying on the Holy Spirit, I can accomplish this.” Is the Holy Spirit with you? Will He leave you? No. In the Old Testament, when the Holy Spirit finished His work in a person, He would leave. The psalmist prayed to God, “Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.” Today, because of Jesus on the cross, our sin problem has been resolved. Jesus has given us a promise that He will dwell in you and never leave you.
John 14:16-17:
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
Is the Holy Spirit in you? Even if you feel He is no longer there, even when you feel lost, is He there? Yes. Even when you sin, is He there? Yes. Never say, “When my faith is strong, He is in me, but when the environment comes, I feel He is not there.” Do not rely on feelings; it is very clear here. You cannot see Him, but He is in you. He will be with you forever. What does the Holy Spirit do in you? When you are weak and helpless, you call on God, and He will give you inspiration and guidance, allowing you to rise again. This is the Holy Spirit being with us.
We are much luckier than those prophets and people used by God in the past; we are greatly blessed. Gideon may have only received that one word from God for his entire life, and he was overjoyed. But today, the Holy Spirit dwells in you, and as long as you are willing, God can converse with you, help you, and allow you to regain strength. This is our greatest hope. Do not fail to use Him; that would be troublesome. The simplest way is to pray in tongues because He is always with you. Hallelujah! So when you encounter problems and difficulties, pray to God and use the power of the Holy Spirit to change everything. Amen!
Revelation 21:3, And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them; they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
This has existed from the Old Testament until today. Let me first say that God’s dwelling among people was most directly manifested when the Israelites were in the wilderness. Wasn’t God’s dwelling among people? That dwelling was set up by the Israelites, but after it was set up, God’s glory filled that dwelling, and there was a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire leading them, representing God being with people. Later, when Solomon built the temple, God’s glory also filled the temple, representing God being with people.
Today, there is an invisible temple; Jesus is the head, and all believers are linked together to become the church, the body of Jesus. This is a huge temple, and God’s dwelling is here. Hallelujah! You are the walls, ceilings, and pillars of that temple… We are built into a spiritual house, and God’s glory is upon you. Hallelujah!
When you look at all this through spiritual eyes, are you a mighty warrior? Yes, Hallelujah! You will find that a wall cannot lack a single brick; if one is missing, the wind will come in. But when we are stacked together, we become a very solid dwelling. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, each person is a mighty warrior. When these warriors call on God together, they will overcome all problems. Hallelujah! Thank and praise the Lord! So God wants to dwell with them and be their God. As long as you say, “Lord! I want You to be my God,” then open your mouth to pray to Him in everything, and God will guide you on the right path. Hallelujah!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for renewing me through these words. Lord, in suffering, I say, “Lord, I cannot see You,” thinking You have abandoned me. But through today’s words, I know You are with me; You will grant me strength. What You use is the strength I currently have, even if it is just a little bit of strength, when used by You, I will be filled with Your power.
Please help me to see what in my life is Your strength, Your ability. I will use this ability, allowing Your power to fill me, using Your ability and authority to overcome all problems in life. I am already pleasing to You in Christ; You are the victor, so I am also a victor. Thank and praise You! This week is a blessed week; I am a mighty warrior. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen!