Learn From Gideon, 21

~ God’s Spirit Can Transform Us from Fearful to Confident ~

The Biblical account of the life of Gideon provides for one of the most interesting character studies in all of Scripture.  In this series we will discover practical lessons for living the Christian life today.  

Scripture  ~  “But Joash said to all who stood against him, ‘Would you plead for Baal?  Would you save him?  Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning!  If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!’  Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, ‘Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.’  Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.  But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.  And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him.  He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them” (Judges 6:31-35).

Learn From Gideon  ~  God has given the Holy Spirit to His believers for many purposes.   

1. One of the Spirit’s primary purposes is guidance.  Jesus said, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:12-13a).
2. A key aspect of transformation is our thought processes.  “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2). 
3. Train yourself to think like Christ thought.  “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient” (Philippians 2:5-8a).
4. Changing thoughts and attitudes (habits of thought) is a process.  “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
5. God has given us everything we need for this process.  “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:2-4). 
6. Notice the change in Gideon in the Scripture for this day’s post (Judges 6:31-35).  The result was that Gideon was transformed from fearful to confident. 

concluding comment  ~  We learn about Gideon primarily from Judges 6-8, but also Isaiah 9:1-7, and Hebrews 11:1-3, 32-34.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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