I love every time I notice an exclamation point in the Word because it tells me something really important. It tells me, or at the very least it reminds me that the one speaking is saying whatever he is saying with conviction and strong emotion. There is some passion involved. Here in this verse the Angel of the Lord is the one speaking to Gideon, and judging by the exclamation point, He meant what He said.
So, I'm going to put the punch line right up front that way you can decide early on if you want to continue reading. Today's message isn't about Gideon. It is about you and how you perceive yourself compared to how God perceives you. It is time that we as believers look in the mirror and see ourselves through His eyes!
In this case the angel of the Lord is declaring to Gideon exactly how God sees him, as a mighty man of valor! Gideon on the other hand is busy feeling sorry for himself, his circumstances and declares about himself ... "Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my Father's house." 6:15 Gideon is busy looking at himself through what he perceives as his weaknesses, while God looks at him through His presence in Gideon's life. After all, wherever He is, the might of heaven is sure to follow! "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!" If we have Jesus as our Lord and Savior and are submitted to the Holy Spirit then we need to stop seeing ourselves as weak and inconsequential or as anything less them mighty in the kingdom because we have a job to do!In James 1:22-25 it tells us to be doers of the word! It tells us that we are to not be hearers only, because that would mean we looked into the mirror and then walked away and forgot what kind of man we are. It says ... But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. Gideon went beyond being a hearer, but a doer of the word that was spoken to him. He became the man that God saw him as because he applied the word in His life. He became a man who was mighty and valiant and won victories for the kingdom.
In Luke 21:1-4 We see a scene that is familiar to us all. It is where Jesus is sitting, watching the people in the temple. He watches some who 'think they are all that' giving out of their abundance and making a show of it. He also sees a widow give her last two mites and because of His statements we know who He perceived as the greater in the kingdom. Did the widow giving her two mites know that he saw her as one who "Gives it all?"
Do you know how he perceives you? Do you walk like a mighty man of valor or one who gives it all? Do you live as someone who reads the perfect law of liberty and forgets what kind of man you are because its easier to believe your 'all that' then to change what needs changing? The rich young ruler walked away sad because he wasn't willing to give up what the words of Jesus (The mirror) confronted him with. His love of money.
It is time. Time for His people to take His words to heart! Time to see who we are in Him and live like it! It is time to see the victories because He is with us instead of seeing only our weaknesses and problems. It is time to walk in His might and in the power of His word in our lives. It is time to be doers of the word, believe what He says about us, and Go in the power of His might!
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There is a young lady reading this that is afraid to step into out in ministry because your worried about your past. Look in the mirror. It will show you that your all washed and cleaned up. Stop worrying about what others say. The past is past. Jesus washed the past away when you said yes to Him! Stop looking back. He sees your future! When He came to Gideon He didn't acknowledge his present, or his past, just his future ... "as a mighty man of valor." Why? because that's how He sees him. He sees us for who we are in Him! "The Lord is with you. You mighty man of valor," or rather in your case, "You mighty woman of God." He is with you. Step out!
There is also a young man and He wants you to stop worrying about what your father and your brother have to say and start believing and trusting in Him. He says you have a field set before you. Get up on your feet. Step into the field and get your hand to the plow! Its harvest time!
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