Gideon Character – Beautiful Sunday to you. I do not usually post on Sundays, but I thought I should come and encourage you about something very close to my heart. NEVER allow fear to stop you from achieving your goals. There is one thing that makes a dream absurd to attain, and that is the fear of failure. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid of your fears. They are not there to scare you, but to encourage you to keep going because greatness is brewing inside of you. 

I want to take you through the life of Gideon in the Bible. A man whom the Lord trusted, to save Israel. He did not believe how God could use a man like him for such a massive task. He felt fearful and afraid, but he never allowed his fears to stop him from doing what God had tasked him with. His obedience to the Lord went as far as doing the task at night when no one was watching.

The Gideon Character – He was assured of victory.

Before God gives anyone a task, He always assures them of their potentials and capabilities. From the times of Moses, Joshua, and all the great men whom God used for His kingdom, He always assured them beforehand that nothing shall stand before them all the days of their lives. He ensured them that He would never leave them nor forsake them. To Joshua, He said, “Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for I will be with you wherever you go”.

It was not a wonder to Gideon too. Before He tasked Him anything, He ensured to be with him on the journey he was about to take. The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor”. I am not sure about you, but that is all I want to hear as a certainty to my destiny.
I mean is tough out there. The only significant thing about life is that we were promised victory, and the Lord will be with us throughout the journey.
At times it is difficult to believe it, but as long as the assurance comes from the Lord, not people, furthermore, we are convinced that it will come to pass. His word never comes out and goes back void. It often, and I repeat often does that which was carried out to do.

He asked questions.

Gideon had a lot of questions about whether that was true or not. Whether the Lord would be with him or not. His questions got me thinking about a lot of things. I put myself in his shoes and felt the confusion he was going through at the time. He asked, “If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about?” He went on and on, asking a lot of understandable questions from someone who’s been disappointed before. I am relatively sure these are many questions we all ask ourselves in various circumstances. We likely question the Lord’s existence. You could be asking yourself where He was when you were going through an abusive relationship. When you were sick, raped, molested, heartbroken, depressed, unemployed, or lost your loved ones, etcetera.

He knew how to express himself.

Let me ease the weight in your heart by saying that it is normal to ask such questions. It is okay because you need answers. Gideon needed answers too. You are not being ridiculous. After the grumbling and rumblings to the Lord, He finally answered him. It was as if He waited for him to finish his grumblings. He kind of gave him a chance to express himself fully. The Lord faced Gideon directly and said, “Go with the strength you have and save Israel. I am the one who sent you”.
How many times have you set your mind to do something, but you only felt inferior and incapable? Yet the Lord had already bestowed the strength and provision for it? Many times right? Know that you are assigned by the Lord for a specific purpose. Do not doubt yourself.

He was chosen.

You do not have to be powerful to be used by the Lord. The Bible says, ” He uses the weak to shame the wise”. Gideon wholly expressed his fears, inferiority, and timidity before the Lord. I applaud him for that.
I applaud his honesty, vulnerability, and openness. He looked at himself and what God was tasking him for, and found it to be impossible. He was allowing his background, and the community to determine his potential. He told the Lord that he was from the weakest clan in Manasseh and his family is the least in the whole community. His voice or opinion did not necessarily matter, and he was the least amongst them all. He did not fathom why God would choose him amongst all the others in his family and community.
Regardless of what he said, how he felt, and where he came from, God chose him still. I am just so fascinated by the Lord’s patience towards Gideon. He kept assuring him that He will be with him and he shall win the battle.

He needed an approval.

How many times have you been unsure of the Lord’s voice or whether your thoughts were playing tricks with you? Well Gideon, asked the Lord to show him a sign to prove that it was him speaking. It usually happens to me mainly when I have seen a dream, and it’s not somewhat clear. I usually ask the Lord to give me a sign so that I can understand the dream better. Gideon told the Lord not to depart until he came back. As patient as the Lord was, He indeed waited till he returned. Gideon prepared a young goat and bread. He put the meat in the basket, bread in the pot, and presented them to the Lord. He commanded Gideon to take the meat and bread and laid them on the rock. Both the meat and bread got consumed by fire. That was something he has never seen in his life. And immediately, the angel never said a word after the fire consumed the meat and bread, instead, He departed out of his sight. And Gideon knew that it can only be the angel of the Lord to do such a thing. He ended by saying he saw an angel face to face.

Do not feel bad whenever you want approval or a sign from the Lord. That is a good thing to do because He directs our paths. The more you experience the Lord’s favor, the more you will get to see His power face to face. It creates a room for His power and miracles.
The Lord assured Gideon yet again that He will be with him every step of the way. He said to him, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid nor panic. You shall not die”. Gideon went and built an altar and called it THE-LORD-IS-PEACE.

He was obedient.

As part of the process of saving Israel. The Lord tasked Gideon to tear down the altar of Baal, cut down the wood image beside it, and build an altar to the Lord on top of a rock on a proper arrangement.
Did He just say in a proper arrangement? Well, the altar of the Lord must have always been there but not suitably arranged. That is why the Lord commanded Gideon to build the altar properly because we serve the Lord of order. If you want to live a joyful and peaceful life, you need to allow the Lord to rearrange your life and bring order to it.
An orderly life is found in accepting Jesus Christ as your savior. He is omnipresent and immortal. Allow Him to heal your brokenness.

He remained obedient.

Gideon still felt fearful, no matter how many signs the Lord kept assuring him that he will be victorious. What I love about him is his obedient spirit. He felt inferior to his clan and felt like he was the least in his family, but still became obedient. He feared his father’s household and the men in the city too much to do the task which the Lord commanded him by day. He waited till it was a night to do the task. I take a standing ovation for Gideon’s obedience despite his fears. Certain tasks would require you to perform them fearful.
Ever heard the quote, ‘Do it afraid’? Yes, that is what I’m talking about. You just have to do it anyhow.
Gideon decided to do it at night. When no one else was watching. He waited till everyone was asleep to do the task that the Lord commanded him. He did not use his fears as an excuse not to do anything. He found other ways he could use, as long as he obeyed. Many of us use darkness to do things that satisfied the flesh. But Gideon used it to obey the Lord and to do His will. I still applaud him for that.

In all that you do, be like Gideon. Ask questions, express yourself, know that you are loved and chosen by the Lord. And over and above all, be obedient even if you feel fearful. You never what is on the other side of fear.

I urge you to be obedient to do the will of God. Even if it means doing it at night when no one is watching. Do it anyhow. The results will speak for themselves in the morning. Just do it anyhow.

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What have you been assured of, such that you kept going no matter how fearful you felt? How have you overcome your fears?
What have you done afraid, yet conquered? What’s your understanding of Gideon’s character?

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