Judges 6:11-12 – “The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite.  He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress so he could hide it from the Midianites. ¹² The angel of the Lord appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was drawn to the thought of overcoming reluctance and acting on God’s directive.   Most say, “I want to hear God and know what He wants me to do.” Then, they are reluctant when God speaks through a vision, a dream, a word, an impression, or a circumstance.

Gideon is an example.  The angel of the Lord came to him as he was hiding from the Midianites and said something astounding and amusing.  God said in Judges 6:12, “The LORD is with you, courageous warrior!” Seriously, LORD, courageous warrior, he’s hiding!

Gideon’s response made me laugh.   In verse 13, he said, “Pardon me, but if the LORD is with us, why has such a disaster overtaken us?  Where are all the miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about?”   His view of things was diametrically opposed to God’s.  He knew his cowardice, and hearing ‘courageous warrior’ was absurd to him.  His focus was on the problem, not the provision.

God did not quit but said, in verse 14, “You have the strength.” Really, LORD, are you blind?   Gideon made excuse after excuse until he realized that this was truly the angel of the LORD!

He decided to obey, but he was anything but a courageous warrior.  Judges 6:27b states, “He was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime.” Here I am, LORD.  I’ll obey, but secretly, the courageous warrior that I am.

His fleeces seem less about confirmation than looking for an out.  Finally, he called for help, and 32,000 came against a massive army of Midianites and Amalekites.  The odds were not good.  Gideon was being transformed into a courageous warrior.

In Judges 7:2, God says, “You’ve got too much help.”   Hey, God, are you blind?   We are outnumbered thousands to one, and you say I have too much help.     Then 22,000 were culled from the ranks, and God said, “Sorry, there’s still too much help.”  Then, God culled it down to 300.

The fact that Gideon and the 300 kept going is revelatory of the transition taking place.  God’s Word (Rhema) not only emboldens, encourages, and gives faith; it transforms.

God has a daunting assignment for each of us.   Our world is growing so dark that even some in the church are praising debauchery and blasphemy as laudable.   Case in point: the Drag Queen ceremony in Paris, which made a mockery of the Last Supper.   Jill Biden called it beautiful.  God has another word for it.

God is calling for courageous warriors to step up and put their lives on the line for the kingdom.   We have a harvest to gather, and we need to embrace God’s Word (Rhema) and let it transform us.  We need to become bold manifestations of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.   We need to demonstrate God’s love and power, setting captives free and pulling down strongholds.

The world longs for truth and is being deceived because the church has chosen to remain in hiding.  Silence is not always golden; sometimes, it is yellow!

If we will hear and heed God’s Rhema, then we can become courageous warriors and harvest souls for the kingdom.   It is time to be bold and believe God in every area of life.   No more hiding!   No more cowering in the shadows.  No more timidity.  God is with us; in and through Him, we are more than conquerors!

Have a wonderful day and allow the Holy Spirit to enable you to overcome all reluctance and become a bold warrior for God!