*Judges 2:18* - "When the Lord raised up leaders for them, the Lord was with each leader and delivered the people from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for them when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them." (New English Translation)

 

*Judges 6:11-16* - “Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “*The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!*”


 

13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, *if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?* And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ *But now the Lord has forsaken us* and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”

 

14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”


15 So he said to Him, “*O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house*.”

16 And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”

 

*Reflections on Judges 6:11-16*

1. God's plan is for kingdom advancement in every aspect of life so that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

2. Fear of other gods or disobedience of God's instructions is judged by deliverance into the hands of the oppressors.

3. When God's people humbly repent, cry out to God, and raise an altar, He raises a leader to judge the situation that has arisen and put the nation (or individual, business, ministry) under oppression.

 

*The Three Errors Preventing A Leader From Fulfilling His Mandate To Judge*

1. ...*in logic*: “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’" (*Verse 13*)

 

*Solution*: God operates outside of human logic. His thoughts and ways are higher than ours.

 

2. ...*in judgment*: "But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of Midianites.” (*Verse 13*)

 

*Solution*: You need an understanding of the character and nature of God. He does not need to answer your question, but you need to follow His instructions.

 

3. ...*in self-perception*: "Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.”(*Verse 15*)

 

*Solution*: You need a lucid awareness of your spiritual identity in God.

 

Father, I activate divine wisdom and intelligence that emanate from the mind of Christ. Holy Spirit, lead me into all truth in every area of life IJN.

 

*Prayer Point 2*

Father, enlighten my eyes of understanding to come to a full knowledge of the character and nature of Christ. Holy Spirit erase every misconception and ambiguity in my mind about the attributes of God IJN.

 

Verse 34: “*But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon*; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.”

 

*Prayer Point 3*

Father, I receive a full revelation of and reclaim my identity in Christ. The Scriptures declare, "But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." 

I receive the Holy Spirit’s empowerment to rise up as a strong and courageous leader and repossess my territory and the resources for my family, ministry, business, and my marketplace engagement. IJN