November 11th

God Has Faith in You

" 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. ¹²And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!" ¹³Gideon 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." ¹⁴Then 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?"  ¹⁵So 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." ¹⁶And the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man."  Judges 6:11-16 NKJV 

The story of Gideon is a fascinating account of how the Lord used a regular guy to do an amazing work.  Gideon didn’t see how God could possibly use him to lead his people in a military victory.  Though Gideon doubted, the Lord didn’t give up on him. He stood firm on his plan to use Gideon to deliver Israel (see verses 17-40).  After the angel gave Gideon confirmation that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon built an altar to the Lord.  Gideon submitted himself to the Lord and was ultimately used to defeat the Midianites and deliver his people.  

We can all be encouraged by this story.  God is the God of Faith.  God actually has faith in us in that he will speak things over us that will occur if we will simply agree with him and follow him.  Paul wrote that God is “God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were” (Romans 4:17 NIV).  When God declares things that are contrary to present reality, he is speaking it by faith.  When we agree with him and obey, we help bring the manifestation of that faith to pass.  

When we set out to follow Jesus and live the “new life in Christ,” the reality of our “old self” may make this task look impossible.  We can consider 2 Corinthians 5:17 as God’s “faith statement” over us:  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  As we call this to mind, we have the choice to agree with God that this is going to be the case, or we can give up and admit defeat.  

By agreeing with God on it, we engage his word with our faith, and supernatural power is released in us to complete our transformation into the new creation.  This may not happen instantaneously, as there are likely sin issues that we’ll need to work through that will take time to surrender completely.  The point is, however, that we will move positively toward the complete manifestation of what God said we would become – a new creation.  

Questions for further thought:

• Why might it be easier for God to use people when they lack position, talent, power, wealth or other remarkable qualities?

• Jesus said, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” in John 8:36 NIV.  How is this a statement of God’s faith in you?

• What are some ways you can show your agreement with God on what he says about you as a person believing in Christ?

Prayer:

“Heavenly Father, thank you for being the God of Faith.  Thank you for having faith in me, that I am a new creation in Christ.  Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to guarantee all that I inherit with Jesus in your kingdom.  Thank you for the victory that Jesus won for me.  Lord, I join you now, agreeing with you in faith, that I am a new creation in Christ.  Please strengthen me and remind me of this fact each day as I put my old sinful habits to death.  Please strengthen my faith to engage the truth you have spoken over me in your word.  Thank you for not giving up on me!  I praise you now and forever, Amen.”