Grace Community Church, Arlington, TX

We are not the best judge of what we can do or our abilities or our capabilities. It’s like we look in a mirror and see dimly or we’re staring through a haze. Like Gideon.

Gideon didn’t see a warrior when he looked in the mirror—he saw weakness, fear, and insignificance.

Sometime when we look in the mirror, we see a:

• Human and God sees a Hero
• Mistake and God sees a miracle
• Brokenness and God sees a blessing
• Disappointment and God sees destiny
• Failure and God sees a future
• Mess and God sees His masterpiece
• Nobody and God sees a name known in Heaven
• Fear and God sees faith rising
• Victim and God sees a victor
• Weakness and God sees a warrior

» God saw something greater in Gideon! Like Gideon, we often underestimate ourselves because we measure our potential by our current situation or past failures.God sees beyond our limits.
» In Judges chapter 6, the children of Isreal did evil in the sight of the Lord, so God allowed them to fall under Midianite oppression for seven years.
» The Midianites devastated their land, leaving them with poverty, fear, and starvation.
» The children of Isreal cried out to God and God sent a prophet to remind them of how He delivered them from Egypt, but they had disobeyed His voice by turning to other gods.
» Gideon is found working on the threshing floor, a place used for separating grain from chaff.
» The Angel of the Lord appears to Gideon as he hides in a winepress, threshing wheat in fear of the Midianites.
» The Angel greets him with an unexpected title: “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
» Confused and doubtful, Gideon questions how God could be with them amidst such oppression.
» Gideon doubts his own worth, 9aka looking in his own mirror) pointing out his low status and weakness.
» But God says, “Go in this might of yours... Have I not sent you?” and most importantly, “Surely, I will be with you.”

Imagine God saying, I am sending you (but I’m going with you)!

(Here God reassured Moses of His presence as He sends him to lead Israel out of bondage).

(God encouraged Joshua as he prepared to lead Israel into the Promised Land).

(God promises to be with His people in the face of fear and uncertainty).

(The early church was sent, but not alone—Jesus worked with them)

(God assured Paul of His protection and presence as he ministered in Corinth).

» God’s encounter with Gideon is not just a simple greeting but a call to action.
» Despite Gideon’s doubts and fears, God assures him of His presence and His assistance to victory!

Imagine God saying, I am sending you (but I’m going with you)!

» God often meets us in our ordinary, everyday lives. He is not waiting for us to be in perfect circumstances but is waiting for us to accept Him as a perfect God!
» God’s call to us will likely come in the middle of our greatest struggles, doubts, and even our fears.
» If we ever feel small, inadequate, or insignificant, God will always see our potential and call us to walk a greater purpose!
» Do you think we might be unexpectedly called or sent by God to freedom from uncomfortable circumstances?
» God’s calling is often not convenient! God does not see what we see when we look in the mirror!

God sees:
• Strength when we see sickness
• Possibilities when we see problems
• Victory when we see defeat
• Purpose when we see pain
• Growth when we see grief
• Beauty when we see ashes
• Light when we see darkness
• A way forward when we see a dead end
• Joy when we see sorrow
• Potential when we see pressure

1. Imagine God saying, “You feel small, but I see greatness in you.”
2. Imagine God saying, “You may think you are on your own—but you’re never alone.”
3. Imagine God saying, “I have prepared the way— but you must take the first step.”
4. Imagine God saying, “What overwhelms today, will glorify Me for all eternity!”
5. Imagine God saying, “You may choose weakness— but I will choose strength in weakness!”
6. Imagine God saying, “Your past doesn’t disqualify you— because I will equip you!”
7. Imagine God saying, “I will be your fuel when you run out of gas!”
8. Imagine God saying, “What you see as a burden, I will turn into a blessing.”
9. Imagine God saying, “I’ll be your anchor when the storms are raging!”
10. Imagine God saying, “I’ll be your flashlight when the path gets dark!”
11.Imagine God saying, “When the door closes, I’ll be the key to open it!”
12.Imagine God saying, I am sending you (but I’m going with you)!