Navigating The ImpostorSample

The Uncertain General - Part 2

Yesterday, we talked about Gideon, his excuses, and how he tried to weasel his way out of his assignment.

Gideon is no different than you or me. Sometimes when we are gifted, talented, and assigned, we do silly things...which make sense in our warped brains...to convince ourselves we are not worthy of the assignment.

First of all, Gideon was threshing grain...in a shallow pit...OUTSIDE...near a tree. Think about this! If someone was looking for you, in a place where the weather was hot, wouldn’t they stop by a large tree to get shade? And wouldn’t they look for you outside?

Gideon was doing a terrible job of hiding. I think about my son. When he was two years old, I was seated on the living room couch, working on my laptop. He ran past me and slid into a little space near the sofa while quickly covering his eyes. I asked, “Son, what are you doing?”

“Daddy, shhh. We’re playing Hide and Seek. I’m hiding!”

Now, he was in plain sight, and anyone who came to the room could clearly see him. But, in his mind, since his eyes were covered, he was invisible. He was hiding.

Gideon was hiding in plain sight. 

After conversing with the angel, he worries out loud.

“Oh no, I saw an angel. Now, I’m going to die.”

Again, the Lord speaks to Gideon, “Calm down. I’ve got you. You’re not going to die.” Then, the Lord shocks Gideon.

“Before I have you deal with the Midianites, I need you to do something for me. I need you to get your father’s second-best bull. Pull down the altar where he worships Baal with it. Then kill the bull, make Me an altar, and sacrifice your dad’s bull on the altar. Oh, and there’s a sacred pole next to the Baal altar. I need you to chop that down and sacrifice everything on the highest part of the hill where everyone can see it.”

Gideon obeys. BUT...he does it at night, so he isn’t seen.

Are you hiding in plain sight? Do you have the gift of leadership, but you’re afraid to lead?

Sure, maybe you’re taking on some small projects to feel like you’re doing something. But, there is something more significant to be done, and you’re super nervous about doing it. So, instead of doing it out loud where there may be a confrontation, you back door it. You do it at night. You do it in silence, so you don’t have to deal with the fallout.

Is this you?

God created you to do something special. It’s time to navigate the impostor.